British Parliamentary Papers, 1851 XL (348)

In September, 1850, the ship Susan, Captain Jones, arrived at St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick carrying a number of persons from the Cork Union workhouse. This particular group of emigrants attracted the attention of the Emigration Agent and a report was sent to England. The report stated that “A considerable number of aged, infirm and diseased persons had been sent from Cork workhouse to New Brunswick, by the ship ‘Susan’ .” The Union denied this and thus sent the following list. Much discussion then pursued.

Captain Jones, of the Susan, was sent £70 to distribute among the emigrants upon their arrival in New Brunswick. About the emigrants Jones stated, “Their former mode of life had disqualified them for hard labour, and their dependence on parochial relief had taught them to distrurst [sic] the resources of their own industry; many are now out of employment, and these, during the inclement weather, I am forced to assist ; some I have lately managed to get places for, while others are tempted, by a small sum of money, to cross the lines and seek employment elsewhere ; but a few will become pensioners for the rest of the winter.”

The following year, in his 1851 emigration report, Mr. Perley, the New Brunswick Emigration Agent, stated that the following people mentioned on the list below did not arrive (age in brackets after name):— Mathew Hackett (21), Mary Canol (20), Jeremiah Desmond (34), Christopher Dudley (19), James Dudley (17), Margaret Dudley (14), Jeremiah Yearley (25), and Michael Buckley (18). The following persons, however, did arrive and are not on the list. Perley states age as “apparently aged”:— John Geary (19) Ellen Geary (17), Hannah Sullivan (22), George Preston (25), Hannah Leary (52) John Shea (9), Margaret Ryan (42) and Daniel M’Carthy (18).

Perley went on to report that the ages of many of the persons listed below were incorrect. Patrick Driscol was 62 not 59; Thomas Leary was 76 not 50; Johanna Leary was 61 not 50; Edward Duggan was 41 not 40; Mary Murphy was 50 not 40; Hugh Conder was 41 not 27; John Downy was 45 not 27; Honora Doody was 42 not 40; Eliza Magner was 50 not 30; and Mary Noonan was 50 not 37. On top of all this, John and Patrick Leary were said to be sons of Thomas and Johanna Leary and they were not, and neither was Margaret Leary, alias Margaret Barrett, who died of consumption shortly after arriving, a daughter. Ellen Leary was also listed as a daughter of Thomas’ and was no relation at all. Thomas also died soon after arrival.

There is no explanation of the time period referred to in the column “If an Inmate of the Workhouse, how long.” To make the table easier to read, a ditto mark, i.e., “, has been replaced by the information from the previous line. On line 56 it appears to be a typographical error and the word ‘servant’ was input instead of the word ‘single.’ The entries have been copied as is. The error on line 64 (and continued for several other entries), listing an occupation as ‘single’ is most likely another typographical error for ‘servant.’

Sub-Enclosure to Enclosure 2, No. 3.
CORK UNION

List and Description of Persons whom the Guardians of the above Union propose to Assist to Emigrate.

(signed) George Carr,
Master of Workhouse

(signed) George Huband,
Poor Law Inspector

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