Cylchgronau Cymru

llawer or Passingers ac oedd yn digwydd bod yn y frech wen ag un or sailers fyned ir hospital a pheth arall aeth yn angof sef bod Thos, Thomas y saer ar tair Lodes yn dyfod ymlaen gyda ni ag yr ydym yn dymyno arnoch i hala llythyr yn ol mor Gynted a galloch a rhoddwch y Llythyr i James Davies a dywedwch wrtho ef am ei hala at ei frawd John Davies ag ni ai cawn ef yno canys nid oes genym un direction arall etto i roi i chwi helwch bob newydd a galloch ynddo Yr ydym yn dymyno ein cofio at ein holl Berthynasau a phawb a fyddo yn holi am danom a maddeuwch na buasem yn galler haleuthu ychwaneg ag yn fwy Trefnus. THOMAS THOMAS. SUMMARY For the benefit of those members and others who do not read Welsh, the contents of the foregoing article may be summarised in English as follows EMIGRATION FROM CARDIGANSHIRE TO THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BETWEEN 1654 AND 1860 (Continued) NEARLY ten per cent of the county's population emigrated during the period 1795­ 186o, only Merioneth having a higher percentage. Emigration was heaviest from the agricultural counties. Cardiganshire emigrants settled in the States of Ohio (mainly), Pennsylvania, New York, and Wisconsin. Emigration was heavy from the districts of Blaenpennal and Cilcennin and particularly from Llangeitho. Financial aid to emigrants was sometimes provided by the parishes through their vestries. The great increase in emigration during this period may be attributed to increased population, the amalgamating of small farms, the oppression of landlords, and excessive taxation as the result of the Napoleonic wars. Interesting letters from emigrants have survived, in which they urge their relatives and friends in the rural areas to follow them to the New World. Several extracts follow, in Welsh and in English, describing the emigrating of parties of people from the county, how they fared on the voyage, the dangers and hardships to which they were exposed, etc. The article concludes with a brief reference, which would have been longer had space permitted, to the contribution made by Cardiganshire men to the development of the United States. The appendixes consist of (i) statistics and other particulars of the emigration of Cardiganshire people (a) from ports in the county direct to the United States, (b) from ports in the county to join other ships at Liverpool, and (c) from ports outside the county; (ii) examples of posters advertising sailing facilities for prospective emigrants and (iii) extracts from a typical first letter from a Cardiganshire emigrant on arriving in America.