ALARDUS PASSENGERS NOT SCUM!

The following transcript is copied from correspondence sent from Queensland's Agent General in London to the Queensland Government in Brisbane, Australia. It appears to be a duplicate of an original letter (written in German?) from the Hamburg shipping agent W. Kirchner to the Agent General in London, Richard Daintree. The letter is part of a bundle of documents, catalogue number COL/76, held at the Queensland Archives, Runcorn.

Darmstadt, 21 July 1873

Sir,

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letters of 17th and 19th instant. Respecting Dr Senftleben's charges against me, that the 'Alardus' was unsuitable for Emigrants and overcrowded, I can only reiterate what I mentioned to you in my letter of 27th April last, and I am confident that on inspection of the vessel at Maryborough, the statements made by him, will have been found altogether exaggerated.

Dr Senftleben was present at the Government inspection in Hamburg, and I do not recollect him having made any remonstrance, or even suggestion, respecting the Emigrants' accommodation. His only anxiety then was asking after his own accommodation and table.

I certainly mentioned to the Doctor my regret at the ship being a chartered ship, as I considered Louis Knorr Ltd ships far preferable both as to accommodation and officers and crew. I am afraid the Doctor's selection was an unfortunate one, although he no doubt performed his medical duties satisfactorily, he appears to have shown great want of tact, sense and nerve. It appears by his own report, that he was continually meddling between the Captain and his officers and setting even the Emigrants against the Officers.

Before the Alardus sailed and since her disastrous voyage, I made enquiries about Captain Popp's character and have heard from every side, that he was a sober and steady and respectable man; he had been in command of ships since the last eighteen years and was part owner of the 'Alardus'. His poor widow in Hamburg accuses the Doctor of having driven her husband into madness and asserts that already before the vessel left the Elbe, and while she was on the ship, the pretensions and demands made by the Doctor had caused quarrels between them.

Both the 'Lammershagen' and the 'Alardus' had a preponderance of Scandinavian Emigrants as at that time the emmigration from Germany was still restricted, but the vessels since have taken mostly Germans.

Nevertheless I beg most emphatically to protest against the assertion that the passengers by the above ship were the 'scum' of the place from which they came. Every immigrant has to bring a certificate from his minister and the Police authorities (with official seal) that he has known for three years, has borne a good character and was never convicted of any crime or imprisoned for riot, assault or drunkenness and never received any relief from his parish.

My Emigrants although poor are respectable hardworking people and although their wages may not have exceeded sixpence per day, out of which they have to pay a long journey to the port of Embarkation in addition to the deposit of One pound, required by our Act.

The fact that the Emigrants per 'Lammershagen' found employment as soon as they arrived in Brisbane seems to contradict the assertion that they were unsuitable. The Emigrants of the 'Alardus' were described as scum and condemned as unsuitable, before any one could have seen them! The vessel had not even arrived in the Colony.

I have the honor to be

            Sir

Your obedient servant

W. Kirchener