The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-24 00:00:00

FAMILY COLONISATION.

Last evening a public meeting wan held at the
Parochial School-room, Claphauseemmos, to bear an ad-
dress from Mrs. Chisholm on the subject of family colonisa-
tion. The meeting was numerously attended, the room
being filled, and many persons were °snide, who could not
find room in, but who listened at the open doors. The
KeT. Mr. MOWVeT, the Meter, presided.
Mr. 8. Stoner first addressed the meeting, by way of in.
trodueing Mrs. Chisholm. That lady, he said, first landed
in Australia thirteen years ag•e, when the emigration
to that country was confined to convicts and
paupers. She there found a large member of young women
who when they arrived bad no home to go to. She applied
to government for assistance, and government we. induced,
alter some demur, to grant a wooden barrack, twenty feet
square, where *be lived with them, and got many of them
situations. The others she took into the interior, where
labour was most in demand, and afterwards she took whole
families into the interior. and in that way had been the
means of providing for some thousands of persons. She
afterwards came to England and established • system of
emigration, the three lending principles of which were that
the 'mending emigrants should save and pay
by instalments their passage-money; that associa-
tions should be formed by whom persons who could
ha trusted should have their peasage-mosey advanced for
theta to be repaid after their arrival ia the enemy, and the
third was the providing proper accommodation an board
the ship. Ile was sorry to have to state that just before
the opening of that meeting their chairman had received a
letter warning him from taking the chair, because Mn.
Chisholm was a Roman Catholic. Now with regard to
that be had an answer to make, Mn. Chisholm had been be-
lore the public 13 years, and there bad been no complaint
by any one that she had been actuated by itetenan views,
and she had given a pledge to the chaplain of the bishop of
Australia that she was not, sod would not be actuated by
sectarian views, and that her sole object was the public
good. (Cheers.)
Mn. CIILSHOLIt then cams forward and was loudly
cheered. She said this was the first time she had appeared
on a public platform, and she felt diffident in addressing
them. It was a great trial for her to do so, but in great
trials they met with great support, and it was a comfort to
her to feel that if the day of persecution had not gone by,
there were some minas tilled with that charity which
God gave to bleu. (Cheers.) She believed that if she
honestly did what was right the clergy of the
church of England would help her. She had had 60
families, at one time under her care at Sydney, and anxious
that they should get • day's wage for • fair day's work
she had entreated them not to accept government work et a
lower rate, which would have pauperised them, and she had
gone with them into the interior, and though there wee
only one complete set of agricultural implemeats for 30
families yet some of these parties were now remitting ON.
each to aid the emigration of their friends, and there was
not one of them that was not now in good cir-
cumstances, and able to give his 51. subscription
for any public object. In commencing her work
with single female emigrants she commenced with two' one
a Roman catholic and the other • protestant, and she kept
them, till she found them situations, and hundreds and
thousands bad been thus provided for. Iler being a
catholic was the one thing brought against her. But the
bishop of the Church of England in that colony was a
noble-minded man; he did not privately slander, but his
chaplain was directed to write to her, and to put a few
plain questions. These questions were as plainly answered,
and to this day then was a good teeling be-
tween them. After her return to this country on
examining into On accommodation in emigrant ships, she
fond that aged men, and women, and children under 14,
all slept in one compartment. She determined upon
arranging what were called enclosed cabins, which pro-
vided foe the separation of females. A benevolent noble-
man, bearing of her efforts, said be would raise a few
hundreds to help, but the shipowners, who were afraid she
was going to rain their trade, called upon him, and
dropped the venom in. They said, " Mrs. Chisholm is a
good kind of woman, but people eaanot tenet her ; rhe is an
agent of the Propaganda." The nobleman we afraid, and the
subscriptions did not some in. She persevered, however, with
regard to the enclosed cabins. She had sent off ten ships
with these arrangements, sad now there was scarcely en
emigrant who did not inquire if there were enclosed
cabins. She had lately had • somantaicatiosefrom a large
ehipewaer in London, who said he would cut oat her plan
and give more apace. no told him in reply that she would
help him to tarry his plan out. There was nothing now
wanting in emigration but that the people should have ma-
id/see in skips, and in the provisions, and that the clergy
of all deuentinatiose should come forward and do their duty to
meet the depravity that sow prevailed, in order that emi-
gration might be moralised. Her husband and herself had
been separated now about a year, and she intended to return
to the colony in the spring, and to devote herself specially
to the care of the single female emigrants. Meanwhile the
work was proceeding. They had received 2,0001. from her hus-
band; and in a letter he stated th t then were several sir-
vents paying 3e. and 4s. a week to maintain theiryarents
with greater comfort is England. Upwards of 40 aged
parents had hoes sent for, and a number of wives. Many
loung men also, were sending for the girls they
eft behind them—(cheer)—and when they arrived
her husband always looked up the clergymen and
had them married at once. (Cheers and laughter) She
had no doubt that this system of readttance would be
effected by bankers, shortly, bat at present, except through
this society, there were no means of remitting small sums
with the certainty of th.ir being applied to the in-
tended. Kra Chisholm then spoke of the hospitality of
the country, and said that when she was 'nag into the ice-
tenor with emigrants' provident, sometimes a whole cart-
full at a time were laid for her on the road side. In con-
clusion, she stated that this was a preli.ninary meeting, and
that she would meet them again on some future occasion,
to give them the benefit of her experience as to the arrange-
ments to be made foe the passage, when she hoped the rev.
chairman, if he was net afraid, would again preside.
The CIAIIIIIAN mid tie was not at all afraid, but should
ho
happy to preside.
Three diem were then gives for Mrs. Chisholm and
three toe the rector, and the meeting separated.