1867 Cuban Government Circular Notice Detailing the Chinese Coolie’s Fate at the End of their Initial Contract

On offer is a valuable piece of the puzzle demonstrating how the Cuban government managed members of the Chinese coolie labour trade once their initial eight year contracts expired, being a handwritten Circular notice, intended for the owner of a coolie whose initial eight-year contract is expiring. 

This circular is directed toward owner of the contracts of Chinese coolies who are working on their plantations. It states that when the coolies fulfill their contracts, they are to be handed over by their employers (owners) to a local judge so they can retrieve a document listing their belongings. It also indicates that the coolie contracts cannot be extended unilaterally, and the must go through the appropriate authorities. It is dated July of 1867. 

This is an important document as it contributes to the understanding of the administrative infrastructure in place to manage those who were imported to Cuba from Macau during the coolie trade. It is a particularly interesting piece as circulars were often printed and distributed while this is handwritten. 

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 circular measures approximately 8.5x6 inches. It is one single folio leaf folded in half with writing on three pages. It contains signs of age toning, some folds and a small worm hole that does not interfere with readability. Overall G+. Spanish language.