IMMIGRATION OF PAUPERS FROM IRELAND. (Hansard, 7 May 1847)

§ SIR B. HALL

wished to ask a question of the Home Secretary on the subject of the vast influx of Irish paupers into Liverpool, which had been represented in a petition to that House from the select vestry of Liverpool, from which petition he would read the statement of facts:— That, by official returns, the number who have come into the port from Ireland since the 1st of January is 150,750; that of these only 48,188 have emigrated, leaving 102,564 who are either wandering about the town of Liverpool and the neighbouring villages, or spreading, as mendicants, throughout the whole kingdom. That, in addition to these numbers, officially returned, your petitioners believe that 27,218 have arrived since the 1st of December, to which must be added the multitudes who have come into Glasgow and the seaports of Wales. That 250 persons have recently been sent over to Liverpool by the mayor of Wexford, the cost of whose passage was defrayed by a public subscription raised by the inhabitants of Wexford, and 130 of whom immediately became chargeable, and demanded and received parochial relief; and that your petitioners are informed by authority, that such proceeding on the part of the mayor and inhabitants of Wexford was not contrary to any known law, and 525 that the only redress your petitioners have is one which they would be reluctant to have recourse to—the removal of these poor persons under the provisions of the Act 8 and 9 Victoria, c. 117, which Act, moreover, from its complicated and expensive process, is found ineffective, and the local magistrates have not deemed it expedient to attempt to put it in force. That the number of immigrants has increased, is increasing, and, so far from diminishing, will, as your petitioners confidently believe, and as they were warned would be the case, increase more rapidly as the weather improves, and the facilities of travelling become greater, more especially as it appears that the wealthy inhabitants of Ireland may subscribe to send destitute persons over to England for relief without committing a breach of any law. That this immigration is a great and heavy burden upon the ratepayers of the parish of Liverpool, but that the pecuniary burden is comparatively trifling, and the least of the evils of which they have to complain. That some of the immigrants come over in a state of actual infectious disease, and a largo number of them so predisposed to it that they fall sick shortly after their arrival, and so spread and propagate disease and death among an otherwise healthy population. That the consequences are most disastrous and alarming to the people—dysentery, diarrhœa, smallpox, and typhus abound. Three of the relieving officers have already died of typhus fever, and two now he dangerously ill; one of the medical officers is dead, and another is ill; one of the nurses of the Lying-in-Hospital is dead; and another ill. 654 paupers have been buried in the workhouse cemetery within the last month, the average number of interments during the last twelve years being only 1,367 annually, so that in one month the interments have nearly equalled half the number they usually amount to in one whole year. That your petitioners deplore the miseries of the Irish poor, and are ready and anxious, by every means in their power, to relieve those miseries, and are of opinion that the inhabitants of Liverpool have exhibited a noble and generous sympathy in behalf of their suffering fellow-subjects But while they are most anxious to extend justice and charity to Ireland, they conceive that they are entitled to demand justice and charity for the parishioners of Liverpool, whom they represent; and for themselves, and with every the most sincere wish that the distressed pauper Irish should be relieved, humbly and earnestly petition that they may be relieved at home, and prevented from spreading sickness and death, and the moral contagion of degrading mendicancy amongst the towns and villages of England. He wished to ask whether it were the intention of the Government to take any steps to relieve the pressure on the rates at the various ports in England and Wales, and whether they intended to introduce a law of settlement for Ireland?

§ SIR G. GREY

said, that statements precisely similar in substance to those contained in the petition of the hon. Baronet had referred to had been from time to time addressed to him by the municipal or parochial authorities at Liverpool, and by deputations who had represented the num- 526 ber of immigrants from Ireland, and the consequent progress of disease. The last deputation he saw two days ago, and they stated to him that, since the 15th of January, when an accurate account was first kept, the number of Irish paupers that had arrived in Liverpool was no less than 180,000; of those 40,000 or 50,000 had emigrated; a large number had passed to other parts of the country, but that still from 60,000 to 80,000 remained, in addition to the ordinary population of Liverpool. A statement was also made, that cases had occurred of steamboats having brought paupers over from Ireland in a state of fever, whom they landed at Liverpool. In consequence of these statements, instructions had been addressed to the custom-house authorities at Liverpool, directing that two ships lying in the Mersey, which were employed during quarantine (though fortunately they were very seldom required) as lazarettoes, be used as hospital-ships, so as to prevent the spread of infection. A custom-house officer would board every steamer or vessel with deck passengers, and if he found any of them suffering from disease, he would hoist the yellow flag. She would then be inspected by a medical officer, and those passengers having fever would be taken to the hospital-ship, and kept apart, instead of being lauded at Liverpool. Notice had also been given to the owners of those vessels which brought over fever passengers, that if the practice were persisted in, it would be necessary to place the vessel under quarantine for a limited period. He had received a letter from the Mayor of Liverpool, acknowledging the receipt of these directions, and stating that he anticipated the most beneficial results from them. The greatest satisfaction had been given also to the inhabitants of Liverpool by the adoption of these precautions, which he believed to be indispensably necessary. With regard to other places, the same representations had not been made to him as from Liverpool. In reply to the application for pecuniary relief, he was not able to hold out any hope that the Government would be able to bear any portion of the burden thus imposed upon the ratepayers of Liverpool. An offer had been made, however, of tents, if places could be found outside the town where they could be fixed, and in which the immigrants would have a better chance of escaping disease. A building at Cardiff had also been applied as an hospital for the sick. Three weeks 527 ago he had received a notice from Liverpool, that from 250 to 300 Irish passengers who were rescued from an emigrant ship and taken to Wexford were forwarded to Liverpool by a public subscription on the part of the inhabitants of Wexford, the Mayor of Wexford "recommending these parties to the justice and mercy of the inhabitants of Liverpool." An inquiry had been addressed to him (Sir G. Grey) to know whether the inhabitants of Liverpool had a legal remedy against the authorities of Wexford. He replied that the proceeding was not against any law that he knew of; and that the only remedy was the law to facilitate the removal of such destitute persons back to Ireland. It was not the intention of the Government to propose any alteration in the law of settlement in Ireland.