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THE NORWEGIAN EMIGRATION TO AMERICA.*

It is now about 30 years since the first Norwegian emigrants forsook their mountains to wander to the far west.

This emigration of a few hundred at that time attracted particularly great attention. People wondered what social evils had forced so many of their countrymen to leave free and happy Norway. They sympathized deeply with the unfortunate emigrants who blindly gave up the comforts of their home to meet a dark and uncertain future in a foreign country. Much anxiety was felt for the disastrous, economical results, which would be felt in the fatherland, already so thinly populated, in case this emigration fever should continue to

rage.

Since that time a great change has taken place. The desire of emigrating has spread more and more; instead of hundreds, thousands of Norwegians now leave their shores annually, but it no longer excites much attention; there is no longer uneasiness as to the fate of the emigrants, or as to the results of emigration. This emigration, however, is a matter which desires attention, and it is, therefore, the purpose in the following pages to inquire more closely into the cause of its development during the 30 years which have elapsed since its commencement, hoping that the result will not be without interest.

The total number of emigrants from Norway to America during the last 30 years amounts to more than 70,000 persons.

The following table shows the annual emigration:

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Emigration on a large scale first began in 1843, before which period it was confined to Ryfylke, Thelemarken and Nuenedal; but from 1843 the whole of Buskerud amt, together with North and South Bergenhuus amts, began to take part in the general emigration; afterwards people began to emigrate from Nedences and Robyggelazets amts. In 1848 they first went off in numbers from Christians amt, and also, though to a less extent, from Lyster and Mandals amt. Since that time the desire to emigrate has gradually reached Hedemarkens amt, (1850,) Akershuus, (1853,) North and South Throndhjems amts, (1857,) and finally in 1861 and 1862, Nordland and Finmarken. Hitherto Smaalehnenes, Grevskaberne, (the counties,) and Romsdalen, have not assisted to swell in any important degree this stream of emigration which otherwise has taken place over the whole country.

Emigration has not increased so much in intensity as in extent. While it has spread to districts where it was formerly unknown, it has decreased in some counties or remained stationary, and in others varied considerably from year to year. On the whole it has been

*The sources from which this information has been principally taken are:

1. The quinquennial report of the economical state of the kingdom, giving tables of the number of emigrants from each anit," (county,) and generally for every year.

2. Copies of despatches relative to emigration to the North American colonies, (printed in the English parliamentary papers.) These documents contain, amongst other information, statements of the number of emigrants who sailed from each Norwegian port.

3. Statements from Swedish and Norwegian consuls in Quebec and New York.

4. Sundry information which has from time to time appeared in Norwegian newspapers.

In the working of the following statistical data it has been tried as far as possible by comparing one statement with another, to arrive at the truth, relying, however, principally on the information contained in No. 2. As regards the statements in the quinquennial reports the figures will generally be found to be too low. The results arrived at in this manner are, perhaps, not quite accurate, but probably are not far out of the mark.

decidedly irregular, so to speak in fits and starts, so that it is very difficult to point out with any degree of certainty the mode of development.

In the years 1843-'48 the desire to emigrate appears to have been on the decrease, for although emigration began to take place in a larger number of districts, the total number of emigrants in 1844-48 was, one year with another, somewhat less than in 1843. It was supposed at that time that emigration would either cease altogether, or at all events decrease to a very great extent. The bad harvests of 1847 and 1848 caused the number of emigrants suddenly to mount up to double of what it had been previously, and although the following years were favorable for the country generally, the stream of emigration continued to swell until 1855, in which year only 1,600 persons left their homes, against 6,000 in each of the previous years. In 1856, too, there were fewer emigrants than in several of the preceding years; the bad corn harvest caused larger numbers to emigrate than before. From 1858-'60 emigration again decreased to an extent which gave rise to the idea that it was about to be confined within very narrow limits. But the extremely unfavorable harvest of 1860 caused it again to increase, so that the number went up in 1861 to very nearly 9,000, and in 1862 to over 5,000. The war in the United States was of course the reason why so few emigrated in 1863, but in 1864 it seems to have lost its deterring influence, inasmuch as in that year 3,700 persons left their homes for America.

According to the above statements Norwegian emigration may be classed under four divisions.

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The years 1836-'42 were the periods in which emigration was first developed. In 1843-'48 it had taken a fixed character; during the next period it rose suddenly to a considerable height, and sank again in the ensuing years. Its tendency to decrease was greater than the above average would seem to imply; for emigration during the last ten years has assumed a very decided feature, and, not taking into consideration the effects of very bad harvests in two of the years, the average number for the other eight was nearly 2,300.

It is for several reasons interesting to compare the Norwegian emigration with that from the rest of Europe. The following statement of the total emigration to the United States is taken from Bromwell's "History of Emigration," and Legoyt's "Emigration Europeenne.” The arrivals at the different seaports of the United States were:

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We remark here a great similarity. The emigration from Norway and the rest of Europe increased steadily during the years 1830-'46, and afterwards rapidly up to 1854, from which year we observe a decrease. The only difference is the great increase in emigration from the rest of Europe having commenced as early as 1847. The excitement reached this distant part of Europe a year or two later. The emigration from the rest of Europe culminated in 1853 and 1854, during which year larger numbers emigrated from Norway than ever before. The Swedish emigration likewise, though of less importance, has developed itself in a similar manner. It commenced in 1845, rose in 1854 to nearly 4,000, but has since then decreased to about 700 a year.

If we compare the number of emigrants with the total population we shall find that Norway belongs to those countries in which emigration assumes the largest proportion. According to a statement in the above-mentioned work of Legoyt Great Britain and Ireland, South Germany, some of the smaller German states, and Switzerland are the only countries where

emigration has been more extensive. Duval, in his "Histoire de l'Emigration," page 174,

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140, 000, or 1 out of 44

9, 300, or 1 out of 79 7,500, or 1 out of 85 244,000, or 1 out of 113 16, 239, or 1 out of 101 4,700, or 1 out of 181 8,340, or 1 out of 214 17,912, or 1 out of 253 8,000, or 1 out of 300 884, or 1 out of 304 8,000, or 1 out of 437

619, or 1 out of 453

3, 270, or 1 out of 455 120, 000, or 1 out of 533

We have shown the order in which the different amts took part in the general emigration. The numbers which each has furnished will be seen by the following table:*

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*By comparing these figures with those in the quinquennial reports 1846-'50 and 1851-'55, it will be seen that the sums total for the whole kingdom agree. This is, however, not the case with the different districts. The most important deviations are as follows:

1. According to this statement the number of emigrants from the city of Christiania from 1846-'55 should have been 970, but according to the quinquennial reports it is 4,288; but in these reports all the emigrants are included who left Christiania, provided with passports, most of whom, however, were country people.

2. From Buskerud amt the statements are, respectively, 3,900 and 4,337; the difference in this case arises likewise from the fact that the emigrants from Ringerige and Hallingdal districts have been counted twice, the greatest number of whom had provided themselves with passports at Drammen, but who have, of course, been included, notwithstanding, in the different Lensmond's reports.

3. The "Amtmond's" reports of emigration are altogether too low, which, however, has been emphatically stated in several of them. This difference it has been endeavored to correct by comparison, with the more reliable statements of the number of emigrants who sailed from the different ports of the kingdom.

The following is an instance showing the way at which the result is arrived at. During the five years from 1851-55, there emigrated from Bergen more than 3,840 persons. In the quinquennial report the total number of emigrants from Bergen, Throndhjem, and Tromsoe provinces is 2,995, of whom 30 are known to have sailed from Christiania. The number in this quinquennial report must consequently be increased by 880, or 29 per cent.; the emigrants from southern Bergenhuus amt must therefore have been 889 instead of 669.

No doubt this mode of calculation has its objections; but it is the only one which can be adopted in order to arrive at anything like a good result, and when applied to large numbers will be generally found corect.

The population of the country in 1855 may, with regard to emigration in the period from 1836-'64, be considered as the average; for even if it be not exact, we must remember that of the emigrants who left Norway from 1836-'55, by far the greatest number were from 1849-'55, so that emigration for the most part lies nearer the year 1855 than one would imagine at the first glance.

For every 1,000 of the average population there emigrated from the years 1836-64—

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From the above statement, it appears that emigration has been most extensive in the amts where lofty mountain tracts are most numerous. If we regard more closely the different amts, we shall find the same difference between the mountain districts and the more open country.

The reports in our possession show that in Christians amt the district Valders has contributed the largest numbers to emigration. In Buskeruds amt emigration had its commencement in Numedal, and has since been most extensive in Hallingdal. In the district of Buskerud the greatest number have gone from the mountain tract Sigdal, in Bradsbergs amt from Upper Thelemarken, and in Stavanger amt from Ryfylke.

It may be observed that the northern boundary line for emigration in the province of Bergen is formed by the vast mountain chain which runs between the district of Sogne and those of South and North Fjords. The extensive emigration from North Bergenhuus amt has been almost wholly from the district of Sogne.

Together with the above statement of the extent of emigration from the different parts of the kingdom, we will furnish a little information concerning the routes the emigrants have generally chosen.

The first emigrants left Stavanger, direct for New York, in 1836; later on, when emigration became more extensive, large numbers went by way of Havre, Hamburg, Bremen, and a few of the other ports from which the great stream of European emigration flowed. In 1843 no less than 843 Norwegian emigrants went by way of Havre. Of 320 persons who left for America in 1846, provided with passports at the Drammen police office, 290 went by way of Havre, and 30 by way of Hamburg. In the following year 88 persons were furnished with passports from the same town. These went by way of Altona. In 1848 passports were given to 99, who went by way of Gottenborg. The following table of the Norwegian emigrants who arrived at Havre in 1846 is based on the consular lists:

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The Norwegian emigration by way of Havre ceased, we believe, in 1851, in which year the last vessel arrived with 60 passengers, from Brevig.

Of late years indirect emigration has not been extensive, and has been chiefly by way of Liverpool, from which port 300 Norwegian emigrants are stated to have sailed for Quebec from 1852-54, occasionally by way of Gottenborg, and also by way of Copenhagen, (Mormons.)

The direct emigration from Norway was formerly to New York alone, but is now almost entirely to Quebec. The reason of the change was the repeal of the English navigation act in 1849. Since that time Norwegian vessels have been largely engaged in the freight trade from the British possessions in North America to Europe. The greatest number of Norwegian ships go to America in ballast, but not a few take emigrants.

The following table of the number of Norwegians who have arrived at Quebec and New

York is taken from copies of despatches relative to emigration to the North American colonies, as also from reports from the commissioners of emigration of New York:

Norwegian emigrants arrived from Norwegian ports.

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If the statements here given be compared with the previous ones of the total number of emigrants for each year, it will be found that the number from Quebec and New York is somewhat lower, viz: 51,734 against 55,955. The following are the reasons:

The American reports on Norwegian emigration to New York are very inexact, which cannot be wondered at when we take into consideration how small the number of Norwegians is compared with the hundreds of thousands from all other nations which annually arrive at that city. An instance or two will show this inaccuracy. In 1847 there arrived, according to the American statement, 882 Norwegian emigrants only; but in the Norwegian quinquennial report, 1,360, exclusive of a number of persons who emigrated from 1846-'50, without the year being given. In 1853 the Norwegian emigration to New York, according to the same report, amounted to 377; but, by adding together, the special tables of the Norwegian consul for every vessel that arrived at New York, we find that there came from Bergen 886, from Stavanger 85, and from Christiania 182, passengers. As regards the statements from Quebec, they seem pretty accurate, but the figures here given have reference to emigrants landed at Quebec, which, on account of the mortality during the passage, represent somewhat less than the number of emigrants who sailed from Norway.

Finally, the indirect emigration must not be forgotten.

With reference to the above, the whole of the Norwegian emigration from 1836–64 has proceeded in the following manner:

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