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Subject: [NYNEWYOR] 1851 news Irish Immigrants in NYC
Date: Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:30:36 -0500 (EST)

For those of us whose Irish arrived early, this article is heartbreaking.
For those whose Irish arrived later, they must have had strong genes to
survive the Irish Holocaust, and birth children who survived to come to NY!


Daily Missouri Republican, published in: St. Louis, Mo
Date: April 13 1851

"Emigration of Paupers"

During the last three or four weeks, several hundred paupers have been
landed at New York in a starving and diseased condition. The majority of these,
it appears, are taken from the poor houses, in the south of Ireland, by the
landowners, on whose property they have been living, and who, for their
support, are forced to pay poor rates, which are levied on the land at so much
per acre. It may be seen from this, how desirous these land proprietors are
to get rid of such burdens. Accordingly, they take them from the poor houses,
or off the land, and contract with the Captains of English vessels to ship
them to some American port at a reduced rate per head, in consideration of
the number. The food they receive during passage, is of the very worst
description, and this, combined with the sickness consequent on a long sea voyage,
renders them fit subjects for the hospital, on their arrival. Some are so
exhausted with disease and hunger, they they often do not survive the voyage,
while others die a few days after landing. On Sunday last, about one
hundred of these miserable creatures might be seen, in an almost naked and
famishing state, on Broadway, begging the charity of the passers. Many of these
were formerly honest, independent farmers, in their own country, before the
famine, and bad legislation, together, reduced them to poverty and starvation.
There are also, we understand, a large number lying in the last stages of
disease in some of the most loathsome cellars at the end of Washington and
Greenwich streets, where they are unable to obtain that medical attention which
their condition requires.

Among those who are engaged in sending these unfortunate being to this
country, the Marquis of Lansdowne, and the Knight of Kerry, have rendered
themselves conspicuous. These are at present engaged, as we learn from some of
their former tenants, in making arrangements for the wholesale deportation of
the paupers on their estates, numbering altogether two or three thousand
persons. (N.Y. Post)

SOURCE: http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/link.php?action=detail&id=89342

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