Case of the Chinese Laborers on Shipboard

Field, Justice.

The petitioners are part of the crew of the American steam-ship City of Sydney. Their case is substantially like that of Ah Sing, the Chinese cabin waiter of the same vessel, recently before us on habeas corpus.1 It differs in only one particular. Like him, they are Chinese, and like him they shipped on board of the steam-ship on the fifth of May last, signing at the time articles binding themselves to go as part of its crew on a voyage from San Francisco to Sydney and back. One of the petitioners served on board as a scullion; the others, as waiters or pantrymen. The vessel…