The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-16 00:00:00

EMIGRANT SHIPS.

The Earl cf MOUNTCASHEL moved for returns
of the penalties imposed on owners, masters, surgeons,
&c., of emigrant ships, for breaches of the Passengers
Act; and also for copies of statements effecting the cha-
racter of the surgeon, superintendent, master, and
officers of the emigrant ship Sobraon, referred to in
dispatches 116 and 242, -from Governor A. C. Fitzroy
to Earl Grey. He sa;d he had obtained much informa-
tion on the subject, and from all he had ascertained, he
found that the unfortunate emigrant, from the moment
he quitted his home to his landing in the colony, he
had no security for his safety or protection. He had
already detailed to the house two cases, but they were
not to suppose that they wei e only the exceptions, for
he could gtve them a list of sucl-e The emigrants
during a great part of their passage, were supplied with
bad water and with bad food. The eff..ct often was to
produce disease. Why not have the water filtered?
Various frauds were practised upon emigrant ships.
It had been discovered that alleged filtered water was
often nothing more than dirty Thames water. He did not
accuse the Colonial-office of suffering this, for it was,
doubtless, done without their knowledge. The feet, how-
ever, being known, ought to be enough of itself to put
emigrant agents on their guard. The inspeetars of the
Government should receive the strictest instructions on
this subject. The Passengers' Act should be strictly en-
forced. He did not affirm that these complaints referred
to all emigrant ships, but they did apply to some of
them. The masters and officers of these ships, when
detiszted in improper practices, received very slight
punishment. The magistrates generally showed more
sympathy with them than with the poor passengers,
who, if disposed, seldom knew how to go about proceed-
ings for punishing these gentlemen. The proceedings
affecting the officers of the Concord proved that there
was not sufficient care taken by the emigration agent to
prevent abuses in some cases, and in others he was not
aware of the fraud. The agent could not open every
tierce of meat. He could only open ono here and
there, and all the others, many of which were full of
bad meat, escaped. That happened in this way—the
ship upon the return from the previous voyage often had
a number of tierces of provisions over. These were con-
cealed, and subsequently were placed among the fresh
stores. These often caused mortality or disease amongst
the emigrants.

Earl GREY—Would the Noble Lord state any one
ship in which the passeugers had suffered mortality
from this cause?
Lord DSOUNTCASHEL said he thought he had ono
statement in the South Australian news.

Earl GREY said he did not want a newspaper, but
some official statement, upon the truth of which they
could rely.
Lord MOUNTCHASEL said he would real the ex-
tract. The Noble Lord here read the statement which
effected Captain Pearce, of the John Munn. That was
a specimen of what often occurred on board emigrant
ship:). No matter what the Noble Earl's opinion was,
the press, the public, and the House of Commons would
compel him to see to these things, which he affirmed
were feels. Nothing should prevent him from persevering
on this subject. The Noble Earl (Earl Mountchasel)
here read some statements affecting certain surgeons on
board emigrant ships, from evidence in papers before the
House. Little or no attention had been paid by the
Colonial-office to the character and qualification of the
doctor.— [EAnn GREY—" No."] He looked behind the
scenes, and would point the Noble Earl's attention to the
statements in the report of the Emigration Commissioners
for 1848-9. At page 19, it was stated that the surgeon of
the ship W. ever;ey had behaved improperly towards a
female emigrant. That was their protector the surgeon.
Page 38—The surgeon of the Lysander was unable
t) preserve proper respect fir himself or proper discip-
line. I'. 51—On board the Thomas Arbuthnot, the
doctor being found in bed v.ith one cf the unmarried
females, was recommended not to be re-appointed. P. 53
—The surgeon of the Walter Norris was fumed ineffi-
cient. P 83—The surgeon of the Thetis was careless
of his duties and habitually drunk, and much sickness
prevailed on board. P. 86—The surgeon was in bad
health, and unable adequately to discharge his duties.
P. 117—The surgeon on board the Earl Grey was said
to have shown went of jutlgneet and discretion. The
matron gas also inefficient, and some of the officers paid
improper attentioes to the orphan Irish girls. The crew
took liberties with several of the young unmarried
women. From this cause the whole of these &Vett girls
had le:en branded, but that was doing neither justice to
them nor to the guardians of the Belfast Union, as a
great majority of them were found of excellent character.
At p. 336 reference was made to improper conduct on
board the Sobraon. On board the James Gibbs the sur-
geon appeared to have connived at improper intercourse
with some of the females by the officers and crew,
is. 193. The doctor and matron of the ship Incon-
stant, in consequence of indiscretion, were recom-
mended not to be re-appointed. Ills Lordship then
alluded to several other hardships endured by emigrants
to New Australia, and hoped that Government would in-
terpose their influence for the suppression of such acts
as those practised by the surgeous on board those emi-
grant ships. He then alluded to several cases, but more
particularly to the ca party of engineers who
went of n
went to that colony, and complained most bitterly of the
usage they ha 1 receive.) at the hands of the surgeon,
captain, and other officers. The Noble Earl n7et ad-
verted to the infamous system of seduction practised on
the wives of those emigrants who emigrated 6lx months
after their husbands, and considered it most discreditable
that Government should not take precautions against
such an outrage on public virtue. He should, therefore,
move that there be laid before the House a return of all
the penalties imposed and levied on owners, masters, and
captains and others, for breaches of the Act of sth and
6th of Victoria, known by the name of the Passengers
Act, since the same Act came into force; specifying the
amount of fine, the 3 ear when such penalty was enforced,
the period when paid, how such penalty was disposed of,
the name of the ship, the name of the offender, and the
offence he committed, together with the name cf the port
where the patty was convicted, and the officers who en-
forced it.

Earl GREY said that he considered that the Noble
Earl (Lord Mountcashel) had no grounds for the
charges he had brought forward against the conduct of
the surgeons in the emigrant ships. He did not think
that the paragraph read by the Noble Lord, from a
new3pap„ was of sufficient authority to be relied on as
a proof. ke admitted that there was one solitary ewe
in which severity bad been used, but that was a case
where subordination should be observed, and where the
most arbitrary demeanour was evinced by only one per-
sonage, on whom it was thought right to inflict a trifling
punishment. But there appeared before the public the
evidence of numbers of emigrants who bore testimony
i(the attention of the surgeons and captains, and all
these proved in evidence that the greatest attention had
been paid them. When :the Noble Earl (Lord Mount-
ensile° alluded to the impurity of the water, he should
say that he nit astonished at such an allusion, as such
sufferings were much more general in other ships than
those of emigrant ships; for every emigrant ship
is generally examined, and particular caution is
taken that the passengers be properly provided for.
Tho Noble Earl then referred to the sickness that many
of the surgeons endured, attributable to their strict at-
tention to the suersl patients ou board their respective

ships. When the Noble Earl (Lord Mountcashel) al-
luded to the mortality, he considered that he should look
to the circumstances of those caner, and then ho would
find that that mortality prevailed among children, whose
age was not sufficiently advanced to endure the hardships
of a sea voyage of such a length of time as that from
this country to New Australia.
Lord MONTEAGLE said, that all he could discover,
and he considered that he had considerable sources of
information, was, that the system of emigration was per-
fectly satisfactory, and that the charges brought forward
by the Noble Lord (Lord Mountcashel) had no founda-
tion, so far as he could juige. Though ho admitted that
there were some Ler deviations, yet he should say that
those deviations were not errors either ou the part of the
surgoons or of the captains. He had no doubt that the
law would be carried out in this case, should it be
necessary to apply it. The colonists were most deeply
interested in the question; and here he might ask at
whose expense was the Australian emigration carried
on ? The Australian emigration was chiefly carried on
at the expense of the colonist?, who were most deeply
interested in emigration thither ; and if the instances of
tad conduct were the rule, and the instances of good
conduct the exception, did their Lordships not think
that the colonists would make representation on the sub-
ject ? Did they think that they would not have peti-
tions lying on the table of the House, calling for a re-
dress'? With the exception of a newspaper authority,
they had no complaints on this subject ; and the single
complaint now before their Lordships, was the only evi-
dence that was at present furnished to their Lordships'
House. His ;,(Lord Monteagle's) Noble Friend (Earl
Grey) and himself differed on the subject of emigration;
but, in a case of this description, all he knew of the
character of his Noble Friend satisfied him, and any one
who knew: his Noble Friend when Secretary-at-War,
must fell satisfied that he would not fail to turn his at-
tention to this subject, and cause proper inquiry to be
made into it. He would not longer occupy the time of
their Lordships, and it was only on account of the mis-
chiefs which those general statements might produce,
that he ventured, at that late hour, to occupy their Lord-
ships' attention.
Lord LANESBOROUGII thought that the subject
ought to be inquired into, and he had no doubt that the
Noble Earl at the head of the colonial department would
do everything in his power to inquire into the matter,
and procure redress of the whole of the grievances when
laid before him.

Lord MOUNTCASIIELL had looked into the papers
on this subject, and he found it officially stated that some
of the officers had paid attention to some of the Irish
orphan girls on board, and that the crew—and this was
important—had unrestrained intercourse with the young
girls; and in the face of that statement he found that it
was laid down that it was the surgeon's duty to prevent
such intercourse. He (14-.s.rd Mountcashel) found that
one and a half per cent. of the number of emigrants on
board died, and that was a most serious amount of mor-
tality—mortality, bell it remembered, which was caused
by bad food, bad water, and bad treatment. It appeared
that the unhappy passengers were subjected to the
greatest intimidation, that those who ventured to re-
n.onstrate were taken below and placed under the
greatest control. He found that one of the emigrants,
who was going out to the colony with a number of
moulds of caste, which were of the greatest value to
him, had all his moulds smashed to pieces because
he ventured to speak out; and that another
passenger who had spoken out had the cords taken off
his boxes, and his property thrown about the vessel.
He (Lord Mountcashel) had much information on this
subject, but he would at present refrain from entering
further into details. Ho, however, would take that op-
portunity of assuring the Noble Earl that the matter
must not rest here. He hoped and trusted that the
Noble Earl would take steps to inquire into those griev-
ances, and procure a just redress of them.
Earl GREY had no objection to grant the returns
asked for by the Noble Earl, but a delay of twelve
months would elapse beflae they could be laid on the
table of their Lordships' House, as reference must be
male to the colonies.

The returns were accordingly agreed to.
818,. NASH'S CASE.

Lord BEAUMONT said he had received communi-
cations from Mr. Nash, who was summoned to be in at-
tendance at the bar of their Lordships' House on Mon-
d:ly, and in those he stated that certain papers which
had been laid on the table cf their Lordships' House had
r( facnce to documents and papers in 1346. - He (Lord
Beaumont) thought it right to make this statement, lest
the charges of forgery might go forth against Mr. Nash
respecting those papers (iu matters connected with rail-
ways) and do him injury, pi evious to the time when he
may be heard in his own &fence before their Lordships'
House.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, March 15
The SPEAKER took the Chair at a Quarter to Four
o'clock.

NEW MEMBER.

Sir GORE BOOT!! took the oaths and his seat f,r Sligo.

THIRD READINGS.

The following Bills were read a third time and
passed:—Bristol 'Waterworks Act Amendment Bill;
Suffolk and General Country Amicable Insurance Office
Bill.

PRIV ATE BUSINESS.

Mr. WILSON PA.TTEN moved that it be an instruc-
tion to the Committee of Selection, that they have power
to appoint the meeting cf.the Committee on the Water-
ford and Limerick Railway Bill, specially reported upon
by the Committee, for Tuesday next, if they so thibk
ht.—Agreed tn.

Sir GEORGE PECHELL moved that the petition
of certain inhabitants of the town of Brighton, deposited
in the Private Bill Office, upon the 14th day of February
lair, in favour of the Brighton Improvement, Purchase
of Royal Pavilion and Grounds, and Amendment of
existing Act Bill, be referred to a Committee on the Bill.
—Agreed to.