Transcript:Scot Irish Immigration to Pennsylvania, 1736

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Source

Original Source:Credited to "Scot in North Britain, North Ireland and North America, N.Y. 1902, Vol. II., 65-69-Charles Hanna." Intermediate Source:PennStateUniv

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The Scot-Irish began to come into America in the late 1600's, but their immigration to American didn't really get underway until the early 1700's. Eventually, the flood of emigrant from Ireland disturbed the British government so that they try to halt the flow. Here's an interesting letter from a ship owner to the proprietor of Pennsylvania. in 1736

Text

Dublin, May 3, 1736.

Hond. Sr.

"As you are the proprietor of pensilvaina & being informed of your being in London, I would beg Liberty to inform your Worship of some of the deficulty wh. poor peeple that are flying from the oppression of the Landlords and Tyths to,several parts of America viz:- When last our Irish Parlement was sitting there was a )ill brought in respecting the Transportation to America, which made it next to prohibition, said Bill greatly alarmed the people particularly in the North of Ireland, and least a second should succeed greater numrs. than usually made ready but when said Landlords found it so they fell on with other means by distressing the owners & masters of the Ships, there being now ten in the harbour of Belfast the method they fell in with first was that when anny of said Ships advertised that they were Bound for such Port & when they would be in readiness to seal & thire willingness to agree with the passengers for which & no other Reasons they esued out thire Warrants and had severall of said own- ers & Masters apprehended & likewise the printers of said advertisements & Bound in Bonds of a thousand pounds to appear att Carrick-fergus Assizes or be thrown into a Lowthsome Geaol & for no other reason than Encouraging his Majesty's subjects as they were pleased to cale thire indectment from one plantation to another.

But even after all this whenthe Assizes came on they were offread of thire Enlargement and begged very earnestly of ye judges to heave them continued upon thire Recognizes the consequence of which may easly be seen, most of said Ships being strangers would have effectually them. But the Judge was pleased to discharge them, nay one of the Justices gott tup in Court & swore by G-d if any came to Lisburn the town in which he lived to publise an advertisement he would whipe him throw the Town.

To which the Judge replied to concider if they Deserved it & if he whiped anny person to do it according to Law. Money has been offered by some of them to swere against some of Said Ships & Rewards actually given but yett a more Hellish contrivance has been thought of & is put in practice by the Collr. Geo McCartnay of Belfast he will not now, when said Ships & passengers was just redy to seal so much as allow the poor people to carry thire old Bed clothes with them; allthow ever so old under pretence of an act of the British Parlement made in the tenth & eleventh years of the Rean of King William and repealed in ye year I732 & said Ships being obliged to lay this affair before the Comrs. of Dublin.

Many of the seventeen or eighteen hundred souls destitute not able to pay passage.money, without houses to shelter them and dependent on Friends in America-whose reports are by Landlords regarded as forgery, Lyes & the contriv- ances of the Proprietors Trustees and Masters, of the American Ships

Signed by John Stewart"