[267] This was up to the 16th of October only, but on the 31st of December, when the account was finally closed, Mr. Bromley, the head accountant, says,—­Total expended to this day, L1,724,631 17s. 3d.

[268] Irish Crisis.

CHAPTER XIV.

The Fever Act—­Central Board of Health—­Fever Hospitals—­Changes in the Act—­Outdoor Attendance—­Interment of the Dead—­The Fever in 1846—­Cork Workhouse—­Clonmel—­Tyrone—­Ne
wry—­Sligo—­Leitrim—­Roscommon—­Galway—­ Fever in 1847—­Belfast—­Death-rate in the Workhouses—­Swinford—­Cork—
­Dropsy—­Carrick-on-Shannon—­Macroom—­ Bantry Abbey—­Dublin—­Cork Street Hospital—­Applications for Temporary Hospital accommodation—­Relapse a remarkable feature—­Number of cases received—­Percentage of Mortality—­Weekly Cost of Patients—­Imperfect Returns—­Scurvy—­The cause of it—­Emigration—­Earlier Schemes of Emigration—­Mr. Wilmot Horton—­Present Stats of Peterborough (Note)—­Various Parliamentary Committees on Emigration—­Their Views—­The Devon Commission—­Its Views of Emigration—­A Parliamentary Committee opposed to Emigration—­Statistics of Emigration—­Gigantic Emigration Scheme—­Mr. Godley—­Statement to the Premier—­The Joint Stock Company for Emigration—­L9,000,000 required—­How to be applied—­It was to be a Catholic Emigration—­Mr. Godley’s Scheme—­Not accepted by the Government—­Who signed it—­Names (Note)—­Dr. Maginn on the Emigration Scheme—­Emigration to be left to itself—­Statistics of Population—­The Census of 1841—­Deaths from the Famine—­Deaths amongst Emigrants—­Deaths amongst those who went to Canada—­Emigration to the United States—­Commission to protect Emigrants—­Revelations—­Mortality on board Emigrant Ships—­Plunder of Emigrants—­Committee of Inquiry—­Its Report—­Frauds about Passage Tickets—­Evidence—­How did any survive?—­Remittances from Emigrants—­Unprecedented—­A proof of their industry and perseverance.

In anticipation of fever and other epidemics resulting from the Famine, a Fever Act was passed for Ireland in the early part of the Session of 1846, by which the Lord Lieutenant was empowered to appoint Commissioners of Health, not exceeding five in number, who were to act without salaries.  They constituted what was called the Central Board of Health.  He was further empowered to appoint medical officers for the Poor Law Unions, with salaries to be paid by the Treasury; such medical officers to be under the control of the guardians.  The Board of Health was authorized to direct guardians to provide fever hospitals and dispensaries, together with medicines and all other necessaries for those hospitals.  This Act was to cease in September, 1847, but in the April of that year an Act to amend and extend it to November, 1847, was passed.  Eventually, it remained in its amended form in force until the end of the Parliamentary Session of 1850.