Lord Elgin

Lord Elgin

Departed Amoy 23 July 1852. Arrived Georgetown 17 January 1853

This website page was updated on 23 October 2004

News Item

The Lord Elgin had taken on 115 adult men and 39 boys at Amoy and departed on 23 July 1852. The voyage to Singapore took 62 days during which time 4 Chinese died. Then on 24 October the ship sprang a leak which allowed sea water to enter the hold. The rice stored there began to ferment and generate clouds of steam and poisonous hydrogen sulphide which made the people sick. By the time the ship arrived at the Cape of Good Hope there were 45 more deaths to report. Lord Elgin finally reached its destination on 17 January 1853 after a journey totaling 177 days, with 69 fewer Chinese that it started with, a mortality rate of 44.8%. The ship�s round trip journey from Georgetown brought back fewer passengers than had departed on it and the effort sustained a loss of £1,500. It was a disastrous venture to all concerned. [ From Cane Reapers: Chinese Indentured Immigrants in Guyana by Trev Sue-A-Quan.]

Mr. B. Trotman, the manager of the "Blankenburg" estate, was so satisfied with his Chinese labourers that he reported on the 23rd June, 1853:- "I am willing to take 50 or 100 more Chinese on the terms I got the last, or if any planter may be dissatisfied with his batch I will be glad to take them over, with the consent of the representative of this property." [From The Chinese in British Guiana by Cecil Clementi, 1915.]

 

Allocation to plantations

Allotted to

M

Allotted to

M

Blankenburg

83

Died

2

Immigrants

No.

Name

Age

Surnames of descendants (to the 4th generation)

86

Lim Kon

32

--

--

Ang Yioh

40

--

--

Chee Buing

35

--

--

Chu Ching

30

--

14

Chung Chi

32

--

25

Gin Seam

36

--

--

Hin Swan

41

--

--

Hong Chie

24

--

44

Koh Chay

33

--

28

Koh Poon

34

--

86

Lim Kon

31

--

47

Li Gin

48

--

31

Li Kun

35

--

13

Lim Kiau

--

--

37

Lim Hin

29

--

9

Lim Pian

57

--

1

Lim Poh

28

--

24

Lim Tseng

33

--

335

Ng Yu

24

--

19

Ong-a-im

25

--

142

Pie Tsing

40

--

31

Poh Koh

28

--

71

Sie Siung

27

--

50

Sin Tuh

20

--

79

Tan Chiong

32

--

76

Tan Koh

32

--

81

Tan Koon

23

--

70

Tan Ling

28

--

98

Tan Tin

33

--

120

Tsung Yam

29

--

33

Tsu Liang

51

--

43

Ung Hin

24

--

38

Yap Ng

22

--

3

Yau Loh

36

--

62

Yu Oo

30

--

38

Yu Pion

38

--

8

Yu Pioh

20

--

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