THE DA1LV EVENING TELEGRAPH PHILADELPHIA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1870.
THE "HEATHEN CHINEE.-
THE COOIJE TRADE WHO THE COOLIES ARE
WHERE THEY COME FROM HOW THEY ARE
. BROVOHT TO THE UNITED STATES THEIR
IDAS OF AMERICA,-ETC.
From a long and elaborate abstract in tbe
New York Herald of a new work on China
and the coolie system by Colonel Russall II.
Conwell, of Boston, which is about to be
issued in that city, we make the following
extracts. As lhe coolie question is begin
ning to be one of the greatest interest, the
fcts and figures and opinions which Colonel
Conwell offers as the result of several years'
residence in China, from which country he
has just returned, are well worthy of the at
tention of onr readers. "We quote from the
article in the Herald those portions that par
particnlarly relate to the coolie trade:
BEGINNING OF THE COOLIE TRADE.
The way the coolie trade began is interest
ing. In the spring of 117 a Spaniard who
entered the port of Macaow was surprised
with the cheapness of labor in China, and in
cidentally wished that he had a thousand
Chinese in Peru. This led to the discussion
of the expediency of taking tho Chinese to
Tern, and finally to an attempt on their part
to load his vessel with coolies. This they did
tinder the pretense of shipping them . for
Java; but whether any contracts were made
with these men is .not at present known.
They obtained three hundred coolies, for
whose passage the Spaniard became responsi
ble. 5i ear the 1st day of June the vessel
sailed out of the port of Macaow with
three hundred as happy men as ever trod
the planks of a ship. Believing the false
hoods that had been told them, and
expecting soon to return to their homes
wealthier men, they looked back upon
the disappearing shores, sighing only for the
time when they should see them again. It is
doubtful if any one of them has yet Been his
native land, and as doubtful that any of them
ever will do so. After one hundred days of
storm, exposed to cold and heat, with half
rations and but little water, 175 were landed
at a port near Callao, to be treated even
worse on land than they had been on the sea.
The Spaniard swore to his own story, and no
one could understand the . Chinaman's com
plaint if he had any to make. They were put
on a plantation in the interior where they
could not run away, and the experiment of
coolie labor tried for the first time in that
State. It was satisfactory to the contractor,
and another cargo was sent for. Comiag to
the ears of planters in Cuba, who knew
that in a few months they must part
with their slaves, they also sent ships
to bring over the Chinese. The story of the
successful coolie traffic soon spread over the
Spanish and Portuguese dominions, and
Pern, Australia, Surinam, and the Indian Ar
chipelago vied withCaba in the traffic of human
labor. But it was not to be expected that
many cargoes of voluntary emigrants could
be procured when it was found that the time
for the return of the first shipload had passed,
with no news from the husbands and fathers
who had left. Besides this, rumors began to
be afloat that the coolies were taken to "the
other side of the world" to be enslaved for a
series of years,. and finally murdered. When
the ships which followed the Don Pedro on
hT second visit arrived at Macaow the Chi
nese were too much alarmed to be induced
by any offers to go on board. Then began
that system of
KIDNAPPING COOLIES,
purchasing, chaining, starving, and, as it may
appropriately be called, murdering, which for
twenty years Bhocked the feelings of all hu
mane persons and cast a dark blot upon the
Portuguese and Spanish escutcheons that can
never be expunged. Fathers and mothers
sold their sons, fugitives bargained away
Jthemselves, banditti brought in their male
and female prisoners, and sold them in lots to
the traders, for which sums never exceeding
ten dollars per person were thankfully re
ceived. The market being ill supplied with
purchasable human beings, the traders
organized bands of night thieves, whose
business it was to steal into the cabins
of the laborers and carry on board
the chip the father and sons, and sometimes
the whole family. Although these bands
were numerous, and coolies were captured by
the thousand, still the demand increased be
yond their kidnapping capacity. Then ships
called "Lorchas were manned and armed as
if for war, and sent np the bays and rivers to
fall suddenly upon the unsuspecting inhabi
tants of some rurul district. This was a great
success. In the face of the navies of the
civilized world these pirate vessels -carrying
trie Portuguese nag would enter some town
. nnperceivea ana capture wnole cargoes at a
single swoop. Old men were seized in the
. rice fields, boys in the schoolroom, young
men in the shops, and carried by force to the
sunocating Holds of the vessels at Macaow..
THE PRESENT COOLIE TRADE.
Yet this dreadful traffio in coolies still goes
on. ice action ot civilized nations has,
however, oonnned it to a single port (Ma
caow), and even there they are making some
effort to "regulate" it. The present traffic at
Macaow consists of prisoners taken in the
clan fights, which are of constant occurrence
in the western districts of the province of
Quantung, and who are sold by their captors
to cninese or rortuguese man buyers upon
the interior waters, of villagers or fishermen
kidnapped along the coast by the lorchas
still kept in the traders' employ, and of
Chinamen who, after having been enticed
into the gambling houses, sell themselves,
as in honor bound, to-pay their losses.
There are established coolie brokers in the
city, who have a depot or private jail in which
. they put each coolie as they get him until
they have a full oargo, when they sell them
. "in duik to tne cicruest bidder
They . nsually command a price vary
ing from ten to twenty-seven dollars per
man, according to their physical strength.
Daring the years 1 80 1 and 18;." there were
i)700eoldto Cuban traders at Macaow,' and
nearly iSOOO at the port of Canton. How
many were taken to that island as voluntary
emigrants from other ports I could not ascer
tain from official saurces. All these coolies,
voluntary and involuntary, are forced to uigu
a contract to labor for a term of years, and
these agreements are sold at auction whan
the coolies arrive in Cuba, usually bringing
from $350 to $000 for eight years' service,
daring which time, and usually years at'tr,
the coolie is entirely at the disposal of the
purchaser. ' It may be interesting to the
reader to know what were the means adopt j 1
at the other ports for the prevention of tins
slave traffio, and below I give a condensed
summary of the regulations at proseu'. in
force at the port of Hongkong, f ruui wunnw
, come nearly all the emigrants for America:
First. Thebarbor master or cnromUaiouer kIui:
by an interpreter qneation every' Clnue eiirgraut
to ascertain tf lie In going of hia ova free wilt.
Second. The name and occupation of every emi
frratmfr Chinaman aball be entered in the register,
a ad aufticlent time be given blin between the registry
ami laiiiug ol tiie vebbtl to visit hia home and return.
Third. If thecoolle twa fit to remain at hamo he
can do so by paying any advance money that my
have been given nim and the cost of nil food to port.
Fonrth. No person undnr twenty-five years of ajr e
shall be allowed to emigrate without the consent of
hla parents or poardian. i
Fifth. The ghiptnaaiers or a Rent must guarantee
to the coolie all hia legal privileges In the land to
which they take him. and aliall pledge themselves to
afford him the fat llltlcs for writing or of sending
money to hia friends.
Sixth. Persona detaining a coolie against his will
are subject to heavy Ones,
Seventh. The captain of every vessel carrying
Chinese passengers must make a detailed report to
the authorities before he sails of the size of hla ship,
the accommodations for passengers, the quantity
and kind of provisions lie has on board, and the
course he intends to take to reach his destination.
Eighth. Kvery such ship must have a surgeon and
a su (Helen t supply of medicines.
Ninth. The owners or agents of the vessel shall
be under bonds to deliver the coolies at the port fur
which they are shipped if not prevented by bad
weather, accident, or sickness.
Under these regulations, which seem to be
carefully observed, it is now a very difficult
thing to carry away a coolie without his cou
' ent.
The following table, which, owing to the
lack of official records in some ports, and
to the fact that vessels often take on large
numbers from the shore after leaving the hnr
bor, has been made np in part by careful
estimates after an examination of all the
official records that have been preserved,
and will serve to give the reader some idea
of the Chinamen taken away by force or fraud
between the years 1817 and In 70. This does
not include voluntary emigrants, nor any of
the number taken to India, tho Sandwich
or smaller Philippine Islands:
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WHAT BECOMES OF THE CHINAMEN.
It may be a matter of interest to the reader
to know what has become of this immense
number of unfortunate Chinamen. State
ments, not very trustworthy, however, have
come to the author from Havana declaring
that there were less than 74,000 coolies on
that island January 1, 1870. He cannot
readily accept this account, because it does
not seem possible that so large a proportion
as one-half have died since their arrival.
Certain it is that few have ever escaped from
the island, and if there are but 71,000 left
the cholera, yellow fever, and the cruelty of
their taskmasters have been more destructive
the last five years than during the previous
ten. In Pern and the adjacent islands the
mortality has been much greater than in
Cuba, owing to the unhealthy atmosphere of
the guano islands, the total disregard of the
coolies' health by taskmasters, and the enor
mous number of suicides. Some few have
escaped from Peru and Chili by smuggling
themselves on board ships bound for the Pa
cifio coast of the United States, but the num
ber is very small.
AMERICA AND CHINA RESPECT FOK THE UNITED
, STATES.
. The author represents that the Chinese
have the greatest respect for America, and
some believe that the two great countries will
some time be united. This "superstitious
notion," taken by itself, seems almost too
absurd to be repeated, and would not have
been in this place but for some strange cor
roborative facts which have recently come to
the writer's knowledge. Ensign Charles
Foster, of the United States Navy, writing
from Shanghai in June, 1857, states that
while they were discussing the propriety of
joining with the English navy lor the pur
pose of bringing the Chinese Government to
better terms the vessel was visited by anative
armv officer. Upon being questioned about
the indications of war and the idea that the
American nation might take part, "he told
his interpreter to say to ns that the American
and China nations are brothers. We could
not fight China. The gods had commanded
the shot of Chinamen to go over . the Meli
cans, and the shot of our guns would go
harmlessly over Chinamen. lie hrmly be
lieved that a war with America was impossi
ble, on religious grounds. How they obtaiu
these ideas has never been explained, nor has
it ever been attempted; although for some
years the fact of their predilections iu favor
of Americans has been universally acknow
ledged.
CHINESE IDEA OF AMERICA.
An enthusiastio admirer of the Chinese
character asked a Chinese sailor on board of
an American steamer what was the wisest say
ing of the greatest philosopher in the United
States, and received in reply a perfectly ac
curate riuotation from the Declaration of In
dependence, stating that "All men are created
equal and are endowed oy tneir creator with
certain inalienable rignts, among which are
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The author does not believe, from what he
saw of them in Culifornia and in their o jvq
country, and from the testimony of men who
have had the very best of opportunities for
observation, tLat the great mass of roturaiug
Chinese have any correct idea of our
system of government. Certain it is that the
rumors which they put iu circulation about
it are very far from the truth. It is also evi
dent that these falsehoods have bad u greater
influence in acceleratiug emigration tha the
same number of truths would have hid. Au
other uioKt powerful reason, for their faith iu
America H fouudod m the prompt aotiou of
our Government officers iu (JLuua in the Mip
prtssiou of the coolie trade. When the lower
provinces of ChiLa were wild with terror, aud
when fathers, brothers, sons, aud daughters
were being killed, maimed, or kidnapped by
the traders, and the gods seemed to have
given the poor laborers into the hands of
fiends and devils, the United States was the !
first to come to practical relief.
ANSON BUr.LINOAME.
In 1850 the United States sent Mr. William
B. Heed as a peacemaker to mediate between
China and the allied forces of the English
and French, and in 1808 the treaty was made
which recognizes China as being in every re
spect entitled to the same privileges as other
nations, and offered the assistance of the
United States in all national enterprises tend
ing towards a better civilization. This treaty
had another merit, which to the Chinese mind
is even greater than the text, viz., it was
drawn and negotiated by Mr. Anson Barlin
game. Whatever difference of opinion
European nations may have had upon
the mission and . statesmanship of
that most noble representative of America,
the Chinese looked upon him as a being
almost perfect. Much to the honor of the
man and the nation who sent him as its
Minister, their confidence was in nowise mis
placed. By his generous interest in their
history and literature, his straightforward
manner and admirable social and diplomatic
qualities he won their entire confidence
something which no other foreigner has ever
done. So great was, their respect for him
that, after his death, while representing them
at the Court of St. Petersburg, they gave him
a tablet in tne lemple at 1'ek.in, and pre
pared the way for subsequent deification.
His life, treaty, and death have given the
Chinese a confidence in our nation which, of
itself, is sufficient to bring them unhesi
tatingly to our shores.
HOW AN AMERICANIZED COOLIE BEHAVES AFTEIt
IiETURNIXO TO THE FLOWERY KINGDOM.
All the coolies that have come to the United
States, with only a very few- individual ex
ceptions, have come from what is called the
"Canton district," and all of them upon their
return are landed at Hong Kong. If in their
gambling among themselves on board the
ship they have not lost their money they are
almost certain to do bo in the hideous gam
bling dens which the English Government
licenses in the colony of Hong Kong. Sharp
ers are always on the watch for them, and if
they have never before had any inclination
to camble, their belief in chance as a dispen
sation of the gods will cause them to listen to
the wily arguments of their Chinese tempters.
Their arrival on the soil of China, and
being bo near home, together with the pre
tended friendship which suddenly seizes
upon a set of native swindlers, and their
own desire to show their wealth and import
ance, lead tnem into all kinds of extrava
gance, and give to the thieves around them
a most desirable chance to cheat or rob them
of their money. If it should happen that
they escape the claws of the Hong Kong vul
tures they will be pounced upon by the
officials at Canton or in the interior, under
cover of the law against emigration, and
fleeced of all they have, in the shape of bribes
and tees paid to escape tne prison or beads
man. If tney snould slip through the hands
of one mandarin by bribing him, that same
official would send a courier ahead of the vic
tims to tell the next mandaiin of their com
ing and how much money they have left.
.Notwithstanding these reverses, which are
sure to greet the emigrant on his return, and
through which he is fortunate to escape with
his personal liberty, he still rehearses his
wonderful stories of the United States
The emigrant usually calls first on his aged
mother or grandmother, to receive her con
gratulations, and then goes to the residence
of his own family, if he is the fortunate
possessor of a wife. Whatever changes may
have occurred in his religious opinions
wniie in America, ne usually returns osten.
sibly a more ' devoted idolator than when he
went away, and his first thought after being
restored to his wife is of an offering to the
gods in honor of his return. He is naturally
willing to believe that the people's idea of
his nobleness is by no means false, and, in
the enjoyment of his temporary glory, does
everything he can tp show his greatness. He
walks as they walk in California, holds his
head as they do in San Franoisco, talks
down in his throat like the miners, and aots
in many respects as some foolish American
women do just upon their return from the
foppish city of Paris. He talks about
"muchee dollar," and "me catchee pidgeon,"
with all the dignity of a San Francisco
banker. lie slides his skull-cap over on one
side of his head, gloats in high boots and a
shirt collar, and otherwise astonishes his less
favored associates. He rehearses his pre
pared tales to the wondering multitude with
a pompousness that astonishes even himself,
He tells of great mountains of gold, where
all a man can lift is had for the taking.
THE RESULTS OF MISREPRESENTATION.
nere is chance ior the poor man to escape
tyranny and . want and become independent
and happy. His forefathers have said that
America was a happy land, and he has heard
that a Chinese family first settled on its
flowery domain, and now the gods seem to
point to it as a way for him out of his
trouble. Who knows what thoughts fill his
brain and quicken his heart as he lies down
upon the cold damp ground of his hovel the
night after the receipt of the circular, re
solved to emigrate to America ? While the
agricultural coolie is making his resolve,
there are thousands of others who arrive at
the same conclusion at nearly the same time
Circulars and runners often misrepresent the
condition of Chinamen in America, and, for
the purpose of filling a ready vessel or
making out a contract within the stipulated
time, give reasons for their haste which are
not sustained by the truth. They offer to
the laborer, whether he be a weaver, carver.
tailor, hatter, or farmer, a lucrative situation
in America, where he will be employed at his
own trade. They say nothing about the cost
of living in the United States, aud leave it to
be inferred that it will be no more expensive
than it is in China, while the wages will be
twe.nty times as much. They even go far
ther, and most grossly misrepresent the ac
commodations on board the ship, the food
that will be lurnisued them, and the recep
tion they will be likely to meet when they
arrive in America.
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD AND THE CHINAMEN.
Although brokers and other interested par
ties nave been in tne nauit or pabushinff
circulars upon the subjeot whenever a cargo
of coolies was wanted, yet tne nrst occasion,
as i am told, on wmcu iney met with any
definite return was at the time of the great
demand for laborers to build the Central
Paci&o Bailroad. At that time the isolated
State of California was not sufficiently sup.
plied with laborers to carry on its own liberal
enterprises, and consequently was ill prepared
to undertake the grading of a thousand miles
of railroad which mast mount to the snows,
descend to the blooming valley, and bore
through rocxy ridges ago a and again before
it reached the great basin of Salt Lake. In
this -exigency au appeal was made to the
Cbioauitn. "Come over and help us!"
echoed across the Pacific. "We have money
to spend, but no one to earn it, said the
despatches to Hong Kong.
Then the brokers began to print their cir
culars, the boarding-house keepers to rear
range their rooms for temporary lodgers,
while the authorities entered upon fresh ex
pedients for preventing anything but free
emigration. Meanwhile couriers scoured the
country from Swatow to Linchau, and from
langkiang to Nanngan, scattering the invita
tions everywhere and proclaiming to the won-
der-RtrncK coolies that a great nation had need
of them. These couriers went into the hovel
and told of fine houses; into the rice swamps
and spoke of healthier occupations; iato the
workshops and ridiculed the pay, and lost no
opportunity, so long as the officials left
them free, to sow discontent in the already
desponding hearts of every laborer's family.
Men who had heard of America only as a land
of fable, where none but the good were al
lowed to go, heard it then for the first time
in connection with themselves.
They came. Evtry valley and mountain in
FukieD, every plain and river in Kwantnng,
contributed to the army of labor which was
to give to the Union peace and prosperity.
oo many came to the ports that there were
not enips enough to take them, and years
passed before all had left Hong Kong who
came thera to answer the invitation sent by
the Pacifio Railroad. Since that call there
has been but little difficulty in obtaining ship
loads at any time lor America. This "emi
gration iever steaony increases, and it may
be salely estimated that, iroin this time forth,
if no measures are taken to prevent it. the
number of coolies coming to this country
during any one year will be doubled during
the subsequent year.
SPIRITUALISM IN CHINA.
The disciples of Confucius have often de
monstrated that what has usually been sup
posed to be of recent origin is really of long
standing in their country. Especially is this
the case with spiritualism. Not only, savs
uoionel uonweu, do the Chinese spiritualists
ceiieve in the same agencies and the same
results which distinguish the sect here, but
they also practise all the methods adopted in
this country for spiritual communication, and
a hundred others that do not eeem to be
known here. By this means they determine
what their deceased relatives are doing; how
they live and what they eat; what are the
troubled and pains of purgatory, and what is
the rentedy. 1 hey bene ve that the land of
purgatory is like this earth, socially and poli
tically, with the exception of the absence of
work and wages. The spirits are supposed
to eat, drink, sleep, quarrel, nght, sing, dance,
etc., just as they did on earth. Bat as life
is as expensive there as here they can have
but little toy unless the relatives on earth
send them money enough to pay their ex-
nenses. Durinor the stav of the snirits in that
nether world, which is but temporary, they
are possessed of certain powers, by means of
which the gods expect them to make their
wants known to men. They can rap on
chairs and tables and move the kitchen fur
niture with permission of the kitchen god,
they can make noises in the air, play on mu
sicai instruments, snow their iootprints in
mud or sand, sprinkle water on the face of
the dead, pull the hair or clothes of the living,
take possession of human beings, and after
putting them into a tranoe, talking through
them, and, in a thousand other strange ways,
show thoir presence and desires. The most
common method pursued by the Chinese is
that of the medium or "talking with the
human mouth,' and to such a source will the
coolie go for the information which the
kitchen god has refused to give.
The medium is generally a young girl of
eighteen or thereabouts, who, after being
propitiated by an ample supply of cash, ad
vises, as the mouthpiece of the spirits, that
the coolie take an immediate departure for
the United States. He then proceeds
to prepare his relatives in the other
world for his long absence. They must have
money with which to buy spiritual food and
clothing, and his family will, in his absence,
be too poor to supply them until money has
been received from him. So he prepares
enough to keep the spirits with strict econo
my until he has time to reach the United
States, earn money and send it home. This
money is made of paper, bamboo leaves, bark
or of other available material which can be
marked with ink. When he has manufactured a
quantity which he is assured will be satisfactory
to the spirits, he encloses small bunches in
little paper boxes prepared for the purpose.
and marks upon the cover the ancestor's name
for whom it is intended. One of these boxes
is placed upon each ancestral tablet which is
usually a piece of paper pasted up with the
ancestor's name upon it and there burned
to ashes, while the coolie prays the ancestor
to accept his "meagre gift." Some of this
money is also burned for the benefit of the
kitchen god, and the tree at the back of the
house comes in for its share. Food, in the
shape of rice cakes and vegetables, is then
offered to the gods and to the ancestors by
setting it apart irom the rood or the family
for a short time, joss sticks are lighted in va
rious places, and the ignorant coolie supposes
that his ancestors are provided for.
WHO COME HERE.
Out of the large number that left Hong
Kong in the year lboU for the United States,
nearly one-third belonged to that class of
coolies who. own no property, and who can
scarcely live from day to day in China on
their wages. The others belonged to the
next higher class, who may be the owners of
cabins, pieces of land or other property suffi
cient to secure a. passage, and yet be far from
the danger of want or even of starvation, in
case of any accident. Among the higher or
partially educated classes money can be bor
rowed of friends with or without security, so
that if a man is poor himself his weathier re
latives may advance him the necessary
funds. Of this class few ever emigrate, as
they consider themselves well situated in
China. Uf the very highest classes none
ever go out or their native country. The
lower classes are consequently the only per
sons affected by the United States law or who
would be benehtted by any change. They
are the moBt anxious to emigrate, and yet
must undergo the greatest hardships to get
out of the country. Being a little better
than slaves, they have a few reoogaized
rights, and among .these is the right
to sell themselves or their families. This
property right in one's family is recognized
by all classes, although in some localities no
free person can be sold into slavery by
parents without his or her consent. Chinese
slavery is said to be less irksome than wai
African slavery ia America. Yet, as the
bnyer has an exclusive aud entire ownership,
and as human nature in China has the name
eoarse features that it has in other countries,
Colonel Conwell ventures the opinion that
slaves in some localities in China see hard
ships that the African seldom or never saw
in Amerioa. Chiuere slavery is not, however,
strictly hereditary, and when a cojlia sella
his son or daughter be is not supposed to
convev auv right to
the services of his uq-
born grandchildren.
TLis right to sell a'so
to mortgage; and the
includes the right
coolie who has no other goods or chattels to
offer as security in the payment of hi passage
across the Pacifio Ocean may pledge the life
services of bis daughter, his son, his wife or
of the entire family.
THE FABSAGE HITHER WARD.
After the usual examination by the United
States officials, whose duty it is to prevent
what is called "coolie slavery," the men em
bark for their voyage. None but healthy
persons are taken on board the steamers, and
although they refuse to take medicine at the
bands of any physician other than or their
own race, but few deaths occur. Their time
is dissipated in gambling, opium-smoking, or
in other methods which the genius of the
Chinese mind invents to while away the
tedious hours of a voyage at sea. I am
speaking now of the passage on board the
stealers. With sailing vessels the case is
sometimes different. In some instances a
large percentage have died from the effects
of bad food and Insufficient ventilation. The
law of the United States has bo regulated the
emigrant traffio that a United States consul
will not clear a vessel that is crowded beyond
a healthy and comfortable limit. But many
sailing vessels, after obtaining a clearance
from the Consul-General at Hong Kong,
heave to in the straits below that city and
take on board a large number of coolies, sent
down in small boats for that purpose. The
coolies have no thought of disease, and wil
lingly crowd into the vessel as long as the
officers will receive them. It is in the interest
of the owners of such ships that false circu
lars are sent into the country, while the food
and accommodation which the passengers get
may be said to be in an inverse ratio to the
alluring promises made to them in the
placards.
HUMAN SLAVERY.
It has often been stated by writers upon
China that slavery in that country was a very
"mud form of servitude; and their conclu
sion is usually reached by a comparison of
the coolie in a state of slavery with his con
dition before be became a bondman. This
would be a correct inference if the previous
condition of the coolie was a state of freedom;
for the status of a slave in China is but a very
little lower than that of the lowest class of
free coolies, while in some instanoes the for
mer condition is far preferable to the latter.
To be a slave is to be the property of some
rich man, who, although he has absolute con
trol or the laborer, will take some little care
to provide sufficient food and olothing to keep
him in a working condition. To be a free
laborer is to be a subject to the same condi
tions which hamper the action of a slave, while,
with the wages he receives, he cannot
provide himself with the necessities of life,
nor obtain the smallest portion or the care
which is bestowed upon the slave. Such
beiDg the case, the state of absolute slavery
is but a single step downwards, and has ad
vantages which make it "mild" indeed. But
when we consider the oondition of the higher
classes, whose sons have the advantages of
schools and social training, and to whom all
the best offices in the empire are open, and
afterwards glance down at the degradation
which marks the features and behavior of the
slave and his children, Colonel Conwell con
cludes that, instead of being a "mild" state
of slavery, it is the very worst. The slave
in China is whipped, branded, put in stocks
and pillories and otherwise maltreated
as often as were the African slaves in
the Southern States of the American
Union. They have as hard tasks to perform.
as little of the luxuries of life, and are nearly
as often separated from their families as wers
the bondmen in the English colonies. In
China it is not considered respectable for a
master to sell a husband away from his wholo
family, although the girls may be sold at any
time, jn either is it tasmonabie to keep a
male slave after he is thirty years of age
without purchasing a wife for him. Bat, if
native evidence is trustworthy, the observance
of this moral law is the exception rather than
the rule. The male slave is a valuable piece
or property, ana the heathen master is more
apt to use it in the way whioh will return the
greatest dividend, without regard to morality
or sunenng, than is the slave owner in civil
ized lands.
FEMALE PROSTITUTION.
The worst features of Chinese bondage are
Been in the dealings with females. The wo
men in China, among all classes, are at the
best but a low order oi Slaves. They are
salable things, and the circumstances of the
parents always determine their value. If the
parents feel at the birth of a daughter that
there will not be a demand for girls owing to
the pre ponderance in the neighborhood of male
children, they do not hesitate to strangle or
drown the helpless human being who was so
unlucky as to be born a female. In their
best estate the girls are uneducated, and con
sequently immoral; and are treated like
useless, intruding dogs until they become
grandmothers, when, iu accordance with some
strange superstition, they are treated with
much reverence and generosity. Hemes of
prostitution are found in every town and
village, however small, and city bawdy-houses
are almost numberless. These are usually
filled with daughters whose fathers sold them
into slavery, either on account of poverty or
on a mere speculation. The vast number of
these houses, and the astonishingly low price
(from twenty-five to fifty dollars for a hand
some girl of sixteen) which the girls bring in
the market, is conclusive proof of the great
prevalence of this kind of female slavery.
No statistics of the number of females pur
chased for servitude or prostitution have
been left to judge by private information,
some having placed the number as high as
ten per cent, of the female population and
others as low as one per cent. But they all
agree that in late years it has been surpris
ingly on the increase.
WATOHE8, JEWELRY, ETC
TOWER CLOCKS.
a, w. m s 1:1.1,,,
Wo. 22 NORTH SIXTH STREET,
Agent for STEVENS' PATKNT TOWER CLOCKS,
bath Remontolr k Graham Escapement, Btnkxg
Hour only, or striking quarters, and repeating hour
on full chime.
Estimates furnished on application either person
ally or by mall. 5 28
WILLI A M B. WARNS - CO.,
w noietmje ueucra iu
R. K. corner KKVENTH and CUES NUT Streets.
8 il Second floor, and late of No. 80 S. THIRD St.
Q ROPERIES. ETO.
ITXTRA LARGE
MESS MACKEREL
ALBEKT O. ROBERTS,
PaalM ia Kin Grocariaa,
11 M
Corner ELKVUtTH and VMS BtrMt
"VNE DOLLAR GOOD8 FOR 05 CENTS
W hi li itU DIZOM'S No. 81 8. S1GUTU SUMt.
PROPOSALS.
norosAT.8 FOR ARMY TRANSPORTATION
IN TEXAS.
Headquarters Department of Tax as,
CHIEF OUARTER MASTER'S OFFICII.
Austin. Texas. Sent. 15. lbia. I
uracil iTcpoHHiB, m xripiwart, win no received at
this office until 12 M., on THURSDAY, the 1st day
of Pecemrtpr, 1P70, lor the
TRANSPORTATION OP ARMY SITFUES
from the 1st day of January, 1871, to the 31st day of
December, 1871, on the following routes via. :
KUUli HO. (BY WATER).
From the wharf at r.razoa Santiago. Texas, to
Fort Brown, Texan, and
From Fort F.rown, Texas, to RlnpRold Barracks,
Texas ; per 100 pounds for whole dMant between each
point.
noposais win aiso glare me rates at wnicn Bin
ders propose to transport to or from each of the
above named points, otllcers and enlisted men wltti
their utliorized allowance of baggage.
From Rinrcold BarraeKs, Texas, to Fort Mcintosh.
Texas.
KOUTE NO. 4.
From TndiBnnla, Texas, or the- termlnns of the
Mexican Oull Railroad to San Antonio, Texas.
ftui i r. ssa. o.
FTom San Antonio, Texas, to
Fort Mcintosh, Texas.
Fort Duncan, Texas.
Fort Clark, Texas.
Fort McKavett, Texas.
Fort Concho, Texas.
Fort Stockton, Texas.
Fort Davis, Texas.
Fort Urlnln, Texas.
Fort Rlchardhon, Texas.
And auv costs that mav be hereafter established
In Northwest Texas, south of Red river.
I'osta west of Fort Davis win be supplied by uov-
ernnicut teams.
ROUTE No. 6.
From the Shin's Tackle at Galveston. Texas, to
Bremond, Texas, or the terminus of the Texas Cen
tral Railroad.
ROUTE NO. T.
From Bretnonrt. Texas, or the terminus of the
Texas Central Railroad, to
t on urinin, lexas.
Fort Richardson, Texas. .
And any posts that may be hereafter eslabliahed
south of Red River in Northwestern Texas.
The transportation to be furnished exclusively by
twrne or mule train
Except In cases of emergency, this service may be
performed by oDe train ptr month.
Returning trains will transport supplies from point
to point on the direct route of return towards the
initial point, or to any point or points beyond the
tirst point ol destination, at contract rates; and
should trains be sent from their original point of
destination to another point empty, half the contract
rates shall be allowed, for the distance travelled
empty, on the amount of stores to be transported,
and lull rates for the distance travelled after load
ing. Bidders will state the rate per 100 pounds per 10O
miles at which they will transport supplies, which
will Include the transportation of supplies accom
panying the movement of troops.
Kach bid must be accompanied by a guarantee of
at least two responsible persons (whose responsi
bility mnst be certified by the clerk of a Court of
Record) that the bidder is competent to carry oat
the contract If awarded to him ; and the residence
and post ottlce addresa of each bidder aud guarantor
must be stated.
The amount of bond required from the contractor
for each route will be thirty thousand (30,000) dol
lars. Forms ot contract may be seen at theQuarter
niaster's oillve at (ialveston, Indlanola. San Antonio.
Rlnggotd Barracks, Brownsville, Fort Mcintosh, ana
at this oilk'e.
The Government reserves the right to use Its own
means of transportation for this service when
deemed advisable to do so, and to reject any, or
all bids ottered.
Any further Information will be promptly fur
nished on application in person or by letter to this
office.
Proposals must be plainly endorsed on the en
velope :
'Proposals for Army Transportation on Route
No "
and addressed to the undersigned.
By order of Brevet Major-General Reynolds, Com
manding Department.
JAMES A EKIN,
Deputy Quartermaster-General, U. S. Army, Chief
Q. M. Dept. oTexas. 10 5 16t
' LUMBbR.
1870
SPRUCK JOIST.
6PRUCS JOIST.
HEMLOCK.
HEMLOCK.
1870
10 I U SEASONED CLEAR PINE. 10 I V
- CHOICE PATTKKN rINE.
SPANISH CEDAR, FOR PATTERNS.
RED CEDAR.
1870
FLORIDA FLOORING.
FLOIUDA FLOOR.NG.
CAROLINA FLOORING.
VIRGINIA FLOOKING.
DELAWARE FLOORING.
ASH FLOORING.
WALNUT FLOORING.
FLORIDA 8TEP BOARDS.
RAIL PLANK.
1870
1 QTi 1 WALNUT BOARDS AND PLANK. 07A
10 i V WALNUT BOARDS AND PLANK. 10 I V
WALNUT BOARDS.
WALNUT PLANK.
1870
UNDERTAKERS' LUMBER.
UNDERTAKERS' LUMBER.
RED CEDAR.
WALNUT AND PINE.
1870
1870
SEASONED POPLAR.
SEASONED CHERRY.
1870
ASH,
WHITE OAK PLANK AND BOARDS,
HICKORY.
-Ittr?!k CIGAR BOX MAKERS' 1 QTV
10 t U tI(AK BOX MAKERS' 10 i V
SPANISH CEDAR BOX BOARDS.
FOR SALE LOW.
1870
CAROLINA SCANTLING.
CAROLINA H. T. BILLS.
NORWAY SCANTLING.
1870
IQA CEDAR SHINGLES. jQffV
10 fU CYPRESS SHINGLES. 10 IV
MAULE, BROTHER & CO.,
'118 Mo. 8000 SOUTH Street
PANEL PLANK, ALL THICKNESSES.
COMMON PLANK, ALL THICKNESSES.
1 COMMON BOARDS.
1 and S SIDE FENCE BOARDS.
WHITE PINE FLOORING BOARBS.
YELLOW AND SAP PINE FLOORINGS, XX ABd
X SPRUCE JOIST, AIJ, SIZES.
HEMLOCK JOIST, ALL SIZES.
PLASTERING LATH A SPECIALTY.
Together with a general assortment of Building
Lnniber for sale low for ca&h. T. W. SMALTZ,
6 81 6m Ma ilia RIDGE a veune, north of Poplar St.
United States Builders' Mill,
FIFTEENTH Street, Below Market. ,
ESLER & BROTHER.
PROPRIETORS.
Wood Mouldings, Brackets and General Turning
Work, Band-rail Balusters and Newel Poets. 9 1 3nj
A LARG'K ASSORTMENT ALWAYS ON HAND.
BUILDING MATERIALS.
E. E. THOMAS & CO.,
DI1LIBS
Doors, Blinds, Sash, Shutters'
WINDOW FRAMES, ETC.,
M. W. COKKIB Or
EI0HTEENTHandARKET8tree;i
PATENT. '
STATE RIGHTS FOR SALE. STATE RIGHTS
of a valuable Invention Juat patented, and fox
the SLICING, CUTTING, and CHIPPING of dried
beef, cabbage, etc, are hereby offered for Bale. It
la an article of great value to proprietors of noteli
and reetauranta, and It should be Introduced Into
every lamiiv. STATU RIGHTS FOR SALE.
Model can ') aet-P at TELEGRAPH OFFICII
COOPER'8 POINT. N. J.
1 7tf MUNDY It HOFFMAN.
Corn Exchange Bag Manufactory,
JOHN T. BAILEY,
XT. E.Cor. WATER and MARKET SU J
itui'f ajnjj twijnc, bus ana hauuimu, roc
Grain, Flour, Salt, Super-Phoaphate of Lime, Bouc
Duat, Etc.
Large and troall GUNNY BAGS flonatantiy on
baud. Aibo, WOOL kACKb.