[
    {
        "id": 206010,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1970",
        "page_number": 90,
        "title": "RAS-1970",
        "content_text": "CHINESE EMIGRATION AND THE DECK PASSENGER TRADE 85\n\nat the French settlement on New Caledonia, after which the French authorities sent a ship to rescue the survivors on Rossel Island. Only one small Chinese boy was found, whose story was that the rest of the passengers and crew had been eaten by the natives. This was accepted as gospel by the press in Sydney where the boy was taken, although there were some glaring inconsistencies in his story, and it was repeated in the British Admiralty Sailing Directions. Not until thirty years later was it seriously questioned, when its most important critic was Sir William MacGregor, the first Australian administrator of New Guinea. It is now generally believed that, rather than wait to be taken on to Australia and a life-time of labour to repay the inflated cost of their passages, the Chinese had preferred to take a chance in New Guinea. Food, including the highly prized luxury bêche-de-mer, was comparatively plentiful, and life in New Guinea with freedom must have appeared infinitely preferable to life in the Australian goldfields saddled with a heavy personal debt. When the first official census was taken in New Guinea, many Chinese were recorded, of whose origins there was no satisfactory explanation.\n\nAnother notable incident in the history of Chinese emigration, and which had a happy conclusion, concerned the Peruvian ship Maria Luz in 1872. The Maria Luz had left Macao with over 300 indentured labourers for the Peruvian guano islands, and was forced into Yokohama harbour in distress. One coolie jumped overboard and swam to H.M.S. Iron Duke, where he reported that the passengers on the Maria Luz had either been kidnapped or decoyed on board under false pretences. As a result of the publicity and outcry which this caused, all the passengers were sent back to China. Peru had then no treaty relations with Japan, but threatened war unless Japan apologised and indemnified her. The British government, however, warned Peru that any hostile act on her part would invite retaliatory action by the Royal Navy; and the whole question was referred to France, who gave her verdict in favour of Japan. This case focussed public attention on the many unsavoury aspects of the emigrant trade, and also led to the opening of diplomatic relations between China and Japan.\n\nIt is necessary to remind ourselves that conditions in many of the emigrant ships to South-east Asia during the 1850's and\n\nPage 90\n\nPage 91",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1970.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/ww72j0241",
        "rank": 0
    },
    {
        "id": 210880,
        "series_id": 26,
        "series_slug": "histsyn-rashkb-journal-engine",
        "series_title": "RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊",
        "series_use_hku_proxy": false,
        "document_key": "RAS-1986",
        "page_number": 231,
        "title": "RAS-1986",
        "content_text": "214\n\nCARL SMITH\n\nAfter the discovery of gold in Otago in 1861, there had been a great rush of prospectors. When the fields had been worked over and new fields opened in other areas, there had been an exodus.\n\nThe local authorities were eager to recruit men who would be willing to continue to work the Otago minefields, hence their hope to attract Chinese labour from Australia.\n\nThere was a possible obstacle. Threats had been made that if the Chinese entered the goldfields they would be run out. This had been published in 1857 in another district, where an Anti-Chinese Committee had been organised to fight the \"Mongolian filth.\"\n\nThe fear expressed itself in spite of the fact that no Chinese were planning to come to New Zealand at that time. The memory of the threats remained, however, and before bringing any of his countrymen, Ho A-mei wanted to assure himself they would receive protection.\n\nHe received an open welcome from the Dunedin merchants and the Otago authorities. After a brief stay at Dunedin, A-mei returned to Melbourne with the assurance that Chinese miners would be both welcomed and protected.\n\nWhen he arrived back in Australia, he had posters put up at the various mining areas inviting Chinese to the New Zealand fields.\n\nThere was a decidedly cool response. The Australian Chinese miners were still uncertain of the reception they might receive in New Zealand.\n\nA-mei, however, remained undaunted. In words reflecting his pride and persistence, he reminds his readers: “Desiring, however, not to be discouraged by the shaken confidence in me by our countrymen, nor relishing the idea of frustrating the hopes of those friends of your city, under whose hospitable roofs I had the opportunity of enjoying many a pleasant hour during my visit, and much less did I like to have a failure in any scheme I undertake, I commenced at once with undivided attention and vigorous activities, and after much difficulty I succeeded in inducing a",
        "txt_file_path": "txt/dfo323lmgvd/RAS-1986.txt",
        "external_url": "https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/jq08c7063",
        "rank": 0
    }
]