This resulted in a rapid resumption of emigration in 1863, and in several cases groups of Irishmen signed contracts of such a nature (with non-governmental agents) that on arrival in America they were virtually black-jacked into the army.

The agents thereby secured large profits from the sums offered under the bounty system of some of the Eastern states for each recruit.
Lyons soon found himself called upon to protest, on appeal from a few of these hoodwinked British citizens, and Seward did the best he could to secure redress, though the process was usually a long one owing to red-tape and also to the resistance of army officers.
As soon as the scheme of "bounty profiteers" was discovered prompt steps were taken to defeat it by the American Secretary of State.

But the few cases occurring, combined with the acknowledged and encouraged agents of _bona fide_ labour emigration from Ireland, gave ground for accusations in Parliament that Ireland was being used against the law as a place of enlistments.

Russell had early taken up the matter with Adams, investigation had followed, and on it appearing that no authorized Northern agent was engaged in recruiting in Ireland the subject had been dropped[1164].

There could be and was no objection to encourage labour emigration, and this was generally recognized as the basis of the sudden increase of the numbers going to America[1165].