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Title Entry-Books of Correspondence: Letters to the Colonial Office, 1838-1839
Author Elliot, Sir Thomas Frederick
Date 25 Apr 1838 - 30 May 1839
Document Type Correspondence; Financial Papers
Reference CO 386/43
Library / Archive The National Archives
Collection Name Colonial Office: Land and Emigration Commission, etc.
Description Copies of out-letters written by Sir Thomas Frederick Elliott, mostly to Sir James Stephen, some for the attention of the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The correspondence largely relates to appointments of agents, surgeon superintendents and other officials, various payments, eligibility for migration, migrants' ages, disease on board migrant ships, fitting-out of migrant ships, and migration from Scotland and Ireland. An index of letters is included at the end of the volume.
Series Description This series contains original correspondence, entry books and registers of the Agent General for Emigration, the South Australian Commissioners and the Land and Emigration Commission. Amongst the miscellaneous contents are registers of births and deaths of emigrants at sea 1854-1869, lists of ships chartered 1847-1875, registers of surgeons appointed 1854-1894, and volumes of The Colonial Gazette 1838-1842.
Biographical Note / History A Colonial Land and Emigration Commission was created in 1840 to undertake the duties of two earlier and overlapping authorities which were both under the supervision of the Secretary of State. These were the Colonisation Commissioners for South Australia, established under an Act of 1834, and the Agent General for Emigration, appointed in 1837. The new commission dealt with grants of land, the outward movement of settlers, the administration of the Passengers' Acts of 1855 and 1863 and, from 1846 to 1859, the scrutiny of colonial legislation. In 1855 it became the Emigration Commission. In 1873 the administration of the Passengers' Acts was transferred to the Board of Trade. The commission's powers were gradually given up to the larger colonies as they obtained self-government, and after 1873 its only duties were the control of the importation of Indian indentured labour into sugar-producing colonies and it was abolished in 1878.
Theme(s) Politics, Legislation and Governance; Ships and Shipping Lines; Journey Conditions; Motives for Emigration
Country (from) Great Britain; Ireland; India
Country (to) Australia
Places New South Wales, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, Australia; Fort William, Edinburgh, Scotland; County Limerick, County Tipperary, Ireland; London, England; Canada
Ports Port Phillip, Victoria, Australia; Plymouth, Gravesend, Deptford, Bristol, England; Greenock, Leith, Scotland; Belfast, Northern Ireland; Cork, Ireland
Nationality English; European; Scottish; Irish; Indian
Ships Palmyra; William Roger; Calcutta; Maitland; Magistrate; Duncan; Prince Regent; Strathfieldsaye
People Lord Durham (Lambton, John George); Stephen, Sir James; Marquess of Normanby (Phipps, Constantine Henry); Lord Glenelg (Grant, Charles)
Keywords emigration, administration, politics, money, accounts, child migration, female emigration, expenses, medical staff, agent, shipping, medical examination, pauper, poverty, journey conditions, disease, small pox, health and sickness, victualling, assisted emigration, emigration society, agent, claims, land grant
Language English
Copyright Crown Copyright documents © are reproduced by permission of The National Archives London, UK