Good morning from Massachusetts!
You have stumbled on a very important factor: in the 19th century the Azores
were overpopulated. The islands had more moths to feed than could be managed.
There was not the means for the peasants to support their families. Mal
nourishment (a diet primarily of bread supplemented by whatever else could be
had) was a necessary way of life. And the peasants had big families that were
constantly being diminished by disease and the infant mortality rates. And the
system of entailed estates, squires and landed gentry kept the peasants in a
virtual state of serfdom. Allowing Azorean peasants to go to Hawaii or anywhere
else was seen as a kindness. And those immigrants sent home money to help the
folks left behind.
John
On Saturday, November 19, 2016 12:27 AM, IslandRoutes
<[email protected]> wrote:
Thank you all for your responses. Another researcher found some information
that is pertinent to this discussion. I'm still mulling it over. There is
another newspaper article that he found dated after the one that I noted. I
don't have the link handy at this moment.
This article is written from Hawaii. It turns out there was something very
different about the voyage of the SS Hansa (aka Vapor Hansa) in 1882. It was
the very first attempt to bring contract laborers from Portugal to Hawaii.
So, this was the first time it was necessary to go from the Azores to Portugal
and then back to the Azores before heading to Hawaii.
The article implies that there was no problem taking Azoreans to Hawaii, but
there was strong opposition in Portugal to taking their natives to Hawaii. The
Chief of Police wasn't trying to prevent the the Azoreans from leaving, but he
and others were trying to keep the Portuguese (from Portugal) from leaving the
country.
I have to read the article again then see if there is more info. It seems to
imply that factions in Portugal did not like losing their citizens to Hawaii,
possibly because those who left for Hawaii from Azores or Madeira did not
return to their home country.
It also implies that there were more financial interests in Brasil and that
people preferred that those in Portugal migrate there rather than Hawaii or the
US.
Any thoughts on this?
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