In the colonies there are government immigration agents. The duties of these officers are to afford gratuitously to emi grants every assistance in their power by way of advice and information as to the districts where employment can be ob tained most readily, and upon the most advantageous terms, and also as to the best modes of reaching such districts. In Canada there are immigration agents at Quebec, Montreal, Kingston, Bytown, Port Hope and Cobourg, Toronto, and Hamilton ; in New Brunswick at St. John's and Fredericton; and the deputy treasurers act as immigration agents at St. Andrew's, Bathurst, Dalhousie, and Chatham (Miramichi). There are also government immigration agents for the colonies of New South Wales (at Sydney and Port Philip) and for Van Diemen's Land, Western Australia, Southern Aus tralia, and New Zealand.
Emigration is one of the "modes of relief" contemplated by the Poor Law 'Amendment Act (4 & 5 Wm. IV. c. 76). In some years a large number of persons have emigrated with the assistance of funds obtained under the act. In 1835-6 the number of emigrants was 5141, and the sum borrowed, either from the Ex chequer Loan Office or from private per sons, amounted to 28,414/. By § 62 of the Poor Law Act owners and rate-payers are empowered to raise money on security of the rates for purposes of emigration, under the authority of the Poor Law Commissioners. The sum so raised must not exceed half the average yearly rate of the preceding three years, and it must be repaid within five years. The money is advanced to emigrants by way of loan, and is recoverable against persons above the age of twenty-one, who, having con sented to emigrate, refuse to do so after the expenses of emigration have been incurred ; and the loan is also recoverable if persons who emigrate shall return to this country.
By the act 7 & 8 Viet. c. 101, for the amendment of the Poor Laws, it is pro vided that the boards of guardians are exclusively to apply money raised or borrowed for the purpose of emigration.
Under the Irish Poor Law Act money may be raised for enabling poor persons to emigrate to British colonies; but the money so raised must not exceed one shilling in the pound on the net annual value of rateable property.
The Bounty System derives its name from the mode in which the proceeds of land sales are applied in obtaining im migrants. In this case persons who intro duce persons into the colony receive so much per head, according to the terms of ag-.-Jement. The contractors engage to find persons willing to emigrate, and undertake to land them in the colony. This system is in force only in some of the Australian colonies. In New South Wales 51,736 persons were introduced from 1831 to 1842 under bounties.
The Land and Emigration Commis sioners are required by their official instruc tions to prepare and issue "a distinct and compendious account of whatever relates to the agriculture, the commerce, the natural products, the physical structure, and the ecclesiastical and political institutions of each of the colonies" in which they offer i lands for sale. Lord John Russell issued
these instructions, in the hope that the office of the Land and Emigration Com missioners would become the depository of information " for the assistance, not of private adventurers only, but of this (the colonial) and of every other department of the state." The Commissioners in pur suance of this object have published in a cheap form " Information for Emigrants to British North America ;" a similar pamphlet relating to the Falkland Isles ; and they issue occasionally a " Coloniza tion Circular" which contains matter cal culated to be of use to emigrants or persons who intend at some time to settle in the colonies. The Annual Reports of the Commissioners presented to parliament are also reprinted in a convenient form for general use. These useful matters are published by Knight & Co., London ; and may be procured through any book seller.
The average annual number of per sons who emigrated in the ten years from 1 825 to 1834 was 50,304; and in the ten years from 1835 to 1844 inclusive 75,293. The largest number who emigrated in any one year, in the first ten years, was 103,140, in 1832. The number in each of the last ten years was as follows:— 1 835 . . 44,478 1840 . 90,7431 836 . . 75,417 1841 . . 118,592 1837 . . 72,034 1842 . . 128,344 1838 . . 33,222 1843 . . 57,212 1 839 . . 62,207 1844 . • 70,686 A variety of circumstances affect the extent of emigration and its particular direction. In some years the stream is increased by distress at home ; in others, by the activity caused by the bounty sys tem, and the amount raised by the sales of land in the Australian colonies ; an in surrection in Canada diverts the current of emigrants to other colonies ; a mas sacre in New Zealand, and the effects of misgovernment there, have their influ ence. The fluctuation in the average annual number of emigrants during the following periods is curious.
In 1844 the number of persons who emigrated from ports in England was 50,257 ; Scotland, 4504 ; Ireland, 15,9'15. The number of emigrants who embarked at Liverpool was 44,427, and from London only 23G3. The number of cabin passen gers was 4889, of whom 4070, or 1 in 124, were from England ; 663, or I in 7, were from Scotland ; 156, or 1 in 102, were from Ireland. The destination of the English, Scotch, and Irish emigrants is shown in the subjoined table.
The emigration of native labourers from China and India, and of liberated and other Africans from Sierra Leone to the Mauritius and to the British Colonies in the West Indies, it may be sufficient to mention, is under the regulation of the Land and Emigration Commissioners.
The various political questions which arise from the connexion between a pa rent state and colony are treated of in "An Essay on the Government of De pendencies," by George Cornewall Lewis, London, 1841.