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‘The contrast between the lean, hungry Cassius-looking coolies who arrive at Port Louis, and the stout, muscular well-fed fellows with well-lined purses who leave its shores, is very remarkable.’ Taken from F.J. Mouat, A Bengal Civilian, Journal of Five Months’ Residence in the Mauritius, Calcutta, 1838.

Source: William Agnew Paton, Down the Islands, A Voyage to the Caribbees, Charles Scribner, NY, 1887. Illustration by M J Burns.

Source: J. Rodway & H.J. Stark, Stark’s Guide Book and History of British Guiana, Sampson Low, London, 1907.

Individuals wishing to return to India with family members were required to obtain the consent of relatives or guardians. Source: Mauritius Archives

Source: J. Rodway and H.J. Stark, Stark’s Guide Book and History of British Guiana, Sampson Low, London, 1907.

Welcome

Welcome to the website for ‘Becoming Coolies’, an AHRC-funded research project based at the Universities of Edinburgh and Leeds, which seeks to understand South Asian labour migration in the nineteenth century and assesses its present day significance.

Find out more about the project, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, view the personal stories of the descendants of nineteenth century migration.