Irish protest poster

Poster in protest at government's exclusion of Irishmen from the benefits of passages to Wellington Province

The New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian has a report of this meeting of Friday 9 October 1857, in its issue for the next day. Election campaigns were going on at the time, and Isaac Featherston and Dr Welch were Wellington candidates.

From the report it is clear that the Irish question was one of several which had been debated regularly over the previous months. Featherston was Wellington Superintendent from 1853 to 1871. Kathleen Coleridge reports that W. Bowler died in 1863. W. Allen was prominent from the late 1850s onwards.

Transcript

Irishmen!

Rally Round

Those Liberal-Minded

Englishmen and Scotchmen

Who expressed their disapprobation in the Strongest terms at

The Conduct of the Government

In Excluding

Irishmen

From the benefit of Passages to this Province, under their Regulations, at a numerously-attended Public Meeting in the Lyceum Theatre on Friday night, 9th inst. W. Bowler, Esq., in chair, in the following resolution, unanimously carried.

Moved by Mr W. Allen and seconded by Mr Atcheson

"That this meeting express their marked disapprobation of the conduct of I. E. Featherston, Superintendent of this province, in instructing the Government agents in England to exclude Irish Immigrants from the benefit of passages to the Province under the Government Regulations".

Erin-Gu-Braugh!