The Irish standard., 1898-02-12
THE FIRST EMIGRATION OF THE
SUA AT BIRMINGHAM.
IN The DAYS OF OLIVER CROMWELL |
WILSON KING, UNITED STATES con-
SUI AT BIRMINGHAM,
TELLS WHAT THEY have DONE HERE
THEIR RECORD IN THE REVOLUTION
HISTORICALLY TOLD.


Birmingham, England, though a pro-
Britisher, gives the following impartial
account Of the Irish in America.
ut may seem to you that it is fal
cry from Babylon to Boston, hut my
contention is that what--according to
Sallust-was true of the Athcnians was
equally true of the English in America.
Their actions, l have no doubt like
those of the Athenians, were great
and glorious enough but the fact that
they had excellent writer's among them
may perhaps have been the reason that
in the history Of the American col
onies and Of the United States, as it has
been written, we hear much of the ac-
tions of the English and little or moth
ing of the Germans, and especially OF
the Irish, who, from a very early period,
formed an important element Of the pop
ulation, and who, in time, outnumbereu
the English themselves.
III tho historians had been Irish We
should hardly have found New England
occupying so prominent part In the
history of the country, nor should we
have had all the virtues In New Eng
land attributed wholly to the English
in those colonies. If the Irish accom-
plished any good they were Jumped to-
gether with the English, but If they
made themselves obnoxious in any way
it was sure to be remembered that they
were Irish.
"The first great emigration of Irish
to America was in 1653 when the Eng
lish colonies in Virginia and New Eng
land were still feeble and struggling,
not very hopefully, for existence. This
first emigration was compulsory. Doubt
less number of individual Irish had
found their way there before that, but
that is date important in the history
Of both Ireland and America.
"In 1862 Cromwell banished 10000
men from Ireland to Spain, at the same
time sending many men and women
and orphan children to work in the
Five thousand men were about the same
time sold to the king of Poland, $500
to the Prince of Conde, and large num-
bers to Austria. A contemporanspus
writer, Sir William Petty, describes
these exiles as the chieftest and emf
nentest Of the nobility, many Of the
gentry and the most active spirited
men, most acquainted with the dangers
and discipline OF war;
1.-The commissioners for Ireland gave
orders for all in authority to seize
those who had no visible means of sup
port and deliver them to the agents
Of the British sugar merchants, and as
Mr.. Prendergast says: ireland must
have exhibited scenes in every part
like the slave hunts in Africa. How
many girls of gentle birth nave been
caught and hurried to the private pris-
ons of these men-catchers none can
tell A document is said to still exist
In the shape of a contract, dated 1G53
Of the commissioners of ireland to de-
liver to Messrs Selich and Lander of
Bristol 250 women of the Irish nation
above IL and under As years of age,
and 300 men, above II and under SO
years OF age, to transport them to New
England.
"This was the beginning of the vast
emigration which has given America
far more inhabitants of Irish descent
than there are in ireland itself AS we
know, the English rule in Ireland was
characterized by great severity lors
after Cromwell's time, and the human
; stream flowed steadily and strongly
across the Atlantic for the next two
centuries
In 1928 the number of Irish that
landed in Philadelphia was $500 1
| quote these figures, as l might quote
many more, to show that 1t was not BY
| the scores, but the thousands that the
I! Irish emigrated as far hack as the
carly part OF the last century. Their
numbers steadily increased, each year as
rule showing more arrivals THAI its
predecessors. In 1771 nearly $4,000 Irish
arrived at the various North American
ports.
| "As early as 1929 James Lo-
gan, the secretary of the colony of
| Pennsylvania, a Friend and an Irlsl-
man. wrote: 1T locks as if Ireland is to
send all her inhabitants hither, for last
week not less than six ships arrived,
and every week two or three arrive.
| The cor:mc1 fear is that they will make
| themselves proprietors OF the province.
1t is strange they thus crowd whore
| they are not wanted
| although Pennsylvania was first
:attled by Friends, only small portion
| OF the province, in the vicinity Of Emil
adelphia, was occupied by thsm; the
| rest of the territory, whici: wGs almost
entirely covered with dense forest, was
gradually taken up by other immigrants,
= r. 4 2 s.Qss