The legislation governing slave ships from Africa was far more humane than the legislation governing the emigration ships because slaves had a commercial value and were considered a valuable cargo whereas the Cleared Gaels were no more than fare-paying ballast on the otherwise empty ships sailing from Britain to North America to pick up timber, tobacco and cotton.

Ships carrying in excess of 700 emigrants would only have been allowed by law to carry 490 slaves. Three out of every 20 emigrants died on board the ships. In 1834 more than 700 people died in shipwrecks. Between 1847 - 53, at least 49 emigrants boats, each carrying between 600 - 1,000 passengers, were lost.

Exactly the same fate was befalling the Irish emigrants who were victims of the Famine and in 1848, due to the same potato blight, 17,300 Scottish emigrants died on the coffin ships or in the quarantine stations of Canada and America.

The medical examiner at the Grosse Isle Immigration Station in the St. Lawrence River, Quebec, Canada reported on seeing the Cleared Highlanders,

"I never during my long experience at the station, saw a body of emigrants so destitute of clothing and bedding. Many children of 9 or 10 years old had not a rag to cover them. Mrs. Crisp, the wife of the master of the ship "Admiral" was busily employed all the voyage in converting empty bread bags, old canvas, and blankets, into coverings for them. One full-grown man passed may inspection with no other garment than a woman's petticoat."

The statistics are so dreadful they are hard to comprehend. It is to easy to forget that we are talking about fellow human beings when we read the huge numbers Cleared.

In Sutherland 40 sheep farmers occupied an area once lived and worked by 15,000 people; between 1815-38 Nova Scotia received 22,000 Cleared Highlanders (New Brunswick was part of Nova Scotia at this time).

In 1841 the records of Quebec note that they could not keep up with the number of destitute Scottish immigrants being given Poor Relief. On May 15, 1851, the factor at Stornoway, Isle of Lewis complained that the people being forced to emigrate to the States were entering the ships to slowly. He told the captain that at his next stop he should push the men, women and children on board without their luggage as this would speed things up and make room for even more people. 3,200 families were Cleared from Lewis alone in that year.

Written and published by the Highland Clearances Memorial Fund

Back to Highland Clearances Memorial Fund Series Main Page

Part One: Background
Part Two: Highland Portrait
Part Three: Bonnie Prince Charlie
Part Four: The Clearances
Part Five: The Improvements
Part Six: The Sutherland Estate
Part Seven: The People and the Church
Part Eight: US Slave-Owners
Part Nine: Queen Victoria and Red Deer
Part Ten: 1840-1880 Eyewitness Accounts
Part Eleven: Famine!
Part Twelve: Famine Immigration
Part Thirteen: Forced Eviction to the Cities
Part Fourteen: Changing Ways
Part Fifteen: Things Change Yet Remain The Same
Appendix A: Highland Clearances, Dates & Places
Appendix B: Bibliography