December 1784

By adjournment same day

The following Letter from Charles Potts< no role > Esqr . Treasurer
and Deputy Clerk of the Peace for Cheshire the Consideration of
which being again deferred at the last Session for want of time
being laid before this Court and read as follows Vizt.

Letter from Cha
Potts< no role > Depy Clk of
ye Peace for Cheshire
on the Subject of
Irish Vagrants.}

"Sir
"I am directed by the Magistrates acting for this
County to trouble you with this Letter in consequence of the number
of Irish Vagrants which are past from the Cities of London & Westmr into
Cheshire and are Ordered to be Shipt from hence for Ireland.

The Vessels usually Sailing from Parkgate to Dublin
are only 5 in Number of which 2 are of 140 Tons burther and the
remaining 3,120 Tons each so that the whole Tonnage is only 640
Tons. Of these Vessels we reckon that one should Sail every 4 Night
but since the peace freight has not offered to enable them to sail so
often but supposing one to Sail each 4 Night the average amount
of Tonnage may be estimated at 254 Tons P Month and as the
Masters of the Vessels are not obliged by the Statute of the 17th.G.2
C.5. S.15 to take over above one Vagrant for every 20 Tons of
their burthen the Magistrates of this County have not any right
to order the taking over above 13 Vagrants each Month or 156 in
the year which is a much less Number than the amount of the Vagrants
sent by the passes above mentioned I am likewise directed to
represent to you that by far the greatest part of the Irish Vagrants
come from the North of Ireland and as the Vessels sailing from
Parkgate go only to Dublin and we have no stated or regular, and
very few occasional oppertunities of sending Vagrants to any other
part of Ireland there being only 1 or 2 small Vessels which come
from Newry at the time of the Chester Fairs and return thither
It is extremely hard upon the poor people themselves to be sent
by way of Park Gate to Dublin as most of them must travel
above 100 Miles from Dublin before they get to that part of
Ireland to which they wish to return.