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EMIGRATION.
1st. A reduction of the age at 'which children
should be counted as statute adulta.
2nd. A reduction of the numbers to be carried in
proportion to space.
3rd. An improvement in the dietary.
4th. A reduction in the number requiring the presence of a surgeon; and
5th. The extension of the Act to all vessels carry- ing two passengers to 100 tons, or thirty in all.-— Previously the Act applied only to vessels carrying four passengers to 100 tons, which, since ships bad increased so much in size, allowed them to carry a very large number of passengers, without coming under the law.)
The new Act came into operation on 1st October last, but as the principal emigration was at that time over for the season, there has been little opportunity as yet of ascertaining the effect of the alterations.
Besides the Emigration from the United King- dom, the abolition of slavery has led to a very large amount of immigration into the sugar producing colonies of Great Britain. The most important movement of this kind has been that of the Indian Coolies into Mauritius. This was originally set on foot on a system of bounty under which 41,056 persons were introduced. Abuses, however, arose which in 1844 compelled the Government to take the emigration into their own hands; and from that period to the end of 1854, about 107,000 persons have been sent, through the agency of Government officers from the East Indies (principally Calcutta) to Mauritius. But for the absence of any sufficient proportion of females the results would have been completely, and without drawback, satisfactory. The labourers are well treated and prosperous, and the produce of sugar, which in 1832 was 72 mil- lions of pounds, has risen rapidly, till in 1852-3 it was 160 millions.
The immigration into the West Indies has been conducted with greater difficulty and expense, and from more various quarters, principally from the coast of Africa, from Madeira, from the East Indies,
Immigration into
sugar colonies.
Mauritius.
Results on pro-
duction.
West Indies.
EMIORATION.
9
from China, From 1834 to 1843 inclusive, about 15,000 immigrants were introduced, exclusive of a certain intercolonial migration, which swelled the apparent immigration. During the next cleven years, that is, from 1844 to 1854 inclusive, the total immigration into the West Indies amounted
to 81,963 persons. Of these about 21,000 were Africans, for the most part liberated from slavery and sent to the West Indies at the expense of the Imperial Government. About the same number were Portuguese introduced on bounty from Madeira. About 33,000 were Indian coolies, taken out in ships chartered by this Board, aud about 2,000 were Chinese, introduced partly on bounty, partly under agreements with this Board. The liberated Africans were dispersed through all the colonies which required that assistance. The Portuguese, coolies, and Chinese, were introduced into the colonies, which would pay for their introduction, viz, Jamaica, Trinidad, and British Guiana- principally the latter colony, which has received about 18,000 of the Portuguese, and about 19,000 of the coolics. All these labourers have been found valuable; the Madeirans being thrifty and industrious } the coolies docile; and the Chinese (though the least manageable) active and handy. The coloured immigration to the West Indies is open to the same objection of the small admixture of females as that to Mauritius, but is now viewed, at least by the colonists of British Guiana and Trinidad as almost indispensable to their pros- perity.
T. W. C. M.
30th January, 1856.
C
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
4
Reference :-
LLC.O.
885
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO