THE HORRIBLE COOLIE TRAFFIC Representatives, by Hon. Mr. Eliot of Massachusetts, from the Committee of Commerce. Among the various papers embodied in it, showing the nefarious nature of the trade, is the following by a Chinese: –
Mr. Williams, the Secretary and Interpreter of the United States Legation, translated the following ‘argument respecting kidnapping and selling pigs to foreign vessels.’ which was forwarded by Dr. Parker to the State Department in January, 1857:
AN ARGUMENT RESPECTING KIDNAPPING AND SELLING PIGS TO FOREIGN VESSELS. Among the most distressing things for man is to have his friends, (as in pursuit of a livelihood,) and to die away from them; still (in such a case) if he becomes diseased and sick, and medicines are unavailing to cure his ailments, he can calmly close his eyes in death, his relatives sorrowing, as they do, for his loss, will yet in time lay aside their mourning.
But what is ten thousand times more distressing than this, is what I have myself personally heard and seen, is being kidnapped and sold on board foreign ships – it is thing that excites the bitterest hatrid and grief……
Recently a set of reckless villains have devised a cunning scheme, going around from hamlet to village, in cities and fairs, where they kidnap silly people and sell them on board foreign vessels, in which they are taken to foreign regions, there to toil forever in bitter service. This is vulgarly called selling pigs, and in truth, it differs in nothing from the sale of swine…..
(Liberator, May 11, 1860, pg 1)
