July i, 1SS5.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



17 



WORKDsG CHINESE LABOUR IN JAMAICA. 



THE HRATHEN- CHINEE— TRIAL OF THE CIUXESE— KIOT ON 

 GRAV'S INN SUUAR ESTATE -A CHINAMAN KILLED— COUKT 

 OF INQUIET— OCE GANG ON ITER BOKEALE TRIED* AND 

 THE RINGLEADERS ARRESTED — STRIKE AGAIN — MY GASO 

 WORKING AT THE SUGAR MILLS — PROSPECTS OF THE SVGAR 

 TKADE IN JAMAICA — WONG SEO AND LEE LOO IN JAIL. 



August 9th.— On Saturtlay night we issued fresh beef, 

 salt-fish, coco yams, rice auil siii;ar to the Chinamen : they 

 kept Mr. Mauahan ami self until dark pottering over 

 their confounded rations. Our dinner w.as waiting and the 

 soup got cold — my bathing towel wa,s on my arm w,aiting 

 to bathe, and when I got down to the siig.ar mills the 

 mosquitoes attacked me in millions, therefore I dressed 

 quicker than ever before. It is enough to vex a saint 

 the ingratitude of these Chinese beggars, they Uve like 

 fighting-cocks, and their food of the very best quality and 

 yet they grumble. The work done during the week past, 

 though little, is done well, the timber heaped up for burn- 

 iug in a clearing intended for bananas. 



August 11th, Monday. — The Chinese struck work this 

 morning and said they hid no money and that we ought 

 to pay them for 5.^- days' work since arrival. Mr. Manalian 

 sent for them and was witness to their each and all refusing 

 to take si.xpence b.alance due. Their rate of pay is fixed by 

 the .Tamaica Government at one shilling for nine hours' 

 work daily. They worked tour days only last week and 

 li previously for the past week; os 6d only was charged for 

 good rations, leaving those who had worked four days at 

 Is only Od balance. The sixpence they refused and each 

 and all of the 14 men refu.sed to go up the hill to work. 

 "WoHi; Seo was their spokesman and said the pay was " not 

 enough," rice not enougli, and oil was wanted for lamps at 

 night. Mr. Manahan wrote off by special messenger to 

 Mr. Pegue, the immigration agent residing in Tort Maria 

 15 miles from here, he will come with the Chinese inter- 

 preter and will, no doubt, run the heathen Chinee iuto 

 " chokie," or as the Creoles call it, " The Work- 

 house." At any rate Wong Heo and another must gn as \ 

 an example, the position is not a pleasant one, consider- 

 ing the risk run for small pay, fancy a fellow coming out I 

 of jail, full of evil intentions towards those who put him 

 in. My berth is as unstable as the wind and my only ' 

 chance is to be patient and wait until another berth is 

 offered me elsewhere. Probably the British Honduras Gov- 

 ernment will reply favourably to an apj>lication made to 

 ihem .ind backed up by Mr. Morris of the Botanical 

 Dep.irtment or the Tropical Products Company of 

 Livingston, Guatemala. (Since writing in my diary as above, 

 replies eime from both quarters, the British Honduras 

 Governrtient not being able to employ me at present 

 and the manager of the Tropical Products Company 

 saying he had no berth uHth a salary attached thereto, . 

 but could employ superintendents to overlook labour in 

 the field at S25 and a furnished house, '■ but this would 

 probably not fill up the bill." — I cannot quite fathom the 

 meaning of the last expre».sion used, perhaps it is an 

 Americanism. Perhaps it mc.in.s the game i.i not worth 

 the candle. There is a far 'better scheme" on the 

 board and that is to join Mr. IJ. Morris, the Director of 

 Goverument Plautntioiis, as Assistant Commis.sinnor with 

 the .Tamaica exhibits to New Orlsin's. Mr. Morris writes 

 me officially to the effect that the Jamaica exhibits 

 will not be c.ttensive and not beyond his own resources, 

 but. as he has not engaged anyone to assist him, he will 

 write me ag.ain. There is not much time to spare, for 

 th'i " big .show '' at New Orleans comes off soon and 

 Mr. .Morris has only got a week to spare, 1 believe. The 

 Governulent has sanctioned X'GOO, and another two of 

 three hundred will by this time be rai.sed by private 

 subscription. The Yanks will muster strong at the 

 Grand liitornational Kxhibition, as they generally come 

 down south to cheat the winter.) 



August I ttli, 18S4.— We gave out rations again this 

 morning to the Chinese and enough beef fresh from tiio 

 butcher at 11-30 a.m. 



An order for 



Gice 

 Ulb 



Rations to ChinCse. 

 Coco Yams Sugar Dee( 

 .. 1 lb ,,. 2 of, ,„ 8 071, 



(\ keg salt beef 

 I j keg salt pork 

 -[ 2 boxes salt fish 

 I 3 boxes of best rice 

 (.Icask of split peas 

 IS a sample of how the " heathen chinee is fed in 

 Jamaica. It is hard lines we should be obliged to feed 

 them so well, when they are on strike. The Agent of 

 Coolies and Mr. Broughton will be here today. Meantime, 

 " Wong Seo," acting as spokesman for the others, says 

 that, if they work here, the other Chinese will beat 

 them, they refused the 6d balance of pay due for four 

 dtiys vmrk last week at Is per day ; 3s 6d charged weekly 

 for the above rations. 



August loth. — Received a letter from Mr. Broughton 

 of Low Laytcn Estate informing me that *' owing to the 

 ruinous prices of all produce " he cannot afford to pay 

 me at the rate of 6s (six shillings) per day (working day) 

 and that I am to" please understand " that only on look- 

 ing after the Chinese on working days can I draw ray " full 

 pay " — 63. Now this is father yonijh on raU and cockroacht.^, 

 considering I carry my life in my trousers pocket working 

 them. Moreover, I have to serve out the beef, the rice, 

 the coco yams, the sugar, the salt fish ! by the powers I 

 might as well turn storekeeper antl have a little bejl on 

 the iloor like the " sweet-stutf shops" in the old country. 

 What a fortune 1 might h.ave made as a general store- 

 keeper out in the East Indies, yet stuck to planting a]\d 

 plantiug nuned me with hundreds more who had sjjent 

 their lives growing the fragrant bean. Why, it would 

 have been better to turn newspaper man and sit in the 

 editoral chair! Even acatsmeat-shop would be a "better 

 scheme" than planting anything. 



August 16th.— The Chinese are still on strilce, 

 and drawing their rations regular as clock work, 

 the beef, rice, coco yams, sugar, carefully weighed 

 to au oz. in the spring balauce. When I git up 

 in the morning there is the "heathen Chinco" 

 peeping in at the window and asking for " chow chow !" I 

 went to their lines yesterday and tried to gt;t them to 

 turn out to work, but they one and all refused stoutly to 

 budge an iuch without the con.sent of the other Chinese in 

 the district. "The strike" is general throughout .Jamaica 

 I believe; and know it to be so in Metcalfe and T'ortland 

 districts. In spite of my explaining to them that my pay 

 is stopped every day they won't turn out, they still refuse 

 to do anything but eat, drink, and bo merry. .Sohnnon 

 Simpson from " Bo!^" accompanied me to their quarters, 

 two lines of huts or rooms; they have rigged up bed and 

 mosquito nets, and we pro\ ided each room with lock and 

 key, even gave them lamps and kertsine oil and yet they 

 won't " turn to." In one room, four Chiuauirn were tailor- 

 ing, tliey had made spleudid iackets and trousers. I''an(y 

 the joke of paying £ 5 to £l"pir hcail for these gay ami 

 festive cusses and feeiliug them up like fighting-cocks for 

 nothing in return. If we stop the prescribed rations, they 

 might abscond, and let the plauter in for the passage 

 money from Hongkong and overland in Jamaica. As it in, 

 the poor planter is kt in for iifrcars of rations and the 

 Government fnr the passage, the planters have not vet 

 sicni'rt the indentures fur t years' service In exrliange for all 

 charges. So the "heathen Chinee'' has sold us all iu' 

 chiding the Governor I Puling the week, very great ex- 

 citement has prtvaileil owing to a big fight iietween the 

 Chinese of Gray's Inn sugnr estate and the Inspector of 

 Police, C.aptain Coward and his men, and the plitrjtora with 

 their Creoles aud Coolies. It appears that the police hod 

 arrived to arrest tho.^e Chinamen who r.?fused to turn out 

 to work and weie answered by a shower of big sIoim'H, 

 Wounding Captain Coward and his officers and men of the 

 police and one of tin: bookkeepers of Uiay's Inn esta'c 

 very severely on their hearls, the cuts being deep. It i.i 

 said the Creoles and coolies, when callcil to n>cue. fought 

 like ilemons with their slicks an 1 a fr< e fight rrsultiiiM 

 ill tb<5 death of one Cliinainan and at veie wounding of 

 five otlHi.=i carried to the UoV'Tunienl hospital. It Is 

 unknown up to date (I3lh Sepleinbi r l8?l) who killed 

 Johnny, but suffice it to .say he was as " (had as n 

 birring.'' We intend to turn our gang out on Monday 

 and if they refuse go through the same ceremony of 

 arresting them and " running them all in to ehokie." 

 Meantime llr. Broughton of Iter Boreale estate has 



