No. 241.
Mr. Davis
to Mr. Lowell.
Department
of State,
Washington, August 7,
1883.
No. 648.]
Sir: With reference to your No. 580, and to the
correspondence therein indicated respecting state-aided emigration from
Ireland, I inclose copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Treasury,
dated the 4th instant, containing the result of an investigation conducted
by the board of emigration of the State of New York into the circumstances
attending the arrival at that port of certain persons specially cited by
Lord Granville at your interview, in illustration that those who had been
helped to depart had friends and relatives here to receive and care for them
on their arrival.
The report includes the affidavit of the parties, and of an officer who
endeavored unsuccessfully to find the persons who had apparently invited the
immigration, and announces that under the circumstances these destitute and
helpless folks were reshipped to their native country.
Inasmuch as Lord Granville frankly imparted to you the documentary evidence
upon which the commission had felt justified in aiding the departure of
these individuals, it seems proper for you to explain to him the failure of
any friends to appear and receive them here, and the consequent necessity of
the port authorities to return the immigrants after a reasonable delay and
an unavailing effort to discover those upon whom it had been believed they
could depend.
I am, &c.,
JOHN DAVIS,
Acting
Secretary.
[Page 448]
[Inclosure 1 in No. 648.]
Mr. French to Mr.
Frelinghuysen.
Treasury Department, August 4, 1883. (Received August
5.)
Sir: Referring to the letter of the Acting
Secretary of State, dated the 25th ultimo, transmitting a copy of
dispatch No. 580 from Mr. Lowell, the American minister at London,
relative to certain state aided emigrants sent back to Ireland from New
York, but who, as alleged, would have been provided for in this country
had they been allowed to land, I have the honor to transmit herewith a
communication, dated the 2d instant, from Mr. H. J. Jackson, secretary
of the board of commissioners of emigration at New York, together with
one original affidavit and copies of four affidavits bearing upon the
points raised in Mr. Lowell’s dispatch.
Very respectfully,
H. F. FRENCH,
Acting
Secretary.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 648.]
Mr. H. J. Jackson
to Mr. French.
Castle
Garden, New York, August 2, 1883.
Sir: I am directed by the commissioners of
emigration to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 28th of
July, which, owing to a mistake in the delivery thereof, reached this
office but to-day.
In reply to dispatch No. 580, addressed by the American minister in
London to the Department of State, we send herewith copies of the
affidavits made by Mary Brennan and her daughter, Mary Lynch, also by
Mary Clifford and Nan Sullivan, in which they state that they have no
relatives in the United States willing and able to aid them, also
expressing their willingness to return to Ireland. These persons were at
the emigrant-landing depot, Castle Garden, from June 24 to June 30, and
their statements were published in many newspapers throughout the
country, yet no one came here to offer them employment or a home.
They were returned to Ireland at the expense of the steamship company
that brought them, on an order from the collector of the port to the
consignees, based on the report made to him by the commissioners of
emigration to the effect that, in their opinion, the said persons were
unable to take care of themselves without becoming a public charge.
As to the relatives of these persons said to have been willing to take
charge of them, I beg to report that no address is given of Patrick
Brennan, and we have been unable to find him.
We inclose to you the affidavit of Detective Officer Groden, to the
effect that Mary Reardon referred to does not reside at No. 533 West
Twenty-sixth street, New York. We find no post-office or railroad
station named “Cuba Falls,” but a dispatch sent to Mary M. Sweeney,
Cuba, Alleghany County, New York, has been returned unclaimed.
Very respectfully,
[Inclosure 3 in No. 648.]
Affidavit of Peter Groden.
[Office of the Commissioners of Emigration, Castle Garden,
New York.]
State of New York,
City and County of New York, ss:
Peter Groden, being duly sworn, deposes and says: That he is a detective
connected with the municipal police of the city of New York, and that he
made inquiries at No. 533 West Twenty-sixth street, New York City, and
in the immediate neighborhood thereof, and could find no person by the
name of Mary Reardon, or any one else in the house No. 533 West
Twenty-sixth street that knew her. And that deponent spoke to several
persons who reside in said house, who replied that they never heard of
any letters having been written to John and Mary Clifford.
Sworn to before me this 2d day of August,
1883.
OTTO HEINZMAN
,
Notary Public, New
York.
[Page 449]
[Inclosure 4 in No. 648.]
Affidavit of Mary Brennan.
[Office of the Commissioners of Emigration, Castle Garden,
New York.]
State of New York,
City and County of New York, ss:
Mary Brennan, being duly sworn, deposes and says: That she is a native of
Cahirciveen, county of Kerry, Ireland, and arrived at the port of New
York, Jane 24, 1883, per steamship Furnessia, from Liverpool, via
Valencia, Ireland. That she* has two children with her, aged 17 and 5½ years,
respectively, who are illegitimate; that she has been an inmate of the
workhouse in Cahirciveen, county Kerry, Ireland, almost for the last
twenty years; the last time two years consecutively; that her oldest
child for the last year earned her own living as servant; that her and
her children’s passage was paid to New York by the clerk of the union,
Michael J. Driscoll, who also gave her money order for £3 10s. sterling on Henderson Brothers, 7 Bowling
Green, New York City, agents of the above vessel; that she has no
relatives or friends in America—says she has a son who is a British
soldier stationed in Canada.
Sworn to before me this 25th day of June,
1883.
THOMAS MCQUADE
,
Notary Public, New York.
[Inclosure 5 in No. 648.]
Affidavit of Mary Lynch.
[Office of the Commissioners of Emigration, Castle Garden,
New York.]
State of New York,
City and County of New York, ss:
Mary Lynch, being duly sworn, deposes and says: That she is a native of
Cahirciveen, county Kerry, Ireland, and arrived at the port of New York
June 24, 1883, per steamship Furnessia, from Liverpool via Valencia,
with her mother, Mary Brennan, their passages having been paid by the
English Government. That deponent suffers from chronic throat disease,
which at intervals renders her for weeks unable to work; that she
believes she cannot make a living for herself in the United States, and
desires to return with her mother to Ireland. That deponent is sixteen
years old, and was, the greater part of her life, an inmate of
Cahirciveen workhouse.
Sworn to before me this 30th day of June,
1883.
WILLIAM CONNOLLY
,
Notary Public,
New York.
[Inclosure 6 in No. 648.]
Affidavit of Mary Clifford.
[Office of the Commissioners of Emigration, Castle Garden,
New York.]
State of New York,
City and County of New York, ss:
Mary Clifford, being duly sworn, deposes and says: That she is a native
of Cahirciveen, county Kerry, Ireland, and arrived at the port of New
York June 24, 1883, per steamship Furnessia, from Liverpool via
Valencia, with her two illegitimate children, aged respectively four and
two years. That she has been for five years an inmate of Cahirciveen
workhouse. That she did not desire to come to the United States, but was
forced to emigrate by the board of guardians of the poor, under threat
of expulsion from the workhouse if she refused. That she was given free
passage to New York by the English Government, and a draft for one pound
ten shillings, on Henderson Bros. That the master of the workhouse,
Jeremiah Galvin, took deponent and
[Page 450]
children to Valencia to put them on board the
ship. That she has no hope of being able to make a living for herself
and children in this country, and wishes to be sent back to Ireland.
MARY her X mark CLIFFORD.
Sworn to before me this 25th day of June,
1883.
WILLIAM CONNOLLY
,
Notary Public,
New York.
[Inclosure 7 in No. 648.]
Affidavit of Nano Sullivan.
[Office of the Commissioners of Emigration, Castle Garden,
New York.]
State of New York,
City and County of New York, ss:
Nano Sullivan, being duly sworn, deposes and says: That she is a native
of Cahirciveen, county of Kerry, Ireland, and arrived at the port of New
York June 24, 1883, per Steamship Furnessia from Liverpool, via
Valentia, Ireland. That she has her illegitimate child (John) with her,
aged three years; that she has been an inmate of the workhouse in
Cahirciveen, county Kerry, Ireland, for the last three years; that she
did not want to come to America, and on her so stating was told by Mr.
O’Neil, one of the guardians of said workhouse, that if she did not she
would be put out of the institution; that she wanted to leave her child
with her married sister who was willing to care for it, but was not
allowed to do so; that herself and child’s passage was paid by Michael
J. Driscoll, clerk of the union, who also gave her money-order for £1
sterling on Henderson Brothers, 7 Bowling Green, New York City, agents
of above vessel; that she has no relatives or friends in America; that
she wants to be sent back to Ireland.
NANO her X mark SULLIVAN.
Sworn to before me this 25th day of June,
1883.
THOMAS MCQUADE
,
Notary Public, New York.
