1863 Chinese Coolie Trade Ship Departure Manifest of the Chilean Vessel Merecedes’ Voyage from Macao to Havana

On offer is an unique, complete 1863 Chilean ship manifest, recording the names and information of 373 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 Chilean frigate, Mercedes. It is a complete manifest on letterhead from the Ultramar (Overseas) Office of the Spanish Government. The manifest includes the information of 373 Chinese men who departed from Macau and were taken to Havana. The manifest records each coolie’s assigned number, name, age and, for some men, their occupation (construction worker, planter, etc.). The manifest is hand-signed (in Spanish) by one “Enrique” for the Subsecretary for Empresa, the Spanish consortium that ran the Mercedes. The ship departed the Macau port on March 17, 1863. It landed in Havana on July 12, 1863. Of the 373 men listed on the manifest who set sail for Cuba, only 315 survived the journey, for a death rate of just over 15%. 

The Mercedes was a ship of Empresa, a coolie importing business known as Colonizadora prior to 1863. Between 1863 and 1865, Empresa made 16 coolie shipments. Empresa would eventually merge with La Compania de Seguros y Creditos to become Alianza y Cia. The Alianza was the major importer of Chinese labourers, making 55 shipments of men between 1865 and 1873. 

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 12.5x8.5 inches. It contains three folio leaves with writing on the recto and verso of all. 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 and fragility at the creases. Spanish language. Good. 

Citation:

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