No. 675.
Mr. Fish
to Mr. Evarts.
Berne , February 16, 1881. (Received March 3.)
Sir: Referring to my Nos. 330,331,332, and 335, I have now the honor to inclose herewith a copy of a letter from the consulate at Zurich, transmitting a list of the assisted emigrants from the commune of Gersau to the United States from August 22 to the 31st of December, 1880.
I have been prevented from forwarding the list of these emigrants owing to an omission of one of the names by the communal officials in the list as originally furnished to the consulate—an omission the correction of which I have only to-day obtained.
An examination of the list shows that four of the emigrants were under fifteen years of age, twenty-two were between fifteen and forty years of age, and three were over forty years old. Three of the assisted emigrants were females, and were “exceptionally assisted,” as the resolution of the town does not provide for assisting females to emigrate. (See inclosures 3 and 4 to my No. 333.)
These figures show that but 69 per cent, of the emigrants were young men (between fifteen and forty years of age), and nine (or 31 per cent.) were under fifteen, over forty, or females. Thus, out of twenty-nine emigrants we find but twenty who could possibly correspond to the description of the communal officials when they stated that they were “all able-bodied young men.” Of the remaining nine four were children, aged respectively twelve, six, two and a half, and one year; two were men, forty-six and fifty years of age; three were women, aged respectively sixty, thirty, and seventeen years.
As to the claim that they were able-bodied I have no means of judging, but respectfully suggest that in future a strict inquiry should be made upon the arrival of immigrants from Gersau and other communes addicted to assisting their citizens to emigrate to the United States. The present case shows the danger of entrusting to foreign officials to determine who are “able-bodied young men.”
I have, &c.,