A scheme has been propounded by MRS. CHISHOLM, a lady to whose great
exertions in reference to the emigration of the poor, especially of her
own sex, the public is much indebted,—for the establishment of what it
is proposed to call ‘A Family Colonisation Loan Society.’
The design is based, in the main, upon three positions. First ‘that
it is melancholy to reflect that thousands of British subjects should
wander about, more like spectres than beings of flesh and blood; and
that hundreds should die from starvation, while our vast colonies could
provide abundantly for them.’ Secondly, ‘that in England a society is
much needed, the great moral aim of which should be to check crime,
by protecting and encouraging virtue.’ Thirdly, ‘that the zealous
endeavours of the charitable, _combined with the industrious and frugal
efforts of the working classes themselves_,’ could accomplish great
ends in the way of emigration.
For these leading considerations, it is proposed that the projected
society should assist persons desiring to emigrate, by loans of money
for two years or longer without interest. That these loans should be
made to friendly parties or groups of approved individuals, acquainted
with the character of each other, and becoming jointly and severally
responsible for the loans made to them. That agents should be appointed
in different parts of Australia, to maintain a general knowledge of the
emigrants so assisted, and a general communication with them; and that
the advances should always bear a certain proportion to the amount of
the funds raised by the emigrants themselves, or by their friends in
the Colonies, at the time of their making application for assistance to
quit this country.
The re-uniting of various members of one family when some have
emigrated, while others have been left at home; and the removal of the
difficulty too often found in raising sufficient funds to effect this
re-union, is one important object of Mrs. Chisholm’s scheme. And it
must not be forgotten that money lent and repaid, would be lent again
and again; and thus the good effected by one small sum would become
quite incalculable.
It is admitted in the published letter setting forth the design, that
the friends and well-wishers of the society can hardly expect the
full confidence of the public at its commencement; the great moral
problem being yet to be solved; ‘whether the various grades of our
working classes can be trusted, or whether, with all our religious,
moral, social, and commercial advantages, we are rearing rogues or
honest men;’ at the same time it is understood on the authority of the
projectress, that in numerous cases where private advances have been
made with similar objects, the rule has been gratitude and honesty—not
ingratitude and dishonesty; and that her personal experience on
this point, under many disadvantageous circumstances, is powerfully
encouraging.
There may be difficulties in the details of such a plan; and it is
possible that many persons who would retain an honourable sense of an
obligation to an individual, would subside into a more lax morality,
if the obligation were to a Board. The observation is trite enough,
that a number of individuals united in an association will do,
without any scruple, in the name of the society, what each of them
would deem unworthy of his own character; but there are two sides to
this question, and it is equally certain that many persons will take
advantage of an associated body, if they can, who would hesitate to
cheat any single member of it.
Reserving such questions, there can be little doubt, we apprehend, of
the soundness of the three positions we have briefly stated. It is
unquestionably melancholy that thousands upon thousands of people,
ready and willing to labour, should be wearing away life hopelessly in
this island, while within a few months’ sail—within a few weeks’ when
steam communication with Australia shall be established—there are vast
tracts of country where no man who is willing to work hard (but that
he must be, or he had best not go there), can ever know want. That we
have come to an absurd pass, in our costly regard for those who have
committed crime, and our neglect of those who have not, must be every
day more manifest to rational men whose thoughts are not confined
within the walls of prisons, but can take the air outside. Nor is it to
be contested—either that where it is possible for the poor, by great
self-denial, to scrape together a portion of the means of going abroad,
it is extremely important to encourage them to do so, in practical
illustration of the wholesome precept that Heaven helps those who help
themselves; or that they who do so help themselves, give a proof of
their fitness for emigration, in one essential, and establish a strong
claim on legitimate sympathy and benevolence, to do the rest.
Besides which, it appears to us that there are strong reasons in favour
of this emigration of groups of people. It is not only that colonial
experience, acting on this side of the water, can wisely proportion the
amount of strength and the amount of weakness in each group—the number
of single people, the number of married people, the number of men, the
number of women, and the number of children—but it is, that from little
communities thus established, other and larger communities will rise in
time, bound together in a love of the old country still fondly spoken
of as Home, in the remembrance of many old struggles shared together,
of many new ties formed since, and in the salutary influence and
restraint of a kind of social opinion, even amid the wild solitudes of
Australia.
These remarks have originated in the circumstance of our having on our
desk certain letters from emigrants in Australia, written to relatives
and friends here—to serve no purpose, to support no theory, but simply
to relate how they are doing, and what they know about the country, and
to express their desire to have their dearest relatives and friends
about them. As the truth, whatever it may be, on such a subject,
cannot be, we think, too plainly stated or too widely diffused in this
country, we consider ourselves fortunate in the possession of these
documents. We are responsible, of course, for their being genuine, and
we write with the originals before us. The passages we shall give are
accurately copied, with no correction, and with no omission, but that
of names when they occur.
The first is from a man in Sydney, who writes to his brother. He ‘would
like to come to England for one day and no more to see the Railways and
the baptist chappel.’
If you can emigrate out i shall be able to provide for you Send me
word in your next what progress you are making toward finding your
way out here do not stop there to staarve for as bad as Sydney is
no one that is willing to work need want i am beginning to think of
expecting some or all of you out i have told you what i can do and
look to God and he will do the rest for you dear brothere send answer
to this as soon as Possoble that is if you can understand it but it
is wrote so bad i think it will take some time to make it out.
The next is from a man at Melbourne writing to his wife:
My Dear and most beloved Wife this is the 7th letters I have written
and sincerly hope this may find you and my dear children in good
health likewise all my friends and acquaintances but I have not yet
received one from you excepting the one Mr W brought I am realy very
anxious about you particularly as I hear such bad accounts from home
you are in my thoughts day and night Oh that I could see you here
then you would spend the hapiest days you have ever yet spent there
is not the care and trouble on your mind here as there is at home but
God knows I have my share of it about you but I persevere for your
benefit. My dear wife do keep up your spirits and come as soon as
you can you will not have to study wich is the cheapest way to get a
meal here you can judge for yourself when I tell you that the best
flour is only 20 shillings the sack and such quality that you cannot
buy in England the bread is the best bread I ever eat in my life
and the meat very fine and no price at all for instance I saw a man
on Saturday night last buy a very fine round of beef and a fine leg
of mutton for 2 shillings and for all that Butchers is a very good
trade here there are several Establishments called the boiling down
houses where they boil down Bullocks and sheep for the fat only and
one house alone will boil down 800 and sometimes a 1000 in one day
this may seem almost incredible to you but it is a fact and the beast
must be of the best quality sheeps heads and plucks you can have by
wheel barrows full for fetching away for people never think of eating
such stuff as they call it ox tails you can have for fetching away
but you must skin them yourselfe so much for meat. Tea is 1_s_ 6_d_
lb but it can be bought for 1_s_ by the chest Coffee is 9_d_ lb wich
can be bought for 5_d_ but you must roast yourselfe or send it to the
roasters but you can do it at home very well for every body has what
is called a lamp oven here which costs about 7 or 8 shilling and you
can bake your bread or your dinners at your own fireplace Potatoes
are rather dear they are 1_d_ lb but they are butifully fine onions
the same price Cabbages 1½ and 2_d_ each fresh butter 1_s_ 6_d_ lb
and salt do 1_s_ 2_d_ lb Mushrooms grow very plentiful you may go
and get a bushell some time before breakfast I have taken a deal of
notice in the people here they do not study economy as they ought
if you where here we could save money fast I am determined to buy a
peice of ground shortly and I intend joining the building society but
I dont know what to do untill I heare from you I am daily expecting
a letter from you I know I could not have had one much sooner for
I recon upon ten months to get an answer. I am still living in the
little cottage and I have worked very hard lattely I dare say you
will be suprised when I tell you that I have been at work as a joiner
the last 3 months and I have made 3 Chests of drawers at home in my
over time since for a Master Cabinet Maker I expect a winters work
at the carpentering as there are a great many Buildings going on
here I am happy to say that I enjoy most excellent health indeed it
would be a sin to wish for a better state of health I never have
had the slightest cough since I came here I have had a slight touch
of my old Complant in the legs but I have got a presription which
cures it directly the Chemist that made it up told me that my stomach
must be like iron and my Constitution as strong as a horse to take
it the doctor told me to wear flanell drawers so I got 2 pair and
since then I never have it. Rents are rising rapidly here you cant
get a cottage with 2 rooms under 7 or 8 shillings a week they have
rose my rent to 5_s_ I almost forgot to say that I shall have 10_s_
monthly to pay in the Building Sosiety and 10_s_ entrance it began
in January so I shall have the back money to pay and it is expected
that it will run out in six years and then you will get 120 pounds
out if you let it lay the whole time there is two of them and they
are going on flourishing. I have been at work at the builders now 11
weeks and have not lost an hour till last week and then I only lost
a quarter which was 1_s_ 6_d_ but I got 10_s_ profit for I had an
infant to bury. I made the coffin after I done work that is the first
funeral I have been to they never keep a corpse more than 2 days. I
have been thinking a great deal about Alfred wether his master will
give him his time out to come with you Tell my dear sarah that
I have got a beautiful parrot for her I tried hard to rear some to
send home to jane and one for poor C. but they died I think of Mr
and Mrs C. and fameley very often I wish he was here to have a glass
of ale and a pipe with him but he must not expect a long pipe here
for they smoke nothing but short pipes about 6 inches long and the
blacker they are the better they like them and you have to give ½
each for them give my best respects to him I shall always be glad to
hear of his welfare I do hope it will be in my power to reward him
for his kindness before long and to Mrs C. and fameley give my love
to my brothers and sisters with one exception tell master he would do
well here it is an excelent business here indeed one of the best give
my love to my dear children. Oh that the day may not be far distant
when my happiness may be more Complete by seeing them and you on the
happy shore in the _Province of Victoria_ this is the new name given
by the Queen for Port Phillip. My dear as soon as I get a letter from
you letting me know that you are coming then I shall begin to make up
things for my selfe but untill then I am unsettled which way to act
for I have saved a few pounds wich will be very much wanted to lay
out and I have bought myselfe several things since I have been here
that I could not do without, I have been very carefull and am almost
a Teetotaler I very seldom drink anything but I will live well and I
feel the benefit of it in my strength for I have lately often worked
from 4 in the morning till 11 at night and dont feel half so tired as
I used with half a days work but sometimes I am almost compelled to
go and get a pint of beer for the sake of company as I am at home by
my selfe and no one to speak to. I get very dull there is no notice
taken of Easter here. I worked all day on Good friday and Easter
monday the Melbourn races are thought the most of it lasts 3 days
but I worked all the time and did not go to see them I cant enjoy
pleasure untill you come to share it with me.
This poor fellow seems to be possessed of an appetite which must have
been very inconvenient to him at home. This is his account of a light
supper he had one night:
I almost forgot to say that I wanted something for my supper saturday
night so I went to the butchers to get some chops and I had a pound
and half of the loin 2_d_ fine sheep hearts and a sheep kidney and
how much do you think they was why only 4_d_ the lot a fine bullocks
kidney is only 2 and a very fine shin of beef 4_d_ or 6_d_ what will
the London butcher say to this. Poultry is rather dear but it is
about the same price as at home.
Finding himself not quite well, and perhaps a little affected in his
digestion by the trifling meal just described, he put himself on short
commons as follows:
Yesterday being sunday I took some medecin so I got 4 lbs ½ of
the neck of mutton and made myselfe some nice broth and some suet
dumplings the meat only cost me 4_d_½ I think my dear I have stated
facts wich ought to cheer you up and you must consider that the sun
has been clouded from us a long time but thank God that cloud I hope
is being removed and our sunny day are yet to come. I have no doubt
about it I can assure you I have not the slightes wish to see England
again I dont know wether I told you that all sorts of clothing is
much about the same here as home there is some very fine linen
drapers shops here there is one thing that is very dear here and that
is artificial flowers the comonest is a shilling a sprig flannel is
1 8 a yard the ladies dress very fashionable here My dear as I have
nothing more to say at present I must conclude with hoping you will
keep up your spirits and that you may have a pleasant and prosperous
Voyage wich there is no fear of for it is considered the best voyage
out of london. I shall write directly I receive your letter which I
am sure will not be long.
A gentleman, who has been ordained as a clergyman of the Church of
England, writes thus of Sydney at present:
Sydney is at present crowded with _respectable_ young men,—Bankers
and merchants’ clerks, artists and such kind of people, are not
wanted at all, so that many of them having but small means are quite
in despair. They are almost useless to the settlers and people
in the Bush and can find no occupation in town and are therefore
liable to every temptation. I hope you will exert all your influence
in preventing such people from coming out here, unless they come
prepared to go into the Bush as shepherds, &c.
A vast number of the orphans who have come out here have turned out
ill in consequence of the bad training at home. They fancy they are
young ladies and that they ought to sit and knit or just take a walk
on the race course or in the domain, with children. They have not the
slightest idea of industry, nor do they understand what household
work is. All this they should be practically taught in the old
country, and it would save much disappointment and misery when they
arrive here.