CO885-5 — Page 547

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As this

held out they could get anything they wanted. amounted to mutiny, I asked the captain of the ship to put the man in irons, which was done, and the men at once came

up quietly and regularly to breakfast. I kept this man working at cleaning the ship's brass work, and chipping and holystoning old iron, and separated day and night from the rest of the coolies for a week, and then assembled the whole of the people and brought him before them with his face chalked. I then told them that this man had tried to make bimself out a big man before them, and asked them if they thought him one then, at which they laughed. I told them that the food was sent on board by the Government and would be distributed to them in the quantities authorised and in such a way as to give them as great variety us possible; that it was better in quality and larger in quantity, than they had ever been accustomed to before; but that if they had any complaints to make the way to get them attended to was to come to me, and not to listen to any "budmash.” I then asked the man if he would promise, in the presence of the people, to behave himself and give no further trouble, which he did. I then turned to the people and told them this was the second time this man had pro- mised to behave himself, and asked them what I should do

to him if he broke his promise again, when they said that if he did they would thrash him. I then released the man who was perfectly quiet and well-behaved during the rest of the voyage.

This is an extreme case, but will serve. It is wonderful how soon one of these loud.talking gentry will come down and fleech and pray and promise all sorts of good behaviour if he is only let off this time; but my advice to the Surgeon Superintendent is, if he determines on punishing any man, to make that punishment an example especially at first, if he wants to establish "moral influence." Sometimes Brahmins and other high caste Hindoos will come and say that they cannot eat food prepared in the galley, and this, although they have been told before embarking that their food would be thus prepared. Often this man's prejudice (his caste has been broken by the mere fact of his having lived in the depôt even up country) can be satisfied by putting him into the galley as a bandharrie, if the com- plaint has not been made for that purpose, and there is a

After a time, if the Surgeon Superintendent' goes frequently to the galley and examines the food, and shows his care that it shall always be well cooked and impartially distributed, and that all articles unfit for food are

up

vacancy.*

✦ N.B.-There are a good many pseudo-Brahmins, &c. about.

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In one

thrown overboard, all these complaints will cease. book of Instructions, a note to a diet table, given by a Dr. Pearse in 1865, states, “The coolies made chutney with their « onions, tamarinds, chillies, &c., it was a nice relish for their green und mouldy biscuit." Agreed as to the relish. which was surely sorely needed, but how about the principal constituent of the meal. I must say that I would never issue green and mouldy biscuit, nor mye I ever seen the elightest necessity for doing so. Complaints as to work are also generally instigated by some return coolie, who should be detected if possible. By assembling the people and telling them that they must all take their share in keeping the two decks, which they occupy, clean, and in drawing provisions and pumping water for drinking and cooking, that this is all the work that will be required of them, but that it is necessary and must be done. And by repeating the warning not to listen to "budmashes" these complaints will generally be quashed, and, after the "moral influence is established, will be no more heard, but a little “moral suasion" is oft-times required to establish that “moral influence."

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All through the voyage little things will be cropping up, as, for instance, quarrels, and it is wonderful how little coolies will quarrel about. If I find two men fighting 1 generally tie them together with a dhotec, back to back, for an hour or so, when it will generally be found that they are too tired of each other to renew the quarrel. If a coolie uses bad language to another—to a Sirdar—or, worse still, to any Officer of the ship, or one of the Compounders, I make the offender stand in front of the dispensary holding his tongue out. Other punishments are such as chalking one or both sides of the face, and making the offender stand where he will be seen by the people or, if a woman, setting her to grind gram in a “janta or with currystone and muller, if there is no janta on board. If a coolie is detected in stealing I have him escorted round the deck two or three times by the topazes beating tom-toms and proclaiming him "thief." It is a good plan to make punishments such

as a

as to cause the other coolics to laugh at the culprit; but if a man has done anything that requires more the Surgeon Superintendent will find that separating him. from the others by day and night the most severe punishment he can inflict. Holystoning or any necessary work should never be given as a punishment. Firmness and strict impartiality will soon enlist the good feeling of all the well disposed and by far more numerous class, and then the task of the Surgeon Superintendent is an easy one, for, as the Instructions to

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PELER CO. 885

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