The Commissioners appointed by his Majesty’s Government to superintend
and facilitate emigration to the Colonies have just published a little
tract[1], the extensive circulation of which, we think, will be
productive of much benefit. The reliance which may be safely placed on
an official document gives this publication a superior value. It should
be in the hands of every one who is interested (either on his own
account, or on that of others) in possessing accurate information
respecting the facilities which are afforded to persons who wish to
emigrate to the Canadas, or to New Brunswick. The great difficulty which
formerly beset the emigrant, was his helpless condition on his arrival
in a strange country. For want of knowledge of the country--for want of
an acquaintance with persons who possessed that knowledge--and too
frequently from acquaintance with persons who possessed that knowledge,
but who turned it to their own account and to his disadvantage, the
emigrant, to use a common phrase, not knowing which way to turn himself,
frequently turned wrong, and the bad consequences of a mistake, at so
critical a moment, can seldom be retrieved. The offer of a grant of land
rather increased his difficulty; for when a poor man had got this bit of
land, he soon found that he had not the means of living during the
interval necessary to raise a crop, and that if he had the means of
doing so, he did not know how to apply his labour and his money to the
best advantage. So that he was, after all, forced to work for wages,
until he could get together a few savings, and could learn a little of
the way of living and farming in Canada. Now, in Canada, there is plenty
of work and very high wages; so that an industrious man has not long to
wait for good employment under any circumstances. But it is very
vexatious to have spent time and money, and perhaps health, and to find
oneself obliged to begin all over again. The Commissioners, therefore,
recommend the emigrant, who has little to depend upon but his own manual
labour, to begin by working for wages. _Land_ is no longer given for
nothing, but it is to be had so cheap, and labour is so well paid, that
if a man is thrifty as well as industrious, he ought to be able to
become a purchaser by the time he has learned enough of the way of the
country to be a successful cultivator.
It is clear, therefore, that the best thing that Government can do is to
secure immediate employment for the emigrant labourer. And, for this
purpose, Agents are maintained at the principal colonial ports, whose
duty it is to protect emigrants against imposition on their first
landing, to acquaint them with the demand for labour in different
districts, to point out the best roads and conveyances, and to give them
such advice as may set them in a fair way of doing well. For this
valuable assistance no fee or reward will be accepted by the agents.
When a private engagement cannot be had without loss of time, employment
will be afforded on some of the public works which are going on. No
emigrant should lose a minute after his arrival in going straightway to
the _Government Agents for Emigrants_, where he will find what he most
wants--advice and employment.
The _best_ months for leaving England are March and April.
The price of passage from the different ports is stated to be as
under:--
For a grown For a Child Under Seven.
Person. under Fourteen.
From London & }
the Eastern } 6_l._ 3_l._ 2_l._
Ports }
From Liverpool,}
Greenock, and } 4_l._ to 2_l._ to 1_l._6_s._8_d._ to
the Ports of } 5_l._ 2_l._10_s._ 1_l._13_s._4_d._
Ireland }
For children under twelve months no charge is made. At the above charges
the emigrant is supplied with provisions during the voyage, and this is,
perhaps, the best mode of making the bargain, as the emigrant is
protected by law against the supply of provisions being insufficient,
and dangerous mistakes are frequently made by persons who are not in the
habit of laying in stores, and who are not able to foresee what they
shall want on board a ship. Besides the probability of their being much
better provided for by the shipowner than by themselves, it is pretty
certain that they will save money by it. The price of a passage,
exclusive of provisions, that is, where nothing is found by the
shipowner but water, fuel, and bed-places, is one-half of the above
rates. To avoid being detained at the port by the vessel not sailing on
the appointed day, a particular day ought always to be _named in the
bargain_; after which, whether the ship sails or not, the passenger is
to be received on board and victualled by the owners. If that is done,
the emigrant has a right to be received on board on that day so named,
and to consider the ship as his home until she does sail. This prevents
his being brought to the place of embarkation too soon, and kept waiting
at a tavern, where he may spend the little money he has, or contract
debts which will prevent his leaving the country.
Emigrants should bear in mind that the sea-voyage will not bring them at
once to the place of their destination, but that at least £2 should be
reserved for each grown person for the inland journey. Including the
journey from his home to the port where he gets on board, the expense to
a grown person of removing to Canada appears, from this document, to be
from £7 to £9.
Arrangements have been made by which persons, who may wish to furnish
emigrants with money for their use in the colony, may have the means of
making the money payable there, instead of giving it into the hands of
the emigrant before he leaves this country.
The number of emigrants is considerable already, and the Commissioners
have done wisely in directing their attention, in the first instance, to
providing for the emigrant on his arriving in Canada; but in the work of
facilitating his departure from this county, much remains for them to
do. They have begun at the right end, and begun well; but the
Commissioners will not fulfil the expectation which the public have
formed from their appointment, unless, in due time, they apply
themselves to remove the difficulties which attend the first steps of
the emigrant. We say, in due time, because we do not wish to see
encouragement to emigrate held out to the labouring poor, until
preparation is fully made for their well-doing elsewhere, and until the
legislature give their sanction to such improvements in our system of
poor laws, as shall render the departure of the emigrant a real and
permanent benefit to his country as well as to himself. In a future
number we shall return to this interesting and important subject.
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Footnote 1:
Information published by his Majesty’s Commissioners for Emigration,
respecting the British Colonies in North America.--London: published
by Charles Knight, Pall-Mall East; and to be had of all Booksellers
and Newsvenders. Price Two Pence, or 1_s_ 9_d._ per dozen for
distribution.
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