The Express.
London, England, 1853-04-04 00:00:00

ADDRESS TO EMIGRANTS BY MRS.

CH[SHULY.

- -- -
A crowded meeting took place on Saturday even-
ing, at the Lecture Hall Fair-street, Horselydown, to hear
an 'Odium from Mrs. Chisholm, on the subject uf emigration,
which was delivered at the request of the committee of the
Bermondsey aid Horselydown Mutual Improvement Amu-
elation. N less than 400 persons were present, including
a great number of females. Mrs. Chisholm was loudly ap-
plauded oar taking her seat on the platform.
Mr. DYES. beiug called to the chair, observed that emi-
gration was the great fact of the day, and it was of the
most importance to emigrants to obtain correct information.
one was more able to give this than Mrs. Melia:en. He
had found her at Sydney in Ite3e, actively engaged in pro.
meting the interests of emigrants; and she had devoted
herself to this object ever since. (Cheers.)
Mrs. CHISHOLM said a meeting like that at such an hour
on Saturday night was a sign of great earnestness in • good
cause. She had never benefited by emigration herself;
but if she had been able to give any aid to others, she had
her reward. (Cheers.) Most of those preseut were accus-
tomed t 3 the exercise of economy, and to calculating on a
Saturday night how they could make their money go fur-
thest. During her fourteen year. experience of emigration,
she had never heard such calculations any where but in
Eugland. (Hear, hear.) In Australia it was usu it for
mechanics. on going to breakfast, to call at the butaher'a,
and take home a beef-steak. The frying pun was to con-
stantly on the fire as the tea-kettle. (Cheers.) They hail
meat three times a day, and when men were pnid double
wage they could do double work. (Hear, hear.) When a
HMS found that he could save slew pounds by his industry,
and get • little farm of his own, he was nerved fur datable
labour; and the only danger was that he should over exert
himself and do too much. With regard to three
working for wages, she never heard any one
cherg,d with not earning the wages ho was
working for. (Hear, bear.) There was no tear of
strikes; fur the masters knew it was their interest to give
the highest possible wages. (Cheers.) So satisfied were
the working classes here of the advantages awaiting them
in Australia, that the ouly question with them was how to
get there. (Hear, hear.) She would not recommend them
to begin with a strike ; let them go home, avid try how
much they could save. The experiment bad been fairly
tried here of m..king advances to the emigrants; and the
result led to the conviction that those who were tlllls trusted
would cheerfully pay every shilling they owed. Not only
at, but they were subscribing in Australia to assist their
friends at Lome to go out. (Hear, hear.) Of course, the
whole cost of tha pessiige could not thus be defrayed ; it
was necessary that emigrants should do something fur them-
serves. If they burrowed the whole of their passage-
money, their labour was fettered on arriving in the colony,
and they were in some resotct althea, as beiug in the p seer
of those who had thus assisted them. In the course of a few
months she hoped to be in the colony, and to as-
sist, to the utmost of her power, in stimulating the
efforts now making there on behalf of friends in England.
In Australia there were uo appeals to charity ; she never
saw a beggar all the time she was there. (Cheers.) They
had no trade societies, for they were not needed ; the work-
' man, in youth, was able to earn a competence for old age.
(Caters.) To those who were sending out their ions, she
would recommend not to ,cud the wildest or the worst first,
but rather the best, sod one wita some spirit, who would
not be afraid of " roughing it," as it was called. (Hear.)
She would have no fear of roughing it if she were landed
in Australia, with a family of children •at her back.
(Cheers.) Many were alarmed at the accounts of robbery
sod violence; but where did the thieves come from?
(Hear, hear.) There were no difficulties there which any
woman present might not meet; in fact, she found that
women often met difficulties better than men. Recently,
she was travelling in • fit steles& railway carriage, with five
gentlemen ; two of them had smelling-bottles. (Great
laughter.) One was offered to her ; but she hail
an utter contempt for such things. She wished to
have had these persons in the bush; no doubt they
would have written some doleful letters home. (Great
laughter.) She feared there was a great deterioration in
the men of England ; whether it arose from insufficient
food, or from the depression which fell upon theist early in
life, she could not determine. (Hear, hear.) She would
not recommend married men to go out alone, with the idea
of preparing homes for their wives. It must be admitted
th, y were not very successful In this object ; single men,
ono were expecting the girls to follow them, did far better.
(Cheers.) Too often it hupptned, that when a man left his
wifa and family behind, miming the accustomed stimulus to
exertion, be was a lost man. (Hear, hear.) In one case, a
wife, determined on bettering the condition of her herself
and family, had sailed first ; but the ship being detained at
Plymouth, the husband stud children had joined her tht re.
(Cheers.) She recommended all who thought of emigrating
to make ?articular inquiries about the ventilation of the
vessels; if they did this, the shipowners would be com-
Cpelled to adopt some better system. A ventilating machine
ad been brought under her notice ; she suggested that a fair
trial could only be made after the ship was fairly out of I.ort.
She objected also to moveable fire-engines; she had known
one engine do duty for six ships in the docks. (Hear,
hear.) Wages at Sydney and Adelaide were rising ; but
they bad net yet reached the Melbourne standard. At
Melbourne a shirt was washed for a shilling ; and the gen-
tleman had to fetch it home on the Saturday night.
(Laughter.) It was almost useless to;speak of house-rent
in Melbourne, where no houses were to be had. They
were chiefly lodged in tents; and when patties wanted
lodging., they did not inquire the cost of so many rooms,
but for how much they could ebtaiu room for three, four,
or six. (Hear, hear.) There was a great want of iron
raring, also of iron scrapers, and of coloured shirts; for
since the gentlemen had had to wash for themselves
white shirts had gone out of fashion. (Great laughter.)
The Auetralian papers contained advertisements for labour-
ing men, altering tn. to 10s. a day wages. She had
recently received a communication, expressing great
anxiety for her ea-rival in the colony, with four
hundred young women. The writer said he bad
been on the look out fur one ; but she was se-
cured a few hours before. (Laughter.) She would
recommend all young women, on arriving, to take a ser-
vice, though but for a short time, and not to jump at the
brat offer. She disapproved of the system of match-making
on board ship, by parties going elf in boats; and would
never allow it in any of her ships. (Hear, bear.) She was
convinced that only those females would succeed in the co-
lony who were virtuous, industrious, mid good. (Hear,
hear.) All who thought of emigrating should be informed,
what they had to expect on board ship. In engaging •
berth they should look on it like engaging an unfurnished
apartment, and should make the same preparations for their
comfort. The harder portion of the work, as cleaning out
the berths, ought to be performed by the men ; in cue of
any dispute on this head, she hoped the women would
quote her authority. (Laughter.) It was most essential
that there should be convenience for wishing on board;
all emigrants should look to this, as well as to there being
plenty of water. In the preparation of their victuals, the
emigrants ought to do all they could to assist the ship's
cooks. It was also desirable to have • system of organisation
among the emigrants, whereby certain duties might be ap-
portioned among them. Cleanliness would thus be pro-
moted, and fever prevented. Much required to be done in
this respect by shipownen, and much also by the emi-
grants. A -.common source of accident on board ship was
from women and children falling down the ladders. To
prevent this, the steps ought to be kept clean by dry-
scraping, and a soft mat placed at the bottom. All this
was men's work ; and women should nalke it a condition'

before emigrating that they should not do those
(Hear, hear.) Many men were so slovenly and lazy on
board ship that they rendered themselves incapable of any
exertion. Some would lie in their beds WI the crew were

obliged to go round and turn them out. (Rear.) When on
board ship, though she had a young child to nurse, she de-
voted five hours every day to close study. (Hear, hear.)
The pra:tice of burning a great number of tallow-candles in
the cabins was highly objectionable; some kind of cheap
lamp was e great desideratum. Soma persons were so careless
that they would light limiter matches and throw them about
on the fioor, the same with lighted paper,forgettiag that if the
ship took fire, they could not run out to their neighbour's
house. (Hear, hear.) Many took out gunpowder, and
were most careless in the use of it. She recommended that
it should in all cues be given up to the captain. Mrs.
Chisholm then stated the days and hours at which she
should be happy to give information to emigrants at her
residence and exhorted those who bad friends going out to
place confidence in them and assist them as far as they
were able. She was loudly cheered on resuming her seat.
During the whole of her address the room was crowded to
suffocation, amd the windows, which were thrown wide
open, were blocked up by those who could not obtain ad-
mission to the room.
Mr. T. PAntsit, in moving the thanks of the meeting to
Mrs. Chisholm, stated that she had attended on that occa-
sion at the request of the Bermondsey and liorselydown
Mutual Improvement Association, and that her scram
were entirely gratuitous. (Cheers.)
Mr. Mututxx seconded, and Mr. W. TOWNSEND sup-
ported the resolution, which was carried amidst loud
cheering.
Mrs. entsuotse, in acknowledging the vote, stated that
she should shortly hold some group meetings for females
only. She should be at home on Monday morning, and
would then be happy to give all the information she pos-
sessed to any one who called on her. (Hear, hear.)
A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings.

REPRESENTATION OP SOUTII HANT9.—TIIE How.
Durrox.—The following letter appeared in a South-
ampton paper of Saturday last Ilaring.observed in se-
veral of the London papers a paragraph muting that it was
my intention to offer myself to the constituency of South
Harts at the first opportunity, and that I was a supporter
of the present government, may I request you to contra-
diet thut statement, so far as it refers to my political opinions.
I have given no pledge to support the presei.t government.
Although a reference to the proceedings at notley might be
a sufficient contradiction to the report, 1 deem it Jett to my
conservative friends, ns well as to myself, to state that there
is no foundation for the rumour. I am, sir, your obedient
• .... n., liaLett Delius. Is, Wilton place, MarCa 31st,
1853."

THE PENINSCLAR AND ORIENTAL COMPANY.—Ac-
c wiling to a sta•ement of Mr. &ebbing, the president of the
Southampton Chamber of Commerce, ut a rublic meeting
held in that town last week, the Peninsular and Oriental
Company spend every year in Southampton above 2C0,0001.,
which as thus detailed, :—ln the purchase of ships'
stores about 21,0001.; in provisions 14,0001.; in the payments
of their engineering establishment, 31,00114 to ship lit/Wier',
11,0001. ; to their officers, nom. ; to seamen, 45,0 i 01.; in
salaries to clerks and 5mut5...3,000/ ; to engineers, artificers,
and others, 45,000/. The 110,41 Mail Company, secorAing
to Mr. Stebbmg, spend in Southampton about 130,000/. a
year.