CO885(1-2) — Page 401

133

Encl. 1 in No. 14.

132

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO

a fact which at once shows the necessity for caution in arrangements of this

nature.

The Duke of Newcastle,

&c. &c.

Encl. in No. 43.

SIR,

No. 44.

·March 9, 1853.

April 5, 1853.

&c.

Enclosure in No. 43.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

HARRIS.

Port of Spain, April 23, 1853. I HAVE the honour to report, for the information of his Excellency Lord Harris. that I visited officially this morning the immigrant ship “Clarendon," from Whampoa, in the Canton river.

This ship took on board at that place 25+ Chinese immigrants, of which number three died on the passage hither-one case from dysentery, and two of fever of complicated type.

These immigrants present, almost without exception, a healthy and robust appearance, only one of the whole number requiring to go to hospital. This is a case of pulmonary consumption in the first stage of the disease.

The ailments on the passage were trifling, mostly cutaneous affections, yielding to an appropriate treatment.

The accommodations of the ship are unexceptionable.

It is proper to state that, in addition to the deaths among the immigrants, the first mate of the ship died on the passage from dysentery.

The Hon. James S. Wildman,

Acting Colonial Secretary.

I have, &c.,

(Signed)

THO. ANDERSON, Inspector of Health of Shipping.

No. 44.

COPY of a DESPATCH from Governor THOMAS GORE BROWNE to the

Duke of NEWCASTLE.

MY LORD DUKE,

St. Helena, March 22, 1853. I HAVE the honour to submit a report from Commander Rowlatt, R.N., made after he had inspected the ship Lady Amherst," laden with Chinese emigrants bound for the Havannah,

2. Your Grace is aware that great numbers of Chinese are now emigrating to Cuba, where, it is hoped, they may supply the place of slave labour. Many (if not all) of the ships engaged in carrying them have called at this island for water and provisions, and, in many cases, reports of outrages committed have reached me after their departure.

3. Under these circumstances I instructed Commander Rowlatt to visit the next ship of this description on her arrival, directing him however to avoid interfering with the master, as ships taking emigrants from foreign ports do not come under the Passenger Act.

4. This report, which gives full information as to the condition of the emigrants on board the Lady Amherst," corroborates what I had heard

previously with regard to other ships.

5. In several cases the emigrants had attempted to seize the ship in which they sailed, and they appeared to be divided into two classes; viz., a small portion who seem generally to have been entrapped into going they know not where or why, the remainder belong to the dangerous classes; these last, if they do not come on board prepared for violence, soon become:0.

6. I have to apologize for troubling your Grace on a subject which will doubtless have reached you from other sources; but the trade is increasing, and will be directed towards Her Majesty's West India colonies, I thought it my duty to submit the case for your Grace's consideration.

7. Commander Rowlatt has charge of African emigrants, but has no autho- rity to act generally as emigration commissioner. Pending your instructions, I have, however, directed him to visit and report on all emigrant ships calling at this port, but to avoid any interference with the masters unless in cases where they come under the Passenger Act, and commit any breach of it.

I have, &c., (Signed) T. GORE BROWNE.

The Duke of Newcastle,

&c. &c. &c.

SIR,

EMIGRATION OF CHINESE COOLIES.

Enclosure 1 in No 44.

Liberated African Establishment, St. Helena,

March 9, 1853.

I HAVE the honour to acquaint you that, in pursuance of his Excellency's commands conveyed to me in your letter of yesterday's date, I went on board the ship “Lady Amherst," then at anchor in these roads, mustered her emigrants, measured the deck appropriated for their accommodation and examined her log-book and other documents; and will now detail the result of my proceedings, as concisely as 1 may.

It should appear that the ship, being chartered to carry Chinese coolies from Amoy to Havannah, sailed from the former port on the 3d December 1852, with 275 adult male emigranta

•

2. Previously to sailing, the master, Mr. David Reid, having understood that many of the people had been misled by the native brokers as to the destination of the vessel, caused a paper in the Chinese language to be printed and posted up in different parts of the ship, giving all the particulars of the proposed voyage, and stating that such of them as wished to return on shore were at liberty to do so

It seems that no one availed himself of this permission, but on the 13th, when at sea, a plot to rise upon the officers and crew and seize the ship was discovered, when Mr. Reid, after taking such immediate measures as were necessary for the safety of his vessel, shaped a course for Singapore, where he arrived on the 16th December.

About 150 of the emigrants were supposed to be, more or less, implicated in the con- spiracy to take the vessel, and several Malays, forming part of the crew, were believed to be in collusion with them.

On consulting with the authorities, Mr. Reid found that the detention consequent on taking legal proceedings against any of these people would be ruinous to his voyage; he therefore obtained permission to land 15 Chinamen who had acted as ringleaders, and several Malay seamen, and sailed again in prosecution of his charter on the 25th December 1852.

Mr. Reid produced to me a port-clearance, dated at Her Britannic Majesty's consulate, Amoy, on the 29th November 1852, signed by J. Backhouse, Vice Consul, having a certi- ficate on the face of it to the effect that the master had complied with the rules and regulations of the port; and a similar clearance from Singapore, under the hands of

· Church, resident councillor, and J. Russell, master attendant, dated 23 December 1852.

He also handed me a "declaration and protest," made before a notary public at Singapore, respecting the attempt on the part of the Chinese to get possession of his vessel, and showed me a sealed box, said to contain copies of indentures in the Spanish language, the originals, written in Chinese, being in the possession of the emigrants.

These, he assured me, were the only papers furnished him relative to the voyage. He had neither a licence nor accredited passenger list, and might have crowded as many people into his vessel as he thought fit, without hindrance from the authoritics, British or Chinese. On mustering the emigrants yesterday on board the "Lady Amherst," I found them to consist of 233 adults, males. The deck allotted for their use was of the height required by the British Passengers Act of 1852, solidly laid, fitted with two tiers of sleeping berths, and well ventilated; but the space, 2,530 superficial feet, was only calculated to accom- mudate 210 persons, allowing each 12 feet, as in the coolie ships sailing from Calcutta to our West Indian colonies. Thus, on quitting Amoy, she must have carried 65 adults, being nearly a fourth more than the number that would have been legal under the Passenger Act

Looking at her capabilities by the tonnage check established by the Act, allowing one alult to every two tons, the excess is still greater. In addition to the 233 emigrants I found a Chinese doctor and three servants, whilst the master and Lis crew numbered 25; giving a total of 262 souls, instead of 223, the number fixed by her registry of 446 tons; so that, on leaving Amoy, she must have had at least 300 persons on board, or 77 alove her legal complement, more than a third above the number she would be permitted to carry under the Passengers Act.

On searching the log-hook it appeared that the deaths which had occurred on board had been duly note; they amounted in all to 27. Of these the greater part were attributed to the immoderate use of opium, and some to dysentery. Three or four, low- ever, had been drowned by jumping overboard, but as in one or two instances the men were not seen by the officers, but only reported to have gone overboard by the men, they were given as missing in the report made to the Custom-lause here on the 6th instant.

Before leaving Amoy, according to a statement male to me by the mate, these men had jumped overhard after tying bundles of firewood under their breasts to support them, with the evident intention of swimming to landl. Of these people two were picked up by the ship's boat, and one drowned.

At Singapore two had gone overboard in like manner, and one had been picked up, the other drowned. One had also drowned himself at sea.

With the exception of one lad totally blind from some disease contracted on board, which had quite destroyed the whole structure of the eyes, and one or two others much emaciated, the people generally appeared stout and healthy. I spoke to one of them through the ship's interpreter, who told me "he came on board willingly, but did not R 3

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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TFILC.O.

885

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