The Sun.
London, England, 1826-08-21 00:00:00

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No. 10,590.

EMIGRATION.

REPORT FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE OF THE
ROUSE OF COMMONS, ON EMIGRATION FROM
THE UNITED KINGDOM.—(Just ptinted.)

Your Cominittee are induced to consider, that the fol-
lowing important facts have been established by the
evidence which they have collected for the information of
the House :

First-'That there are extensive districts in Ireland, and
districts in England and Scotland,. where the population is
at the present moment redundant; in other words, where
there exists a very considerable proportion of able-bodied
and active labourers, beyond that number to which any
existing deMandior labour can afford employment, That
the effect of this, redundancy is not only to reduce a part
of this population to a great degree of destitution and
misery, but also to deteriorate the general condition of the
'labouring classes. That by its producing a supply of
labour in excess as compared with the dethand, the wages
of labour are necessarily reduced to a minimum, which is
utterly insufficient to supply that population with those
means of support and subsistence which are necessary to
secure a healthy and, satisfactory condition of the commu-
nity. That in England this redundant population has been
in part supported by a parochial rate, which, according to
the Reports and evidence of former Committees specially
appointed to confider the subject; threatens, in its extreme
tendency, to absorb the whole rental of the country ;-' and
that in Ireland, where no such parochial rate exists by law,
and where the redundancy is found in a still greater degree,
a considerable part, of the population is dependent for the
means of support on the precarious source of charity, or is
compelled to resort to habits of plunder and spoliation, for
the actual means of subsistence.

Secondly—That in the British Colonies in North
America (including the Canadas, New Brunswick, Nova
Scotia, and Prince Edward's Island), at the Cape of Good
Hope, and in New South Wales, and Van Diemen's Land,
there are tracts of unappropriated land of the most fertile
quality, Capable of receiving and subsisting any proportion
of the redUndant population of this country, for whose,
conveyance thither, the means could be found at any time,
present or future.
Thirdly—That while the. English, Scotch, and Irish
evidence, taken before your Committee, appears to esta-1
blish.the fact, that this redundant population is practically
found to repress the industry, and even sometimes to
endanger the peace of the mother country;. the colonial
evidence which has been taken by your Committee, uni-
formly'cOncurs in the opinion, that the indiiitry and the
safety of , the colonies will be materially encouraged and
preserved by the reception
,of this population. The
unemployed labourer at home necessarily consumes more
than he produces, and the national wealth is diminished in
that proportion. When transferred to new countries,
where soil of the first quality of fertility is unappropriated,
and where the rate of wiiges is consequently high, it will
be, found that he produces infinitely more than he con-
sumes, and the national wealth will be increased by the
change, if the colonies are to be considered u the integral
parts of the nation at large.
If the foregoing positions be correct, your CoMmittee
feel justified in recommending the subject of emigration to
the most serious and deliberate consideration of the House,
as one obvious and immediate measure for correcting, in
itoilladagree,.this-retinzidaacy poptilatiou..aul, for tuiti•
gating the numerous evils which appear to result frOm its
existence. But in the prosecution of their examination of
this most important, and comparatively unexamined, sub-
ject, they have not had either thetime or the. opportunity
to perfect that scope of inquiry, which would justify them
in offering to. the House any specific recommendations,
with respect to the manner in which it might be conve-
nient to make any experiment of emigration on an extended
scale; they therefore propose to limit themselves to an ex-
position of the principles by which the examination of the
evidence taken before them, has been uniformly directed,
and to a short enumeration of the points which have formed
distinct objects of inquiry.
'They have considered that no system of emigration could
be recoMmended to the attention of Parliament, which was
not essentially voluntary on the part of the emigrants, and
which did not relate to that part of the community which
may be considered to be in a state of permanent pave-
They.also consider,that it would be in the highest
degree desirable that any expence incurred for the purpose
of emigration, to be contributed from national fiinds,should
be ultimately repaid : so, that no gratuitous expenditure
should be necessary, except in cases which might justifiably
be made exceptions to the general rule. It is true, the
emigrations carried into effect in 1823. and 1825, under
the superintendence of Mr. Peter Robinson, were sup-
ported by Parliamentary grants of.money, for which no re-
payment was pledged ; but those emigrations were neces-
sary for the purpose of experiment, and the justification of
employing public money for that purpose was specially
pleaded, on the ground of their being experiments which
were
.necessary to precede any more extended scheme.—
The principal, if not the only,objections which were raised
against these experiments, rested on the ground of the
expenditure of public money which they involved being
unrepaid. •
Your Committee, therefore, did not pause to consider
the question, whether the benefits which might be ex-
pected to accrue, both to the mother country and to the
colonies, from a measure so calculated to benefit both par-
ties, -would be sufficient to justify an outlay of national
capital; but they proceeded to satisfy themselves with re-
spect to the actual expenditure incurred in the Emigration
of l82:i
entirely(x'vh as
es
cadre' experiment,d), nd oascertain whether an
may be considered to
have
equal or a less ex
pence incurred in subsequent cinigrations
could be coupled with arrangements to supersede the ne-
cessitythey
enter
repayment.tai l o
nthis
il-
lustration
part of
the subject, they beg to refer to the following extract from
of
any
of t the views nationals outlay
‘ vhi
an original paper, which was laid before the Committee of
1823, on the employment of the poor in Ireland, which is
given at length in the Appendix to this Report:—
. s' It considered as unquestionable, that although this mea-
sure is nut in the slightest degree compulsory' that the poor man
who otters his strength add energy as a labourer, hut who finding
119 demand: or at least no adequate demand, for his services, is corn-
Pilled to ree • •f • the preservation of his own
ewe parish relief' in
cliswoce'and that of hit; famil will accept this opportunity of
bettering his condition, h
Y a
and )ng the foundation for future ride-ride-
POdeoce, with - -
gratitude, when suffyietit time
has
elapsed,and pro
him trader-
been taken to make
stand the true proper pain* hat is proposed
ite nature an ter of the change t
for him. ac

. ,
"It its equally considered as certain, that parishes will anxiously- i \ c
accept this facility (as far as their own concurrence is require") 7
relieVing themselves at
and pressing redundancy' of population, and, also of securing or
accumulation of labourers whose services they
A alight annual expellee, of .any presentf
the future the' efferttual prevention supplied by this measure- for al/-
remunerating. • ' .
"It is-at once evident that this system of emigration , could be
made immediately 'applicable to Ireland and Scotland, provided
that money was raised there for the purpme by local asse"iment"
may be incapable of
or that a specific tax was pledged for money lent for that purpose
by the government. -
" Although it may be argued, that there can be no actual re-
=lisndaney of popularion'all long.As the waste lands in the mother
country remain uncultivated, yet no person conversant with inch
*abjects can contend that such redundancysdoes nut now virtually