Note 124 — XIV.

The cruelty and injustice with which the poor Chinese emigrants are treated, have repeatedly had the most appalling consequences. The "China Overland Trade Report," published at Hong-kong, under date 28th February, 1861, gives the particulars of one such tragedy, which had shortly before occurred on board of one of these emigrant ships. On 22nd February, the American ship Leonidas sailed from Canton for the Havanna with a number of coolies on board. Near what is known as the Macao passage, a tremendous noise was suddenly heard in the between-decks. Two of the mates, on descending to inquire into the cause of the disturbance, were attacked with knives and severely wounded. Meanwhile some of the coolies had overpowered the captain and his wife, and had inflicted on them several dangerous wounds. However, the crew ultimately succeeded in driving all the coolies into the hold, though not till after the 29th had been passed in constant fighting. In their desperation they sought to set fire to the ship, by preparing a regular pyre of combustibles, to which they set fire. Ere long, however, the smoke became so intolerable in the hold, that they themselves speedily made every effort to extinguish the fire. The ship returned to Canton. Out of 250 coolies, 94 were dead, of whom some were shot, some were drowned, some suffocated. Singular to say the French man-of-war Durance refused to render any assistance. Other accounts speak in the highest terms of the efforts of a German missionary to put a stop to this practice of kidnapping, dignified by the name of emigration, it having not unfrequently happened that young Chinese were openly carried off to Macao, and there as openly sold. This is the more readily credible, inasmuch as the Chinese are most desperate gamblers, and after they have lost all they possess, think nothing of staking their personal liberty. Thus, a short time since, the son of respectable parents in Sunon was sold by the Emigration Society at Macao for 40 dols., and it was only by the most unremitting efforts of the German missionary already mentioned that the wretched lad was re-purchased for £60, and thus escaped a terrible destiny. Two other Chinese were shipped at the same time, the bargain in their case being recognized.