205 



told. For the greater satisfaction of the credulous, 

 however, I add the following 1 extract from the An- 

 nual Report on the Administration of the Bengal 

 Presidency for the years 1861-62. 



EMTGBATION OF COOLIES TO ASSAM AND CACHAB. 



" The system under which the Tea plantations of 

 Assam and Cachar are supplied with labourers from 

 Bengal has attracted the serious attention of Gov- 

 ernment during the year. It was reported that in 

 almost every shipment of labourers from Calcutta, a 

 fearful amount of mortality occurred from Cholera 

 and other diseases during the journey. In one case 

 the mortality was said to have reached even to 50 

 per cent. From enquiries which were made, 

 there seemed to be too much reason to believe that 

 this fearful mortality was attributable chiefly to 

 great want of foresight and care in the despatch of 

 labourers, especially in the River Steamers. A 

 Committee of gentlemen of much experience in the 

 working of the Emigration Department was accord- 

 ingly appointed to report upon the arrangements in 

 force for importing labour into Assam. The opinion 

 at which they arrived, after careful enquiry, was, 

 that Coolies were shipped in large batches without 

 any arrangement to secure order and cleanliness ; 

 that uncooked food was issued without cooks to pre- 

 pare it, that the Medical charge of the Coolies in 

 many cases was left to ignorant Chuppr assies, who 

 were entrusted with small supplies of Medicine with 

 the uses of which they were of course as ignorant 



