1866 Chinese Coolie Trade Ship Departure Manifest of the Spanish Vessel J.A.U. Voyage from Macao to Havana

On offer is an exceptional, complete 1866 Spanish ship manifest, recording the names and information of 323 Chinese men who were transported from the port of Macau to Havana, Cuba to complete their indentured servitude as “coolies”, working for Cuban sugar plantation owners.

This manifest is for the Spanish Galley, J.A.U. It is a complete manifest that includes the information of 323 Chinese men who departed from Macau and were taken to Havana. This sailing of the J.A.U. was captained by Manual Pereira da Silveira. The manifest records each coolie’s assigned number, name, age and place of origin. The manifest is hand-signed (in Spanish) on March 23, 1866 by José de Aguilar, the Spanish Consul General of Her Majesty in Macau. It is also signed by what is likely the ship’s captain. Name is difficult to decipher but we believe it is one “Loren”. The ship departed the Macau port on March 24, 1866. 

The J.A.U. was a ship of the Alianza y Cia, a coolie importing business that was born through the merger of the Empresa and La Compania de Seguros y Creditos. The Alianza was the major importer of Chinese labourers, making 55 shipments of men between 1865 and 1873. This particular 1866 sailing of the J.A.U. resulted in a mortality rate of 23.2%. Based on the count of 323 men on the manifest, this means that 75 men died aboard the J.A.U. on this voyage. 

The Chinese coolie trade, a system of indentured labor that targeted young, poor Chinese men, operated from 1847-1874. Throughout this period, African slavery was slowly being abolished around the world. The coolie trade was initiated by Britain and was eventually dominated by both Britain and the United States of America. Chinese coolie laborers were sent to work in British, American and Spanish colonies, and the nature of the trade changed throughout its 27-year operation, due to social and political pressures. The coolie trade took place, in large part, between the shipping port in Macao (now a part of China, then under Portuguese rule) and Havana, Cuba (then under Spanish control). As Macau was under Portugese rule at the time of the coolie trade, they transported coolies on their vessels frequently and many of the manifests were written in Portuguese and/or Spanish. To learn more about the Chinese coolie trade and its importance in world history, click here to read our in-depth research blog on the topic. 

This manifest measures 12.5x16 inches. It contains three folio leaves with writing on the front and back of two and on one side of the third. The leaves have come apart and are not bound. It is in fair condition, with rips on the corner of what would have been the ‘spine’ and significant fold lines with some minor tearing in the creases. Spanish language. Fair+. 

Citation: Asome, J. (2020). Coolie ships of the Chinese diaspora (1846-1874). Proverse Hong Kong.