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Title Entry-Books of Correspondence: Letters to the Colonial Office. Miscellaneous, 1849-1852
Author Murdoch, Thomas William Clinton; Wood, C Alexander
Date 21 Jul 1849 - 6 May 1852
Document Type Correspondence; Report
Reference CO 386/116
Library / Archive The National Archives
Collection Name Colonial Office: Land and Emigration Commission, etc.
Description Copies of out-letters, reports and statistical returns, mostly addressed to Herman Merivale and for the attention of the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies. The correspondence largely concerns the availability of land, emigration from the United Kingdom, conditions on board migrant ships, the hire of shipping, and financial questions. An index 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; Departures: Port Conditions and Organisation; Journey Conditions; Arrivals: Ports and Early Experiences
Country (from) Great Britain; Ireland; Sierra Leone; Africa; Germany
Country (to) St Helena; United States of America; Canada; Australia; New Zealand; Cuba
Places Gibraltar; Labuan, Malaysia; Sri Lanka; Bahamas
Ports Hong Kong, China; Stanley, Falkland Islands; Liverpool, London, England; Havana, Cuba
Nationality African; Irish; Indian; English; European; German
Ships Victory; Oriental; Brooksby
People Merivale, Herman; Pakington, Sir John; Lord Howick (Grey, Henry)
Keywords land sale, land price, land grant, land, finance, money, emigration, legislation, labourer, labour, journey conditions, regulations, agent, administration, health and sickness, sanitation, surgeon, food, victualling, death, disease, shipping, legislature, farming, agriculture, statistics, medical examination, child migration, female emigration, Liberated Africans, statistics, diplomacy, army veteran, navy veteran, livestock
Language English
Copyright Crown Copyright documents © are reproduced by permission of The National Archives London, UK