The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-23 00:00:00

EMIGRATION.

The New York Herald of May 6 has the follow-
ing on the emigration to America :—The great tide
of immigration that has been setting in lately on
our shores and that increases in volume every month
as the summer advances, has notreceived the atten-
tion it merits. Within the last month, ending April
30, there arrived at this port alone from Europe
twenty thousand four hundred and seventy-eight
emigrants. Ten thousand six hundred of these
came from Liverpool, and nearly seven thousand
from the ports of Bremen and Hamburg? The first
were mostly Irish, and the latter were Germans.
Twenty-eight steamships and twenty-eight sailing
vessels were employed in conveying these emigrants
from Europe to New York. Since our war was
closed, and the resources and grandeur of the great
American republic have become better known, the
desire to emigrate to this country has spread far and
wide over the European continent. The attention
of the people everywhere has been aroused to Ame-
rica, and the thousands of letters that are going by
every mail from the brothers, sisters, parents, chil-
dren and friends of people in Europe, who are
settled here, convey information of the boundless-
ness of our resources and the glory of the coun-
try. Every arrival, therefore, is the advance guard
of a larger body. With the full restoration of
peace and harmony in the United States this tide
must continue to swell. There is room -enough and
to spare for all Europe here, and we can scarcely
migration to this country will
emigrants bring with them,
cboen. j e crrt uh ree
mweha ants thet
h ee
and the value of their
labour in increasing the na-
tional wealth, are worth to us a vast amount. The
twenty thousand and upwards who arrived in April
at this port only may be reckoned as an addition of
twenty millions of dollars to the wealth of the coun-
try. This, therefore, is a subject well worthy of
notice in its general bearing and features.

But it deserves the attention of the Government,
of our shipping merchants, and of the people for
other reasons. The emigratrts are crowded together
in the vessels which bring them over much after the

Ftu the

coast of Africa have'been inhumanly crowded. Some
of these vessels carry over a thousand or eleven
hundred passengers with the poorest accommodation.
They are huddled together like slaves in the pen of
a slave trader. The appearance of these poor crea-
tures when they land shows plainly how they have
been treated. The wonder is, not that the cholera
or ship fever, whic'a was engendered on board lately
and which has created so much anxiety in the city,
made its appearance, but we may be surprised that
it has not killed mare of thet emigrants. The ship-
ping merchants arc reaping a rich harvest by this
trade, and they are so greedy of gain that they lose
sight of humanity, decency, and public opinion. We
call upon Congress, therefore, to pass a law without
delay regulating the transportation of emigrants,
fixing the number that each vessel may carry ac-
cording to its tonnage and measurement, and pre-
scribing such rules as the comfort and health of the
emigrants require. Not only does humanity demand
such an act, but it
is to our interest to make the
voyage across the Atlantic as safe and agreeable as
possible. The sufferings and danger from disease
which have come to our notice lately are calculated
to frighten those who are disposed to emigrate from
undertaking the voyage. It is to our interest to'pro-
mote emigration, and consequently to provide for
the safety and comfort of the emigrants as far as this
can be done by legislation. There is another view of
this subject relative to emigration which shipping
merchants and Congress ought to consider. We see by
the number of vessels employed what an extensive
and a profitable business it is. Yet all this is done
by foreigners, and by English shippers chiefly.
Why is that we do not have the business, or at least
a large portion of it? There might have been some
reason for letting foreigners take this and other
shipping business from us during the war ; but there
is no reason why we should not have at least a share
of it now. Cannot we build as good vessels and
sail them as well and as cheaply as the English or
any others ? No doubt there are many other more
profitable ways of using capital here than abroad ;
but this is profitable also, and our national pride
and character for enterprise call upon us to renew
the former maritime rivalry with other nations, and
especially in connection with the immense and in-

creasing emigration to our own country. Will our
shipping merchants and shipbuilders turn their
attention to the subject? Congress, too, ought to
do something to promote the shipping interest, and
this business in particular. Whatever can be done
legitimately, by mail contractors, or by laws favour-
ing e
our
own
should b aent done e marine over that of other
promptly and liberally.
Let us promote emigration, protect the emigrants,
t country. mercantile
give a new impulse to the shipping interests of
h
o
nations,

An arrangement was, late yesterday evening,
hastily effected by the directors of the Bank of
London for the transfer of their current and deposit
accounts to the Consolidated Bank, which in future
w
well as the business of the
Bank the offices of the latter, in
Threadneedle-streetiy
r on its
w
Charing-cross. Although
the course adopted has taken most people by surprise,
it had nevertheless been expected that the Bank of
ll
London would, sooner or later, have to wind up
carofLondon
oatn
an
d
its affairs in consequence of its untenable position
through a large amount of its assets being locked
up in securities not immediately convertible. The
shares have for some weeks past been declining,. till
yesterday £9, although £lO is paid
Upo
was established in 1855,
with 000, half of which is paid up.
theyT
of h reachedei 8 bo ao,k n
The reserve fund at the last meeting was stated to
amount to £302,321, and the dividend declared at
n a them.
capital
the rate of 20 per cent. It is expected that as soon
as all the arrangements have been perfected, the
Bank of London will take steps for winding up.
DEATH OF A WELL-KNOWN PUGILIST.—BiIIy
Duncan, the celebrated inspector of the ring, died on
Monday afternoon, at two o'clock. He had been afflicted
with epilepsyfor many years, and was a great sufferer from
fits of a most serious kind, eventuating in paralysis, from
th 9 ta9gt4 ht died.