HAS IMMIGRATION INCREASED POPULATION? 255 



tlie first of those decades, 1840 to 1850, the rate was abnormal be- 

 cause the Mexican War brought us a sudden large accession of 

 black and white population from the conquered provinces-of Texas, 

 New Mexico, and California. The rate in the second decade, 1850 

 to 18G0, was also abnormal. The people who were not counted in 

 California in the census of 1850, owing to the burning of part of 

 the returns, were counted in 1860, and increased the rate for that 

 decade : 



During the last twenty years immigration has reached enor- 

 mous proportions. For the decade 1870 to 1880 the arrivals at ports, 

 without counting those that came in over the Canadian and Mexi- 

 can borders, were 3,834,040, and for 1880 to 1890 the same sort of 

 arrivals were 5,246,613.* Added together they make for the twenty 

 years 8,080,653, which is more than half of the total immigration 

 since 1820. Yet with this enormous influx the rate of increase of 

 the whole population has sunk lower and lower ; and the twenty 

 years which saw this huge immigration saw the lowest rate of 

 increase since 1750. 



From the year 1750 to 1830 the native population without the 

 assistance of immigration never increased less than 33"17 per cent 

 each decade except during the Revolution, when it went down to 

 28 81 per cent. But now, with a larger immigration than was ever 

 known, the increase of our aggregate population is only 24'85 

 almost 4 per cent lower than the rate of increase of the native 

 whites during the Revolution. 



The mopane tree of eastern Mashonaland, Africa, is described by W. A. 

 Eckersley, of the railroad surveying party, as rarely attaining a height of 

 more than twenty-five feet. " When first its leaves make their appearance 

 they are bright red ; this soon changes to a rich autumnal brown ; passing 

 through some further shades of that color, they finally assume a green of 

 equal brilliance to the spring leaves of some of our English trees. Masses 

 of these trees in the various stages of change form a remarkably picturesque 

 effect; the strong contrast in which the brilliant reds and greens stand out 

 against the background of the blue-gray granite is particularly striking." 



Report of Superiuteudent of Immigration (1892), pp. 13, 30. 



