1866 Chinese Coolie Arrival Manifest for Passengers of the French Vessel Granville’s Voyage from Macau to Havana

On offer is an arrival manifest recording the names, information and fates of 20 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 French ship, Granville, in Havana, Cuba, once the coolies on board had their contracts sold to plantation owners. The Granville departed Macau on April 3, 1866 and arrived in Havana, Cuba on September 5, 1866. 230 Chinese men boarded the ship and only 225 arrived in Cuba, for a death rate of just over 2% on the voyage. 

The ultimate fates of 20 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. 10 of the 20 men on this manifest would go to work under the patron Thomas M. Seville while the other 10 would go to work under patron Joaquin Diago. All of their contracts would begin on September 11, 1866. 

The Granville sailed for the Zangroniz family, a well-known family who participated in the trafficking of human beings even before the coolie trade was begun. At the time of this sailing, the Zangroniz trafficking business was owned mainly by Ignacio Maria Zangroniz and the company was called Ignacio Maria Zangroniz y Cia. The manifest is signed in Havana by a representative for the company, [?] dela Maja Amedonas [?]. 

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 measure 13x17.5 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 that has caused the document to completely separate. It is extremely delicate. The manifest is one folio leaf. Spanish language. Fair.

Citations: 

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

Sparks, R. J. (2020). On the frontlines of slave trade abolition: British consuls combat state capture in Cuba and Mozambique. Atlantic Studies, 17(3), 327-347.