STRANGE CASE OF GENERAL AVERAGE.
An amusing circumstance connected with general average has occurred in China. On the 13th March the German barque Georges, from Honolulu, arrived at Hong Kong. She left Victoria, Vancouver's Island, twelve months ago for that port, laden with, amongst other "sundries," 112 coffins, containing the bodies of defunct Chinamen. She encountered a storm after leaving port, which compelled her to put back. The needful repairs being effected, she again put to sea, and this time succeeded in. reaching Honolulu, in the vicinity of which she again encountered, severe weather, which compelled her to put into that port. At Honolulu she was put in quarantine, and it was impossible to land the cargo for a considerable time. It was proposed to throw the coffins overboard, but the Chinese there entered so strong a protest against this that the idea was abandoned. Eventually the coffins were landed and buried, until the repairs were effected, and on these being finished they were exhumed again, and reembarked. Of course all these puttings back and repairs necessitated an average statement but it seems that the consignees of the coffins at Hong Kong could not or would not see why the coffins, the deceased inmates of which they pleaded were only passengers, and therefore not liable to contribute towards general average expenses, should contribute. The captain, on the other hand, contended that passengers usually had tickets, whereas these 'sundries were deliverable on production of bills of lading, and came under the status of goods. The matter was finally compromised by the consignees paying towards the general average 500 dols. to obtain the remains of their friends. It would defy the cleverest and most experienced average adjuster to arrive at the nett market value of dead Chinamen. The humor of that heathen Chinee in describing the defunct dessicated Celestials as sun-dries is too palpable to be commented on.
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Bibliographic details
Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1534, 4 July 1873, Page 2
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316STRANGE CASE OF GENERAL AVERAGE. Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1534, 4 July 1873, Page 2
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