The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-05-22 00:00:00

THE EMIGRANTS TO CANADA.

The following communication announcing the safety
of the dockyard emigrants, has been forwarded for
publication :
"THE ADMIRALTY, May 18.
"Intelligence has been received at the Admiralty of the
safe arrival at Quebec of her Majesty's troop-ships Crocodile
and Serape, with emigrants on butrl.
'• The Crocodile arrived on the 7th Inst., and left again on
the 12th inst.
"The Serapis arrived on the 15th inst., and will leave again
on the 20th in-t.
"The telegrams received report that the emigrants had all
gone up West, and that there had been no casualty,"

THE EMIGRANTS FROM LONDON.
On Saturday morning, April 13th, a party of
327 emigrants started from the Midland Railway
station in London, for Liverpool, on their way to
Canada. The parties were sent out under various
auspices, and among them was a party of Bedfordshire
labourers, but most of them were poor families from
the East end of London and ClerkenwelL The party
sailed from Liverpool in the steamship Germania, and
arrived safely at Quebec. In the Toronto Globe of
May 3, there is the following account of the arrival of
the party at Toronto, which will be read with in.

table

treat :
" It was shout three o'clock, and we were sitting half
asleep by the stove, when another bellow was heard in the
East ; as, we went outside, and there at last was the emi-
grant train Two powerful engines tugged atrenously
In
fr nt, and behind were three-and-twenty cars, laden with
Oh se who had left their countries, and their homes to seek
their for ones in the far West. Nine hundred and one souls
were on hoard, and a stranga thing it was to pass through
the whole length of that train. From ten o'clock on Thurs-
day night these people had been pent up in the cars, the
atmosphere was suffocating in the highest degree, and in
most games the utmost discomfort was apparent Is is a little
too bad to pen fl:ty or Atty people up in a baggage waggon
Si. long a time wit host a seat, and in most cases without any
Ughts. Were an accident to occur, the darkness of the cars
might add frightfully to he c ditatroplie.
" It was cortoos to notice how differently some acted In
the circumstances from others. The live or six hundred
Germans took it all as a matter of course. The long voyage
—8 1111 l e of then, hail 800 miles further to go—the darkness
rod t lie h•at, did not so-cal to put them in the least at out.
For the most part the nom slept and those who were awake
regarded a stranger as a thing quite unworthy of notice.
The woman had all cnildi en in arms, and as the children
srinalled—and no child can 'squall as the young
Teuton can—it was pleasant to hear them soot •ed
to sleep by the melodious lullabies of the • Vete,
land.' Everything was done as if at home. But it was
somewhat different with the English part of the freight.
The true Englahman shouts on even available occasion ;
both at home and abroad, there are no circumstances in
which he displays this filiosyncracy so magnificently as in the
neighbourhood of a railway station. Nor was it different
yesterday morning. For when the train stopped'—
"At first one universal shout, then rushed
Louder than the loud ocean"
At all events it was considered louder than the bay, and the
emigration agent and railway staff had the greatest difficulty
in obtaining a hearing at all. At last, however, it canoe to
be understood that the shout raised by the immigrants was
a simple query as to where they were to go and what they
were to do. A very simple query, certainly, in ordinary cir-
cumstances, but then it was between three and four on Sun-
day mining; besides, the little company who were to re-
main at Toronto, numbered 20; moreover, the morning
was dark, and the wnid blew, and the rain fell as persever-
ingly KS ever, and, above all, there was really no place for
them to go to.
" And here we would take the liberty of suggesting that
if we are going to cultivate immigration on a large scale,
we must improve matters in this; respect. It won't do to
bring people here at four o'clock of a Sunday morning, and
then tell them that there is no place for them to go to.
Ten thousand dollars were voted for immigration purposes
not long ago. How much of that would it take to erect a
capacions wooden structure, capable of temporarily accom-
modating Foch partiis as that which arrived yesterday
morning Ever, though it took the whole amount it would
be no great matter. Surely such a turn would be as well
spent in giving accommodation to those who might become
the bone and muscle of our country, 69 the same sum spent
in affording accommodation to half a dozen horses in the
rear of a certain mansion.
" However it wag resolved that they should remain in the
cars until morning. So they all disembarked till the cars
were shunted and crowded Into the gentlemen's waiting-
room. It was a strange and touching scene to look at that
crowd of men, women, and children, strangers in a strange
land, hou.eless and homeless; and yet it was pleasant to
listen to many of them who had evidently undergone 'hard
times in the • Esstend ' defying poverty, now that they had
come to a country where work and bread were actually to be
had. And one little man, a type-founder, with a wife and
family, almost brought tears to our eyes, as he clenched his
fists, and told us how freely he breathed at having escaped
front the appalling misery rampant in London.
"For the most part the men appear to be respectable trades-
men Looking over the list we find carpenters, engineers
bricklayers, smiths, labourers, painters, agricultural imple•
meld makers, coopers, &c. They have been sent out by Lady
llobart's committee. Their passage from London to Canada
has been paid by that committee. At Quebec each received
6 dole, and it would have been exceedingly gratifying to Lady
Hobart and the philanthropists connected with her in her
good work had she heard the gratitude that was expressed by
every once! the immigrants. Anti it would have gratified
them still more and urged them on to renewed endea-
vours had they heard the almost universal resolve 'to pay
back every farthisig ' to the committee as soon as they were
al6e. Another gratifying fact is, that Mr. Donaldson, the
emigrant agent, from the returns given by several townships,
will be able to despatch every man to a comfortable situation
this morning. And we understand that the part of them—
about seventy in all—who go to Hamilton will be equally for-
tunate in obtaining employment.
"However, about four o'clock, they all got Into the cars,
the engine polled them up to the depot, and they remained
there till daylight
" About nine o'clock we returned to the station, and we
found them all afoot, and the emigration agent and his staff
were mak ng strenuous efforts to provide them with break-
fast. Several of the hotels in the neighbourhood were filled
but the headqoarters was Mr. Betz's hotel. There 161 sat
down to a sumptuous breakfast, the only good meal some of
them said they had got for three weeks, and probably abetter
one than they had got for along time b. fore. At four o'clock
they were suppli, d with a substantial dinner, and every-
thing that could he done in the circumstances to make thens
comfortable was done. There still remained, however, the
oifficulty of sleeping accommodation, and after consultation
between the railway anthorities and Mr. Donaldson, it was
Considered most advisalde to allow them to make the cars
their home till this morning, when they will be sent each to
his destination.
"in closing these jottings, it is but right we should notice
the indefatigable efforts made by the agent and staff of the
Emigration Office for the comfort of the strangers, and the
kindliness shown them by Mr. Betz. A meed of praise is
also due to the employ ts at the station, who did all in their
power to render their lodgers as comfortable as circumstances
Would permit."