After receiving amendments from both the Senate and House, it was finally passed, and approved March 2, 1819.*

In compliance with a requirement of this act, collectors of the customs have reported quarter-yearly to the Secretary of State the number of passengers arriving in their collection-districts by sea. from foreign countries; also the sex, age, and occupation, of such passengers, and the country in which they were born. Annual reports, embracing that information, have, in conformity with the same act, been communicated to Congress by the Secretary of State; and, as before indicated, from these reports, chiefly, this history has been compiled.

The following statement† exhibits the

PROGRESS AND EXTENT OF IMMIGRATION TO THE UNITED STATES, FROM SEPTEMBER 30, 1819, TO DECEMBER 31, 1855.

Of the 4,212,624 passengers of foreign birth arriving in the United States during the above-mentioned period of 364 years

1,348,682 others were born in Great Britain and Ireland,

the division not designated.

2,343,445 total number born in the United Kingdom.

* For this and all other passenger-acts of the United States, see APPENDIX.

† Instead of this, any other combination of years may readily be adopted, the comparative statements (pp. 174 and 175) having been so prepared as to afford every facility for that purpose.

526 others were born in Europe, the division not

16 others were born in Asia, division not designated.

14 were born in Liberia;

4 others were born in the Barbary States, the divis

ion not designated.

2 were born at the Cape of Good Hope.

118 others were born in Africa, the division not des

ignated.

2

157,537 others were born in countries not designated in the returns made by collectors of the customs.

The country having the largest emigration is, doubtless, Ireland; for, in addition to the 747,930 persons arriving from the United Kingdom, known to have been born in Ireland, it is safe to assume that, of the 1,348,682 others born, as indefinitely stated, in “Great Britain and Ireland," arriving in the United States, 1,000,000 were born in Ireland alone, thus making 1,747,930 as the total Irish emigration.

Next in numerical order comes Germany; England, third; and France, fourth.

The emigration of Chinese to this country was very inconsiderable until 1854, previous to which year the aggregate number known to have arrived was only 88. In that year, however, 13,100 came to the United States; and, in 1855, 3,526; all of whom, with the exception of a single passenger, landed at the port of San Francisco: 15,950 were males, and were designated in the returns of the collector as "Laborers.'

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As regards passengers from British America, the fact may be deemed worthy of mention, that many of them, especially of those arriving during the last four years, are known to have come with the intention of returning, and not of residing in the United States. The number of such can not, however, be determined.

Finally, to the 4,212,624 passengers of foreign birth arriving in the United States since September 30, 1819, may be added 250,000

as the number of immigrants who arrived prior to that date; making the total of foreign arrivals from the close of the Revolutionary War to December 31, 1855, 4,462,624.

LEGAL RIGHTS OF NATURALIZED CITIZENS.

ALIENS, naturalized agreeably to the acts of Congress,* are not prohibited by the constitution of the United States the enjoyment of the same rights, and to the same extent, as natural-born citizens —with the single proviso that no person shall be eligible to the office of President or Vice-President except a citizen native born, or a citizen of the United States at the time of the adoption of the federal constitution :

Congress can make no law to prohibit the free exercise of their religion; nor to abridge their freedom of speech:

The right of security in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, is not denied to them; nor are they prohibited the purchase and occupation of lands owned by the government.

The constitutions of the several states concede to naturalized citizens, who may take up their residence within the states, in general the same rights as are enjoyed by persons born therein. Among these rights may be mentioned that of electing and of being elected to office.

PLAN OF THE WORK.

Nor only may the extent of each year's immigration to the United States be learned from the statements contained in this work, but also the character of that immigration. These statements exhibit

I. — ARRIVALS-NUMBER AND SEX.

In the Appendix will be found extracts from the laws of the several states relative to immigrants, the importation of paupers, convicts, lunatics, &c.

EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED IN THE WORK.

UNDER the head of OCCUPATION, occur the following terms:Other occupations-comprising such occupations as are not otherwise recapitulated in the statement; chiefly soldiers, civil and military officers, &c., and in general those occupations to which belonged so small a number as to require no special designation. Not stated Males. These were returned by collectors of the customs as having no occupation, and comprise for the greater part those under fifteen years of age.

Under the head of COUNTRY WHERE BORN Occur the following terms:

Great Britain and Ireland-Comprising those born in the United Kingdom, and not included in either "England," "Ireland," "Scotland," or "Wales"-returned thus indefinitely by collectors of the customs.