CHANGES IN NEW ENGLAND POPULATION. 439 



it is questionable whether the birth-rate exceeds the death-rate that 

 is, there is no addition to the population by natural increase. 



Should this birth-rate continue to decrease as it has for the last 

 twenty or thirty years, the effect will become more and more manifest 

 than it has in the past. The Board of Health for New Hampshire, 

 having charge of the registry of births and deaths in the State, in their 

 report just published, state an important fact bearing on this point. 

 After carefully analyzing the births and deaths in 1880 to draw the 

 line between the foreign and the American, the board make out that 

 the deaths among the Americans exceed the births by eight hundred. 



That is, New Hampshire lost population from this source. If this 

 same test of birth and death rate as reported in New Hampshire 

 should be found to apply to all the other New England States, the 

 record would not be very creditable for the past nor encouraging for 

 the future. In making comparison between the birth and death rate 

 the latter must always be carefully taken into account. If the death- 

 rate is unusually large, it affects at once the gain by natural increase. 

 In New England the death-rate generally is not high, which is more 

 favorable for the rate of increase. The same is true in Great Brit- 

 ain, but the birth-rate is much higher there than here. Thus large 

 additions are made there to population by natural increase, far more 

 than in New England. In France for several years the death-rate 

 has been rather high, so that allowance must be made. As a mat- 

 ter of fact, the comparison with foreign nations is decidedly unfavor- 

 able to the New-Englander. 



According to the latest and most authentic reports, the birth-rate 

 of the New England States is less than that of any large European 

 nation except France. And this birth-rate of New England is based 

 upon both the foreign and American classes : could the latter be elimi- 

 nated from the former, it would make the birth-rate of the strictly 

 American even much lower than that of France. 



It is well understood that population is steadily decreasing in cer- 

 tain portions of France, and that this decrease is every year extend- 

 ing. This decline in numbers is attracting more and more the 

 thoughtful attention of the French savants, and the inquiry is made 

 for the causes and the remedies. It may be found to resemble cer- 

 tain diseases, the causes of which can readily be discovered, but the 

 remedies can not easily be applied. 



Foreign Population in New England. Of all the changes in 

 New England, the introduction of the foreign element is the most im- 

 portant. The facts respecting the history of this immigration and the 

 extent to which it has reached can be obtained, but no human sagacity 

 can fully foresee its results. There are, however, certain features in 

 these changes which should be carefully studied, and the develop- 

 ments or tendencies growing out of them should be better understood. 

 More facts more knowledge are needed on this subject. What, 



