THE LATEST TRAGEDY IN CHINA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 260, 3 November 1871, Page 4

THE LATEST TRAGEDY IN CHINA.

o During the month of. April, 1871, a ship called the Dolores Ugarte, but rebaptized as the Don Juan, and carrying the Peruvian flag, lay in the harbor of Macao, waiting, it was understood, for, a Bupply of coolies, for whose transport she h-' been fitted up in Hong Kong — a British port. . Chinese. agents were. scour-/ ing the country in search of coolies whom, according to the survivor's evidence, they uniformly tempted with the offer of eight dollars, new clothes, a free passage to Auam, and four dollars a month on arrival. Anam is a favorite colony of the Chinese, the Siamese Government encouraging their immigration, protecting them, and exempting them from all military duty. The coolies who accepted the offers were marched to great barracoons in Macao, where they were kindly treated and well fed, but forbidden to leave, and threatened, as they say, by armed sentries with six years' penal servitude for desertion, On the fourth of May such of them as formed the cargo of the Dolores Ugarte were marched on board between two rows of armed sailors, and sent down into the hold, the hatches battened down on them, and the deck patrolled by armed men. These precautions were needed, for the unhappy coolies were not intended for Anara, but for Callao, thence to be sent to dig guano on the islands — a fate so dreaded and detested by the Chinese, who never will yield to slavery anywhere, that, as has been repeatedly affirmed by witnesses officially examined, suicide is in the islands the most frequent cause of death. The New York Tribune indeed, which has long watched this trade, affirms, we believe with truth, that no coolie engaged on the islands has ever returned to China. The coolies, once aware of their destination, can never be restrained, have repfatedly massacred all hands, and have still more frequently burnt the ships, preferring that the majority of their number should perish, while a few escaped in the boats, rather than all should die of compulsory labor. It would seem certain that the coolies on the Dolores Ugarte, though this is not proved in evidence, began, from the extra precautions taken, to suspect the truth, for the survivors all say they were well treated and excellently fed, and had no immediate motive for breaking out. They were, however kept under hatches like slaves, and were forbiddeu to go on deck for any cause whatever, while a small fatigue party of twelve which was allowed to assist in cleaning the vessel was on its return below jealously searched for fire. If the captain of these ships can once gain the ocean they are comparatively safe from fire, as the Chinese will not run the risk of burning without any advantage; but within Chinese waters the danger isdeadly,jand in this vessel the watchfulness seems to have been unremitting. On the 6 th, however, the coolies, who are entirely careless of life, made an attack upon j the sentries, and failing to overcome them, resorted to their last desperate expedient !of fire. They fired the hold, hoping, as frequently happens, that the Europeans would let them up in the confusion, when they would kill everybody but the steersman, and run the; ship on shore. The captain, however, perhaps familiar with the traditions of the trade, knew his danger, kept the hatches battened down, and after an ineffectual attempt 4o extinguish the fire — frustrated, it is reported, though not proved, by the' Chinese " chopping up " the man who held the hose— -ordered his men into the boats, and rowed away. As the last boat was leaving, : a European sailor, let us hope by order, broke the padlock of the batch, and called, to the Chineseito fly. Fifty or sixty poor wretches nearest to the hatchway rushed; up, and 1 as the, fire advanced jumped into the sea, floated about on spars, and were ultimately .picked up by a junk j ,,. but that resource was too late for the majority. The ship had oiloh board, and the men were closely packed, and the smoke could ' not get readily : away from 1 the hold, and 600 yhuman beings drawn on board the Dol6reß^gai*ie by |fal|e] promises, were roasted alive — * 'stewed, "cays one witness, "mthWir^oWnfat." 1^ \ .UiIA.IA.iX . !