The above is the process of " Booking" The ticket is to be cut off. The stub remains in the office. I ordered Mr. Sterling some time in September-about the time I commenced a suit against the Albany Evening Journal, to keep the agent of the Commissioners of Emigration (Mr. Neligan) from my office, because I was informed that Mr. Neligan was in the interest of Malburn & Co., and doing all he could to injure me. No facts had come to my knowledge to authorize such a conclusion; there has not since. He has been there frequently since. I have always been friendly with him.

( No. 45. )*

Testimony of James Roach.

James Roach, being duly sworn, says, that he has heen concerned in the emigrant passage business during the past season. I made arrangements with the people's line for carrying passengers on the 1 river. Isaac Newton made the contract on the part of the people's line. The prices for emigrant passengers, on deck, was 50 cents each; never to exceed that sum, but when passengers were brought for a less sum I had the advantage of it. This arrangement was to extend through the season. I was a partner with Mr. Smethurst at the time, and the contract was made for the benefit of the firm.

When we booked passengers in New-York, we furnished each passenger with a river ticket, and also one for a family on the canal

Charles Gallagher, Henry Shanfroid, and George Burns or Hiram Ketchum, are in the employment of the custom house as "night watch;" they have also been employed by Smethurst & Co., during a part of the season, as runners; Gallagher and Shanfroid during the whole, season. I consider that a man connected with the custom house as "night watch," has an advantage over other men in booking passengers; during the season I have spent most of my time in New-York; been here about once a week; I have seen letters here complaining that luggage had been made to weigh more than it actually did; I know Charles Cook; he has been engaged in the business as "booker" in the office, on a salary of $1,200 for the season.

Passengers, nine times in ten, contend, when they arrive here, that their luggage is to go free; there is seldom any thing said about luggage in New-York; the Norwegian passengers generally contract for their luggage in New-York; I know Minor L. Ray, a booker in the employment of Noyes & Co., New-York; last year he was in my employment; part of the time he had a salary, and part of the time I forwarded his passengers; I refused to do his business this season, because his passengers were promised cabin passages, railroad passage, &c., when they had a steerage ticket only.

The Holland society was got up for the purpose of booking Holland passengers; Mr. Hodenpuyl is the agent, and Ralph Schoyer is the secretary; Mr. Hodenpuyl receives 50 cents a head for passengers; Rev. Dr. Dewitt, of New-York, and Rev. Dr. Wyckoff, of Albany, are connected with the society; I have shipped their passengers part of the time during the season.

I know John C. Allstadt, agent of the German emigrant society; a year ago he worked for Brisch, and this year he has been in the employment of the railroad, or uses his influence to send passengers that way.

The Hollanders generally go to Blacklake inlet, on lake Michigan; and pay the society $8.50 each, when I would have taken them forward for $6.50 if I had made the bargain with them, and did carry them for Schoyer for $5 each.

I know Charles H. Webb, agent of the British protective society; he recommends passengers to Hinds & Co., an emigrant forwarding company in Washington-street; Hinds and Webb are relatives; Webb last year recommended his passengers to N. P. O'Hern, in Washington-street; they were booked through to the western country, but never got further than Buffalo.

It is the general opinion among forwarding houses that the agents of all the emigrant societies are engaged in forwarding passengers, and most of the emigrant forwarding houses try to get their influ

ence.

I left the emigrant business during the month of August; I left it because I was sick of it; the way business was done dissatisfied me; my partners were not such men as I like to do business with, par

NOTE.-The committee cannot allow this statement to go to the public, without saying that there is nothing that has come before them, to impair or affect in the least the benevolent and honorable conduct of both Dr. Wyckoff and Dr. De'Vitt.

ticularly Daily; his treatment to passengers was uncivil and brutal; has often been known to personally abuse and assault them, and otherwise impose upon them; another reason of leaving the business was, there was too much money collected from the emigrants; we were employing too many men at high wages to make the business profitable, unless extortion was resorted to..

the

I have looked over the list of persons mentioned by Mr. Smethurst as being employed by him, and it is correct as far as it goes; following names should be added:

And others to whom we paid small sums at various times during the season, among whom was Ralph Schoyer, at $37,50 per week, &c.

Thomas Hetherington was represented to me as a man who could do as he pleased with doctor Van Hovenburgh, the health officer at quarantine; I saw him, and he agreed to get the doctor's influence for $850, and $50 dollars per month for his own services; I paid him about a month and a half, and then discharged him; in this arrangement the $850 was to be paid to doctor Van Hovenburgh; through Hetherington, I was to have three steamboats bonded by the doctor, and have the exclusive privilege of bringing up passengers; but previous to paying the $850, I found that doctor Van Hovenburgh had bonded a steamboat for Wolf and Reischmuller, and I declined doing any thing about it.

There was another reason which induced me to leave the business, which was, I concluded that men who would cheat the emigrants in the way they did, would cheat me; and that I stood no chance of making anything at the business.

I have seen instances when luggage was weighed here, where there were two tallies, one to settle with the passengers, and the other to make out a boat bill by, with a per centage against the passenger.

There was another system of fraud practiced by Daily, and perhaps others, while in the office of Smethurst & Co., that caused a great deal of trouble; which was to furnish a lot of passengers with tickets for the country bordering on the lakes. When they arrived at Albany their tickets would be exchanged for others-one along the canal to Buffalo, containing the full number of passengers, and another for the lakes, containing a less number of passengers than what had paid, thus leaving two or three in each family to pay over again. This has been practiced to a great extent. There has been a great deal of trouble with canal boat captains, who, after being paid for forwarding passengers, compel them to pay over again, or set them ashore.

( No. 42.)

Testimony of Henry Bishop.

Henry Bishop sworn, and says; that he resides in this city, is clerk for Malburn & Co. I have seen at the emigrant forwarding offices, two separate tallies kept of the weight of the luggage; one for settling with the emigrant, and the other for settling with the owner of the boat. There was a difference between the tallies; it would vary about one-third; the tally that was kept for the boat was the true weight; that for the passengers was made to overrun the true weight 300 or 400 lbs. in 800 or 900 lbs. I have seen G. W. Daily do this at Smethurst's office, at No. 122, Pier, Albany, and also at 104 Pier, another of Smethurst's offices. This was a year ago. I have seen this done 3 or 4 times; have seen no one do it but Daily; was once in the employment of Smethurst; have weighed baggage there; have never kept two tallies; have never been directed to do so by Mr. Smethurst. The general prices for luggage from New-York to Buffalo is $1 per 100 lbs., and $2 to Chicago and Milwaukie. I know that C. H. Webb, agent of the British Protection Company, recommends passengers to the office of

Hinds & Co., and receives a commission for recommending them Passengers that are booked at that office pay a higher price for passage than most others. There is another society called the "VolksVerein," in New-York, engaged in booking passengers. They consign them me in this city; Malburn & Co. forward them. I know John C. Allstadt, the agent of the German Emigrant Society; he recommends passengers to Wolf & Rieschmuller's office. Last year he recommended passengers to the office of Mr. Brisch. Mr. Van Toble, Brisch's clerk, told me that money had been paid Allstadt by Brisch for recommending passengers to his office.

( No. 47. )

IN COMMITTEE,

Assembly Chamber, Albany, Nov. 16th, 1847.

Present, Mr. SMITH,

Mr. MCNAMARA,

Mr. UPHAM,

Mr. RUTHERFord.

Testimony of Jonathan Brooks, Jr.

Jonathan Brooks, Jr., sworn, says that he resides in this city, is agent for the Albany Holland Emigration society. I know Mr. P. Hodenpuyl, of New-York; he is agent and treasurer of the NewYork Holland Protection Emigrant Society, under the Rev. Dr. DeWitt, of New York. He is engaged in procuring passengers for the different emigrant passenger offices, and receives 50 cents for each passenger.

I also know Ralph Shoyer, of New-York; he is director of the above society; he keeps an office in New-York for booking passengers; his charges are $8,50 for each passenger, in the steerage, from New-York to Milwaukie, Chicago, and other places on Lake Michigan. His plan is to consign his passengers to some one in Albany, to be forwarded on west, and either he or Mr. Hodenpuyl would come with the passengers to Albany, and settle for the freight with