§ COLONEL FRENCHsaid, he wished to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, By whose sanction the rule has been made at the Emigration Office, that Passages to Australia will be given to English and Scotchmen, but not to the Irish?
§ MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUEsaid, that the question was founded on a misconception. No such rule had been laid down as was implied in the question. The Emigration Commissioners only spent the money of the Australian Government, and that Government required that the emigrants sent out should be in proportion to the population of each of the three divisions of the United Kingdom. However, owing to an insufficient supply of emigrants from England and Scotland, the number from Ireland had always been in excess of the proportion. Between 1847 and 1858, out of 257,000 emigrants sent out, 79,000 were sent from Ireland, whereas, according to the proportion, the number should only have been 61,000. The Commissioners were endeavouring to redress the proportion, and were, therefore, obliged to refuse Irish emigrants at present.