The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1868-02-25
The following resolutions, presented by
Judge Kingsbury, were received with shouts
of applause and unanimously adopted: o


There is now on board the British steamship
Peruvian, which sails from this port next
Saturday, family of seven children, without
father mother, in circumstances of distress
and perplexity which must powerfully appeal
to all charitable hearts Their father, William
Owens, has been in America for three years
last Christmas. By industry and economy he
was at last enabled to send for his family,
which had been left in Slovnough county An
trim, in the north of Ireland The mother,
with her sewn children, Margaret aged 10.
James 10, Mary Ann 10, Eliza 8, Agnes and
Sarah (twins) 4, and John 8, took passage on
board the Nova Scotian from Londonderry. At
the last moment the mother went ashore to
write and post a letter, as Margaret says, and
the steamer sailed without her Their slender
stock of money was in the mothers possession
and the children were left with only their pass
age tickets. This was on the 31st of January.
After stormy passage the steamer arrived at
Portland on the 10th inst. To complete the
misfortunes of this poor family they had for
gotten the name of the town in Canada West
where their father is to be found. His letters
were all in his wife's possession. They have a.
brother, Robert Owens, at Norval CIV, when
last heard from; cousin of their mothers
James Moffat, they believe, is employed as a
carter at Toronto; they tell also of a cousin of
their fathers, Arthur Atkinson, who has been
in America for fifteen years, and is low some
where in Canada West, in what place they do
not know. .r4 sl.a. .a.. .f.. .l-asf
We do not learn that any effort has been
made TO trace these slender clews to the where
abouts of their friends on this side of the At
lantic. The officers of the steamship have
treated the children very kindly. They have
been kept on ship board, and when the Nova
Scotian sailed last Sunday were transferred to
the Peruvian with the UNDERSTANDING. We are
told, that they are to be carried back to RE-
land on her next trip. She sails next Satur-
day. Before that time every means of dis
covering their friends in Canada ought to be
tried. The motheris probably already ON her
way to this country, and it would be a terrible
disappointment if on landing the poor woman
should learn that her children had returned 70
ireland. Ifby the help of the Atlantic cable
her movements could be traced, we have no
doubt that there are generous people who
would gladly contribute to help this unfortun-
ate family out Of their perpexity. 1t does not
appear that they have claim upon any cor
poration or society. 1t is one of the many
cases where direct appeal must be made to
charitable persons and associations. The
children are intelligent and have evidently
been carefully though humbly brought up.
They should be provided with food and shelter
and protected until they can be in some way
restored to their friends. AS we would have
our own children dealt with, if by any chance
they were lett strangers in strange land, so
should we deal with these helpless strangers.