Gardiner Austin to I. Gardiner Austin, Colonial Secretary, September 11, 1871

Mr. Austin to Mr. Bailey.

Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant, and to forward to you, in accordance with your request, a copy of the letter addressed to this department by the registrar general, in reference to the coolies recently embarked for San Francisco by Mr. Payne.

I have, &c.,

From the California steamer to the board of direction of the Chinese hospital. (An anonymous letter.)

The committee of the hospital should come forward to save human lives.

There was a Hakka, named Lai-on, who, several times last year, took people over to Macao and sold them; thus, he and his brothers ate human flesh.

On the 24th of this month a certain foreigner, who does not belong to any firm, unlawfully induced people to go to foreign countries, which are twice the distance to California, at five dollars a head. More than ten brokers dared not undertake the business, but Lai-on undertook it, and brought some printed forms to our villages, and induced the people to go to the interior of California. You had better go to the On-Ki emigration house on Wing-on street, where you can obtain a printed form, and request the harbor-master not to allow people to go. Also have a notice posted up at the California mail-steamer’s wharf. This will be the means of saving men’s lives, as on the 24th or 25th days they will go on board the California ship, where they will receive their pay and proceed on their voyage.

I am Lai-on, master of the On-Kee shop, No. 31 Wing-on lane. I am acting as emigration agent for Mr. G. E. Payne. Mr. Payne promised to give to myself 85 as commission, and $2, $3, or $5 as expenses and commission to the sub-agent for every emigrant from the interior, and shipped on board the California steamer that leaves here to-morrow. I had got on board the steamer yesterday for Mr. Payne, altogether, 270 men. Before they went on board each of them was promised to be paid an advance of $5 at 10 a. m. this morning. At 8 a. m. this morning there were about 40 or 50 of those men from the steamer who came to my shop asking me to give them $5 each as promised. I told them that Mr. Payne said that they could not be paid until the bank is opened, which will be 10 o’clock. They commenced to abuse me and accusing me of selling them as pigs, for which two of their fellow-men lost their lives by jumping overboard and drowning themselves. They then smashed everything in the shop; even the sign-board outside was broken. The whole of the 270 men have left the steamer. When the men came from the interior, and before they were shipped on board, all their expenses for board and lodging were paid by me. From the day I undertook the agency up to this day I have already spent a sum of $600 or $700. There was to be an agreement between Mr. Payne and myself, and another between Mr. Payne and the emigrants, but all of them have not been signed. Before the emigrants were taken to the harbor-master’s office, where each of them got a paper from that office to go on board, they got passage-tickets from the California Mail-Steamer Company’s office. These tickets were given to them by me, and were handed over to me by Mr. Payne. They went on board of their own will and accord. I never used any improper means or force of any kind to secure them on board. When they were at the harbor-master’s office, I asked them whether they knew where they were going to, and whether they were going of their own accord? They answered in the affirmative. They were further asked whether or not they had been induced to go by unlawful means? They answered no. Then they were passed on to the harbor-master’s office, where they received their papers or certificates going on board the ship.