CHINESE LABOURERS.
No. 11.
258
PAPERS RELATIVE TO EMIGRATION OF
trust, however, your Lordship will not be induced to recede from your opinion that the parties claiming the bounty should show that such amount had been expended. Secondly, I purposely abstain from entering on the discussion, whether at a future period the claim to bounty should cease to be restricted, as at present proposed by your Lordship, to those interested in the West Indian colonies, and who have made special application to the Secretary of State for permission to introduce these labourers.
The discussion is not only now premature, but must be conducted much less advantageously than at a future period, when it will be assisted by the experience of the working of the present plan. But my principal objection to it is, that this subject belongs more especially to the consideration of the Colonial Legislature. If your Lordship's restriction should be withdrawn, the Colonial Legislature must pledge the colony to defray the expense of immigration to an unlimited extent. If the colony limits the amount applicable to the expenses of immigration, there is the risk that persons may import Chinese labourers on the faith of receiving a bounty, but on their arrival find that the whole sum appropriated by the Legislature has been exhausted by the number who had previously imported. Neither of these evils can arise, if the bounty can be claimed by those only who have obtained the permission of the Secretary of State.
I have stated these objections to the few gentlemen who were present when the communication to your Lordship was the subject of discussion.
Of that number one gentleman only had any interest in Jamaica, which was united, however, with a greater interest in British Guiana.
There is another point which well deserves consideration by those in the colony who may be enabled to make the provision, if it be practicable, I allude to the possibility of subjecting the party receiving the labourer on his abandonment of his original contract with the importer, to the reimbursement to the colony of some portion of the bounty which the colony has paid the first importer. But that could only be reached by some legislative provision, if it obtained your Lordship's sanction.
Your Lordship will, I believe, shortly receive an application from Mr. Malcolm for permission to introduce Chinese labourers into Jamaica.
I have, &c.
The Right Hon. Lord Stanley,
&c. &c. &c.
(Signed)
No. 11.
WILLIAM BURGE.
COPY of a LETTER from JAMES STEPHEN, Esq., to WILLIAM BURGE, Esq.
Sir,
Downing-street, October 3, 1843.
I AM directed by Lord Stanley to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th ult., relative to the communication addressed by Mr. Hope on the 4th ult., to Mr. Neill Malcolm, respecting the introduction of Chinese labourers into the British West India Colonies.
The points on which you are desirous of receiving further information, or with respect to which you seek for a modification of the scheme, as laid down in the letter referred to, appear to be the following:-
1. As regards the mode of fixing the bounty-On this point you dissent from the West India Body, who are desirous that a fixed and uniform rate of bounty should be substituted for the existing arrangement, which fixes a maximum payment subject to the production of their accounts by the parties claiming it. Lord Stanley is, however, inclined to think, on a full consideration of the conflicting opinions and arguments on this subject, that if sufficient information can be obtained to enable Her Majesty's Government to fix upon a proper rate of bounty, there would be no objection to a modification of the rule in this respect. His Lordship proposes communicating with the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners on the subject.
2. As to the persons who should be permitted to take advantage of the bounty. -The question of extending this permission is one which his Lordship agrees with you, must be reserved for future consideration. Lord Stanley adheres at present to the restriction which limits the conduct of the emigration to those who shall have made special application to the Secretary of State.
3. With respect to your suggestion that the party who receives the labourer after the abandonment of his original contract with the importer, should be rendered liable to the colony for the reimbursement of some portion of the bounty paid to the first importer, Lord Stanley desires me to state that he fears this would not admit of being successfully carried out in practice, and that he thinks it will be the best course, on the whole, that the colony should pay for those immigrants whose services are open to general competition.
4. Although the question of contracts is not referred to specifically in your letter, I am to acquaint you that Lord Stanley has intimated to the West India Body, in answer to an application on the subject, that his Lordship has no objection to make the contract with the Chinese labourer binding for six months; but the importer must at the end of each period be entitled to a proportionally diminished rate of bounty. For instance, he will be entitled to claim four-fifths, but not the whole, at the end of the first period, and so on, with a proportionate reduction of one-fifth for each succeeding period of six months.
I have, &c.
JAMES STEPHEN.
W. Burge, Esq.
&c. &c.
Sir,
&c.
(Signed)
No. 12.
Copy of a LETTER from the LAND and EMIGRATION COMMISSIONERS to G. W. HOPE, Esq.
Colonial Land and Emigration Office, September 8, 1843.
In reference to your Letter of the 11th ultimo, acquainting us with the proposal to effect an immigration of Chinese into the West Indies, we have the honour to report that we communicated personally on the subject with Mr. Matheson, M.P. for Ashburton, and another gentleman well acquainted with China, and endeavoured to learn such particulars as might be useful in considering this question, and in maturing any future plans upon the subject. We have also the honour to state that at the suggestion of Mr. Matheson, as well as of some of the gentlemen interested on behalf of the West Indies, we addressed some enquiries to Mr. Crawfurd, who is peculiarly qualified to speak to the habits of the population frequenting the China seas.
We now beg leave to enclose a copy of our queries, and of a paper with which Mr. Crawfurd has been so good as to furnish us in answer, containing a large amount of information on the subject to which his attention was thus requested. We presume that copies of this paper will be supplied to the gentlemen interested in the West Indies, with whom the question originated.
But having obtained and furnished this information, we propose to abstain from entering into the details of any scheme for carrying on the proposed emigration of Chinese labourers from the Straits of Malacca; for this part of the subject having been under constant discussion at the Colonial Department, and being now nearly advanced to a conclusion, we apprehend that any detached suggestions here would be superfluous, and could only complicate the question.
G. W. Hope, Esq.,
&c. &c.
(Signed)
We have, &c.
T. FREDERICK ELLIOT. J. G. SHAW LEFEVRE.
Enclosure 1 in No. 12.
QUERIES respecting Chinese Immigration into the West Indies, sent to J. Crawfurd, Esq., August 30, 1843.
1. Is it likely that agricultural labourers could be picked up among the Chinese emigrants, or does a large proportion of them consist of artizans and small bucksters?
2. Would there be a prospect of meeting in the Straits of Malacca with such labourers of a class who have been used to sugar cultivation?
3. What may be the risk that the Chinese would not be persuaded to work kindly with negroes?
4. Women not being exported from China, besides the expense if they were, what weight should be attached to the fear that Chinese labourers would grow dissatisfied when they find themselves in a country where there are no women, either Chinese or Malay, but only those of African race?
5. Might it be expected that they would understand and practically carry out in the sequel an agreement for a fair stoppage of wages to repay the planters the cost of their passage?
6. Would they be likely to stipulate for back passage, which must entail a corresponding abatement of wages, or prefer saving the means of it out of their own earnings?
2 M 2
CHINESE LABOURERS.
No. 12.
Encl. 1 in No. 12.
230
1
CHINESE LABOURERS.
No. 11.
258
PAPERS RELATIVE TO EMIGRATION OF
trust, however, your Lordship will not be induced to recede from your opinion that the parties claiming the bounty should show that such amount had been expended. Secoudly. I purposely abstain from entering on the discussion, whether at a future period the claim to bounty should cease to be restricted, as at present pro- posed by your Lordship, to those interested in the West Indian colonies, and who have made special application to the Secretary of State for permission to introduce these labourers.
The discussion is not only now premature, but must be conducted much less advantageously than at a future period, when it will be assisted by the experience of the working of the present plan. But my principal objection to it is, that this subject belongs more especially to the consideration of the Colonial Legislature. If your Lordship's restriction should be withdrawn, the Colonial Legislature must pledge the colony to defray the expense of immigration to an unlimited extent. If the colony limits the amount applicable to the expenses of immigration, there is the risk that persons may import Chinese labourers on the faith of receiving a bounty, but on their arrival find that the whole sum appropriated by the Legislature has been exhausted by the number who had previously imported. Neither of these evils can arise, if the bounty can be claimed by those only who have obtained the permission of the Secretary of State.
I have stated these objections to the few gentlemen who were present when the communication to your Lordship was the subject of discussion.
Of that number
one gentleman only had any interest in Jamaica, which was united, however, with a greater interest in British Guiana.
There is another point which well deserves consideration by those in the colony who may be enabled to make the provision, if it be practicable, I allude to the possibility of subjecting the party receiving the labourer on his abandonment of his original contract with the importer, to the reimbursement to the colony of some portion of the bounty which the colony has paid the first importer. But that could only be reached by some legislative provision, if it obtained your Lordship's
sanction.
Your Lordship will, I believe, shortly receive an application from Mr. Malcolm for permission to introduce Chinese labourers into Jamaica.
I have, &c.
The Right Hon. Lord Stanley,
&c. &c.
&c.
(Signed)
No. 11.
WILLIAM BURGE.
COPY of a LETTER from JAMES STEPHEN, Esq., to WILLIAM BURGE, Esq. Sir,
Downing-street, October 3, 1843.
I AM directed by Lord Stanley to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 14th ult., relative to the communication addressed by Mr. Hope on the 4th ult., to Mr. Neill Malcolm, respecting the introduction of Chinese labourers into the British West India Colonies.
The points on which you are desirous of receiving further information, or with respect to which you seek for a modification of the scheme, as laid down in the letter referred to, appear to be the following:-
1. As regards the mode of fixing the bounty-On this point you dissent from the West India Body, who are desirous that a fixed and uniform rate of bounty should be substituted for the existing arrangement, which fixes a maximum payment subject to the production of their accounts by the parties claiming it. Lord Stanley is, however, inclined to think, on a full consideration of the conflicting opinions and arguments on this subject, that if sufficient information can be obtained to enable Her Majesty's Government to fix upon a proper rate of bounty, there would be no objection to a modification of the rule in this respect. His Lordship pro- poses communicating with the Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners on the subject.
2. As to the persons who should be permitted to take advantage of the bounty. -The question of extending this permission is one which his Lordship agrees with you, must be reserved for future consideration. Lord Stanley adheres at present to the restriction which limits the conduct of the emigration to those who shall have made special application to the Secretary of State.
3. With respect to your suggestion that the party who receives the labourer after
CHINESE LABOURERS TO THE WEST INDIES.
259
the abandonment of his original contract with the importer, should be rendered liable to the colony for the reimbursement of some portion of the bounty paid to the first importer, Lord Stanley desires me to state that he fears this would not admit of being successfully carried out in practice, and that he thinks it will be the best course, on the whole, that the colony should pay for those immigrants whose services are open to general competition.
4, Although the question of contracts is not referred to specifically in your letter, I am to acquaint you that Lord Stanley has intimated to the West India Body, in answer to an application on the subject, that his Lordship has no objection to make the contract with the Chinese labourer binding for six months; but the importer must at the end of each period be entitled to a proportionally diminished rate of bounty. For instance, he will be entitled to claim four-fifths, but not the whole, at the end of the first period, and so on, with a proportionate reduction of one-fifth for each succeeding period of six months.
I have, &c.
JAMES STEPHEN.
W. Burge, Esq.
&c.
Sir,
&c.
(Signed)
No. 12.
Copy of a LETTER from the LAND aud EMIGRATION COMMISSIONERS to
G. W. HOPE, Esq.
Colonial Land and Emigration Office, September 8, 1843.
In reference to your Letter of the 11th ultimo, acquainting us with the pro- posal to effect an immigration of Chinese into the West Indies, we have the honour to report that we communicated personally on the subject with Mr. Matheson, M.P. for Ashburton, and another gentleman well acquainted with China, and endeavoured to learn such particulars as might be useful in considering this question, and in maturing any future plans upon the subject. We have also the honour to state that at the suggestion of Mr. Matheson, as well as of some of the gentlemen inter- ested on behalf of the West Indies, we addressed some enquiries to Mr. Crawfurd, who is peculiarly qualified to speak to the habits of the population frequenting the China seas.
We now beg leave to enclose a copy of our queries, and of a paper with which Mr. Crawfurd has been so good as to furnish us in answer, containing a large amount of information on the subject to which his attention was thus requested. We presume that copies of this paper will be supplied to the gentlemen interested in the West Indies, with whom the question originated.
But having obtained and furnished this information, we propose to abstain from entering into the details of any scheme for carrying on the proposed emigration of Chinese labourers from the Straits of Malacca; for this part of the subject having been under constant discussion at the Colonial Department, and being now nearly advanced to a conclusion, we apprehend that any detached suggestions here would be superfluous, and could only complicate the question.
G. W. Hope, Esq.,
&c.
&c.
(Signed)
We have, &c.
T. FREDERICK ELLIOT. J. G. SHAW LEFEVRE.
Enclosure 1 in No. 12.
QUERIES respecting Chinese Immigration into the West Indies, sent to J. Crawfurd, Esq., August 30, 1843.
1. Is it likely that agricultural labourers could be picked up among the Chinese emigrants,
or does a large proportion of them consist of artizans and small bucksters?
2. Would there be a prospect of meeting in the Straits of Malacca with such labourers of a class who have been used to sugar cultivation?
3. What may be the risk that the Chinese would not be persuaded to work kindly with
negroes?
4. Women not being exported from China, besides the expense if they were, what weight should be attached to the fear that Chinese labourers would grow dissatisfied when they find themselves in a country where there are no women, either Chinese or Malay, but only those of African race?
5. Might it be expected that they would understand and practically carry out in the sequel an agreement for a fair stoppage of wages to repay the planters the cost of their passage?
6. Would they be likely to stipulate for back passage, which must entail a corresponding abatement of wages, or prefer saving the means of it out of their own earnings?
2 M 2
CHINESE LABOURERS.
No. 12.
Enel. 1 in No. 12.
230
1
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