EMIGRATION.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 567, 8 January 1851, Page 4

EMIGRATION.

[From the Weekly Times.'] The Colonial Land and Emigration Commissioners have completed their tenth general report, and its voluminous contents are "f"°neral interest, though, being contained in a blue book, they are unlikely ever to come under the notice of the parties most concerned, unless analysed, and given through the medium of the press, We shall endeavour, theretore, to meet the case. The opening portion of the report relates to the amount and nature of the emigration now in progress. In the ten years ending with December, 1846, the number of persons who emigrated from the United Ki »]£*(] OPT onn - — aii avGrage of 85,639 persons annually. In 1847258,270 emigrants left our shores ; in 1848,' 248,089; in 1849, 299,498. America, from the facility of transit, offers the greatest temptation, and the expense of passage last year was about £4 to Quebec, and £4 10s, to New York from London, being 15s. to 21 cheap.

er from Liverpool. The average passage from the outport to Quebec was forty-five one-third days, and to New York about thirty-five days. The cost of a passage, including outfit, i 8 about three or four times greater to Australia than to Canada, and the voyage about three times as long, and this will account for the fact that 260,817 persons went hence last year to North America, and 219,450 of that number to the States. Government assistance was given only to emigrants proceeding to Australia. Taking the ten years, ending with 1839, of 613,258 persons who left for North America, 320,766 were bound for Canada, and 292,492 to the States. Since then the numbers are completely reversed; and one cause assigned by the commissioners is the inability of British North America to absorb so readily as the States the increasing numbers which press forward, and the conslant remittance of money by the large num. her located in the States adding to the stream. Moreover, cheapness of transit, and thesu-. perior accommodation of the “ liners,” are adduced as causes ; and the Canadian Emigrant Act of 1848, though now repealed, as an accessory. The commissioners express their belief that the renewed facilities at present offered will prove attractive at least to those en route to the western states; and have no hope that the colonies can so increase their labour market as to induce a larger number of persons to remain there, the case of New Brunswick being particularly discouraging. As to the expediency of promoting public works for the express purpose of augmenting employment, a calculation is given that 7000 married adults would be equal to 31,000 souls, who would cost for wages £280,000 per annum. The important political considerations involved are not denied, but the economical difficulty is demonstrated, and the absence of necessity pleaded, because the emigrants do go to the United States without expense to government. It is supposed that over a million sterling was last year expended from private resources in emigration to North America, and last year the remittances to Ireland through the principal mercantile houses amounted to £540,000. Altogether lastyear’s emigration expenditure was about a million and three-quarters sterling, of which only £228,300 was provided out of public funds. Very fair reasons are assigned why a public grant for emigration purposes would check the private subscriptions of families and bodies : and it is questioned whether emigration may not be allowed to take its own course, seeing that the average of the last three years, 268,619 persons, is not far short of the whole annual increase of the United Kingdom. The case of Ireland is still more remarkable, as the annual emigration exceeds now by far the increase of population, and at the same rate vould lessen it in about eight years by 1,000,000 souls. Last year government provided out of the colonial land revenues, &c., the means of emigration to 20,051 persons, who went out in 81 ships—l 342 of the emigrants going to the. Cape of Good Hope, and the rest to Australia. No complaints have been received of bad treatment on the voyage from the Cape, though there are one or two instances of misconduct, &c., on board the Australian vessels, and the captains and surgeons have been deprived of their remuneration accordingly. No vessel chartered by the commissioners met last year with any accident at sea, and generally the provisions, &c., gave high satisfaction : the mortality on board was but 1’57 per cent.: and of 131 surgeons appointed, 26 were unfavourably reported by the colonial authorities, though 18 of these were wanting in energy, rather than in kindness or skill. Great difficulty has existed in procuring a sufficient number of surgeons in all respects competent; but this is daily less felt, nor is it considered desirable that naval surgeons should be employed in preference. Of the 19,071 persons sent out, 280 have not justified the character given of them. The average expense of sending out emigrants, and selecting them, taking the last three years, has been £l4 13s. to New South Wales, and £ll ss. Bsd to the Cape of Good Hope. The commissioners allude favourably to the efforts making to encourage the emigration of single women, and advert to the fact that parties in Australia are now sending home money to assist their friends in going out from Europe. The working of the new Passenger Act is expected to be beneficial, and the government agents have successfully prosecuted several agents and captains for deceptions practised and agreements violated.