Since the undersigned has now undertaken to act as agent from this part of Sweden for the well­known American Emigrant Company in New York, to give advice and information to those who wish to emigrate, may I in advance supply the follow, information:

The oft­mentioned Company was set up by some wealthy and prosperous persons in America in order to assist arriving immigrants and to forestall the extortions of their own countrymen and others who seek to turn to their own advantage the immigrants' gullibility and their inability to prepare themselves for their arrival in the foreign country.

The Company exhorts no-one to migrate to America. On the contrary, it wishes anybody to consider carefully the consequences of this important step before he decides upon it, and urges that no-one should think of making the journey who is not fully able to work and in possession of sufficient means for the voyage and for his upkeep for some time in America until he can find employment. Large families who intend to emigrate would be wise to send out at first one of the younger male members of the family who can prepare in advance for the reception of the others if he then considers their emigration feasible or, if not, he should return home himself, while he still has means. If his own give out, he should be able to raise enough in a short time by working.

The Company holds out no dazzling prospects for emigrants. The healthy, industrious and reliable can acquire wealth in America; but the lazy and careless must encounter there greater need than elsewhere. It is from the former that satisfactory reports arrive in the homeland, from the latter, the opposite. Enquire into the reasons for their complaints and we shall hardly find one in a hundred who is not himself responsible for his misfortunes.

But those who have good health, the necessary means and a willingness to work, and on that basis, and after adequate investigation, freely decide to emigrate to America, the Company invites to make use of its disinterested services and goodwill as follows: that for a charge of 144 Riksdaler for adults, but only half for children under twelve years, it takes care of their travel from Gothenburg to New York, and they can travel the whole way through its agents who arrange the best journey in every respect, and even after arrival in New York offer them its facilities for changing money, finding jobs or arranging travel on to other places.

But above all the Company advises every emigrant to be sufficiently on his guard against such people as those who through the enticement of cheap prices and such­like, seek to attract emigrants to themselves. One might thus find a company which offers the passage for some few riksdalers less than this Company; but whether this journey takes place in a worse vessel, which needs several days longer for the journey than the larger, comfortable and swift steamships hired by this Company, it isn't said.

The Company's chief agent for the whole of Scandinavia is Mr. Fredrik Nelson in Gothenburg. As the Company's official agent he is paid by the Company and does not receive from emigrants the least compensation for his services. However, to be assured of a place at the above­mentioned price, emigrants ought first to pay a small deposit (earnest money) to Mr. Nelson or myself, by which to obtain the Company's receipt which is valid as payment to Mr. Nelson for redeeming travel tickets in Gothenburg. This deposit does not guarantee travel for any particular voyage, but it is valid for three months after date of receipt, if a mere week's prior notice of the desired departure date is given.

Similarly emigrants can obtain American money at a week's notice at an advantageous, cheap rate of exchange at the house of Mr. Nelson or myself.

Jönköping, 1 February 1866.

A. W. Möller, Vice­Consul: American Emigrant Company's fully empowered agent for mid­Sweden.

Address: Jönköping

Document 27b. Jönköpings Tidning, 13 May 1868, p. 3, colt 1­3.

Mr. Consul Möller has requested that we insert the following communication in this newspaper:

The large number of emigrants, who are passing through Jönköping these days from a considerable area of southern Sweden on their way to Gothenburg, has given rise to much discussion and comment, according to my information, of which I, the undersigned humble person, have been the subject. It is said, in fact, that people have assumed that as agent for a heavily patronized emigration company, I make a substantial profit out of this emigration as a commission for provisioning these emigrants who, it is supposed, constitute the majority of those one has seen passing through here. At a time when a man's worth is essentially considered to be measured by his 'weight in gold', such a groundless rumour, though regrettable for me, would be quite harmless, were it not combined with another assumption, namely that, for my own gain, I really sought to promote emigration from our fatherland. But as this assumption is also completely false, I have decided to explain in public all the circumstances of my work, in order to avoid any possible loss of confidence and respect and the respected friends in the community I believe I have won for myself here.

Having refused the much higher offer of several other emigration companies, up to 15 riksdaler for every emigrant furnished with provisions, about two years ago I resumed the chief agency for Småland and Östergotland for the respected and well­run company in New York and Liverpool, whose general agent for Sweden is Mr. Fredrik Nelson in Gothenburg-and did so for three reasons:

1. To secure an increase in my income for my livelihood.

2. Because it seemed to me that as agent for a well­known emigration company I could work better than as a private individual, to bring about, if not a significant decrease in the emigration from Sweden in general, at any rate the rescue of many individuals from a step which must be likely to plunge them into misfortune and misery; and

3. Because the views of Fredrik Nelson and his company's representatives in Sweden were in complete accordance with my own on the subject of emigration and the treatment of emigrants.

First concerning my income as agent, I make clear that this is limited to a fixed annual salary-a form of payment which I insisted on as a condition of my accepting the appointment-a salary, certainly quite respectable, but nevertheless no more than barely adequate for the unbelievably difficult and disagreeable post. A separate, but quite trifling commission on every emigrant accepted is merely an estimated amount to compensate for the costs of advertising, correspondence and sending circulars around my district (all of which costs I must defray myself out of this commission which scarcely covers these expenses).

In reference to the second and third points, many will find it incredible that an emigration company and an emigration agent should seek to reduce the number of emigrants, but nevertheless this is indeed the case. It is not to our company's advantage if its agents in American cities are saddled with penniless emigrants, who have perhaps laid out their entire possessions on the journey and thereafter stand helpless and destitute. To prevent this our company has ordered all its agents to try to warn against emigrating any persons who have no means beyond their travel money. But still greater is my own desire to try to check the increase in emigration and, as I suggested above, a patriotically minded and honest emigration agent with some influence in the community can with a warning word accomplish more than the alarums of newspapers and private individuals to which little attention is now paid. I have often uttered that word of warning, and I have also often seen with pleasure that my warning has been heeded. As evidence of my views and behaviour in this matter I beg to quote the following passage. As early as March of last year, there will be found in Jönköpingsbladet, no. 27, an insertion under the heading 'Emigration to America' which from beginning to end contained warnings to our countrymen against a precipitate decision to emigrate. The article closed with the following words:

'The indispensable condition on which one can risk an intended emigration to America with some hope of success is therefore above all else to have a full purse of money. But the question then always becomes whether those who possess the amount of money required for the above­mentioned expenses will also be equally prepared for the exertions and the continuous hard work which are also necessary even for quite an average livelihood in America; a person with the same capital and the same strength should be able to secure the same success in his homeland; and one must never forget the old saying 'Away is good, but home is best'. For this reason, everyone is examined as to his precise conditions, his energy and his means, before he makes up his mind to take such a vitally important step as to give up his home and fatherland to seek these anew in such a far­off part of the world.'

This article was written by me.

In my zeal to try to work against ill­advised emigration, I have gone still farther this year. While Fredrik Nelson was visiting in America last winter to prepare still greater comforts and benefits for future emigrants, I was commissioned to arrange the editing of circulars, programmes, etc. for publication by the company. I began by composing a circular 1ener intended to circulate throughout the whole kingdom and containing the most solemn warnings against a hasty decision to emigrate. This letter, which is wholly supported by the company and Fredrik Nelson who has recently returned, is being published in thousands of copies by the firm of Strehlenert and Co. here in Jönköping and is being sent by post to most communities in the kingdom addressed to the clergy or other well­known men, with the request to them to bring the contents to the notice of the general public within the parish. Both the letter and the newspaper article referred to can be read at my office by anyone wishing to do so.

It is generally known that Fredrik Nelson has for a long time been the object of undeserved abuse and slander from persons who, in passing judgement, neglect the maxim, 'audiatur et altera pars'; now, at last, he too has been given a fair hearing, as an article in Dagens Nyheter (no. 1001) for the 18th of April last will bear witness. In that article the most striking anathemas are pronounced against unscrupulous emigrant recruiters, but at the end is added: 'Nevertheless there do exist some honest emigration agents. Such a one is Fredrik Nelson in Gothenburg; and we believe that he has not taken upon himself to provide means of transport for anyone who does not possess enough capital or enough strength and tenacity to be able to fight his way through over there.'

If an emigration company which has taken steps to keep emigration within proper limits - the only steps which at present can be considered adequate - still finds itself burdened more than all the others with an immense flow of emigrants, the explanation of this probably must be sought in the excellent facilities which that company provides for the best possible comfort of the emigrants during and after the voyage, and perhaps also in the fact that the company and its agency, far from encouraging emigration, on the contrary, uses so much of its energy to try to reduce it.

Finally, I must point out that the largest part of emigrants from these parts have now already crossed and that quite insignificant consignments of emigrants per year are likely to occur from now on.

Jönköping, the 12 May 1868 A. W. Möller