POPULATION. 



169 



shows the rate of mortality from birth to the age of ten 

 years : 





Thus, of the grand total of 1,476 deaths, 610 took place 

 under twelve months, which gives the rate of one death per 2*42 

 — that is to say, that of 242 deaths which took place from birth 

 to ten years, 100 occurred between the ages of one and twelve 

 months. The rate is very moderate between one and three, and 

 also between three and six months, but very great between one 

 and five years, this being not only the period of weaning, but 

 also that wherein children are subject to the many diseases inci- 

 dent to infancy and early youth. 



When seeking to establish a comparison between the number 

 of births and deaths, we come to the following results : — 



Births (10 years) 

 Deaths „ 



Difference 



42,220 

 38,792 



3,428 



The difference, 3,428, is in favour of births — that is to say, 



that within ten years the population has increased from natural 



causes by nearly 343 every year. It may be remarked, that in 



i the year 1872 the mortality was double that of the other years ; 



■ in that year, 1872, the colony suffered severely from an epidemic 



I of small-pox. 



I wish now particularly to call attention to a few conclusions 

 which naturally flow from the above statistical facts. 



The number of females being in the whole island 69,413, and 

 that of males 83,716, it is evident that, cceteris paribus, the ratio 

 o! births must be smaller in Trinidad than in other countries 

 where the sexes are equal, or nearly so. In the year 1881, the 



