Hide Article Text (OCR)
suicides by drowning, 2 by poison, 2 from the ell'ects of dogging, one of the two having received GOO lashes, the remainder dying from fever, scurvy, and a frightful disease causing their legs to mortify and rot, resulting from stagnation of the blood brought on by confinement without exercise. During the first three weeks of the passage, the unfortunate Coolies were allowed on deck 4o_at a time, for about half an hour ; after this? and for the remainder of the passage they were on deck during the day, but at night wore strictly confined below. This took place in a climate where the thermometer is seldom below IK), and often 120. There was no European doctor on board, no hospital, and no medicines of any worth. The living, the dying, and the dead, were aU huddled together in two ill-ventillated ’tween-dveks. The dead were frequently brought up in a state of putrefaction. The stench on deck arising from below I cannot compare to anything 1 have ever experienced elsewhere.Tho coolies were confined below in consequence of attempts being made to seize the ship, and regain their liberty shortly after leaving Swatow, and repeated whenever land was in sight, in anticipation of these attempts barricades, gratings on the hatches, muskets, cannon, and cutlasses were day and night in use. From tlie.se piepara. tions the nature of the Coolie Free Emigration’’ may be easily understood.Of the .V.tS coolies landed in Havannah, 200 were in a dying state, and I do not think could survive one fortnight ; six were insane, and eleven completely blind. Of the boO men on board at first, I can safely say four-fifths were on board agaiiut their will. It required the united exertions of the crew and oiiicers to prevent their escaping on shore, while the ship was lying in Swatow river. I cannot fill up your valuable space with the details of cruelty I have witnessed on board coolie ships, but suitice, it to say the horrors of the African slave trade never exceeded that of the so-called “ Coolie Free Emigration.” For this opinion I have the authority of persons in Cuba who have had experience in both trades.August 12. J. S. C.
Newspaper Details
Evening Star
London, Middlesex, GB
Fri, Aug 13, 1858
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 16 Nov 2020
Other Publications Near London, Middlesex
Bingleys Journal
Arminian Magazine
London Daily Mail
London Stars and Stripes
London Daily Universal Register
