Papers Relating to Foreign Affairs, Accompanying the Annual Message of the President to the Second Session Thirty-eighth Congress, Part I
Mr. Waddington to Mr. Hammond.—(Received January 24.)
Referring to the correspondence which has taken place respecting American agents employed in procuring emigrants from Ireland, I am directed by Secretary Sir George Grey to transmit to you a copy of a letter, and its enclosures, which have been received through the Irish government from Mr. Lock Perry, inquiring, on behalf of Messrs. Sable & Searle, of Liverpool, whether they can ship passengers in the manner referred to in the enclosed correspondence, and whether they are bound to ship them back.
As Mr. Perry states that the American minister is in communication with her Majesty’s government on the subject, his letter is forwarded for the information of Earl Russell previously to returning any answer, and Mr. Perry has been informed that it has been so transmitted.
Reports respecting Finney’s proceedings received from the sub-inspector of constabulary at Galway are enclosed herewith.
Mr. Perry to Sir J. A. Larcom.
Sir: I beg to enclose a copy of a letter received by Messrs. Sable & Searle, of Liverpool, emigration agents, from their agent at Boston, together with copies of a proposed agreement to be entered into with intending emigrants, a letter from Mr. Finney, an agent appointed to bring out emigrants to America, and a copy of a letter from Messrs. Sable & Searle to myself.
I have respectfully to request you will inform me on behalf of my clients, Messrs. Sable & Searle, whether they can follow their legitimate trade of shipping passengers in manner referred to in the correspondence or not, or are they bound to ship them back.
I have been informed by the American consul here that Mr. Adams, the American minister, is in communication with the government in London on the same subject.
I have, &c.,
Messrs. Page, Richardson & Co. to Messrs. Sable & Searle.
Dear Sirs: We have a good prospect of making sure of a large number of passengers from Ireland to this port and Portland. There are a number of railroad companies and other corporations greatly in want of men to perform labor, and they have agreed with us to be responsible for the passage of a certain number of such able-bodied men as would be willing to work for them.
The bearer of this, Mr. Patrick H. Phinney, it has been thought best to send [Page 441] out to attend to the matter, and see that none but able-bodied men are taken— men in good health, and who would not be likely to fall sick on their hands. Several hundred men are wanted, and we wish you to give your best efforts to and Mr. Phinney in his enterprise, as all the passengers will be forwarded through your house. We would suggest that you forward a circular to each one of your agents in Ireland, to the effect that good men are wanted to agree to work for not less than twelve months, and that their passage will be advanced on condition that they bind themselves so to work.
We will be responsible to you (having taken security from the corporations wanting the men) for the passage-money and for the inland ticket to the port of embarkation. If it shall be necessary, you will make such arrangements with Mr. Phinney about issuing tickets as you may see fit.
Yours, &c.,
[Enclosure 3 in No. 3.]
Proposed agreement.
We, the undersigned, hereby agree with Patrick H. Phinney, that, in consideration of the said Patrick H. Phinney advancing the money necessary for the payment of our respective passages to Boston, in the United States of America, that we, each of us hereto signing our names, (or making our marks in presence of witnesses,) hereby agree with said P. H. Phinney that we will, on our arrival at Boston aforesaid, commence to labor for said Patrick H. Phinney, or his assigns, either on the Charlestown water-works, in the city of Charlestown, or the Webster and Southbridge railroad, in the employ of Wall & Lynch; or the Boston, Hartford, and Erie railroad, in the employ of E. Crane, in the State of Massachusetts; or on the Pacific railroad, or for the Bear Valley Coal Company, in the employ of George P. Sanger; or for the Franklin Coal Company, in the employ of E. C. Bates, in the State of Pennsylvania.
And we hereby agree that we will, each of us hereto signing as aforesaid, continue to labor and work to our best ability for the said P. H. Phinney, or his assigns, for the term of twelve months from the date of our arrival in said Boston, for and at the rate of ——— dollars per month, in addition to our board and lodging, which is to be furnished to us by the said P. H. Phinney.
And we each of us hereby agree that we will repay to said P. H. Phinney, or to his assigns, the amount which shall have been paid by the said P. H. Phinney, or his assigns, for each of our passages to Boston as aforesaid, and also those of us who shall have had our inland passages paid for us by the said P. H. Finney, or any other advances which may have been made to us by the said P. H. Finney, or that the same shall be deducted from or repaid from our wages first earned as aforesaid, and paid to said P. H. Finney or his assigns by our employers.
It is understood that the wages aforesaid of each of us will commence within one week after our arrival in Boston, or as soon as we commence to work.
| Names. | Where from. | Description. |
Mr. Finney to Messrs. Sable and Searle.
Sirs: Annexed is a copy of the agreement which I purpose having signed by each man whom I will approve of as a fit and proper person to be employed and sent to Boston. I have already left a copy at your office in Liverpool, but which must have escaped from your observation.
Mr. Atkinson called upon Mr. Bates, but he was not at home, and his manager refused to give a pass until he laid the matter before the board. I therefore request that you will write to the company immediately and make the necessary arrangements for the transmission of those men I may select by the different railroads.
On account of this obstacle, as well as some other which has arisen, I will not be able to send any men before the 29th instant; then I will have 150 good men selected to send by the vessel sailing on that date.
I was informed that the agreement between the men and I must be signed in the presence of the United States consul. I therefore called upon him, and he has written to the United States minister, London, (Mr. Adams,) so as to have everything satisfactorily arranged, as he would not like to act in the matter without first having communicated with Mr. Adams.
I think that the presence of either of you here would be very beneficial, (I mean Mr. Sable,) as the necessary arrangements would be much better disposed of, and wish you would come at once, as it would be much better than writing, as you will see the matter requires your presence.
I am, &c.,
Messrs. Sable and Searle to Mr. Perry.
Dear Sir: We beg to enclose various documents concerning the engagement and shipping of a number of laborers from Ireland to Boston, United States.
The enclosures are as follows: No. 1, letter received from our Boston correspondents, in whom we placed implicit confidence that they would not engage us in any transaction contrary to law, or involve us or the companies for whom we act in any unpleasant position. No. 2 is a draft contract which Mr. Finney (the selecting agent) intends to make with the laborers before he advances their passage money.
We, as agents for the Galway and Derry lines, are bound to get as many passengers as we can for the respective steamers, and, as both lines carry her Majesty’s mails, we do not like to subject them to a sudden seizure or even to detention for a single hour. Therefore we wish you to put this matter before the highest authority at the Castle in your city; so that if, as we are sorry to see frequently is the case, any one evil disposed should give information that the men are intended for enlistment, a prompt and satisfactory denial may be given. Please to ascertain from government whether we can follow our legitimate [Page 443] trade of shipping these passengers or not, or are we bound to ship them back? If there be the slightest risk either to ourselves or the respective companies, we will carry matters further in London and stop ia the meanwhile.
There should be no obstacle put in the way of Mr. Finney, as it is a blessing for the poor people to obtain employment, and the authorities should assist him by every means in their power.
Yours, &c.,
Report.
I have to report that on this evening a man who gave his name as Mr. Feely, and who put up at a respectable hotel here, stated shortly after his arrival this evening publicly that he was commissioned by a company lately formed in America to employ a number of laborers who should bind themselves to him, and that he would give them a free passage to America, and give them a sum of money in hand; he said that when he arranged as to whether he would convey them by the Atlantic Company boats, or by a vessel which he would charter, that he would proceed to engage them. The man may have given utterance to the foregoing for the purpose of hoaxing the public; however, I think it my duty to report the matter without loss of time. The next vessel which is advertised to sail from here is the Hibernia, on the 19th instant.
Steps have been taken to watch the man’s movements, which shall be reported in due course.
Report.
With reference to my report of the 12th instant, relative to a person who stated publicly here on that date that he was commissioned to employ a number of laborers to work on railways in America, I have to state that I went to the house of the booking agent of the Atlantic Mail Company, and was informed that Mr. Feely, the person above alluded to, had been with him to arrange as to the conveying of the persons he is about to hire to Boston, and that he had shown him all his papers; he stated that he had been commissioned by two railway companies to hire 1,000 men, and that he had been to Loughrea, his native place, and had shown his papers to the Marquis of Clanricarde, who was quite satisfied with them. Mr. Ennis, the agent, stated that Feely had gone to Liver-pool to have an interview with the head agent, and that the laborers were not to be sent by the next vessel which goes to New York, but are to wait for the sailing of the Adriatic, which is advertised to leave here for Boston on the 2d proximo. About 120 persons made application at the office to-day and yesterday, and signified their intention of agreeing to the terms offered by Mr. Feely, which is to bind themselves to work on the railway for a certain period, and to repay their employers £1, which is to be advanced together with their passage fare.
- Offices: Dublin, 56 Sackville street; Liverpool, 19 Water street and 13 Regent street; Galway, Eyre square; Londonderry, Foyle street; Queenstown, Quay; New York, 23 Broadway; Boston, Broad street.↩