GOULD, Collector to Folger, September 20, 1883

Mr. Gould to Mr. Folger.

Sir: Respectfully referring to Department letter of the 3d instant (8134 D. L.), relating to the return to Canada of two Irish panper immigrants who arrived at Quebec by vessel and came thence to the United States by rail, I have to state that immediately on receipt of Department letter 1 requested the keeper of the Erie County Almshouse to furnish me a statement of the facts coming to his knowledge in the cases which were the subject of Department letter above named and his report inclosed.

Mr. Busch, who makes the report, is in a better position to obtain accurate information on the subject than any other person within my knowledge. Mr. Busch, in his report, names 46 insane and pauper emigrants from various European countries who had, in most cases, been sent with Government or municipal aid to the United States and who were returned from the Erie County Ali shouse to the countries from whence they came, between August 8, 1880, and August 4, 1883.

These cases, however, with two exceptions, have no direct bearing an the inquiry of the Department, as the persons arrived in the United States at the ports of New York and Boston, and came to Buffalo from those ports. The exceptions are, viz:

Case No. 3, John Byrne, age thirty-nine, cripple and pauper, arrived in the United States in September, 1880, by rail from Quebec, where he landed from an English vessel. He was ticketed through from Ireland to Buffalo via Quebec, and his ticket and £5 were furnished by the Government authorities. He was returned to Ireland September 11, 1880, by the State board of charities.

Case No. 23, Louisa Weingerten, vagrant and prostitute, from Switzerland via Quebec, in March, 1882, transportation furnished by the Swiss Government. She was returned to Switzerland by the State board of charities. In addition to the 46 cases enumerated by Mr. Busch in his report, he states that on the 17th of August last the following persons were received into the Erie County Almshouse as paupers, viz:

James Cloharty, age sixty years, with wife and four children, and Michael Cunningham, with eight children, from one to eighteen years of age.

These persons, who came from County Gal way, Ireland, were landed from steamship at Quebec, and were furnished with transportation to that place by the authorities in Ireland.

On arrival at Quebec they were separated from the remainder of the immigrants who arrived on the same vessel, and furnished by the Canadian authorities with railroad transportation from Quebec to Buffalo. The statement of these persons to Mr. Busch was that nearly the whole ship’s load of immigrants arriving with them had been assisted by the authorities in Ireland, but the ultimate destination of the others was unknown to them but was believed to be the United States.

On the 31st of August last two paupers, Bridget Haley, age sixty, and son Owen, age sixteen, were received at the Erie County Almshouse. They landed at Quebec about two weeks after the landing of Cloharty and Cunningham, and the statement made by them was in substance the same as that made by Cloharty and Cunningham.

Paupers Cloharty and Cunningham and their families were returned to Canada by Mr. Busch on the 20th of August, 1883.

Mr. Busch has stated to me that the persons herein named as having been lauded from on board ship at Quebec first arrived in the United States at the port of Suspension Bridge via the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada, and came thence by rail to Buffalo.

I have no doubt of the correctness of this statement, as the route via Suspension Bridge to Buffalo is much more direct than that via the International Bridge.

I am, &c.,