If on any Saturday you should chance to find your way to Charlton
Crescent, an obscure thoroughfare lying between the road from Islington
to Holloway and the New River, not far from the Angel, you will see
several men and women dropping into a small house, the parlour window of
which contains a printed bill with the above words. The callers are
chiefly of the decent mechanic class, and not a few travellers from the
country,—pilgrims in search of truth about emigration. Saturday is the
day on which the subscriptions of emigrants desiring to avail themselves
of the Family Colonisation Loan Society are received.
And what is the Colonisation Loan Society? The question is worth asking.
It is an association—devised by Mrs. Chisholm, and to be speedily
carried out extensively with the aid of several philanthropists, and the
advice of two eminent actuaries—for establishing a self-supporting
system of emigration, for assisting industrious people, and for
promoting practically the spread of sound moral principles in a much
neglected colony.
Persons desirous of emigrating form themselves into “groups,” after
being mutually satisfied of their respective suitability and
respectability. Each intending emigrant pays, either in one sum or by
weekly instalments, as much as will amount to half the passage money to
Australia. The philanthropists of the society lend the other half to be
repaid by four annual instalments,—each family becoming jointly bound
for the sums lent to each member of that family, and each group being
publicly pledged to assist in enforcing punctual repayments.
The details for securing repayment of the loans have been arranged by
Mrs. Chisholm, and are the result of her large practical experience.
Each emigrant, when he has paid back his loan, will have the privilege
of nominating a relation or friend to be assisted in emigrating with the
same amount of money. Thus, the original charitable fund will work in a
circle of colonisation, at the mere sacrifice of annual interest. That
emigrants among the humble classes are willing to remit for the purpose
of assisting their friends and relations to follow them, is proved by
the fact that, within the last three years, upwards of one million
sterling has been remitted by the Irish emigrants from the United States
alone, in small sums, to pay the passage of parents, brothers, sisters,
wives, or sweethearts in Ireland. Australia, in proportion to its
population, affords even greater opportunities of earning money wages
than the United States.
Mrs. Chisholm’s plan offers several advantages of an important
character. It will enable many to emigrate who, though frugal and
industrious, are not only unable to raise _the whole_ passage money;
but, during temporary trade-depressions, would be consuming their
savings. It will keep families united, and cherish an honourable,
independent spirit. It will secure a class of emigrants calculated to
improve the moral tone of the colony; for, as the character of each
emigrant will be investigated by his fellows, there will be no room for
the deceptions practised on the wealthy charitable. The certificate of
shop-mates with whom a man has worked, is more to be trusted than that
of the clergyman who has only seen him in his Sunday clothes. It will
afford the best kind of protection for young girls or single women
desirous of joining friends in Australia, because each ship will be
filled with “groups” previously acquainted and mutually _sifted_. Among
minor advantages, the cost of passage and outfit, by the aid of
co-operation and communication, will be much diminished.
The two following instances will display the practical working of Mrs.
Chisholm’s plan. Among the applicants to join the Society (for already
the working-classes are prepared to subscribe two thousand pounds) was
an artisan in the North, belonging to a trade which “strikes”
periodically. When contemplating these “strikes,” the leaders of the
trade base their financial arrangements for supporting the body while
out of work, upon the savings made by the more frugal of their
associates. The artisan in question being a Teetotaller and skilful, had
three times been able to save from fifteen to twenty pounds, with the
express design of emigrating; but twice his stock of cash had been
melted in the common treasury during strikes. With the assistance of a
loan from the Society, he will now be able to emigrate. There can be no
fear of such a man not repaying it honourably. Had he been able to
emigrate a few years ago, he must have been wealthy by this time, and in
a position to help all his relatives to join him.
Again, a benevolent Dowager Countess has subscribed two hundred and
twenty-five pounds to this Society; a sum which has been appropriated to
assisting the following parties in making up their passage money to
Australia. Let us see what this money will do:—
It will send three wives with nine children, out to join husbands in
Australia.
Two aged widows who have children there.
Ditto a man and wife, who have children there.