and the 1st of November,
278,005 immigrants arrived at Liverpool from Ireland; but the Irish
labourers who, at that time, annually visited England, and who were
variously estimated at from 10,000 to 30,000, are included in the
number. For the protection of the emigrants, additional agents were
appointed by the Government at Liverpool and some Irish ports; and the
annual vote in aid of colonial funds, for the relief of sick and
destitute emigrants from the United Kingdom, was increased from L1,000
to L10,000.[284]

In the spring of 1847, a gigantic emigration scheme was launched. It was
said to have emanated from, and was certainly patronized by members of
the so-called Irish party, which, with so few elements of cohesion, was
inaugurated at the Rotundo meeting; but the father of the scheme seems
to have been Mr. J.E. Godley. By it, two millions of Irish Catholics
were to be transferred to Canada in three years; it being a leading
feature in the scheme to send none but Catholics. It was, the promoters
said, to be an Irish Catholic colony, with a distinct and well marked
Irish nationality,--in fact, a New Ireland! There was a memorial on the
subject which extended over fifty one pages of a pamphlet, and which was
prepared by Mr. Godley with much ability. It went very fully into the
whole scheme. This, accompanied by a short explanatory letter, was
presented to the Prime Minister on the last day of March.

The memorialists assumed that the cultivation of the potato could not be
persevered in, and that Ireland, in her existing condition, could not
grow enough of corn food for six millions of people. Hence the necessity
for an extensive emigration. They are not, they say, to be ranked among
those who believe Ireland incapable of supporting its existing
population in comfort, under other circumstances; far from it. On the
contrary, they do not doubt that if "the social economy" of Ireland were
made to resemble that of England, the population of Ireland might be
larger than it then was. It was only under existing circumstances that
the population of Ireland was redundant, and all they desired was a
temporary decrease.

In the letter which accompanied the memorial to the Premier, the
memorialists put their views, shortly, as follows:--1. The present
condition of Ireland is such, that there must be, for some years, a vast
increase of emigration, they, therefore, urge the necessity of what they
call "systematic colonization,"