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Between 1879 and 1916, a total of 42 ships made 87 voyages, carrying Indian indentured labourers to Fiji. Initially the ships brought labourers from Calcutta, but from 1903 all ships except two also brought labourers from Madras and Mumbai. A total of 60,965 passengers left India but only 60,553 (including births at sea) arrived in Fiji. A total of 45,439 boarded ships in Calcutta and 15,114 in Madras. Sailing ships took, on average, seventy-three days for the trip while steamers took 30 days. The shipping companies associated with the labour trade were Nourse Line and British-India Steam Navigation Company.
The most important man on these ships was the Surgeon-Superintendent, who supervised the medical care, ventilation, clothing, cleanliness and exercise of the passengers and his authority extended over the Captain. He inspected the stores before departure and reported on any defects during the trip. The Surgeon-Superintendent also intervened to prevent passengers from being mistreated by the crew. He was paid a bonus for each labourer landed alive.
List of ships
The table below provides details of the 87 voyages made by the 40 ships that brought Indian Indentured Labourers to Fiji. Of these ships, 27 were sailing ships and 13 were steam ships.
Name of ship | Date of arrival | Registered numbers | Number of arrivals |
---|---|---|---|
LeonidasLeonidas | 14 May 1879 | 000011–463 | 463 |
BerarBerar | 29 June 1882 | 00464464–887 | 424 |
PoonahPoonah | 17 September 1882 | 00888888–1364 | 477 |
PoonahPoonah | 19 June 1883 | 013651365–1860 | 496 |
BayardBayard | 20 August 1883 | 018611861–2354 | 494 |
SyriaSyria | 14 May 1884 | 023552355–2792 | 438 |
HowrahHowrah | 26 June 1884 | 027932793–3287 | 495 |
PericlesPericles | 3 July 1884 | 032883288–3748 | 461 |
NewnhamSS Newnham | 23 July 1884 | 037493749–4323 | 575 |
MainMain | 30 April 1885 | 043244324–5048 | 725 |
Ganges IIGanges | 27 June 1885 | 050495049–5571 | 523 |
BoyneBoyne | 26 April 1886 | 055725572–6108 | 537 |
BruceBruce | 21 May 1886 | 061096109–6566 | 458 |
HerefordHereford | 24 April 1888 | 065676567–7105 | 539 |
MoyMoy | 3 May 1889 | 071067106–7782 | 677 |
RhoneRhone | 15 May 1890 | 077837783–8367 | 585 |
AllanshawAllanshaw | 17 June 1890 | 083688368–8940 | 573 |
DanubeDanube | 15 June 1891 | 089418941–9531 | 591 |
JumnaJumna | 27 June 1891 | 095329532–9978 | 447 |
British PeerBritish Peer | 23 April 1892 | 099799979–10505 | 527 |
AvonAvon | 5 May 1892 | 1050610506–11025 | 520 |
HerefordHereford | 15 June 1892 | 1102611026–11504 | 479 |
MoyMoy | 14 April 1893 | 1150511505–11971 | 467 |
JumnaJumna | 23 May 1893 | 1197211972–12281 | 310 |
EmsEms | 20 April 1894 | 1228212282–12851 | 570 |
HerefordHereford | 28 June 1894 | 1285212852–13362 | 511 |
VadalaSS Vadala | 26 March 1895 | 1336313363–14109 | 747 |
VirawaSS Virawa | 26 April 1895 | 1411014110–14786 | 677 |
ErneErne | 24 April 1896 | 1478714787–15343 | 557 |
ElbeElbe | 13 June 1896 | 1534415344–15958 | 615 |
RhoneRhone | 11 May 1897 | 1595915959–16611 | 653 |
ClydeClyde | 1 June 1897 | 1661216612–17281 | 670 |
MoyMoy | 1 June 1898 | 1728217282–17849 | 568 |
AvonAvon | 25 July 1899 | 1785017850–18316 | 467 |
Ganges IIGanges | 3 September 1899 | 1831718317–18780 | 464 |
Ganges IIGanges | 21 June 1900 | 1878118781–19334 | 554 |
ElbeElbe | 26 July 1900 | 1933519335–19938 | 604 |
ArnoArno | 23 July 1900 | 1993919939–20565 | 627 |
RhineRhine | 30 August 1900 | 2056620566–21056 | 491 |
FazilkaSS Fazilka | 28 March 1901 | 2105721057–21860 | 804 |
FultalaSS Fultala | 12 May 1901 | 2186121861–22669 | 809 |
FazilkaSS Fazilka | 18 June 1901 | 2267022670–23445 | 776 |
VirawaSS Virawa | 26 April 1902 | 2344623446–24163 | 718 |
FazilkaSS Fazilka | 20 June 1902 | 2416424164–25003 | 840 |
MerseyMersey | 13 June 1903 | 2500425004–25588 | 585 |
ElbeElbe | 5 August 1903 | 2558925589–26178 | 590 |
ArnoArno | 4 September 1903 | 2617926179–26812 | 634 |
ArnoArno | 3 May 1904 | 2681326813–27443 | 631 |
EmsEms | 30 July 1904 | 2744427444–27969 | 526 |
FultalaSS Fultala | 10 April 1905 | 2797027970–28796 | 827 |
VirawaSS Virawa | 17 July 1905 | 2879728797–29411 | 615 |
WardhaSS Wardha | 28 July 1905 | 2941229412–30303 | 892 |
FultalaSS Fultala | 17 August 1905 | 3030430304–31093 | 790 |
FazilkaSS Fazilka | 17 April 1906 | 3109431094–31974 | 881 |
FultalaSS Fultala | 28 April 1906 | 3197531975–32775 | 801 |
WardhaSS Wardha | 28 June 1906 | 3277632776–33609 | 834 |
FazilkaSS Fazilka | 28 January 1907 | 3361033610–34484 | 875 |
VirawaSS Virawa | 23 March 1907 | 3448534485–35243 | 759 |
FazilkaSS Fazilka | 25 April 1907 | 3524435244–36039 | 796 |
SangolaSS Sangola | 18 March 1908 | 3604036040–37171 | 1132 |
SangolaSS Sangola | 6 June 1908 | 3717237172–38257 | 1086 |
SangolaSS Sangola | 1 February 1909 | 3825838258–39409 | 1152 |
SangolaSS Sangola | 21 April 1909 | 3941039410–40076 | 667 |
SangolaSS Sangola | 7 March 1910 | 4007740077–41002 | 926 |
SanthiaSS Santhia | 22 April 1910 | 4100341003–42023 | 1021 |
SangolaSS Sangola | 5 June 1910 | 4202442024–42892 | 869 |
SanthiaSS Santhia | 8 July 1910 | 4289342893–43922 | 1030 |
MutlahSS Mutlah | 22 May 1911 | 4392343923–44756 | 834 |
SutlejSS Sutlej | 25 June 1911 | 4475744757–45606 | 850 |
GangesSS Ganges | 22 July 1911 | 4560745607–46466 | 860 |
MutlahSS Mutlah | 18 August 1911 | 4646746467–47329 | 863 |
SutlejSS Sutlej | 4 October 1911 | 4733047330–48140 | 811 |
SutlejSS Sutlej | 27 April 1912 | 4814148141–48997 | 857 |
IndusSS Indus | 8 June 1912 | 4899848998–49801 | 804 |
GangesSS Ganges | 18 July 1912 | 4980249802–50644 | 843 |
GangesSS Ganges | 8 November 1912 | 5064550645–51490 | 846 |
GangesSS Ganges | 21 February 1913 | 5149151491–52261 | 771 |
SutlejSS Sutlej | 11 April 1913 | 5226252262–53069 | 808 |
GangesSS Ganges | 29 May 1913 | 5307053070–53917 | 848 |
GangesSS Ganges | 9 September 1913 | 5391853918–54701 | 784 |
ChenabSS Chenab | 24 March 1914 | 5470254702–55556 | 855 |
ChenabSS Chenab | 16 June 1914 | 5555755557–56273 | 717 |
MutlahSS Mutlah | 7 May 1915 | 5627456274–57125 | 852 |
GangesSS Ganges | 21 June 1915 | 5712657126–57971 | 846 |
MutlahSS Mutlah | 1 August 1915 | 5797257972–58783 | 812 |
ChenabSS Chenab | 1 September 1916 | 5878458784–59665 | 882 |
SutlejSS Sutlej | 11 November 1916 | 5966659666–60553 | 888 |
Notes
- The number following the name of the ship denotes the voyage number (to Fiji).
- "SS" in front of the name of the ship denotes that it was a steam ship.
- From 1905 all ships were steam ships.
See also
- Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji)
- Indian indenture system
- Repatriation of indentured Indians from Fiji
- Sugar industry of Fiji