1869 Chinese Coolie Arrival Manifest for Passengers of the San Salvadorian Vessel Aurora’s Voyage from Macau to Havana

On offer is an arrival manifest recording the names, information and fates of 26 Chinese men who were transported on an complicated voyage of the Aurora, from the port of Macau to Havana, Cuba to complete their indentured servitude as “coolies”, working for Cuban sugar plantation owners.

This manifest was created upon the arrival of the San Salvadorian ship, Aurora,  in Havana, Cuba, once the coolies on board had their contracts sold to plantation owners. The Aurora departed Macau on November 24,1868 and arrived in Havana, Cuba on March 26,1869. 419 Chinese men boarded the ship and only 384 arrived in Cuba, for an 8.4% death rate on the voyage. 

The ultimate fates of 25 of the men who made the sailing to Havana can be found on this manifest. On the manifest, the coolie’s number (assigned at departure), Chinese name, given Christian name, age, sex, work he is destined to do, length of contract, start date of contract, Cuban patron (plantation owner) and location they will be living are indicated. The 25 men on this manifest would go to work under the patron Fedoro Sanchez Salvador at the Plantation Colosa_Re Near Cardenas with contracts beginning on April 23, 1869. The manifest is written on Alianza y Cia stationary, but the company name has been crossed out and replaced with “D.S. Burnham”. It is signed on the back in Havana, name of the signatory is difficult to interpret.

This manifest is intriguing as it is from the Aurora’s one and only coolie sailing from Macau to Havana, with her other coolie crossings being to Callao, Peru. The Aurora was originally a British ship which was sold and reflagged multiple times. At the time of this sailing, the Aurora was registered to San Salvador and was under Peruvian Captain, Narciso Garcia y Garcia. The Aurora made a total of five crossings with coolie labourers. Of these five crossings, the overall mortality rate on this ship was 4.07%, lower than the death rate on this particular 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 9.5x13 inches. It exhibits signs of aging including age toning, small rips and tears, especially at the centre crease. There is one significant tear at the centre crease on the top of the page which does not impede readability. The manifest is one folio leaf. Spanish language. Fair to Good.

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