Westward Cork Migration by Sail 1815-1860 by John Sutton

PART II EMIGRANT PERSPECTIVE

1806

1830

1840

1850

1860

(French) Lower Canada (British) Upper Canada Nova Scotia/ Cape Breton New Brunswick

250,000

500,267

629,943

835,540

1,106,666

70,718.

210,437

436,436

830,225

1,395,222

65,000.

153,218

202,820

268,481

330,689

35,000

91,812

131,040

187,026

233,727

Newfoundland 26,000

69,610 27,244

83,343 45,144

99,786 68,037

124,608 80,648

Prince Edward Island

9,676

TOTAL

430,394

1,052,588

1,528,726

2,289,095

3,271,560

Canadian population: 1806 (during Napoleonic Wars), from Britannica, and 1830- 60, from MacGregor’s interpolated stats.

*Please note that the author has written St John New Brunswick v St John’s Newfoundland to differentiate the two. Yet in most 19 th century maritime papers reviewed herein, the two St John’s are written the same.

The Five US Ports: – Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Orleans. The US population grew from 5,308,485 in 1800 to 12,860,020 in 1830, a 2.4-fold increase.

NEW YORK became the busiest east coast port in the 1790s and grew in prominence during the 19 th century. In the early 1820s over half of all US immigrants came ashore in New York while Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Orleans received only 8- 10% each. New York’s share of all US immigration (UK and Europe) increased to 65% by the late 1830s.

United Kingdom total migrant flow to BNA exceeded that to the USA until the 1830s.

Emigration from UK : ‘British Emigration Commissioners’ Report, 1861 : 1815-20. 1821-30. 1831-40. 1841-50.

1851-60.

To the United States

50,359. 70,438

99.801. 308,247. 1,094,556. 1,495,243

North American Colonies.

130,269

322,485.

429,044. 235,085

Ireland contributed 60% of the ‘British’ transatlantic emigrants who arrived in BNA between 1815 and the Great Famine, while Cohn has stated Ireland consistently contributed 70% of all ‘British’ immigrants who voyaged to the USA for the 21 -years, 1825-46. Information became increasingly available to Irish emigrants preparing for departure in the form of letters from America (some reproduced in newspapers), newsprint editorials, and travel advisories that covered the voyage, destination conditions, and the job market. It should be noted that coincidental with the introduction of the Irish National School System in

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