The Sun.
London, England, 1841-12-01 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1841.

EMIGRATION.

A public meeting was held yesterday, at the London
Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, for the purpose of adopting
such measures as might seem necessary to carry into
effect the intention of the persons who had signed a re-
quisition to the Lord Mayor, to convene a meeting on
the subject of a National, or Government Scheme of
Emigration.
At two o'clock Mr. CRAWFORD having intimated to
the meeting that the Gentleman who had been expected
to take the chair had not then arrived, proposed that
Mr. Montgomery Martin should preside instead.
The motion having passed nem con, Mr. Montgomery
Martin accordingly took the chair.
Mr.CRAWFORD again came forward and said—Having
taken an active part in getting up the requisition to the
Lord Mayor to convene a meeting of the citizens of Lon-
don to express their sentiments on the important sub-
ject of emigration, as the great means of relief for the
hundreds and ehousands of our unemployed fellow coun-
trymen in various parti of the kingdom, and at the same
time as a means of relief for the distress existing in
almost every one of the British colonies from, the want of
labour—the want of that which in this country we had in
excess—having taken an active part in getting up that
requisition, the duty devolved upon him of now stating
the reasons which had prompted those from whom it
emanated. He wished to be as full and unreserved in his
statement as possible, in order that there might be no
misapprehension, no misconstruction, and no misrepre-
sentation on the subject. The meeting was aware that
six weeks no a pAhlio,augetiul was held in that very
room, at *MCI Mr. Skeriff •rs presided, and at_
which a deputation from his (~ r. Crawford's) native
town of Paisley, attended; and stated the fearful destitu-
tion existing among the operative population of that
town, in consequence of the want of employment.
An appeal was then made to the charitable and benevo-
lent feelings of the wealthy citizens of London for a
public .subscription on behalf of his unemployed and
btittne townsmen_ That appeal was not made in vain.
ove 4,000 L had been subscribed in London in aid of
the Paisley Operative Relief Fund. Munificent, how-
ever, as that subscription was, it bad been found quite
inadequate to relieve the distress existing in Paisley.
Since the deputation was in London the number re-
ceiving relief from the fund had increased from -be-
twixt 4,000 and 5,000 to the fearful amount
of 11,000, being a fourth part of the whole population
of Paisley, according to the last census. Eleven thousand
of our fellow-countrymen and fellow-Christians, not idle
and dissolute persons, but honest, industrious, well-be-
haved, moral, and religious members of society, were
reduced to such a state of destitution as to b. entirely
dependent upon, and kept alive by, a relief fund, doled
out to them at the miserable rate of Qd. per day.—
(Hear, hear.) Was such a state of things to be allowed
to continue ? Was nothing to be done for the permanent
relief of these people ? Were those who were devising
means for their permanent welfare less patriotic and less
true than those who were directing their attention ex-
clusively to relieving their present wants 2—(Hear,
hear.) As to a permanent plan of relief, many things
had been suggested. But it appeared to him, to those
who had signed the requisition and to thousands be-
sides, that of all the plans which had been suggested,
that which would create ample facilities to enable our
unemployed fellow-countrymen to obtain a subsistence
by means of their lawful industry, which should create
facilities to enable them to go to the British Colonial
possessions, where there was a certainty of their being
employed, and earning a comfortable subsistence, would
be the most obvious, the easiest, the most practical, and
the most effectual of all. There were many tender-hearted
sentimentalists who exclaimed, "0, what a hardship, what
a cruelty, and what a tyranny, to compel people to leave
their country ! to drive them from their homes !"
(Hear, and a laugh.) Now he was not aware that those
who wished the British Legislature to form a national
scheme of emigration for a moment contemplated either
compelling people to leave their country, or driving
them from their homes !—(Hear, hear.) If it were a
hardship for persons to leave a locality where they could
not obtain a subsistence, to proceed to another where
they could, that hardship had existed, did exist, and
would exist, independent of any law which the British
or any other Legislature might enact.—(Hear, hear.)
It was the law of nature, it was the law of God, first an-
nounced when he gave the commandment to our first
parents to increase and multiply, to replenish the earth
and to subdue it. It was a law which had been in
operation from the beginning of the world, as everyone
who knew anything of the history of the humane family
must be aware. It had been in operation at the time
when Abraham said to Lot, "Go you to the right
hand and I to the left, so that there may be
no strife between thee and me, and that we, and our
wives, and our children, and our servants, and our flocks
and herds, may have room and forage enough, and
plenty to spare, in place of our continually quarrelling
when we meet together for a scanty subsistence !" The
same law was in operation in our day among the High-
landers of Scotland, who emigrated to the lowlands, and
crowded the manufacturing towns—it was in operation
among the hordes of Irishmen who left their native country,
that eicina gentiurn, and inundated England, lowering
tbbatandard of wages for the English labourer by their
numbers and their distresed condition, and driving the
inhabitants of Great Britain in their turn to seek a sub-
sistence elsewhere.—(Hear, hear.) That law was in
operation among those crowds who flocked daily into
this mighty City, leaving their homes in every part of
the empire is search of the means of existence—it
was in operation among the 40,000 who emi-
grated annually to America, among the 20,000 who
emigrated to Canada, and the 20,000 who emigrated
to the Australian Colonies. It was a law which, if they
were to examine the subject minutely, they would find
was at the bottom of the invasion of Great Britain by
the Romans. But England had since that period under-
gone a mighty change. Her own population now over-
flowing—she had become the Mistress of the world, and
the Queen of nations. The same law was at the bottom
of the invasion of England by the Saxons and the
Normans, by whom England was colonised, and by
whom the mighty superstructions of her society
had been laid. He begged leave to add, that whatever
Englishmen might think of emigration, in his country—
in Scotland—it was not looked upon as a hardship. At
this moment there were in Paisley a large number of
families resolved upon emigrating to Canada, to Port
Philip, and Sydney. These parties had formed a so-
ciety, and on learning that he (Mr. Crawford) was on
his way to London, they had requested him to en-
deavour to raise funds among the charitable in the
metropolis, for the purpose of enabling them to carry out
their intentions. He had applied to Mr. P. Maxwell
Stewart and Mr. Hastie to assist him in his exertions in
the cause; but they declined to interfere, stating that
they felt bound in the first instance to direct all their
energies towards the relief of those who were suffering
from immediate want. It then occurred to him that it
would be advisable to open two subscription lists, one for
the names of those who were ready to assist emigrants,
and the other for the names of those who wished to re-

lieve the distressed generally. He was advised, however,
not to mention the subject of emigration at all, as it
might interfere with the other object he had in view ;
and that advice he had thought it advisable to follow.
A number of gentlemen, however, to whom he
had spoken on the subject highly approved of the deter-
mination of his fellow-townsmen to emigrate, and ex-
pressed their determination to give them every assistance
in their power. A number of resolutions were after-
wards drawn up for the purpose of being submitted to a
public meeting. But in the meantime certain gentle-
men in the City connected with New South 'Wales had
convened a meeting at the Jerusalem Coffee-house, and
at that meeting a Committee was appointed specially for
the purpose of preparing a requisition to be presented to
the Lord Mayor, with a view to call upon her Majesty's
Government to promote emigration to New South Wales.
Such a proceeding, however, was considered rather ex-
clusive upon the part of those gentlemen, and it was re-
solved that a meeting should be held for the purpose of
promoting emigration to the British Colonies generally.
—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Crawford) had accordingly
addressed a letter to the Lord Mayor, praying for his
co-operation in carrying out their views. To that letter
his Lordship had returned the following answer :
" SIR—I am commanded by the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor to acknowledge the receipt of your communica-
tion of the 11th inst., enclosing the copy of a proposed
requisition to his Lordship to call a public meeting, to
take into consideration the necessity of Government
adopting measures for promoting emigration on a large
national scale, as an effectual means of relief both to the
colonies and the mother country.
"I have his Lordship's directions to state in reply, that
as he understands the whole subject is now under the re-
view of her Majesty's Cabinet, he does not feel himself
at liberty, by complying with any such requisition, to
anticipate in any way the course which they shall think
proper to adopt, but that as soon as those intentions shall
be known, his Lordship will act with energy and promp-
titude in whatever way he shall deem advisable for the in-
terests of the community which he has the honour to repre-
sent. " I have the honour to be, &c.,
" Mansion-house, Nor. 12. "JAS. YOUNG."

Now ho (Mr. Crawford) had the highest respect for
the Lord Mayor. He was a Scotchman, and one who did
honour to Scotland by his talents and integrity ; but
with great deference to his Lordship, he begged leave
to say, that a public meeting, such as had been pro-
posed, could not in any way interfere with or embarrass
the Government. In his (Mr. Crawford's) belief nothing
could be so wellcalculated to inspire her Majesty's Govern li
-
ment with confidence in the proposed undertaking than
to find that they were supported by public opinion.
Notwithstanding the rather discouraging letter of the
Lord Mayor, they had persevered.—(Hear, hear.) He
regietted to be obliged to add that they had received
no support from those quarters from vl hieli they had
most reason to expect it—from the bankers and mer-
chants of the City. Still, however, the requisition
was signed by upwards of 120 gentlemen ; and in
his (Mr. Crawford s)' opinion, the Lord Mayor
'
was too much impressed with the importance of the case—
too much aware of the honour which a successful attempt
to promote emigration would confer on his Mayoralty—
to refuse even now the prayer of any requisition on the
subject which might be presented to him. Already
much good had been done. The requisition and the re-
solutions had been published in the Newspapers, and the
project had received the almost unanimous support and
advocacy of the public Press, not only in London but
throughout the provinces. These were very gratifying

PRICE 5d

circumstance:, and he hoped they would encourage the
friends of the undertaking to persevere in their efforts.
The CHAIRMAN then said that the requisition which
he held in his hand was signed by 150 gentleinan, many
of whom were of the highest respectability, and all of
circumstances national importance them persons of such standing in society, as entitled
frompo prtanc
their wishes to consideration. He regretted to find that
eats :need of
by such
any deep
many of those gentlemen were not then present ; but the
subject
be deterred
w
reestsih nagt
those who were favourable to scheme of emigration should
not
their views. His opinion was, that without interfering
with the efforts of individuals in favour of their respec-
tive colonies, the subject should be taken up by the gen-
tlemen in the manner best calculated to promote emigration
generally.ltwas a great mistake to suppose that the iptestion
was one ofisolated or minor importance. It was merely ne-
cessary to state a few facts in order to point out its mag-
nitude. The recent census showed that the population
of England had doubled since the conuuencement of the
present century; and that every du one thousand
more persons were born than died. NN, some provision
should be made for these constantly augmenting numbers,
They had an addition of one thousand a day to the popu-
lation, and they had no correspondingly increasing sur-
face in their islands which they might occupy. They
should, therefore, sooner or later, find room in which
this increased surplus population might disseminate
themselves. But where would they find that room ?
Was it in Great Britain? Why, every year fifty
thousand of the industrious inhabitants of this
country 'were:, : expatriating themselves to the
United. Stater.:.. k.ut the,Etiglishi empire *itself ex tended
over the whole earth. _ In every part of the globe were
to be found the English flag, the English language, and
English laws ; and it was the duty of Government to
give a tendency to the tide of emigration to our own colo-
nies. The extent of the British empire was not generally
known. It comprised 2,250;000 square miles, which were
equal to 250,000,000 of acres. Now it should be remem-
bered that iu this kingdom there were 300 mouths to the
square mile.._, while ill many of oor colonies there was not
one-motiff to the square mile ; and it would be desirable
that our surplus population should migrate to regions so
thinly peopled. In Australia there was but one
and a-half mouth to each square mile, and but three
mouths to the square mile in Canada. Under these cir-
cumstances common sense indicated that they ought to
bridge over the Atlantic, that their overflhwing popula-
tion might there find independence and a borne. It was
contended that the colonies were an expense to the mo-
ther country, but many gentlemen would perhaps feel
surprised when he stated that the whole expense of the
British Government for its colonies amounted to no
more than 228,000/. a year. What did the colonies
contribute in return ? The revenue derived from
the British possessions abroad amounted to 23,000,000/.
per annum. Besides the commerce of their colonies was
55,000,0001. per annum, and of that sum 25,000,000/.
was directly exchanged with the mother country. He
need not remind mercantile men that the commerce
thus carried on was so much profit to the whole
empire ; while the commerce carried on between
England and New York went one-half to this
country, and the other half to the United States.
Those colonies added materially more to our physical
strength. The regular troops they employed amounted
to 156,000 men, and their militia to 240,000 men-at-
arms. People were accustomed to talk of the colonies
as if they were a drain upon the mother country, or an
offshoot, or a scion unworthy of consideration ; but
such an idea was a gross misapprehension. The
tonnage of the ships entered inwards and outwards
to the British colonies amounted to 7,500,000 ;
and the property created in those colonies
amounted to 387,000/. a-year. But whatever was the
present value of those Colonies to the mother country,
that value might be still further increased by a well-con-
sidered scheme of emigration, while a relief would be af-
forded to thousands who could not obtain a subsistence at
home. The people of this country had markets beyond the
control of the foreigner, and they bad an increasing supply
of the raw materials for manufactures continually re-
turning to this country. In Australia alone they had
' the woollen farm of the world. A few years ago that
country exported but a half dozen bales of wool. The
present amount of its woollen exports was 12,000,0001b5.
annually. In Australia, in Canada, in South America,
in Africa, and in almost every country in the world we
had colonies capable of being made available to relieve
the pressing wants of the surplus population of the
mother country; and he (Mr. Martin) trusted, therefore,
that the Lord Mayor would comply with the wishes of the
present meeting, and convene a public meeting, in order
that an impulse might be given to her Majesty's Go-
vernment which should be beneficial to the great cause
that they now advocated. It was no matter what the
Government might, or might not, intend on the subject ;
it was the duty of all good citizens to urge upon it the
force of public opinion. It was not a question of party
strife or politics. As far as it was concerned, they were not
to care whether it was Lord J. Russell or Sir R. Peel who
conducted the Government of the country ; but it was
their boundea duty, as citizens of a free State, to make
known to Ministers so important a grievance of the coun-
try as this was, and to entreat them to take it into their
fullest consideration. With regard to himself, he was
not connected with any' particular colony. lie felt it
his . duty to attend there on the present occasion,
and he did so accordingly. lie could have wished
that some one of the several influential gen-
tlemen whom he saw present had been induced
to take the chair. He had no desire to do so
himself, but as he had been proposed, and the meeting
seemed to approve, he had been desirous to accede to
their wishes. He trusted, however, that some of those
gentlemen would come forward to form a Committee,
with the view of waiting on the Lord Mayor to request
his Lordship to convene a public meeting, for the pur-
pose of considering the question irrespective of party
prejudices.

Dlr. NATHANIEL CLARK wished to hear the Lord
Mayor's letter again read, as he was apprehensive of his
not having caught its purport accurately.
The CHAIRMAN having read the letter,
Mr. CLARK observed, that it appeared to him that
they were placed by that letter in a dilemma, which he
could not explain how they could get out of. They
seemed to him to be precluded by it from addressing his
Lordship on the subject. However, if the meeting
thought otherwise, he would not offer any dissent. With
the opinion expressed by the Lord Mayor, he dissented.
He concurred with the Chairman that the respec-
tability of such a meeting as the present ought to be
brought,to bear upon the matter. lie was sure that if
they unanimously agreed to ask an interview with his
Lordship the latter would forego so much of his opinion
as should induce him to grant to the citizens of this great
metropolis an opportunity of expressing, without bias
against Ministers or otherwise, their opinions on a ques-
tion which involved the best interests of the country. He
(Mr. Clark) had read certain resolutions which had
been generally circulated, and which it was intended to
propose at a public meeting to be convened on the subject
by the Lord Mayor, should his Lordship consent so to do.
With the general scope of those resolutions he concurred,
but there was one, from a part of which he dissented,
(Mr. Clark then read the portion of the resolu-
tion to which he referred, and which called on the public
to contribute to a general fund for the assistance of emi-
grants; instead of which, he meant to propose that a
national or parochial rate should be levied for that pur-
pose.) In case the Lord Mayor should convene a meeting
on the subject, he meant to urge that point on its con-
sideration, unless he found that it was not generally
concurred in. He deprecated their calling in
eleemosynary aid to the carrying out of any great na-
tional work, such as the question which had brought

them together to-day. •
Mr. CRAWFORD concurred in the opinions expressed
by Mr. Clark.
Mr. MANDE:as bore testimony, as far as his experience
went, to the benefits derivable from a well-conducted

scheme of emigration being set on foot, and instanced
the Childress' Friend Society, which the press had
knocked on the head, but which had had its efforts in
behalf of poor children, which they had sent out to the
colonies, attended with the most happy results.

native
oklei
sdhi
n exile,
vain
ell.stiiigMr. J. ROGERS said he had had an opportunity,
with-
in the present year, of witnessing the distress
both in Paisley and in several parts of Ireland.
re-
gretted that the Gentleman who made the opening
speeche
and and Eng-
of the meeting, had suffered a selfish feeling topclaocne:
fine his charitable views to his own
and had not extended them to Irel
d thceo
Irishuntry
l'abbouutrer looked land. The Spanish refugee, and the
and
thisyompperaathtiyveinanthe unfortunate
for a share •in that sympathy. Ii
par-
ticularly regretted that the gentlemane (Mr. Rogers)
before alluded, should have made to whom he had
in certain classes of emigrants any
national reflection
necessity of leaving their native l who were under the
in England and Scotland. and to seek a livelihood
seemed to forget that these He (Mr. Crawford)
countrymen of the hero of I\' very men were the
entered into statements of aterloo. Mr. Rogers then
in the west of Ireland the distress he witnessed
expressed his approbationand in Paisley, and
great national scheme of the plan of a
of emigration being established.
He -believed that if Mayorof London
the Lord were to
lead the way, allthe
corporations in the United King-
dom would come forward to assist, their •
and united force
on the House of Commons would be irresistible.—
(Hear, hear.) The Lord Mayor of London was always
a man of great importance and extensive influence, but
the
present one had such an intimate acquaintance with
shippingc and commerce in general, and such a character
" Philanthropy, that whatever came from him must
have a great influence upon the country at. large. He
entirely agreed that anything like a public subscription
would fail, or would be inadequate to the demand.—
(Hear, hear.) Her Majesty's provinces of Upper and
Lower Canada would he much improved by the addition
of two millions of inhabitants, and to emigrants them-
selves .the advantage would be great and lasting.
Mr. BROOKES said the gentleman who had just spoken
had adverted to the fact that ten persons had been found
living in a room eighteen feet square. He could state
from his own knowledge, that in a parish within a short
distance six or eight persons had occupied a room ten or
twelve feet square within the last month. He had him-
self seen persons inhabiting places which he would have
thought it impossible to use as a residence. Knowing
that large masses of the population were placed in this
degraded state, he who did not endeavour to remedy the
evil was answerable for the death of every per-
son who died in consequence.—(Cries or " hear, hear.")