| Emigrant or immigrant |
|
Any person who has obtained a free, assisted
or nominated passage to the Colony under the provisions of
the Immigration Acts, and includes full paying passengers
by any Queensland Government emigrant ship, and any applicant
for a passage under the Acts. |
 |
| Free passages |
|
were granted by the Government to particular
categories of immigrants, and their families, which were,
from time to time, particularly required in Queensland. These
categories altered over the years as conditions in Queensland
changed but included at various times female domestic servants,
and married couples without children. Applicants were required
to pay the sum of 1 pound and a similar amount for each member
of the family counted as a statute adult. To be eligible,
they had to be unable to pay their own passage, they could
not have resided previously in any Australian Colony, and
they must intend to reside permanently in Queensland.
|
|
| Assisted passages |
|
were granted by the Government to particular
categories of immigrants, and their families, which were,
from time to time, particularly required in Queensland. The
categories include farmers, farm labourers, vine dressers,
labourers, mechanics and domestic servants. To be eligible,
they had to be unable to pay their own passage, they could
not have resided previously in any Australian Colony, and
they must intend to reside permanently in Queensland.
|
|
| Nominated or remittance
passages |
|
Any natural born or naturalized person residing
in Queensland, desiring to provide a passage to the Colony
for a friend or relative in Europe, could obtain a passage
warrant from the Government on payment of the require amount.
The warrant was then forwarded to the friend or relative in
Europe. On presentation of the warrant, the Government representative
in Europe would then arrange a passage for the emigrant.
|
|
| Indentured immigrants |
|
An employer in Queensland wishing to secure
the service of any mechanic, labourer or servant in Europe
for employment in Queensland could authorize the representatives
of the Queensland Government in Europe to engage such labour
on his behalf. The employer paid the Government a sum of money
for the passage of the immigrant and the immigrant was bound
under contract to work for the employer for a set period of
time when he arrived in Queensland. |
|
| Full paying passengers |
|
are simply those paying the full amount of the
passage money, or for whom the full amount was paid by someone
else. |
|
| The Bounty system |
|
established in New South Wales in 1837,
involved the payment of set amounts of money or 'bounties'
per immigrant to person who arrived and paid for the passage
of certain categories or immigrants such as female domentic
servants, shepherds, mechanics, agricultural labourers,
etc. , which were needed in the colonies. The system was
financed from the sale of Crown lands. |
|
Source: Queensland State Archives, Brisbane, 1987, Brief Guide to the use of Immigration Records.
For greater detail refer to the Handbook to the Queensland
Public Records Historical Resource Kit - Part 1. | |