HC Deb 22 May 1862 vol 166 cc2023-4
MR. MALCOLM

said, he would beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, Whether the attention of her Majesty's Government has been directed to an advertisement in The Times of the 17th instant, of the British Columbia Overland Transit Company, and to the Prospectus that has been issued by the said Company, in which offers are made to convey 500 Emigrants from England to British Columbia direct, the passage money to be £42, and the journey to occupy five weeks; whether he is aware that a vessel is to start from Glasgow on the 31st of May with a large number of persons who have engaged their passages in the terms of such advertisement; whether Her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners have satisfied themselves that the British Columbia Transit Company have made arrangements, and have it in their power to carry the Emigrants to British Columbia in terms of their advertisement; and whether they have considered the probability of the intending Emigrants being starved between Montreal and British Columbia?

MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE

said, in reply, that the Colonial Office had received a report from the Emigration Commissioners, who had thought it their duty to inquire into the facts of the case. They had invited some one representing this Transit Company to an interview; and a gentleman, a Colonel Sleigh, representing the Company, attended at the Emigration Office. The result was, that this Gentleman assured the Commissioners that all the preparations specified in their advertisement had been made, and, what was much more important, that the number of persons to be sent out, instead of being 500, would not reach 100, constituted entirely of able-bodied young men, accustomed to an active life and the use of horses and firearms. There would be neither women, children, nor old men. The Commissioners therefore reported to the Colonial Office that there was not sufficient cause to interfere. But he was very far from saying that he expected the Company would be able to carry out all the promises made in their prospectus, particularly as to time. He believed it would take a very much longer time to reach British Columbia than the advertisement led people to suppose; but the Government did not anticipate the emigrants would starve. Although they believed great hardships would have to be encountered, they did not anticipate that they would suffer greater hardships than Englishmen in the prime of life were able to endure.

MR. CHILDERS

said, he wished to know whether the Government have taken any steps in the matter.

MR. ROEBUCK

said, he also would ask whether the Government had anything to do with the Company?

MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE

said, the Government had nothing whatever to do with the matter. His noble Friend at the head of the Colonial Department had, however, written to the Governor of British Columbia to take care that the conditions of the Company were fulfilled.

MR. ELLICE (Coventry)

said, he wished to know whether the Colonial Office have ascertained whether it is possible for these men to reach their destination.

MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE

said, he did not think that an ordinary party of emigrants, consisting of persons of different age and sex, could be expected to reach their destination in safety by this route; but the men who were to start might accomplish the journey with no greater risks or hardships than those to which any exploring party of adventurers in the prime of life would be exposed.

MR. ELLICE (Coventry)

said, he also wished to ask whether the Under Secretary knew that Dr. Rae, with an armed party, who had last year gone on a hunting expedition to the country in question, had been compelled to return on account of a war having broken out among the Indian tribes.

MR. ROEBUCK

said, he wished to know whether the Under Secretary was also aware how much the Hudson's Bay Company was interested in the matter.

MR. HENRY SEYMOUR

said, he would beg to ask whether this route was not used by a stream of emigrants from the United States to British Columbia.

MR. CHICHESTER FORTESCUE

said, he believed the through route had never been used by a stream of emigrants, although travellers had used that portion of it between St. Paul's and Red River. He was quite aware of the hardships and dangers of the passage across the Rocky Mountains, a geographical feature of which, oddly enough, the Company had taken no notice in their prospectus; but he had not heard of the circumstance to which his hon. Friend (Mr. Ellice) had referred.