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first. He bad knowu men refuse to go. Ou Monday last he went on board, and, sesing a disturbance, he went up to the 7th prisoner, and asked him why they made a noise; but the coolies seized him and carried him down the hold, but before they had time to beat him he was rescued by a constable, though not hefore he was struck with a belaying pin. He did not find out while he was on board what was the cause of the disturbance, but he after- wards beard that it was on account of some of the men wanting to go on shore, after having spent the money they received, which is about $11. They also got ajacket,pants, and shors in addition. The Enigration Officer and the Dutch Consul were always present when the coolies receive their bounty,
Mr. Baak explained that each coolie had a paper given him, and a duplicate was sent to the Government; both these papers were signed by the Dutch Consul and Emigration Officer. Mr. May expressing a wish to see one of the papers, Mr. Baak stated off to fetch one. When it was produced in court, witness stated that it was the same as the coolies received, The fourth prisoner asked this last witness | if he thought they had enough to eat on Tues. day last. The witness and they certainly had enough to eat, they got one pound of rice, and about five or six taels of fish each meal. They got two meals a day. Mr. May said they had heard what the last witness had said, they went on board the ship voluntarily, and with their eyes open.
Prisoners said they went on board of their own accord, but they did not see how they were to get back; but Mr. May said the agreement said nothing about coming back again, it merely said they could remain in the Dutch Guiana or go anywhere else they liked. Mr. Baak, agent for the Emigration, said he was on board after the disturbance, and told thecoolies he would endorse all their contracts to the effect that they should be brought back to Hongkong at the expiration of their term. Mr. May had the prisoners s id this, but at the same time said the great com. plaint was a shortness of food. Mr. Bank fur- ther explained that at the expiration of each coolie's agreement they would receive as a bonus $60 and a piece of land; if they wanted to come home they would get a passage instead of the bonus; the prisoners said they would have the return passage and not the bonus.
Mr. May said that was all right, the coolies wanted just what Mr. Baak would give; he would now enquire into the mutiny. Pang-a-wai, a clerk in the Wai-abing shop, said his master was employed by Mr. Baak to get coolies. On Thesday morning, at seven o'clock, he went on bcard the Maric Therese, with Lee-a-fook a sub- agent, and seeing a row going on asked the prisoners what they meant, when they seized him and beat him, especially the 6th. 9th, and 12th prisoners, (Cheong-a-poo, Ho-koon-sow, and Tsang-fat-sow;) it was Cheong-a-poo seized him by the tail, and the other two beat him with their fists: he lost his umbrella. &c. The constable came to the rescue; he had beard before he went on board that there was an insufficiency of provisions
Chun-a-fook, a coolie on board, but who is a sort of monitor or sergeant over a certain number of men, recognized the seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-first prisoners as the men most active in the assault on the last two witnesses; he stated that they all used belaying pins made of iron. He heard that the distr Fance was on account of there being uo clause in the agrement paper relative to the return passage, he did not hear that they complained of not having enough food, they sometimes bad some to spare; the reason why they threw all. the provisions overboard was that some of the coolics wanted to broak their engagement and get back on shore.
A-shuey, another coolie from the ship, recog. nised three of the prisoners, the 9th prisoner.
Ho-koop-sow, was one who had a belaying pio in his hand; he had not heard what was the reason of the disturbancer.
Mr. Jonathan Bank, agent of the Surinam Emigration Company, said on Tuesday, the 17th instant, he was on board, when he found a
disturbance going on, he could point out four of the prisoners who were the ring- leaders of the row, and he did so, Ho-koon-sow being one of them. He did not hear why the disturbance took place. He had done everything he could to satisfy the mea, even so far as to endorse their agreements after they bad been siguel, to the effect that they should be brought back at the expiration of their term. They had thrown the provisions overboard on two occasions, and the only reason he could assign for such conduct was that they wanted to slip through his hands.
P.C. 46, William Willians, said that relative to the disturbance of Tues lay, he could recognise two men, Ho-koon-sow and Ho-cheong, they were dragging another man down the batch. He also identified Ho cheong as the man who threw the provisions overboard, and threw firewood at the boat that came alongside with provisions. Witness said he had to be very severe with the nen, as belaying-pins were flying all round the deck He also stated that the men were quiet enough before the Chinese agents cate un board.
P.C. 20, H. Clinton, also said he saw two of the prisoners in the row throwing provisions overboard and firewood at the boat which came alongside.
The following is the list of the prisoners who were identified :---Chu-fook, Cheong-poo, Ho- cheong, Low kung-lum, Ho-koon-sow, Tsung- fat-sow, Low-a-suw, Ho-koon-sun, Cho-a-sin, i Hu-a-man, and Chew-a-see. The other vine were discharged, and as Mr. May said might go on board, but Mr. Baak said he did not wish to take any of the men back, as the other 120 coolies already on board did not wish to have them back again..
Lee-a-fook was called at Mr. Baak's request to see if he could recognise any of the nine men who are not identified by previous witnesses, and he spoke as to two of the nine, Lee-see- fook and Foo-a-sam, at the same time identify- ing two of the others, so that seven were noi recognised, and fourteen out of the twenty-one were positively spoken to as being actively engaged in the disturbances which have lately taken place on board.
Mr. May said the seven wen might gọ, but the two who were recognised must go in the dock again, and he would hear what they had to say in defence, or what complaint they might bave to make. All the prisoners gave variong excuses, most of them saying they had been mistaken for other men.
Mr. May was going to pronounce his decision, when Mr. Baak (who before when the case was being heard introduced a fresh witness), said one of the nieu was wounded so badly that he conld hardly stand, so he was accordingly introduced, but his testimony was only corroborative of the other witnesses statoment, This witnesses name was Lew-a chew, and being very much knocked about the bead, he was permitted to sit down while giving his evidence.
Mr. May said from the evidence given for the prosecution it was very clear that they had no Canse of complaint; they were all grown men and fully able to un- derstand the nature of the agreement they had made to go to the Dutch Guiana, it was the opinion of those interested in the vessel that they only made the disturbance for the purpose of getting away, and breaking their agreement. The fourth prisoner, Lec-see-fook, would be fined £5 or one month's imprisonment, the other thirteen would go to prison for three i months. Seven were therefore discharged.
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