134 



been eo numcroue, and ttie great curse of the European world— the " social 

 •yil" — has augmented rapidly amongst us. 



Population. —To the dlst December 1864, I computed the inhabitantfi of Tas- 

 mania to amount to about 95,GC0. For the year ended 31st December 1865, 

 I caluclate an addition of 2,0(0 thus :— Registered biiths 3.C69, miregistered 

 births 121, " arrivals" to the colony, 3,5%, altogether 6,786— less by 4,786, 

 being 1,277 deaths and 3,509 " departures" from the colony. It is worthy of 

 special note, that in 1 865, as in 1864, the " arrivals" in the colony of adult maltt 

 exceeded the "departures" from the island, by 505 and 666 respectively. For 

 many years previously "departures" were much more numerous than 

 " arrivals." This important fact seems to be veiy generally unknown or mis- 

 understood. Nevertheless it has 1 ad a very depressing effect on the labor 

 market, and added no little to the demands on charitable institutions. It is not 

 laborers, but employment for them that is scarce. 



1277 deaths out of 97,000 persons — or taking the medium between the two 

 years is— about one death, to 76 living, or at a rate of about 13| per 100. The 

 normal death-rate calculated for a standard by the Kegistiar-General of England, 

 is 17 per 100. The healthiest rural-districts in England and Wales have 15 per 

 1,000, while the death rate for all England and Wales, is about 9 per ICOO more 

 than that of all Tasmania in 1866. 



Two causes principally, seem to have operated in producing the annually 

 decreasing rate of mortality in Tasmania, the first being: — the constantly in- 

 creasing proportion that those born in the colony bear to the imported inhab- 

 itants.At the same time, by the ordinary laws of mortality a disproportionately 

 large share of children adds to the death-rate. The second seems to have 

 arisen from climatic improvements, the meteorological phenomena of late 

 years having certainly been more auspicious to health and life. Though a.i 

 these changes are usually cyclical in their character, we must expect a return 

 to the old type for another period of years, ere long. Sanitary improvements, 

 moreover, and specially the enlarged and much purer water-supply in both tho 

 southern and northern capitals, has doubtless improved the health and reduced 

 the deaths of their citizens. Were as valuable a change effected in the sewerage 

 of the two towns, in the ventilation of our houses, in the abolition of intra 

 mural interments,in more watchfulness over the purity of our food-supplies, 

 and last, though by no means the least, less intemperance in drink, the mortal- 

 ity rate might be reduced to an amount, which the most sanguine of sanitarians 

 have never yet ventured to predict, and which no country in the world has so 

 far exhibited. If we we will only take all the advantage science affords, to 

 utilize and improve the blessings the Giver of all good has conferred upon our 

 beautiful island, there will Indeed be a happy future for little Tasmania amongst 

 the grea^ nations of th« southern htmispher*. 



