1865 Remarkable Testimonies of Chinese Coolies Following a Failed Mutiny Aboard Coolie Ship Emmanuel on Route from Macau to Havana

On offer is a stunning, shocking and outstanding piece of Chinese and Cuban history, being a remarkably rare Spanish and Chinese manuscript recording the interrogation of passengers aboard the French frigate, Emmanuel, seeking details about the deaths occurring on its voyage from Macau to Havana after a failed mutiny aboard the vessel. 

The French frigate Emmanuel set sail from Havana on March 4, 1865 with 160 Chinese men on board. It was captained by L. de Condray It landed in Macau on July 12, 1865. Only 144 men survived the journey. This sailing of the Emmanuel was known to have had an attempted mutiny on board, but no details of the mutiny were released publicly (Asome, 2020). This document provides details on the mutiny through the eyes of the Chinese men who survived. 

The document is formatted as a question asked by Cuban authorities followed by an answer from the Chinese under interrogation. The first interview is of a Chinese coolie, Vong, who says he arrived on the French frigate Emmanuel. Vong is from Macao, aged 21 and single. His following first-hand testimony from direct questioning - "was examined as follows" (in rough translation): "How many deaths were there that happened during the voyage from Macao to this city?” Vong states that he doesn’t know anything about deaths, only that they  occurred during the crossing. He does not know because he himself was sick after departure from Macao. However, he knows that three of the passengers were shot ("fusiallamiento"). The second question asks when the Captain of the ship knew about the shootings and they are referred to as "executions". Vong replies that "No one can determine the motive behind the shootings…”. As well, he was very ill himself. The interrogations continue with more passengers. On the second page, another Chinese coolie is questioned regarding the deaths on the ship, during the voyage. He states that 17 died and 3 were shot [executed] by order of the Captain of the ship. Three "marineros" with rifles shot them. They were shot shortly after leaving Macao. Further along there is discussion as to why they might have been executed….possibly "swear [bad] words" were said to the Captain. These first hand testimonies are signed in Chinese by the men being interviewed and by the interviewer. 

This is a truly remarkable window into life on board a Chinese coolie ship that was one of many to experience a failed mutiny by Chinese men who had been forced or coerced into leaving their troubled home land for indentured servitude across the ocean. 

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 Portuegese 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 document contains 12 folio leaves with 24 pages of handwritten content. Spanish and Chinese languages. These leaves appear to have been extracted from a larger document. There is evidence of the string binding that has come off the document. Small holes and tears where the binding would have been are present, as are some tears on the pages themselves. Age toning present. Legible. Overall Fair. 

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