which followed in its track.

The mortality on board some of the emigrant ships was terrible; and,
whatever the cause, the deaths in _British ships_ enormously exceeded
those in the ships of any other country.[294] The "Erin Queen" sailed
with 493 passengers, of whom 136 died on the voyage. The scenes of
misery on board of this vessel could hardly have been surpassed in a
crowded and sickly slaver on the African coast. It appears, writes Dr.
Stratten, that the "Avon," in 552 passengers, had 246 deaths; and the
"Virginius," in 476, had 267 deaths.[295] An English gentleman,
referring to a portion of Connaught in which he was stationed at the
time, writes thus: "Hundreds, it is said, had been compelled to emigrate
by ill-usage, and in one vessel containing 600 not _one hundred_
survived!"[296]

Much sympathy was shown in Canada for the poor emigrants, and their
orphans were, to a great extent, adopted by charitable families. The
legislature of the State of New York, and many of its leading citizens,
showed a laudable desire to aid and protect emigrants, in spite of which
the most cruel and heartless villainies were practised upon the
inexperienced strangers the moment they landed; in fact, before they
landed the ship was surrounded by harpies, who seized their luggage and
partly by violence, partly by wheedling and misrepresentation, led them
where they pleased, and plundered then at will.

The legislature of the State of New York, in 1847, appointed a Committee
to inquire into the frauds practised upon emigrants. It made its report
in January 1848. In the fourth page of that Report these words occur:
"Your Committee must confess, that they had no conception of, nor would
they have believed the extent to which these frauds and outrages have
been practised, until they came to investigate them." The first set of
robbers into whose hands the emigrants fell were called "runners." They
are described in the Report as a class who boarded the emigrant ship and
brought the emigrants to their special lodging-houses in spite of them,
and in spite of the authorities. They took charge of their luggage,
pretending that nothing would be demanded for the storage of it, the
price claimed for which afterwards was exorbitant, and the luggage was
held until it was paid.

The frauds committed with regard to passage tickets were if possible
more grievous than those practised by the runners. "The emigrant," says
the Report, buys a ticket a