American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-01-17
INTERESTING REPORT

IN RELATION TO FOREIGN EMIGRANTs.
The committee of the Board of Aldermen of
the city Of New York, to whom was referred
the petition of seven hundred citizens, in rela-
ton to the subject of bonding Alien passengers,
and the resolution of the Board to memorabilia
Congress on matters connected with the emf
grafton Of foreign paupers and convcts, have
made the following report, disclosing several
startling facts:
That the law of this State authorizes the
Mayor of the city of N. York, to require bonds
for every alienpassenger in a sum not exceed
ing three hundred dollars, from the master of
the vessel with two sureties, to provide for
the support of any such person as shall be-
come chargeable to he city, at any time with
in two years from the date of such bond. In
lieu of such bonds, the Mayor has authority to
compound for alien passengers on such terms
as may be agreed upon, with the master or
consignee.
The importation and bonding of passengers
under these provisions have become matters of
speculation, in which many individuals on both
sides of the Atlantic are extensively engaged.
The bonds of nine firms in this city exhibit the
immense liabilities of sixteen millions of dollars.
1t is usual to include whole cargo of passen-
gers in single bond, according to the manifest
of the captain, and it is suggested by the petit
TONERS, that the manifest does not always cor
rectly exhibit the names and ages of all the
passengers; hence it follows, that when the help
less and destitute immigrant applies to the agent
of the Aims House for relief and is referred to
the bondsmen of the cargo to which he claims
to have belonged, he is dismissed with the an
swer that they have bonded no such person.
The pauper swears to the ship, and the time of
his arrival; but if his name does not appear OH
the manifest, his oath is considered insufficient
to establish the liability of the bondsman, and
the burthen of his support is thrown upon
the city.
Your committee have before them the evil
dence of several such cases, and while they
make reasonable allowance for errors, they are
constrained to believe that the charity of the CT
ty has been frequently imposed upon by abuses
of this description.
trate the spirit of this speculation A vessel re-
Gently arrived at this port with upwards of
three hundred immigrants. In this lot were
several whom the Aims House visitors believed
to be utterly destitute, and therefore not proper
subjects for Communication, except on an indem-
nifty sufficient for their support; but they were
nevertheless bonded by Spectator for con-
sderation per head, 80 inadequate to the risk
taken that the chance for any gain by the trans-
action could only exist in the hope to throw the
destitute and decripit for time on the charita-
bic societies of their countrymen for partial
support, and with the further aid ofbeggng and
their ,oits enable them to keep out of the Aims
House until they could be sent into the interior,
to become charge on the county ,ohere they may
halt; and if this disposition is not made of them,
when the lien Of the bond terminates they be-
come permanent charge upon the city. A
late letter from the agent of foreign society in
this city, states-"I have had hundreds of cases
under my care of poor people which the COM
munes (towns) in Germany had to support
They have been sent to this country penniless,
and have called the moment they landed on
the society for aid" In this way all the worth
less and helpless immigrants are ultimately
fonn,,, II, IN; :, Aims House, burthen upon the
eity's charity.
Amongst tile immigrants Of the present year
there have been an unusual number OF young
women far advanced in CESSATION, entirely un-
protected and destitute. The history OF this
class may be soon told A few days or weeks
after landing they are confined in tho Aims
House. On recovering her strength, or as soon
after as an opportunity occurs, the mother
leaves the Aims House premises, and in most
instances her offspring behind her, Within a
year the same woman presents herself at the
Aims House in a similar condition as before, SC
that at the termination Of the bondsman's LA
bities the city has family of three persons te
support, in the place Of one originally bonded