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but we were not able to empty out the bad water, and could only take two caska on board, as it came so slowly. It was expended faster than we could receive it whilst remaining there, and too fast for us to stay longer.
The Governor of Callao came on board and took note of the mortality. There appears to be a discrepancy between the numbers recorded by the Governor and the number stated as dying by the log which I kept. I know that 416 coolies came on board, as I saw them counted the day I joined the ship. All were put down in the log as dying that I know of, though I never mustered them. I consider it likely that some inust have died and been afterwards secretly thrown overboard by their fellows without my knowledge. I cannot otherwise account for the discrepancy. I am satisfied that 245 died. My opinion as to the origin of the mortality was ship fever; they turned quite yellow, and then died. Our water was good at first, but it was placed in unsuitable casks and turned bad after- wards. The casks had contained liquors or spirits. We had also large tanks on board, and while the water in these lasted we had good water; but during this period, while we had good water, the coolies then died eleven in thirteen days before we reached Beazoola. We had for provisions sweet potatoes, fish, and a few casks of beef and pork. The fish, rice, and sweet potatoes were first used. A pint and a half of rice was allowed to ench The fish was weighed. coolie per day. The fish and the water were given out to messes.
I thought the water was not enough. The coolies were always very clamorous for water. The provisions were not given out by scale that I know of They were given out morning and evening, but not by me. Six weeks after leaving Cunsingnioon, and before reaching Hobart Town, we threw overboard all the bad provisions, 160 or 170 bags of fish. The potatoes were all used; they went off quickly.
At Hobart Town we took in water, beef, pork, and supplied all deficiencies. I received them on board At that time we had only about 250 coolies remaining.
As to our ventilation we had no sile ports at all, but the hatchways were kept open night and day during the whole passage. Spars and tarpauling kept the rain from en- tering; we had a windsail up, but I do not consider there was sufficient ventilation by any means. The coolies had no separate berths, but lay on deck and on mats, as they could. The ballast we carried was fresh-water mul, and it had a disagreeable sinell; had it been probed to the depth of two or three feet some elluvia might have been apparent. We had I attribute the sickness and death in part to this. I have no doubt about it. taken in the mud at Shanghae.
Our surgeon's name I forget. He rendered no attention to the sick. I know that be drank hard before joining the "Lady Montague." He was a man of bad repute as far as drink was concerned, and was known to be so. I do not know what medicines he sup- plied. An immense quantity of Chinese medicine in balls and cakes was put on board for the coolies, and this they preferred to English medicine. Force would have had to have been used to get them to take English medicine. They objected to the English, and preferred the Chinese. The doctor asked for opium, and got it from Mr. Mur, the char- terer of the ship. The opium was supplied to the men, but they still kept dying off, and it was found to be of no use. They would eat it in lumps. It was not withheld on the score of economy. After giving all out, he had but one half pound left. This surgeon diel shortly after leaving Hobart Town, and then the steward gave out medicines; but he was sick, and had of course no skill in medicine. We had nothing on board that we could give them ourselves, as we left Hobart Town without getting medicine. I could not, as mate, inquire from the doctor the reason why medicine was not got. I did not know what quantities he needed. Another medical nan came on board at Hobart Town. The coolies there got quite healthy; they had good water, provisions, and medicine, and were kept quite clean. This surgem could not account for the mortality, but said it was ship fever.
We took a great quantity of water in at Hobart Town, three large tanks, forty or fifty tons. We had then water to last us to Callao. At the latter part of the voyage the men hol plenty of bad water, and a less quantity of good water, served ont to them. They had an unlimited supply of bad water. I served out rice to the sick that could not move; they came to the cuddly door for it. Captain Smith did nothing what- ever either in keeping the ship clean, looking after the sick, or keeping up the requisite discipline on board. "There was a second mate under me, but he was all but useless; he died shortly after, and another was put in his room, who was also of little worth; he was young man who had not been two years at sea. We ll no third mate on boare The original second ante lay ill from ten days after we left Cunsingmoon. The next one did dusty for a week after getting out, and then died off Clincha Islands. The coolies would only obey me and the charterer, Mr. Mur. The captain drank occasionally. I have seen him drunk at midnight and at two o'clock in the morning. I cannot say that he habitu- ally drank. In fact, I do not like to say. I cannot say that he drank so as constantly to neglect his duty. He used sometimes to go below and give the coolies a cut or two with a rope. He never flogged the women. He did go below amongst the women because he thought they had influence over the men, and kept them below instead of coming up to duty. The captain would be obliged to do this, as they would do nothing without force being used. They would not even bury their dead without being driven They would lie all night with a corpse beside them. The captain would go down to the forecastle and give them a cut with a rope, but then the ship was driving about without officers He went below, I have heard, whilst I was sick, and struck the women; but I never did.
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EMIGRATION OF CHINESE COOLIES.
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He did not do this while in a state of intoxication. I believe it was necessary for him to down. The supercargo was the charterer. Captain Smith was not responsible for any of the arrangements either in taking the coolies on board, the indentures, the provisions, or arrangements on board, or the water, or medicine. I understood that all had been done by the charterer with the owners' knowledge. I do not know or think that Captain Smith violated any instructions from his owners in the case. I do not know that he had any instructions. The supercargo assisted in giving out the provisions, and limited the allowance of water, fish, and rice. He had provided these. He was a respectable man,— a partner in a house in Canton, with. Mr. Ritchie. He is a Buenos Ayrean, Manuel Mur by name. The handwriting (a letter of Mr. Mur was here shown to examinant) and sig nature now shown to me are those of Mr. Mur. I am of opinion is being on board was of great service. Our crew consisted of forty or fifty Lascars. We put the coolies on shore in Callao Bay. I understood they were to go to Callno. Nothing was said about the Chincha Islands. Each of the coolies Lal an indenture. They made some objection to go to Chincha Islands, but I do not know for why. Four days after the ship left Canton. I joined her at Causingmoon. The coolies were very filthy, and would not wash them- selves; I had to force them to do so, and cut their tails off; they and their clothes were all crawling with lice. They would not move to eat; but the ship was too crowded. She was only 700 and odd tons register. There was no room to move about on deck. Our crew was numerous enough, but there was not one proper seaman amongst them. There were only six or seven sailors, the others were any that could be picked up in the streets of Hong Kong. I remonstrated very strongly, and was going to leave the ship, but the captain went to the governor and stopped me leaving. He also asked me as a personal favour to remain with him in the ship, and I consented to do so to oblige lim. Mr. Mur also urged me to remain.
He did not keep any provisions-expenditure book; that should be kept by a third officer, but wo had none; and with a crew of coolies we could not keep that book or weigh the provisions. We served out the bags of good provisions, and threw the rest overboard. The eldest apprentice kept my watch, and a boy took my work whilst I lay sick. He was only a little boy. There were but two of these boys, one of whom would take a turn at the wheel for four hours, and then run down and call the other. I sometimes, whilst lying sick, heard Captain Smith knocking about. At Hobart Town we re-filled the casks, without washing them out, as many of them, a great number
of them, were good casks. I had to receive the water, but we could not stay to wash the casks, as the whole town of Hobart Town was clamorous for the ship to get off from their neighbourhood.
Nearing Callan there was a row among the coolies, but a man-of-war's boat came alongsile, and they were then quiet. I don't know whether the indentures were made to Chincha Islands or to Callao. They were to be paid four dollars a month; their passage paid to Callao, and also back again. They were shoemakers, and tailors, and others, and thought they were going to their trades Mr. Mur was privy to the arrangement, and had the whole management, not the captain; the charge of deception cannot be laid to him. The coolies did not appear pleased in reaching the island, and several of them committed suicide after being put on shore. I have been on the Pacific station since. and seen several of them.
We had plenty of ship's provisions on lard, but, except two casks, we did not serve them to the men. The two casks were quite good. We did not break open our stores until the men were short. They had plenty of rice (their staple food) and also fat, which we had taken in at Hobart Town, to mix with their rice. It was served out by Mr. Mur. The ship had nothing to do with provisioning the people, except our own. They were never sliort of provisions after leaving Hobart Town. We had hundreds of bags of rier left on landing at Callao. The survivors were quite fat. Those who had died would die in a minute. I have seen a man got on a rail, and die in a moment; and the same whilst they would be sitting at a fire. Dysentery had been prevalent in the country, but I cannot say that this was the disease that had been brought on board, or what it was. The Chinese medicine was brought on board, and I did not serve out any English medicine. We had plenty of sugar and tea on board, and I served those out to get them to work the ship; but there was no agreement to do so. We had neid on board. but I don't know whether it was served out; the doctor diel as he thought fit. I think the men would not take the acid; but I had so much to do I could not look into it. had everything to do on board, and could not look into these little things. On receiving the coolies, Captain Smith did go down with the charterer and measure out 32 compartments or messes with a brush; and afterwards, during the voyage, went down five or six times, but no more. He left me everything to do, though I did not protest against his conduct in Hobart Town. The charterer did protest, but I could not dictate. We had plenty of fuel on board, and the large tanks were used for cooking-houses, where they boiled the rice. It was properly boiled, and we were never short of fuel to boil it. I do not think the water was ever as low as a fifth part of a gallon to each coolie. I am pretty certain it was not.
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I do not know whether we had any vinegar. I used to get fifteen or twenty men with me to clean, and then to fumigate the ship with charcoal and scented wood, which we got at Bezoola. The charcoal was ignited on a large iron pan, and the scented wood put on
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