The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-29 00:00:00

ing, bed-making, &c., there is always much of that
sort of work most conducive to health." Mr. Brown
stated :—" The girls usually sew and knit, fse•
qiiently do house work, and more rarely bake,
wash, and cut out linen." Mr. Bowyer stated :
" The industrial training of the girls is better provided
for, as the making and mending of the clothing and linen
of the house afford them a constant and appropriate oc-
cupation. They are always employed for two hours of
the afternoon in knitting and sewing, and become in
some places accomplished needlewosnen. They always
make their own beds, sweep and wash their own floors,
and generally also those of a great part of the workhouse.
They help to serve the dinner for the house, and the
elder girls assist in the kitchen and wait upon the mas-
ter and matron, preparatory to being placed in service.
In some of the larger and best-regulated workhouses
they even possess a separate laundry." Mr. Ruddock
gave similar evidence. Having shown that the industrial
and moral training of the workhouse girls was well
looked to up to a certain period of life, be should now call
the attention of the House to the return moved for in
1848 by the late lamented President of the Poor-law
Board. Though that return was not so complete
as one that had been made since, it eves sufficiently
full to enable them to make a subdivision of the
workhouse girls into three classes—those under
three years of age—those between three and seven—sod
those between seven and sixteen. It was impossible,
honorer, for the public to understand from this subdivi-
sion the number of girls who quitted the workhouse to
compete with other children for labour. Last autumn he
had issued circulars in the county which he represented
to the different union workhouses for information on this
point, and he had aseertaned that in the 12 workhouses
the number of boys and girls capable of entering ser-
vice was no less than 273. le had likewise inquired of
the different boards of guardians whether they would
contribute not only to the outfit of the children, and to
send them to the port of embarkation, but also to the
expenses of the voyage. The answers which he had re-
ceived from the 12 unions were decidedly in the affirma-
tive, and to the effect that the guardians would consent
to do so if the Government came forward with some as-
sistance. They had also assured him, from the know-
ledge they pessessed of the different parishes, that
they would have no difficulty in carrying on emigra-
tion on such terms. Early in the session of 1849 he
hal an interview with the Under-Secretary of the
(Monies and the President of then Poor-law
Board on. the suhjsct, and he believed that
both of those Honourable Members concurred in much
of what he had awed, and objected only on the
question of exeense. Is that session the Hon. Member
for Decor had moved fir a return similar to that moved
for by the NO ['resident of the Poor-law Board. He
wished to direct the attention of the House to that ro-
turn, to show the number of workhouse children capable
of sezwice. According to that return the number of
children in the workhouses each year was 56.323. Of
these the number of boys capable of entering service was
4,579; of girls, 3,694 total, 8,273. The number of male
orphans enable of service WA9 1,578 ; female, 1,171—
tot d, 2,749: about one-third of the children capable of
cot ?ring service. He theueht there were other classes
of children who might be benefited by emigrating, and
they were--children of widows who were not in the
workhouse; children of widows who were in the work•
house; children of widowers who were not in the work-
he's e; children of widowers who were in the workhouse.
These, he thought, wite consent of their parents, might
migrate with advantnee. It was his intention last
session to hey, called re tention to this subject, but he
did not regret the 61, y that had occurred, as the
returns sines made showed the interest token by Earl
Grey on this sulij.ce Ind; el it was a subject which had
been teleen up by the Government, arid was more a ques-
tion, at tht ire than of his. Its his dispatch of the 26th
June, 1813, t Sir C. Fitzroy, E irl grey expressed his
csncurrence is the report of the Commissioners, end di-
rected him to take measures to give street to their recom-
mendations with regard
.to workhouse children, and for
pinning them in a respectable position in the colony. In
one of their letters the Commissioners of Colonial Emi-
gration gave it as their opinion that the emigration of
these.childrea was for the interest of the colony, and of
the greatest hdiefit to the girls, but that they were un-
willing to node; ake it on a large scale until suffieient
preparation was made is the colony for their proper em-
ployment end dietributi on The Emigration Committee
having been reques'ed to report as to the prospect of
placing thecae emigrants in eligib:e situations, stated in
answer that finale emigrants from the English work-
houses would be accept able to the colonists, and that in
tee Sydney districts suitable situations might be readily
obtained for 800 of them. The Hon. Member for
Norteetnptonshire proposed to include Ireland in the
present motion, but he ought to recollect that if he suc-
ceeded in extending the motion to Irish workhouse
orphans, a contribution of Si. per head would have tr be
made towards the expense of their passage. In
answer to the request of Earl Grey it was stated that
two distriLts of the colony vi ere willing to take 1,400 of
these children as apprentices that very year. Raving
this concurrence of the Legislature of Sydney, he should
hke to suggest whether it would not be better at once to
commence a system which, if carried out, would lead to
greeter demand for boy as vs ell as girl emigrants from the
workhouses of this country. It would be of the greatest
use to the colonists of New South Wales if they could
&dein apprentices on whose services they could rely.
The convict boys who tied been sent to Western Aus-
tralia had, from their industrial training, been most use-
ful to the colony. Two years ago the Noble Lord the
Member fur Bath made a motion for sending out a cer-
tain number of ragged school boys, but that emigration
hail not turned out so well as that to Western Australia,
for the boys, released from restraint, conducted them-
selves ill in the colony.-- [Lord ASHLEY—No, no.] Atall
events they did not turn out so well as the colonists
could expect. In the early part of 1848 advances to the
extent of 300,000/. were authorised fur the purposes of
emigration, scented by debentures on the Crown lauds.
Between that period and the Ist of June last the colony
had repaid to the British Government 180,000/. of that
stem. Acting on the suggestion of Earl Grey, that pa-
rishes should, in the first instance, pay the expenses of
outfit and Si. per head towards the expense of the
voyage, he would propose that the colonial funds should
pay the rest cf the expense. He asked fcr no grant. The
whole sum required from the colonists to carry out the
emigration would not exceed 7,0001. From what he knew
of the wishes of the generality of parishes in England, he
had no doubt they would consent to such terms. The be-
nefits of such an emigration would be incalculable to
the colonists and to the children themselves. He felt
convinced that his proposal only wanted the fiat of the
GovernMent to be carried into effect, and that it would
be but the prelude to a further emigration, which would
entail blessings, not only on New South Wales, but also
on other of onr colonies.— (Hear.) He begged to move
" That it is expedient that the Government, with the
consent and assistance of the board of guardians
throughout England and Wales, should take immediate
steps to forward the emigration of orphan girls, inmates
of the several workhouses, and capable of entering ser-
vice, to Australia, as apprentices."
Mr. STAFFORD rose to move his amendment to
substitute the words " United Kingdom" for the words
" England and Wales" in the motion. He did not pro-
pose the amendment in any. spirit of hostility to the
motion, hut he thought that any aid granted for emi-
gration ought to include Ireland as well as other parts
of the United Kingdom. There had never been such
offsets made by any nation for the purpose of emigration
as those which had been made of late years by the
people of Ireland. In corroboration of this statement
he might rs.fer Hon. Gentlemen to the tenth report
of the Emigration Commissioners, from which 'it ap-
peared that for three yearn the emigration from Ireland
could not be taken at less than 601,448 persons. The
emigration, indeed, for the last three years exceeded
the annual increase of the population to an extent which,
if continued, would diminish the population in eight
years by a million. In the Poor-law Act of last ses-
sion clauses were introduced expressly referring to emi-
gration, but they had been almost inoperative. In a
letter which he had received from an able administrator
of the poor-law in Ireland—the clerk of the union with
aten loandr
oo
ff
etbtheuedty—hht:hdde
oanwd
Ivry! trreterics
oesidtvaeftoderds that with
erwe,losl ijoehc/. t,
hat eot
was
npaiesgrrietninontne.
5001.—(Bear, hear.) The writer went on further to
sta'e that the difference between the 51. 10s., which it
bad cost to send out 91 persons to the colonies, and that
which their de'eation at home would cost their respec-
tive unions, was 81. lOs ; the estimated charge of each
being about 14/. He ale° gave it as his opinion that the
subject of emigration was a matter which ought to be
taken up by the Government, as it was a question
which merited a great degree of attention.— The
writer did not want tho Government to give a sum of
money; but if they gave a gparantoe the money neces-
sary for the purposes of emigration might be raised by
way of loan. The new arrangements which had been
entered into with respect to an amended Poor-law Bill
with emigration clauses, did not yet begin to act together
so as to enable them to come to any decided conclusion
on the subject. Bat after their best endeavours to carry
those clauses into effect, they found that they could not
be satisfactorily carried out as yeEt.naiTgrhaetiHenona.nMd eljenabnedr
that a great increase had
herereferredCommissioners t
wa
hrieopho rsttaotfedthe
taken place in the number of Irish orphan girls to Aus-
tralia in the year 1848, and strongly. recommended the
encouragement of such a system of emigration. Under
all the circumstances of the case, he thought his Hon.
Friend could not be astonished at the anxiety felt about,
and the attention paid to, that matter in Ireland. There
was, in fact, no subject of a secular nature which at
theco es
country generally c of Malaita orphan emi-
gration.—(Dear.) mo m moment
the excsintendjesto much attention in this
There had been an attack made oa
the conduct of somo of the Irish girls; now, in the same
report to which he had before referred, he had found it
stated that the conduct of .the Irish female orphans ha I
been good, both on board and on their landing; teat
they had given entire satisfaction its every respect, with
the exception that they were uninstructed as domestic
servants. Now he hoped it would in future be taken
into consideration the importance of improving the sys•
tern of instruction in the Irish workhouse:, by teaching
theh female
orphans the duties of domestic servants.
There were societies in our colonies under the names of
S
George, St. Patrick, and St. Andrew, for the pro-
tection of the interests cf the respective inhabitants of
the three kingdoms, and they had strongly
therecom-
emmeingdreudtien,as e
encicTulyrnalgrn eent of a sound system of
for the benefit of the mother
smutty and the colonies themselves. 11e then
referred to the case of the female emigrants
by the ship Earl Grey, from Belfast, against
whom serious charges of misconduct had been made.
Now ho only thought it fair to the board of guardians of
the union from which those girls had been sent to state,
that, upon an examination into the facts of thaecase, it
had been found that two-thirds of the number of those
on board the ship in question were not obnoxious to
the imputation which attached to the others. It was
impossible to exercise such a degree of control and
care into the investigation of the characters of those se-
lected for emigration as to prevent some irregularities

from occurring on such a long voyage. But a whole
class ought not to be condemeed because one-third of the
crew of one vessel hnd been mixonducted.—(Hoar.)
Ho wished the Hon. Member for Merylebone (Sir B.
hail) was then in his place, in order that he might hear
of the conduct of some parties who had been sent out
from a place nearer home. 'rho person who had written
the account to which he would then refer had stated
" that he could not fled words enough to tell all the
trouble which he bad on the voyage with those women,
or rather fiends in human share, who had been sent out
from the Marylebone workhouse." The lengnage they
were said to use was of the most disgusting kind, and
they had succeeded in inciting the sailors to mutiny.
The Hon. Member here referred to the reports of various
parties respecting the good conduct of Irish female
orphan emigrants proceeding out by several other ships,
all of which concurred in bearing fevourahle testimony
to their behaviour on their voyage to South Australis,
and on their arrival. If they taught these Irish female
orphans how to discharge the duties of domestic servants
better in their workhouses, there would be no difficulty
in finding good situations for them in Australia.—(Hear,
hear.) The encouragement of such emigration would be
of service not only to Ireland bat to the colonies.
The Hon. Member here read an extract from a colo-
nial local paper, descriptive of the character of the
labourers, artisans, tradesmen, and respectable emi-
grants generally, requisite in the colony, or likely to suc-
ceed. Amongst the daises therein specified every encon-
ragement was held out to good domestic servants. it
bad been said that the colonies were not satisfied
with those who bad been sent out from the ragged
schools, but that was not sustained by the fact, and he
knew his Noble Friend the Member for Bath (Lord
Ashley) would bo able to defend the character of those
whose prospects he had been so active in forwarding. It
was also a source of sincere congratulation to his Noble
Friend and those who had co-operated with him iu as-
si-ting the operatives who had been obliged to leave
Fiance at the time of the revolution to emigrate, that
the conduct of those persons bad been highly satisfec-
tory, and their presence of great value in the colonies to
which they had been sent. It was the importance which
attached to that eahject which had led him to wish to
extend the proposition beyond England, and to include
the workhouses of Ireland also in its operation; and
that the whole empire should be embraced in considering
that reat question of emigration.---(liar, hear.) He
was desirous, whether or not the Government opposed
or egrcei either to his amendment or the original motion
of his Honourable Friend the Member for Somerset-
shire, that that House, which professed to be the ex-
ponent of the puha° opinion of this country, should
express its serstiments, without reference to party die-
cussien, on oee of the nest important social questions
which occupied the public mind of this country.—(Hear,
!oar.) lle deeply regretted that the better classes did
not. take a greater interest in the question of emigration
than they did. It was true they were not war Ong in
their contribution of funds to encourage and promote the
emigration of their purer fellow•ceuntryinea. But he
trusted the time was coming when the better classes
would commeece a suet me of emigration among them-
selves. It did net seem to him an imp sAble thing, and
he hoped the suggeeti.,n would not make Hon. Members
still-, or a matter unworthy of the dignity of some of
nue infant princes, that they should go forth to found a
distinct empire in a dittont part of the world—an emeire
won, not by the sword, but the higher acts of prat' and
noel thus establish a mere glorietie dominion
than ever the. Home c f Hanover had lost.—(11, hoar.)
It suns highly Sati,f.cto-y to him to sec Oat there were
various societies plandng the principles of Chrietianity
and aitith institutions at the ehntipodee, as he could
observe by a reference to the report of the Society for
I'rntuo'ing Christian Knowledge. Tne H mourable
Member a!so f rood to and read extracts l'real
correspora!elee which lied taken place between
some clereyteen sent out by the society alluded
:o, and Lail Grey, relative to the want of Spiritual
as well as assistance which prevailed in a qua-
rantine station on the coast of Canada, in consequence of
the numbers of Irish emigrants arriving, and the preaa-
hence of a severe epidemic.. He did not think the an-
swer which the Noble Earl at the head of the Colonial-
offiec had given to the application made to him in conse-
qui nee of the mortality caused by the epiden.dc amongst
the missionaries was such as been-no his position. All
the ports of America hed expressed their conviotion that
the, Government should exercise some superintendence
over the system of emigration. 'l'he gentlemen at the
head of the pour-law department had acknowledged the
&faculty of an amendment of the law of settlement, diffi-
culties which were so great that he could not promise any
proposition for regulating that law during the present
session; now that tieing the case, was it not an addi-
tional inducement to that Honourable and Learned Gen-
tleman to give the question of emigration fuller consi-
deration? Ho was glad that that important question was
now attracting the attention which it deserved. There
was hardly a paper which one could tike up that did
not contain some proceedings of societies establisliel
for the protection and eneouragement of emigrants.—
(Hear, bear.) The Honourable Member for Wilt-
shire's proposition fir the Catsterbury tenlernent had
been very successful, and was deserving cf every encou--
rsgement. Iq fact, it was attracting the attention of
the better clasres to a considerable extent. A meeting
had been called at.a few hour.' notice, at Cambridge,
a short time since, to explain .the objects of that settle-
ment, and the views of the society promoting it, which
had been most numerously attended by a large body not
only of the undergraduates of that university, but by
its professore, and others who were anxious to learn in-
telligence of an interesting colony, and what were the
prospects which might await emigrants of a better order.
He thought there was a tendency throughout the
country amongst the better classes to emigrate, and if
it were carried int ) ofFec', no doubt it would be a
great blessing to their humbler fellow•country-
men who went out to the colonies. The old system in
the management of our colonies had been that in deve-
loping their resources we should render them in-
dependent of the rest of the world ; and it
was wonderful how nearly Ohs little island
had succeeded in realising that idea. But in thee
year 1846 that idea had been abandoned, and we had
adopted the principle of having recourse to the
cheapest markets. He should not then discuss the me-
rits of that principle; but he would remind those Hon.
Members who maintained it, that this country' was not
less bound at present than she had formerly been to
promote to the utmost possible extent the interest both"
of the colonists and of the people of the mother country,
by a wise and enlarged system of emigration. In his
opinion, emigration ought to be treated altogether apart
from the colonial question, because whatever system of
colonial government might be adopted it was manifestly
for the advantage of the inhabitants of every portion of
this great empire that its prolactiva powers should be
spread over the most profitable fields for their employ-
ment. He hoped her Majesty's Government would show
that they were not indifferent to the great, the paramount,
and the pressing importance of that question. Ile be-
lieved that emigration was at pretwit a fireside—a house-
hold question in the :United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, and he trusted that her Majesty's Govern-
ment would treat it in a manner befitting the rulers of a
great and noble empire. The Hon. Member concluded
by moving the substitution cf the words " United King-
dom," for the words " England and Wales," in the
motion of the Hots. Member for East Somersetshire.
Mr. HAWES said he was ready to admit the great
importance of the question which had been brought
under the notice of the House by the Hon. Member for
East Somersetshire. Ho should further say chat ho bee
lieved the best re eilts would have followed if the ques-
tion had long ago attracted the attention which it had
received of late years. But in attempting to carry out
the most benevolent views upon the subject, there were
certain limits which it would be impossible to pass. In
considering such a motion as that of the Hon. Member
for East Sumersetsbire, it was manifest that they should
take into account the capabilities of the colonies to re-
ceive any peculiar class of emigrants. Some years ago
a crying evil had no doubt prevailed in New South
Wales, inasmuch as there had bean a disproportion in
the number of the two sexes there, which had led to the
most frightful disorders. But that evil had since been
removed, and at present no great inequality of that
kited existed. The Honourable Gentleman who had
just sat down had alluded to the emigration of Irish
orphans, under the superintendence of the land and
Emigration Commissioners. Now, he egreed with the
Hon. Gentleman that that had been as far as it went a suc-
cessful emigration. But he believed he could show that
if the emigration had been carried on to a much greater
extent, the benevolent object of its promoters would
have been defeated. It was clear that the supply of fe-
male emigrants to Sydney, to Melbourne, and to Ade-
laide, had been quite equal to the demand. In the tenth
report of the Emigration Commissioners a very striking
statement was to be found upon that subject. The Hon.
Gentleman who had last addressed the House had al-
luded to three supplies of female orphan emigrants, of
which sn account was to bo found in that report. By
the first of those-supplies 219 females had been landed
in Australia, and a benevolent committee, having been
appointed to watch over their interests on their arrival
rotee
toi
of
nt the
tchoorns
in the colony, situations had been found for all of
them, with a single exception. The next supply con-
sisted of 195 females, of whom 151 only bad at once
their labour
been
among them who
been hired. But of the members of the third supply
not lees than 57 had remained unengagel after a lapse
decidedh
4
emigrants,
who
neces.
younge:
begun
mutesgts, eng siVowerehnpeishkci
yh:tldott
hdbaniepmteptnietaei
formedrs ehdde fmtrtloa
afmnotdrtthl reportfitoeohsree
vesintacge colony was
had arrived last had been disposed of to a less desirable
sehlaoswsnoffoermt
hpleosyeerrysi,caens dothat
sexily possessed more skill and experience. He had
sentlur
oneto state
your t that
noeoy, f, et
hmeala authoritiesemig rall
t
thaer
had urged on the Secretary for the Colonies the ex-
pediency. of reducing the number by one half. He did
not mention those facts for the purpose of discourag-
ing female emigratien, but he wished to show that
they were dealing with a kind of emigration which
required great care and consideration. ~They were
also bound to take into account the state of the
funds in the hands of the Emigration Commissioners
for the promotion of that object. The funds over
which the Secretary for the Colonies had the chief
control were funds which lie held in the nature of a
trust, and which he was bound to administer, in some
pilule° with the provisions of the Act of Parliament, and
the general regulations laid down by the colonalts, who
were the best judges of the class of emigrants which
they themselves required. The Secretary of State could
not select the emigrants from any particular body or from
any particular pal tcf the country. He was sorry to say
that the funds of the Emigration Commissioners were not
in so flourishing a condition as might have been interred
from the Speech of the Hon. Gentlemen the Member for
East Semerscishire; and at the present moment there
was but a very trifling balance in the hands of those
Commissioners for the .emigration of the ensuing year.
Its the year 1848 the Commissioners had expended a
sum of 100,0001. in th© promotion of emigration, tha
CM haying beensdvanced by the: Treasury, and at. er-