Roach & Smethurst have their offices on the North river side of city of New-York, to wit:

O. B. Teall, 109 West-street.

P. Adams & Co., 108 Barclay-street.

W. F. Hart, 9 Washington-street.

(No. 7.)

IN COMMITTEE,

New-York, October 18, 1847.

Present, Mr. SMITH,

Mr. MCNAMARA,

Mr. UPHAM,

Mr. CHANDLER,

Mr. RUTHERford.

Testimony of Charles Cook.

Charles Cook, sworn. I reside in this city, and am engaged in the office of Noys & Co.; have been engaged in the emigrant passage business as book keeper for the past five seasons of canal navigation; 4 or 5 months of the first season I had a commission, and received about $350; I have been employed by different persons during the above mentioned time; Dewit & Hornblower, Cook & Wilber, Bromley, Harden, & Co., Malburn & Co., as booker and book keeper; I know John F. Wolf and Wm. Richmuieller, O. B. Teal, P. Caswell, M. L. Ray, H. Husted, P. Adams, S. Scentre, Isaiah Selover, W. F. Hart, Henry Brische, I. Olmstead, A. Pearsons, S. Pearsons, Geo. Andrews, Geo. McDonald, Isaac Hamilton, Geo. and Richard Cornwell, Osborne, Hinds & Co., Fraleck Krells, and many others engaged in the passage business; I have heard Richmuieller and Wolf say to passengers that the fare by steamboat and railroad to Buffalo was $6, and the fare from Buffalo to Milwaukie or Chicago was the same, and they could not go for less money; I have heard Rischmuieller tell passengers to go to the devil, they could not go less than $12 as

*

a deck passenger on the lakes, and made them believe they must get their tickets from him, which they did; Rischmuieller told me that all he was compelled to pay for a passenger to any port on the lakes was $2 to $2.50; Wolf told me that $2 was the price which they were to pay on the lakes, and all luggage free; that R. & W. had an agent in Buffalo who collected 50 to 75 cents per hundred on all luggage over 100 lbs. going up the lakes.

I have heard McDonald, Hamilton, and others in the business, tell passengers that a ticket would take them by railroad or packet, with board, and all luggage free, when in fact they were compelled to take a line boat; in some instances they would write on the ticket, railroad to Schenectady; I have been in Albany and seen their tickets presented at Smethurst's office, and they were told they could take the midship of a boat lying at the dock, or a berth in the cabin by paying $1 extra; I have been in his office when Irish, Dutch and English emigrants were there, and have heard Roach tell his men to promise them all they wanted, that is, they should have Railroad passage, and all of their luggage free; the same persons I saw afterwards with canal boat tickets; Roach said that he kept the party called the sixteen, at a great loss, for the purpose of controlling the Dutch emigrants; the Irish are worth nothing, the English alone would not pay, but putting the sixteen men or fighting men, with them to help Briesch from whom he was obtaining Dutch passengers, he could make a good stake; that there was no use of talking of being honest while in the passage business, all he wanted was to get hold of the cattle, he did not care how or what they were promised, they would be compelled to point up in Albany while Smethurst and a Dutchman were there. I have been in Albany and have seen the luggage of emigrants weighed, and have seen the men that took the tally add to the weight called out by the weigher so as to average about 50 pounds to the passenger over the true weight; I have seen it done by men in the employ of Smethurst & Co., and the same collected by them; I have also seen the same thing done in Malburn & Co.'s office in the absence of Malburn; I have seen Smethurst collect lake charges on luggage, and receipt only upon the canal ticket, compelling the emigrant to pay lake charges again at Buffalo; I have seen Dailey, Smethurst and Weaver, on two or three occasions, collect from passengers their passage, and freight on their luggage, and have endorsed on the ticket, due upon this a balance in Buffalo; I have gone with passengers to their office, once with about 70 Germans to settle a difficulty between them and Dailey, which was settled by them by paying one-half of their passage here and the bal

ance in Buffalo, which was done; the part to be paid in Buffalo was endorsed upon the bill by Dailey; he also added about $40 for the captain to collect of the passengers, and deducted the same from the amount going to the proprietor, Mr. Evans; he (Evans) enquired if that was right; I told him no; he then made Dailey alter the bill and endorse as he agreed; I have seen Selover book passengers and promise them that they could go by railroad and packet, and luggage free, and would give them a line boat ticket; he would brag how he had caught the Yonks.

The men called the sixteen party, have their head quarters at sixteen Front-street, headed by Husted, Hart and others. I have heard several of the party say, after they had been booking emigrant passengers, that they had made a big thing of it, and at the same time they had skinned them of their money, and that they had skinned English and Scotch out of sovereigns. The English runners generally get the luggage of passengers in their office; then if the passenger does not take passage with them they make a heavy charge for storage. The People's Line of boats will carry passengers on deck from New-York to Albany for fifty cents each. From Albany to Buffalo, contracts are made with the transportation companies to carry passengers, with an indefinite amount of luggage, throughout the season, 1847, for $1. From the opening of navigation last spring till 31st day of July, forwarding companies paid the transportation lines for steerage passengers by canal, river and lake, from New-York to Chicago, $3, including 65 lbs. luggage; they charge emigrants from $5 to $8; luggage costs about 75 cents per 100 lbs. and is charged from $1,50 to $2 per 100 lbs.

The actual cost for steerage passengers and emigrant cars from Albany to Buffalo, thence to Chicago, is $6.50, for which the emigrant pays $12; this includes 100 lbs. of luggage on the river and an indefinite amount on the railroad; the usual rates on the railroad is $1.25 per 100 lbs. A deduction of $3 is made to all passengers who stop at Detroit or any point this side on the lower lakes; this costs the forwarding companies about $5.50 by rail road; if on the canal, (steerage) the charge is $5, and it costs about $2. This is up to the 1st of August; on the lakes the rates have advanced since the 1st of August, $3, from Buffalo to Chicago, and $1 on the lower lakes.

(No. 8.

Testimony of James Erwin.

James Erwin sworn. I am agent of the Irish Emigrant Society of the city of New-York. The books produced before the committee are the books of the society. One of them is book of arrivals; the other is the complaint book, in which is entered the complaints made to the society by emigrants, all of which is in my hand writing. I have investigated all of the cases entered in the book. I do not know of any person connected with any emigrant societies who are connected with any forwarding offices.

Note by the committee. The books above referred to contained numerous complaints, detailing frauds, similar in character to many others mentioned in the report; we forbear to quote from it, from the fact that our report is already too voluminous, and quotations would be mere repetitions of what has already been mentioned.

(No. 9.)

Testimony of Mervin L. Ray.

Mervin L. Ray sworn. Resides in New-York; is engaged in forwarding emigrant passengers to all parts of the western country; has an office; has no connexion with any one or any office. I have no runners, but advertise in three or four papers; my rates are advertised, and I never depart from them. The following is one of my advertisements:

[Steamboat cut.] "OPPOSITION OFFICE.-For Albany, 75 cents; Utica, $1.50; Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo, $2; Oswego, $3; Toronto, Upper Canada, $5; Cleveland and Detroit, $5; Cincinnati, $7.75; Milwaukie and Chicago, $7.75; Pittsburgh, $7. Through tickets to be had at the above prices at No. 100 Barclay-street N. Y. M. L. RAY, Agent."

I have known Mr. Adams to take $12 for a passenger to Buffalo, when I would have given him the same fare at $2. The rates mentioned in my advertisements are for steerage passage.

(No. 10.)

Testimony of P. Hodenpyle.

P. H. Hodenpyle sworn. Is agent of the Netherlands Emigrant Society; have been since April last. I have been in danger frequently of personal violence from the runners; they are Hollanders, Germans, English, Irish, &c. There has gone this fall, one Hollander and two German runners to Europe to establish agencies for forwarding passengers from New-York to the western States and Territories. I have been in this country eight years; I never went with any of them in Europe.

(No. 11.)

Testimony of R. Schoger.

R. Schoger, being duly sworn, says: I am a director of the Netherlands Emigrant Society. The first fraud practiced upon the emigrant is this the moment a vessel arrives, it is boarded by runners, whose first object appears to be to get emigrants to their respective public houses. Once there, they are considered sure prey. These runners represent the interest of all the various taverns and forwarding lines. Each party bringing with them their bullies, to fight off their opponents, the emigrant becomes bewildered. As there is frequent bloodshed upon such occasions, the strongest party carry off the emigrants. Previously to going to the taverns, they are told that meals will be furnished for 6d. each, and 6d. for lodging, when in fact they are charged never less than 2s., and often $1 per meal; and their baggage is held until all is paid. The next ordeal through which the emigrant is obliged to pass, is called " booking,” by which