SNIPPET: During the 17th and 18th centuries over 60,000 men, women and children were involuntarily transported from the British Isles to the American colonies. The vast majority of these people were felons, but there were a number of political and religious dissidents such as the Cromwellian transportees of the 1650s. The English courts were far more likely to order the transportation of prisoners than were the Scottish or Irish courts, banishing about 50,000 prisoners to the colonies to work as indentured servants. The Scottish authorities ordered fewer than 3,000 prisoners to be transported and the Irish courts approximately 4,000. In 1719 an Act was introduced by the Irish House of Commons for "the better and more effectual apprehending and transporting of felons and others," and given Royal assent on 8 March 1725. The kidnapping and shipment of children to America and their sale as indentured servants began to cause concern, and in January 1743 the Irish Government established a committee to examine the whole system of transportation in detail. Information presented to the committee contains valuable data pertaining to 2,000 Irish men and women transported to the American colonies during the mid-18th century. As a result of this committee's investigations, further legislation was introduced in the Irish House of Commons in January 1752 tightening up the rules governing the transportation of prisoners. Researchers may be interested in the following reference book, "Emigrants from Ireland to America, 1735-1743", Frances McDONNELL (Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, MD 1 992), Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 91-77067, International Standard Book Number (ISBN) 0-8063-1331-5. It contains a transcript of the Report of the committee, as contained in the "Journal of the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Ireland," Vol. 7 (1796). Contents includes county, dates of assizes, name of person ordered for transportation, money presented for that purpose, type of crime (grand larceny, etc., often vagabond) and in some cases name of ship, port of departure and destination. A few examples from Co. Kilkenny: Assize Date: 29 July 1742 John COMERFORD and James COMERFORD (vagabonds); 11 Aug 1739 Dennis MADDEN (grand larceny), John FITZPATRICK (grand larceny), Thomas DEERIN (grand larceny); 2 April 1740 Joseph MORAN (grand larceny). . .