1866 Chinese Coolie Trade Ship Emigrante’s Departure and Arrival Manifests for Its Voyage from Macau to Havana, Including Markings to Indicate the Dead

On offer is an exceptional, complete pair of manifests from the 1866 Spanish ship Emigrante’s voyage from Macau to Havana for the purpose of transporting 359 Chinese men to work as “coolies”. This small archive is particularly special as the arrival manifest includes unique markings indicating which of the 359 coolies tragically perished on the journey. 

These manifests are for the Spanish ship Emigrante, which had previously sailed under the British flag as the Emigrant. This sailing of the Emigrante was captained by D. Domingo Tramoja. The departure manifest was signed in Macau on January 16, 1866 by The Consul General of Her Majesty, José de Aguilar. Captain Domingo Fremayo and provides the information on 359 Chinese men on board. The arrival manifest was completed and signed upon arrival in Havana, with small symbols placed beside the names of those who had perished during the trip. Of the 359 Chinese men who boarded the Emigrante in Macao in February of 1866, only 319 landed in Havana alive in May. Along with the markings of who died, the manifest records each coolie’s Chinese name, Christian name and age. The sailing of the Emigrante was coordinated by coolie trader Antonio G. Bustamente, a land owner who partnered with Troncoso and Castro in Havana and Joao Garcia in Macao. The arrival manifest was dated May 21, 1866 in Havana. While the document is handwritten, there is no notable signature.  

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. 

The departure manifest measures 8.5x13 inches. Its four lined pages are stapled in the upper left corner. Tearing at the vertical edge of the document. There is writing on front and back of two pages and one side of the third page for a total of five  pages of writing. Legible. Overall Fair. The arrival manifest measures 10x16 inches. It contains three large pages folded to create six pages. There is a total of nine pages of writing (four pages have writing on the font and back plus one title page). It is in fair condition, with rips on some creases and small holes and tears on the vertical fold. Writing is legible. Spanish language. Fair. 

Citation:

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