Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 4, 1883
No. 252.
Mr. Frelinghuysen to Mr. Lowell.
Washington, October 18, 1883.
Sir: For your information and for use in connection with the general instructions heretofore sent to you on the subject, I inclose herewith a copy of a letter, dated the 11th instant, and its inclosures, received from the Secretary of the Treasury, in regard to the deportation of pauper emigrants from various European countries to the United States.
I am, &c.,
Mr. Folger to Mr. Frelinghuysen.
October 11, 1883. (Received October 12.)
Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a copy of a report from the collector of customs at Buffalo, N. Y., dated the 20th ultimo, as also of certain extracts from a letter dated the 14th ultimo, addressed to said collector by the keeper of the Erie County Almshouse, in relation to the deportation of pauper emigrants from various European countries directly to the United States, as also indirectly by way of Canada.
I beg to invite your consideration of the subject-matter of said documents, and, if you deem it admissible, to request that you bring the facts elicited therefrom to the attention of the foreign Governments concerned.
Very respectfully,
Secretary.
Mr. Gould to Mr. Folger.
Collector’s Office, September 20, 1883.
Sir: Respectfully referring to Department letter of the 3d instant (8134 D. L.), relating to the return to Canada of two Irish panper immigrants who arrived at Quebec by vessel and came thence to the United States by rail, I have to state that immediately on receipt of Department letter 1 requested the keeper of the Erie County Almshouse to furnish me a statement of the facts coming to his knowledge in the cases which were the subject of Department letter above named and his report inclosed.
Mr. Busch, who makes the report, is in a better position to obtain accurate information on the subject than any other person within my knowledge. Mr. Busch, in his report, names 46 insane and pauper emigrants from various European countries who had, in most cases, been sent with Government or municipal aid to the United States and who were returned from the Erie County Ali shouse to the countries from whence they came, between August 8, 1880, and August 4, 1883.
These cases, however, with two exceptions, have no direct bearing an the inquiry of the Department, as the persons arrived in the United States at the ports of New York and Boston, and came to Buffalo from those ports. The exceptions are, viz:
Case No. 3, John Byrne, age thirty-nine, cripple and pauper, arrived in the United States in September, 1880, by rail from Quebec, where he landed from an English vessel. He was ticketed through from Ireland to Buffalo via Quebec, and his ticket and £5 were furnished by the Government authorities. He was returned to Ireland September 11, 1880, by the State board of charities.
Case No. 23, Louisa Weingerten, vagrant and prostitute, from Switzerland via Quebec, in March, 1882, transportation furnished by the Swiss Government. She was returned to Switzerland by the State board of charities. In addition to the 46 cases [Page 466] enumerated by Mr. Busch in his report, he states that on the 17th of August last the following persons were received into the Erie County Almshouse as paupers, viz:
James Cloharty, age sixty years, with wife and four children, and Michael Cunningham, with eight children, from one to eighteen years of age.
These persons, who came from County Gal way, Ireland, were landed from steamship at Quebec, and were furnished with transportation to that place by the authorities in Ireland.
On arrival at Quebec they were separated from the remainder of the immigrants who arrived on the same vessel, and furnished by the Canadian authorities with railroad transportation from Quebec to Buffalo. The statement of these persons to Mr. Busch was that nearly the whole ship’s load of immigrants arriving with them had been assisted by the authorities in Ireland, but the ultimate destination of the others was unknown to them but was believed to be the United States.
On the 31st of August last two paupers, Bridget Haley, age sixty, and son Owen, age sixteen, were received at the Erie County Almshouse. They landed at Quebec about two weeks after the landing of Cloharty and Cunningham, and the statement made by them was in substance the same as that made by Cloharty and Cunningham.
Paupers Cloharty and Cunningham and their families were returned to Canada by Mr. Busch on the 20th of August, 1883.
Mr. Busch has stated to me that the persons herein named as having been lauded from on board ship at Quebec first arrived in the United States at the port of Suspension Bridge via the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, and came thence by rail to Buffalo.
I have no doubt of the correctness of this statement, as the route via Suspension Bridge to Buffalo is much more direct than that via the International Bridge.
I am, &c.,
Collector.
Mr. Busch to Mr. Gould.
Buffalo Plains N. Y., September 14, 1883.
Dear Sir: Yours of the 7th instant at hand relative to alien paupers met with at this port. I herewith give you a statement briefly describing each individual case and the dispositions made thereof.* * *
No. 3, John Byrne, thirty-nine, Ireland, had been a cripple for nine years past, was furnished with transportation to the United States by Government authorities, ticketed to Buffalo, N. Y., via Quebec, and given five pounds in money; a hopelessly dependent case; was returned to Ireland September 11, 1880, by the State board of charities. * * *
No. 10, Thomas Cox, twenty years, a cripple since childhood, was provided with transportation to the United States by poor authorities and charitable associations; returned to England February 2, 1881, by the State board of charities * * *
No. 13, Rosa Verena Lehner, twenty-two, Switzerland, imbecile, hysterical vagrant, and prostitute; transportation to the United States provided by the Swiss Government; landed at New York; returned to Switzerland by the commissioners of immigration May 6, 1881. * * *
No. 23, Louisa Weingerten, twenty-eight, Swiss vagrant and prostitute; transportation to the United States provided her and two others of same character by the Swiss Government, which required of them to sign papers releasing the said Government from any further claims; landed at Quebec; returned March 10, 1882, through State board of charities. * * *
No. 25, John Varaga, twenty, Austria, idiot; transportation to the United States provided by Government; returned March 10, 1882, through State board of charities * * *
Nos. 39 and 40, Thos. Kennedy and wife Elleu, aged forty-five and thirty-two years, respectively, Ireland, hopelessly dependent cases, assisted by British Government, landed at New York; returned to Liverpool, England, January 31,1883, through Stale board of charities.* * *
In addition to the above-mentioned alien cases returned to European houses, we have received at this institution alien paupers sent via Quebec, through Canada, which were returned to Canadian provinces, as follows: James Cloharty, aged sixty years, a dull, ignorant man, his wife, three daughters, and one son; and Michael Cunningham, with eight children, ranging in age from eighteen years to elf yen months, all from the county Gal way, Ireland. The wife of Michael Cunningham is an inmate [Page 467] of an insane asylum in Ireland. The statement made to us by the above parties was, that they, with nearly the entire ship’s list of passengers, were provided with transportation to Quebec by the British Government; that on their arrival at Quebec they were separated from the remainder of assisted immigrants, and were provided with transportation to Buffalo, N. Y., by Canadian authorities; also that a ship with a like list of passengers had landed at Quebec a few weeks previous. They were received at this institution August 17 and returned to Toronto, Ontario, August 20, 1883.
August 31, 1883, we received two others of the same class, Bridget Haley, aged sixty, and son Owen, sixteen years. Their statement in substance was the same as that made by Cloharty and Cunningham, with the exception that they landed at Quebec a couple of weeks later. The ultimate destination of the other assisted paupers was not learned, but is believed to be the United States.
Yours, respectfully,
Keeper.