The Aeolus

If you would like a headstone photograph, please contact me.

Government Emigration Office, St. John,

2 November 1847.

Sir,

I have to report the arrival of the ship “Aeolus” from Sligo, with 428 passengers, for which vessel a ship return is enclosed.

I have not as yet received any information of the sailing of this vessel from Sligo, and so soon as I learned that she was off the harbour with passengers, I went down to her, and was present with the health officer at the inspection.

It appeared that eight of the passengers and one of the crew had died on the voyage, and 16 passengers and six of the crew lay ill with fever; several of the passengers who were able to come on deck exhibited strong symptoms of the fever.

The whole of the passengers by this vessel (except six) have been cottiers on the estate of Lord Palmerston, near Sligo, and have been sent out at his Lordship's expense.

There are many aged persons of both sexes on board, and a large proportion of women and children, the whole in the most abject state of poverty and destitution, with barely sufficient rags upon their persons to cover their nakedness; none of the younger portion of the inhabitants have either shoes or stockings; there is a great deficiency both of petticoats and trousers, and one boy about ten years of age was actually brought on deck stark naked.

The arrival at this unusually late period of so large number of destitute and naked emigrants is deeply to be regretted. The vessel has been placed in quarantine; but before these people are allowed to land, they must be provided with sufficient clothing to protect them from the inclemency of the season , or they will perish. A very large proportion are unable to support themselves even if they could procure labour, and these must become a public charge at the present time, with the probability of their becoming so permanantly.

I have, Sc

(Signed) M. H. Perley,

H. M. Emigration Officer.

The Honourable, John S. Saunders,

Prov. Secretary, &c. &c. &c.