CO885(1-2) — Page 363

End in No. 20.

། ། ། ། །

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

56

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO

encouragement of the emigration of coolies from China to the British colonies; and his Lordship has therefore directed the papers to be sent at once in original to the Colonial Office. His Lordship has further given directions that when the papers are returned to this Office, copies of such of them as you may desire to have for the archives of the Colonial Office shall be supplied."

I am, &c.,

H. Merivale, Esq.

&c.

MY LORD,

&c.

(Signed)

Enclosure in No. 20.

H. U. ADDINGTON.

Superintendency of Trade, Hong Kong, December 27, 1852.

I AM sorry to have to report to your Lordship that Amoy has been the scene of much disturbance and disorder, accompanied with loss of life,--the result of the irregu- larities and abuses connected with coolie emigration. The very imperfect accounts I received from the Consulate, and the gravity of the interests compromised, induced me, after consultation with the senior naval officer on the Chinese station, to send up Mr. Secretary Harvey in Her Majesty's steamer "Hermes," in order thoroughly to in- vestigate the causes of an outbreak which I found from many private communications had caused much anxiety, and to examine into the more general question as to the manner in which coolie emigration was carried on at Amoy, it having been represented to me from several unofficial quarters that the public peace was seriously compromised, large amounts of property placed in jeopardy, and the amicable relations between the subjects of Great Britain and China likely to be interrupted by the raisdoings of the instruments and agents engaged in the collection and exportation of Chinese labourers. Mr. White, who had not then received official notice of his appointment as emigration agent, applied for permission to proceed in the “ Hermes,” and I most readily complied with his wish.

I have the honour to enclose copy of a Despatch from Mr. Vice Consul Backhouse, dated 27th November (No. 60). That Despatch was accompanied by a private letter, stating that he believed the riots were attributable to an attempt made by Mr. Syme (of the house of Syme, Muir, and Co.) to rescue a coolie broker from the hands of the Chinese authorities. I have the honour to enclose copy of my reply to Mr. Backhouse's Despatch, dated 9th December, and of my instructions to Mr. Secretary Harvey of the same date.

The "Hermes" returned to Hong Kong on the 21st instant, and I have now to enclose to your Lordship copy of a communication and its enclosures from Mr. Acting Consul Backhouse, stating that Mr. Syme has been fined 200 dollars, and his assistant, Mr. Cor- nale, 20 dollars, payable to Her Majesty, according to the provisions of the Treaty of Amity between Great Britain and China,-the finding being that Mr. Syme (who was accompanied by Mr. Cornabé) visited a police court at Amoy on the 21st November on the subject of a coolie broker, with a view to obtaining his release, and thereby, according to the charge, caused a riot, in which two British subjects were assaulted.

I have received from Mr. Harvey, and have now the honour to enclose an interesting report, accompanied with a mass of depositions and documents throwing much light upon the whole subject; and I beg to express my thorough and hearty approval of the manner in which Mr. Harvey has discharged the serious and delicate duties of his tnission. I aru persuaded that the arrival of the Hermes," the investigations consequent thereon, the punishment of the guilty British merchants, and the assurances given that Her Majesty'» Government will rigidly inquire into and severely chastise the offences of which Her Ma jesty's subjects may be guilty against the subjects of China, will do much to restore that amicable and extending intercourse which had been placed in peril by the cupidity of reckless men.

I beg to state to your Lordship, with reference to the barracoon in front of the foreign hongs, that I completely concur with Mr. Harvey's opinion that it ufust be taken down, that its removal is alike demanded for the security of British persons and property, and for the preservation of the public peace. I have desired private intimation to be given to Mr. Syme that he had better quietly remove this cause of offence, and I hope that this may be effectual. If not, I shall desire Alr. Backhouse to come to some understanding with the Mandarins on the subject; and if the plea is urged that the property is Spanish, to call upon the Spanish Consul, Mr. Tait, who is a subject of Her Britannic Majesty, to interpose his authority. The large amount of British property at Amoy is uninsured, and though I understand a circular has been sent to their constituents by some of the. merchants at Amoy, stating that the Mandarins will be called upon to give compensation any damage done to British property by the violence of the mob, I have not been applied to to authorize, nor have I authorized, any such statement to be made, especially under present circumstances.

for

I have no report from Mr. Backhouse respecting the claim of 5.000 dollars made by Mr. Valleney on the Chinese authorities for injuries done to his person during the riots,

EMIGRATION OF CHINESE COOLIES.

57

and of counter claims made by those authorities on account of the loss of life by innocent persons. I may state, however, that such claims are rigidly enforced by Chinese laws against Chinamen who are the cause of the accidental death of others, of which a case has occurred within the last month at Canton, where an opulent Chinese merchant has been compelled to give compensation to and make provision for the families of a number of persons killed or wounded by the accidental explosion of a gunpowder manufactory, though the gunpowder was to be employed against the rebels. The immediate departure of the mail necessitates the closing of this Despatch. There will be no time to copy Commander Fishbourne's report, which will no doubt be sent to the Lords of the Admiralty; but I inust not omit to state that the co-operation and assistance afforded by Commander Fish- bourne have been of the greatest value.

Mr. Pedder having obtained three months' leave of absence from Amoy in consequence of ill health, and the departure of Dr. Winchester for England, having left the Consulate without adequate strength, I have, in the existing state of things, thought it desirable to despatch Mr. G. S. Morrison from Canton thither, and to invest him temporarily with the duties of first assistant. I am glad to say that he has lately been diligently and success- fully attentive to the study of the Chinese language.

I have, &c., The Right Hon. the Earl of Malmesbury,

(Signed)

SIR,

&c.

&c.

&c.

(No. 1.)

JOHN BOWRING.

British Consulate, Amoy, Nov. 27, 1852.

I HAVE the honour to report to your Excellency an atrocious outrage committed on the evening of the 21st instant by an armed party of Chinese soldiers.

The soldiers in question seeing Mr. Mackay, a clerk in the house of Messrs. Tait and Co., passing the street in front of their station, attacked him with stones, some of which struck him on the head, and drove him into an alley from which there was no exit; and having penned him in there whilst they held some converse with him, they eventually allowed him to repass, after giving him a blow over the head with the sharp edge of a spear, which inflicted a wound about two inches in length.

Soon after Mr. Vallancey, the chief munte of the English ship "Australia," was passing the same place in company with a friend, when they too were at once attacked by the soldiers. The friend managed to effect his escape, but Mr. Vallancey was not so fortunate; and being first brought to the ground by a spear-thrust in his thigh, was, while that helpless state, treated in a most savage manner, receiving cuts over each temple, on thrust in the upper part of his left arm, five or six wounds in his right thigh, one in the abdomen, and some others, besides sustaining much injury from the blows inflicted on his head with sticks or stones. So seriously was he injured that his life was at first despairel of, and his state is still very precarious.

On hearing of this affair I proceeded to the foreign hongs to ascertain the particulars, On arriving there I found Captain Ellman and a strong party from Her Majesty's steam sloop Salamander," with whom and a party of the residents several of the streets were patrolled without finding anything calculated to increase our anxiety.

The next day, the news of this matter having spread over the town, the uneasiness of all the inhabitants who had anything to lose was very great, and all the shops were shut. At the same time the town became flooded with vagabonds from the neighbourhood. who, uniting with the bad characters of the town, soon evinced their determination of plundering the hongs of the foreign community, as well as of robbing their own coun- trymen.

For some time they were held in check by the sight of the preparations masle to receive them; but at length, on the forenoon of Wednesday, the 24th instant, the aspect of things was so threatening that a very strong party of men was landed from the steamer to pre- vent the sacking of the hongs. Their presence awed the mob for a short time; but at length the crowd, which was rapidly increasing, made a most determined attack on the hong occupied by Messrs. Syme, Muir, and Co. The men-of-war's men behaved with great forbearance, though on their interfering the mob transferred their attack from the hong to them, pelting them with heavy stones, which many of them did not throw until they had run nearly up to the bayonets of the marines. These latter more than once cleared the ground, which was a narrow strip, by pushing the mob off it without using their bayonets; but were as often compelled to retire again, and twice were driven for refuge into the long they were guarding. Their forbearance was naturally misconstruei by the plunderers, whose numbers and daring increased momentarily. At length Lieu- tenant Smith, who was in commnnnd of the seainen and marines (and who himself land twice heen struck down by stones), finding that further, delay on his part to act would seriously compromise the safety of his men, and consequently that of the lives and pro- perty of the foreign residents, reluctantly gave the order to fire. As soon as the rabble found that they were opposed by force they at once decamped, and no attack has since been

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