། ག ཟ། ·「 རྭ།
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.
885
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO
Query 4.-What is the average rate of pay per diem for agricultural labour in and near Amoy?
Answer-For a permanent engagement, from 25 to 45 cash per diem, with food; for job work, 75 to 100 cash per diem, without food.
Query 5.-What is the general character of the people of Amoy, as regards industry and capacity of labour?
Answer.-Good.
Query 6. In the event of an emigration taking place on a large scale, is it likely that men of respectable character and industrious habits would join it, or only the refuse of the population?
Answer. None but the destitute will go to an unknown country; but a deserving man in such circumstances will emigrate as freely as a worthless character.
Query 7.-In the same event, is it likely that emigrants would take with them their families, and settle altogether out of China, or would they go alone, and with a view of returning?
Answer-Under any circumstances, Chinamen would not be likely to remove their families from China.
Query S.-What would be the expense at present rates of shipping male adult emigrants for the West Indies, viù Cape Horn, per man.
Answer.-17. per man. Vessels always go round the Cape of Good Hope.
Query 9.-Would emigrants going out enter into contracts pledging themselves to work at certain rates for the same parties; or, in your judgment, would it be more desirable to leave them wholly free and unfettered?
Answer.-Coolies always enter into contracts previous to starting. I consider it would be inexpedient for a different course to be pursued.
Query 10.-What would be the average time required for a passage from Amoy to the West Indies?
Answer.-About + months.
Query 11.-State generally any facts bearing on the question of Chinese emigration to the West Indies which may occur to you as important, and which are not mentioned in the preceding queries?
Answer. No observations to make.
MEMORANDUM.
THE local authorities apparently take no notice of the emigration of coolies. They are, of course, cognizant of all that goes on, and on two or three occasions I have known them remark, in the course of desultory conversation, that such or such a vessel had taken away a better or worse lot of men than usual; but beyond such remarks I have not known them say anything in relation to the subject.
The rate of pay per liem earned by agricultural labourers varies so much, according to circumstances, that it is hard to say what might be considered the average. Where people are engaged for a permanency (say a year), the pay given, with food, might be anything from 25 to 45 cash per diem But where men are employed by the day, or by the job, the rate of remuneration is even more various, as it is much influenced by the probable length of the engagement, the nature of the job, the season of the year, &c. &c.
Probably the most common pay, without fool, is between 75 and 100 cash per diem. From 27 to 30 cash are equivalent to Id. sterling.
The food of agricultural labourers, and of the poorer classes generally in and about Amoy, is of the most inferior kind. Sweet potatoes, a sort of turnip, and indeed roots of all kinds, form, with various descriptions of greens, the bulk of their food. Of the greens a vast proportion seems hardly deserving of-being considered as food for human beings Rice is a luxury,
None but the destitute will leave for a long time to come, and it may fairly be considered, that the bulk of the people in such circumstances are neither the most respect- able nor industrious of the community. But as even good character and industrious habits are not certain of securing a living in hard times, it is possible that a proportion of deserving men may occasionally be found amongst those compelled to emigrate.
These latter remarks would not apply to people emigrating the Straits settlements. or to Manilla. But the West Indies is to Chinamen a terra incognita.
British Consulate, Amoy,
September 3, 1852.
SIR,
(Signed)
W. H. PEDDER.
British Consulate. Ningpo, September 14, 1552.
REFERRING to your Excellency's Despatch No. 27, Circular No. 19, of the 5th of August, transmitting a paper of questions on the subject of emigration from China, and requesting I would furnish replies to the same, together with any suggestions which might occur to me, I have now the honour to reply to the questions seriatim.
EMIGRATION OF CHINESE COOLIES.
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1st Question. Has any emigration taken place within the last few years from the port of Ningpo? If so, to what extent ?
Answer-No emigration has taken place from Ningpo to my knowledge since the opening of this port to foreign trade in 1844.
2 Question. Is the emigration from Ningpo sanctioned or connived at by the local authorities? Are any obstacles thrown in the way of intending emigrants?
Answer. No emigration having taken place, experience has not shown whether the authorities would either sanction or connive at it; but from the apathy Chinese officials generally exhibit to all matters which do not cause them trouble, I do not think they would notice in any way emigration, particularly if carried on in foreign vessels.
31 Question-Are the inhabitants of the districts adjoining to Ningpo, in your opinion, well fitted for Inbour in a tropical climate like that of the West Indies?
Answer.—I should give it as my opinion, from the similarity of the climates one half of the year, that natives of this district are as well suited as any other Chinese from the north of China to bear the climate of the West Indies, as from my own observation the mortality in the winter months is about the same as what it is in the summer months. 4th Question. What is the average rate of pay per diem for agricultural labourers in and near Ningpo?
Answer-About two dollars a month, besides which an agricultural labourer is given his food by his employer, which costs about one dollar more; in many instances also, agricultural labourers live in the house with their employer; but three dollars a month, or 5. per diem, is as much as an agricultural labourer receives in this neighbourhood.
5th Question-What is the general character of the people of Ningpo, as regards industry and capacity of labour ?
Answer. The inhabitants of Ningpo, as far as the labouring class is concerned, are a very industrious, civil, well-disposed, and pains-taking people, and being in general very robust, they would, I am sure, make good labourers in any part of the world.
6th Question. In the event of an emigration taking place on a large scale, is it likely that men of respectable character and industrious habits would join it, or only the refuse of the population?
Ansicer. The Ningpo people, to all appearances, are not at all disposed to emigrate, as they seen attached to their native place, and are content with a very little; and even if inducement was held out to them to emigrate, I am of opinion it would be only the very poorest and lowest who would take advantage of it; but it is of course difficult to answer this question until an attempt should actually be made by some enterprising person.
7th Question. In the same event, is it likely that emigrants would take with them their families, and settle altogether out of China, or would they go alone, and with a view of returning?
Answer.--Even if emigration did take place from Ningpo, I do not suppose the emigrants would take their families with them, or that the emigrants would except in isolated cases, settle altogether out of China. I am of opinion, if the people of this district did emigrate at all, it would be alone, and with the intention of returning in a few years to their families,
8th Question. What would be the expense, at present rates, of shipping male adult emigrants to the West Indies, vià Cape Horn, per man?
Answer. There not having been any emigration, I am unable to reply to this question. 9th Question. Would emigrants going out enter into contracts pledging themselves to work at certain rates for the same parties; or, in your judgment, would it be more desirable to leave them wholly free and unfettered ?
Answer. My reply to this question must be again supposititious. I should say that if emigration did take place from Ningpo, at its commencement, at all events, the emigrants would enter into contracts to work for certain individuals at certain rates. The latter part of the query would, I should say, depend entirely upon circumstances, as, of course, when emigration had commence, future contracts and emigration would be based upon the advices the friends here received from those who had emigrated.
10th Question.—What would be the average time required for a passage from Ningɲo to the West Indies?
Answer.—This would depend altogether upon the time of year vessels left Ningpo. 11th Question-State generally any facts bearing upon the question of Chinese emi- gration to the West Indies which may occur to you as important, and which are not mentioned in the preceding questions ?
I have thus replied to each query as far as I am able, but with the limited information 1 possess on this subject, and without a personal knowledge of the West India islands, I feel great diffidence in presenting any suggestions of my own to your Excellency; wishing. however, your Excellency should have us correct information on this head as it is post- sible, I may state it to be my decided opinion, viewing solely the very great reluctance with which natives of this district leave their homes, that unless some extraordinary inducements should be offered, I do not suppose emigration to any extent worth mention- ing will ever take place from this port
Dr. Bowring, &c.
I have &c.. (Signed
P. HAGUE
F 2
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