Westward Cork Migration by Sail 1815-1860 by John Sutton

PART I CALENDAR OF CORK EMIGRANT SHIP SAILINGS 1815-60

Cape Breton Island in 1784 to placate the newly arrived British Loyalists who disliked the politics of Halifax and, having fled from the US, desired a more traditional British socio- political environment for New Brunswick. Cape Breton Island, long known for massive coal deposits in and offshore, would see major mining development in the 1820s (see Part ll). 1821 A-LIST

Ship

Captain

Cork Dep

Arrival

Voyage Emigrants

Source

AMICUS

J Norton

Halifax 25 May Quebec 12 Sep Quebec 19 Sep 1821 Baltimore 30 Sep

43 d

98 emigrants 2 8

EARL TALBOT W Batters

12 Jul 20 Aug

1 settler 20 settlers

2 8 2 8

SIR JAMES KEMPT MEDFORD

William Stewart J Bernard

passengers

8 14

B-LIST Ship Margaret

– of Philadelphia arrived at Philadelphia from Bristol via Cork 19 Feb with passengers. – ( port unknown) arrived at Quebec from Ilfracombe via Cork 2 June (40 d) with 120 settlers. – of Liverpool arrived at Baltimore from Cork 30 Jun with passengers. -- of Dublin arrived at Quebec from Cork 28 Jul (57 d) with 140 settlers.

Brig Grace

Athens

Brig Robert Nelson

RELATED NEWS and EVENTS * Downturn in Newfoundland Fishing Industry Letter to Sir James Kempt, Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, from Sir Charles Hamilton, Governor of St John’s, Newfoundland, 8 Dec 1821 warned of an influx of Irish from Newfoundland because of a downturn in the fishing industry there. Newfoundland provided seasonal work and had been quite barren and uninviting during the winter months, such that many Irish emigrants on the island became ‘two-boaters’, sailing on to other parts of British North America or the USA. The economy diversified with time, with land-based fisheries, winter trapping, seal hunting and boatbuilding, providing year-long job opportunity. * Lachine Canal: Commissioners request Bids for Construction The Lachine rapids, upstream of Montreal, presented a major barrier requiring lengthy portage and preventing the direct access of ocean vessels to Kingston on Lake Ontario, an economic and military handicap for BNA. That handicap would be removed with the opening of a 13.4 km. canal and lock waterway in 1825. Five hundred laborers would be employed constructing the canal, many of them from Ireland. Despite the Treaty of Ghent, many in BNA were concerned about US expansionism and further strategic canals were in the works, including the Welland and the Rideau, which would provide major challenges due to their lengths and elevation differentials; they too would employ many more Irish migrants (See Part ll).