No. 1., August 31, 1868.

No. 1.

For the information of American citizens and ship-owners resident on these islands, and of American shipmasters touching here, I deem it proper to publish the following resolution on the subject of the coolie trade, which unanimously passed both houses of the Congress of the United States, viz:

“In the Senate of the United States, “January 16, 1867.

“Whereas the traffic in laborers transported from China and other eastern countries, known as the coolie trade, is odious to the people of the United States as inhuman and immoral; and whereas it is abhorrent to the spirit of modern international law and policy, which have substantially extirpated the African slave trade, to permit the establishment in its place of a mode of enslaving men differing from the former in little else than the employment of fraud instead of force to make its victims captive; be it therefore

“Resolved, That it is the duty of this government to give effect to the moral sentiment of the nation through all its agencies, for the purpose of preventing the further introduction of coolies into this hemisphere or the adjacent islands.

“Ordered, That the Secretary lay the foregoing resolution before the President of the United States.

“Attest:

J. W. FORNEY, Secretary.”

In furtherance of the humane policy adopted by the government I represent, I also deem it my duty to call the attention of all whom it may concern to an act entitled “An act to prohibit the coolie trade by American citizens and American vessels,” approved February 19, 1882, which provides:

1. That no citizen or resident of the United States shall prepare any vessel to procure or carry from “China or elsewhere” persons known as “coolies,” to be disposed of, or sold, or transferred, for any term of years, or for any time whatever, as servants or apprentices, or to be held to service or labor. Any vessel owned by citizens of the United States, in whole or in part, so employed, shall be forfeited to the United States.

2. Every person building, equipping, sending to sea, or aiding to prepare in any way, or navigating as master, factor, agent, owner or otherwise, any vessel belonging in whole or in part to any United States citizen, or registered, enrolled or licensed within the United States to be employed in the above trade, or in anywise aiding or abetting therein, shall be liable to be indicted therefor, and on conviction punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dollars and imprisonment not exceeding one year.

3. Any citizen of the United States who shall, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, take on board, or receive, or transport any such persons, for the purpose of disposing of them as aforesaid, shall be liable to be punished as before mentioned.

4. Free and voluntary emigrants may be taken upon the certificate of the United States consul or consular agent at the port where they embark, which certificate is to be given to the master of the vessel only upon satisfactory evidence that such emigration is actually free and voluntary.

5. All United States laws applicable to the carriage of passengers by United States merchant vessels apply also to all vessels owned in whole or in part by citizens of the United States, or registered or licensed within the United States, carrying passengers between foreign ports, with the same penalties and forfeitures.

6. The President of the United States is authorized to direct United States war vessels to examine all vessels navigated or owned, in whole or in part, by citizens of the United States, whenever there is reasonable cause to suppose such vessels are engaged in any way in violation of this act.

The foregoing is simply an abstract of the law, which will be found in full on page 340, volume 12, of the United States Statutes at Large.