The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-02 00:00:00

well ; but a few days of hurricanes, the hatchet, bat-
teued down, and one sick lividly will infect the wilds
ship. The case of the Africa, reported in our irnpri-a-,
.ion yesterday, is a fair specimen of the kind of com-
plaints now coning home by every packet. No
doubt many are unreasonable and unfounded. A num-
ber of persons very sea sick, very much cramped, with
nothing to do but eat and sleep, are sure to be grum-
blers ; but taking a large discount off, enough prima
facie evidence remains to justify a searching inquiry.
Some of the defects of the last Passenger Act are
patent. Besides, we have a large masa of good
Liverpool evidence, proving how completely emi-
grants are in the power of those who live upon them
on hind. After what Mr. BRADLEY MOORE, the
Rev. Mr. WELcII, and other witnesses before Mr.
Siusev HERBERT's committee of 1831, stated of the
doings on land under the eyes of the police, the
magistrates, and other eminently respectable people,
we can be surprised at nothing that takes place at
sea, where there is neither law nor public opinion to
enforce the rights of the passengers, or punish
over-reaching owners or tyrannical ship officers.
Mr. BRADLEY MOORE, ex-mayor and for many
years chairman of the Liverpool Docks, says in his
evidence, "The frauds and impositions now practised
on.the emigrant from the moment he arrives in
Liverpool to the time of his embarkation, are per-
fectly incredible, except to those who have witnessed
them. There is scarcely an emigrant who arrives
who is not plundered of his mouey, plundered at
every stage and every step."
In reference to the establishment of a Home, Mr.
MOORE added: "Emigrants are live merchandise
which require more looking after and more care taken
of them, than any description of merchandise that
comes into port. Lord GREY, it appears, thought
that it was the duty of the corporation to take the
management of the proposed institution (a Home for
the protection of emigrants) rather than of the go-
vernment. I say that the corporation have no such
interest whatever. They are the representatives of
those parties whose object and business it is
to live upon the emigrants by plun-
dering them. The Dock Committee were
personally willing to undertake the management of
a Home, but such a storm was raised by the parties
named (the crimping interest) and their representa-
tives in the Town Council, that the Dock Committee
was not allowed to do it." In New York precisely
the same abuses prevail. There is an organised
system of fraud carried on often in correspondence
with the Liverpool crimps. In both ports emigrants
are seized upon by force, carried off to lodging-houaes,
often cajoled out of their baggage, compelled to pay
extravagant prices for board, cheated into exchang-
ing their cash for coin of inferior value, into pur-
chasing outfits of no value at extravagant rates, and
sometimes deluded with forged tickets for the sea
voyage or inland transit. In both ports the re-
spectable inhabitants are desirous of putting au end
to the system of plunder, but the crimps' interest is
too strong for them.
What the American emigrant trade is—in numbers
and importance—the Australian emigrant trade will
soon become. Within the last few days freights and
passages have risen greatly. The shipping interest,
notwithstanding the repeal of the navigation laws
and the influx of foreign shipping, have been, never-
theless, able to improve their charter parties since
that event from 21. 10s. to 64 a ton, and to raise
passages from 101. ani 151. to 301. It is better that
passages should be dear, than cheap and destructive
to health, decency, and morals. Shipowners wko
don't go to sea do not know what passengers require.
One of the first men in the City of London consi-
dered himself, u he loudly termed it, "robbed," by
a contract, under which, after a good hospital and
other conveniences had been secured, the passengers
fell short by forty of the number allowed by act of
parliament—forty souls, for each of whom he would,
if sent, have been entitled to 61. Yet all experienced
pawns who saw that ship pronounced her to be t• 11.
The space question is the first emigrant question which
ought to be brought before Parliameut. It is no
answer that suck and such skips have been
" packed," and have yet escaped. The sea is
healthy, and with a live freight in robust health,
the hatches open, the voyage may be made again and
again with impunity. But we cannot count on such
perpetual good fortune,—therefore more space must be
granted toemigrants, even if at an increased price. And
furthermore that apace must be more equally divided.
At present there are ships with the following
divisions—" cabin passengers," who have the quar-
ter-deck ; " second cabin," " intermediate," and
" steerage." The set gives among them as many
feet as amouut to the total of 15 cubic feet multi-
plied by the number of passengers, and one passen-
ger to two tons register. But it does not say how
that space may be divided—so that it sometimes
happens that when the quarter-deck has been given
to the cabin passengers, and a large space has been
filled up with the second cabins built on deck, and
an extra space to the intermediates, there really is
very little left for the steerage, except a berth 18
inches wide, 6 feet long, and 3 feet high. Unless
this system be checked we shall have ships going
packed like the inside of an old French diligence,
without windows. With the question of space the
question of ventilation is intimately connected.
On that point the directions of the act are by far too
vague. There is nothing to ensure a permanent and
scientific system of ventilation. Some think a wind-
sail sufficient, others a large hole here or there, which
must be stopped up in bad weather. Plans and sys-
tems for forcing fresh air below the decks and bringing
the foul air out, ought to be the subject of scientific
and practical investigation by order of the Govern-
ment. And passenger ships. should be compelled to
adopt some definite system instead of make-shifts
cobbled ap by the carpenter at the last moment.
The defect of vagueness equally applies to the
clause about water-closets. These conveniences can-
not be made perfect unless the ship is cut,
and every shipowner objects to having his ship cut.
An inspecting officer, with all his work, cannot at
the last moment go about to teach the captain or
the carpenter how water-closets are to be built. A
fixed plan should be devised and enforced. The
clause relating to the hospital requires a certain
!pace for that purpose, but does not specify where it'
is to be situated. The consequence is that the
darkest and most inconvenient corner is chosen—
hence the death of so many infants.
To criticise and expose the whole defects of this
Act in one article would be impossible ; but we may
add there is needed an increase of space in emigrant
ships for each passenger—better arrangements for
ventilation and the supply of cooked food—and above
all there is wanted a tribunal in the colonies before
which the officers and owners of the ship shall be
responsible for breach of contract and for infraction
of the provisions of the Passengers Act.