CO885-(1-2) — Page 371

73

Encl. in No. 27.

72

122

No. 25.

1 March, p. 55.

9 March. p. 60. 30 March, p. 62. 7 April, p. 69.

~C. O. 14 April.

CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO

No. 25.

COPY of a LETTER from II. MERIVALE Esq, to the COLONIAL LAND and EMIGRATION COMMISSIONERS.

GENTLEMEN,

Downing Street, April 14, 1852.

I AM directed by the Duke of Newcastle to transmit to you copies of four letters from the Foreign Department, with various communications received from Dr. Bowring, having reference to emigration from China, together with a copy of the letter addressed to that department by His Grace's desire in reply.

Upon the arrival of Mr. White in this country, I am to instruct you to proceed as pointed out in the letter to Lord Wodehouse.

The Colonial Land and Emigration

Commissioners.

I have, &c.,

(Signed) H. MERIVALE.

EMIGRATION OF CHINESE COOLIES.

Enclosure in No. 27.

MY LORD,

Havana, April 11, 1853. THE contract entered into last year by Messrs. Villoldoe and Wardrop, of this city and of Glasgow, with the Government of Cuba, for bringing in 3,000 Chinese Inbourers, has until now been carried into effect as follows, by the arrival of the following ships :—

Vessel's name.

Panama

Blenheim

Gertrude Inchinnan

Tons.

No. of Labourers, No. of Labourers

embarked.

delivered.

Died.

522

-480

803

808

475

608

350

198

565

338

335

3

1,491

1,013

478

No. 26.

No. 26.

COPY of a LETTER from Lord WODEHOUSE to II. MERIVALE Esq.

SIR,

Foreign Office, March 10, 1858. WITH reference to the communications which have passed between this Office and the Colonial Office respecting the emigration of coolies from China February 14, 1853. to the British colonies, I am directed by the Earl of Clarendon to transmit to you, for the information of the Duke of Newcastle, the accompanying copy of a Despatch from Mr. Crawford, Her Majesty's consul-general in Cuba, on the subject of coolie emigration from China to that island.

I am, &c.,

Eacl. in No. 26.

Mr. Kennedy's, No. 27, April 14, 1849

Herman Merivale, Esq.,

&c.

&c.

(Signed)

Enclosure in No. 26.

WODEHOUSE.

Havanna, February 14, 1853.

MY LORD,

I HAVE the honour of reporting to your Lordship that about 700 Chinese have arrived here to be employed as labourers, contracted for eight years upon the terms stipulated under an agreement entered into between the Government of this island and the commercial firm of Villoldo, Wardrop, and Co., for the introduction of 8,000; but which was afterwards limited to 3,000 labourers.

Although properly, these Chinese have come here as free, and ought to be under the protection of the laws entitled to the full guarantees (according to the Royal Order of 21st October 1817) for the augmenting of the white population of the island, still they are not completely free, inasmuch as that they are subjected to the operation of an order which was put forth by Captain General Roncali Conde de Alcoy on the 10th of April 1849, which was transmitted and reported upon to Her Majesty's Government at that time by Mr. Kennedy, representing that the Asiatics and Indians who came from Yucatan were, by that order, made to suffer the dominion of their masters to similar extent as the slaves, a circumstance which most certainly has not been explained to these Chinese at the time of entering into their contracts at Amoy, and of which they are entirely ignorant up to this very moment.

The Right Hon. Lord J. Russell,

&c.

&c.

&c.

I have, &c., (Signed)

Jos. T. CRAWFORD,

Consul-General in Cuba

L

The first of these vessels arrived here with their crews and passengers infected, and there had died at sea as many as 289 of the Chinese.

They were consequently put under quarantine. No arrangements had been made, either by the Government or by the parties interested, for such an emergency, and the con- sequence was that the infection spread on board the ships; 136 more of the Chinese died in this harbour, and the disease (cholera chiefly) was not arrested until after the Lazaretto was built, 53 only having died there; making the total deaths after arriving here 189. The passengers from the first three ships were from Amoy, and the nunsters informed me that they were not at all healthy when they came on board. Each man had a portion of opiuni, which he smoked constantly till it was consumed; and its effects were evidently most injurious, producing pulmonary complaints and dysentery, of which most of them perished who died at sea. Neither of these ships had any other than "Chinese doctors," nor were they provided with efficient interpreters, so that the wants of the sufferers could not be made known; and for these two reasons more efficient assistance, most probably, was not administered on the voyage, and after the arrival of the vessels in quarantine at this place, although efficient medical assistance was imme- diately furnished. The most intelligent of the physicians has given me his opinion that the Chinese were allowed too much provisions at first, which had a most prejudicial effect upon them in the state they were in at that time.

The last ship took in her passengers at Nainon, and they were decidedly of a better description; the three deaths which occurred were, two cases of deliberate suicide by jumping overboard, and one of pulmonary consumption.

In general these labourers appear to be strong young men; they seem cheerful and contented, are well clothed, and the planters are quite content to receive them.

They have been apportioned in lots of ten to each subscribing proprietor, and those having ties and desirous of being left together have had their wishes attended to in the allotments. I have not seen any females amongst them.

Although the first of these ships arrived nearly four months ago, the passengers were not out of their quarantine till very lately, so that it is impossible as yet to form any opinion as to how this important experiment will turn out; but I shall not fail, from time to time, to report to your Lordship upon this subject.

I have, &c. The Right Hon. the Earl of Clarendon, (Signed) Jos. T.. CRAWFORD,

Consul-General in Cuba.

Acc.

Stc.

&e

No. 27.

S. T. No. 22,

April 11, 1859.

No. 27.

No. 28.

Copy of a LETTER from H. U. ADDINGTON Esq. to HERMAN MERIVALE Esq.

SIB,

Foreign Office, May 17, 1853. I AM directed by the Earl of Clarendon to transmit to you, for the in- formation of the Duke of Newcastle, the accompanying copy of a Despatch from Her Majesty's Consul-General at the Havana, reporting on the immigration of Chinese labourers into Cuba.

Herman Merivale, Esq.

&c.

&c.

I have, &c. (Signed) H. U. ADDINGTON.

Cory of a LETTER from H. U. ADDINGTON Esq. to HERMAN MERIVALE Esq.

SIR,

Foreign Office, April 30, 1858. WITH reference to your letter of the 14th instant on the subject of the emigration of coolies from China, I am directed by the Earl of Clarendon to request that you will state to the Duke of Newcastle, that Lord Clarendon concurs in his Grace's proposal to send to the Emigration Commissioners copies of the various papers on this subject, which have been transmitted from this Department to the Colonial Office, and to instruct the Commissioners to con- sider those papers with Mr. White on his arrival in England, in order that they

K

No. 28.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

No. 29.