The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-06-12 00:00:00

IRISH IMMIGRATION INTO LIVERPOOL.

Mr. McElroy, the active agent in this town of the
Drogheda Steam Packet Company, has addressed a letter
to the Secretary of State, in reply to Mr. Rushton's com-
munication on the grievances resulting from the increasing
immigration of Irish paupers into this town. Mr.
McElroy says :
" Ist. The root of the evils complained of appears to
be in the influx of Irish immigrants. This is an evil
which, I respectfully submit, must always exist, more or
less, so long as a free intercourse between the two coun-
tries is permitted. It cannot be denied that there has
been an abuse of this right of intercourse, by the indis-
criminate conveyance of deck passengers to Liverpool.
many of whom could not be supposed to be seeking legi-
timate employment in England. There is a difficulty in
discriminating; but, making allowance for this, I beg to
state, on behalf of those I represent, that the Drogheda
Steam-packet Company have long been in the habit of
applying the test—ability to work—as the only right to
be conveyed in their vessels to Liverpool. By this test,
many have been rejected ; hut if an able-bodied man,
with a wife and children, applied for a passage, I think it
but fair to state that he would not be refused, even though
his wife and children could not be supposed to contribute
towards the support of the family. Such a man, (and
there are many,) when he arrives in Liverpool with his
family, might find legitimate employment or he might
not : in the latter event, he and they become paupers,
and, as such, are chargeable on the parishioners of Liver-
pool, either for their support in gaol or their return to
Ireland. This is a grievance from which the people of
Liverpool may seek fair and practicable relief; but I re-
spectfully submit, that the limitation of the number of
deck passengers brought in steamers from Ireland, by the
granting of certificates ander the act 11 and 12 Viet.,
c. 81, would not meet this case.

"2nd. The next evil complained of is the increase of
crime. It is a melancholy fact, which Mr. Rushton
shows too clearly, from statistics that crime in Liverpool
has frightfully increased. The fact is clear, but the cause
is, in my opinion, not borne out by the details. In 1845,
the number of persons committed for trial, and summarPy
convicted of felony, amounted to 3,599. In 1848, the
number increased to 7,714. Mr. Rushton states that he
does not possess the means of accurately distinguishing the
countries to which the criminals belonged, before the year
1848. This is to be regretted, as, bad the distinction
been made as regards the year 1845, it would be seen
whether the increase of crime was confined to the Irish.
or whether English crime did not increase pani passu with
it. The distinction is made as regards 1818, and it is
stated that, while the Irish form but about one-fourth of
the population of Liverpool, they give very nearly half the
criminals. This may be so, but the statistics don't show
it, unless it be supposed that the English and Irish form
the whole of the population of Liverpool. If it can be
shewn that the Irish, as compared with the English only,
form about one-fourth, or one-half, or even two•thirds of
that, class to which the criminals belong, then it must be
admitted that crime tells more or less against the Trish;
but until this can be shown, I respectfully beg to submit.
that the balance cannot fairly be struck. It appears not to
have occurred to Mr. Rushton, in accounting for the in-
crease of crime, that the year 1845, from which he draws
his criminal statistics, was a year of great prosperity to
tha trade and commerce of this country. affording fell
employment to the labourer tied the mechanic, whereby
crime was kept in check—and that the three succeeding
years (during which thousands were thrown out of em-
ployment) must needs have been so prolific of severe pri-
vations amongst the masses, that it may be fairly taken
into account as a cause, and a great cause, of the increase
of crime in Liverpool.
" 3rd. Mr. Rushton states, that from the 14th to the 19th
of April inclusive, 4412 deck passengers arrived in Liver-
pool from Ireland. The inference might be drawn from
this, that these deck passengers came to settle down in
Liverpool—some to seek legitimate employment, and
others to beg or thieve ; but judging from the number of
these conveyed to Liverpool by the Drogheda Steam-
packet Company's vessels during the above period, I can
have no hesitation in stating that fully seven-eighths cf
them were emigrants for America. If the above state-
ment were merely to show the crowded state in which
these people are brought from Irelani, on deck, it occurs
to me, that the fair way to meet this is to show the num-
ber of arrivals within the time stated. From the 14th to
the 19th of April inclusive, there were 28 steam-boat ar-
rivals, including screws, from Ireland ; and if the num-
ber of passengers arrived, say 4412, were to be equally
divided over these, it would show tha low average of 158
passengers to each vessel. It may be said, that while
some of these vessels,had but few passengers, others were
comparatively crowded. Granted,—but why is this ?
The people think they have a right to select the shortest
voyage and the best vessels, and the steam-packet pro-
pietary think they have a right to whatever preference
the public choose to give them. This emulation has
brought out a superior class of paddle-box steamers, such
as those I have the honour to be agent for here, which
generally make the run across the channel in nine to ten
hours ; and since these vessels commenced to trade be-
tween this port and Drogheda, there never was a death
on board, nor accident, or suffering, (beyond sea-sickness,
and that which might be endured on the ou:side of a
coach,) either from exposure to cold, or what is termed
overcrowding on deck.
" Having now finished my observations on the evils
complained of, I am free to admit, that the people of
Liverpool, from their close proximity to a country suffer-
ing from the horrors of famine and pestilence, have,
undoubtedly, pecuniary burdens to sustain, from which
they have every right to seek such relief as may be fair
and practicable ; but if the granting of certificates, under
the act 11 and 12 Vic., c. 81, for the limitation of the
number of deck passengers, brought in steamers from
Ireland, is to be considered as the chief remedy suggested,
then I respectfully beg to state, that such limitation,
unless it amounts almost to prohibition, would not in the
slightest degree mitigate the evils complained of; as the
same number of passengers, the great bulk of whom come
from the interior of Ireland, by scattering themselves
over the sea-board, would still find their way to Liverpool,
to the great detriment of that spirit and enterprise which,
at certain ports, has brought out a superior class of
steamers. if Ibe right in my conclusions, limitation
cannot serve the people of Liverpool, nor can it serve the
cause of humanity, by forcing deck passengers to distant
ports, to encounter the sufferings and dangers, consequent
on longer channel voyages, and thereby aggravating,
instead of mitigating, the sufferings which it is stated
these poor people endure.
" Under these circumstances, the Drogheda Steam-
packet Company think it but reasonable, that while the
people of Liverpool have a right to seek such relief from
their grievances as may be fair and practicable, the liberty
of the subject and the rights of legitimate trade will con-
tinue to receive that consideration from the government
which they hitherto enjoyed."