CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



POPULATION ENUMERATED IN ENGLAND AND WALES, SCOTLAND AND IRELAND, AT EACH DECENNIAL 

 CENSUS, I80I-7I, AND ISLANDS IN THE BRITISH SEAS, IN 1851-71, EXCLUSIVE OF ARMY, NAVY, 

 AND MERCHANT SEAMEN ABROAD. 



* Decrease. 



there were nearly 5,000,000 of inhabited houses 

 in Great Britain in 1871, only 796,452 were 

 assessed for house-duty ; of these, 723,514 were 

 assessed under .100 rent, only 72,938 above that. 

 There were 92,922 assessed at .20, 299,894 under 

 .30, and 561,003 under ^50. It seems incredible 

 that in a country of such wealth as this, of 

 5,000,000 houses, only 796,452 should be taxed 

 as within the ^20 rental limit, and it is thought 

 the tax is evaded in many cases by the houses 

 being let or valued at something just within the 

 limit, to evade the tax. 



PAUPERISM. 



Notwithstanding the flourishing state of the 

 nation, I in every 25 of its adult inhabitants is a 

 pauper a fact worthy of the gravest considera- 

 tion. During the 33 years of great national pros- 

 perity from 1840, the poor-rates of England and 

 Wales came to ^283,294,738, of which, in actual 

 relief of the poor, were spent .195,043,694, and 

 for other purposes, ^85,467,491. In Scotland, 

 from 1846 to 1872, the poor-rates came to 

 .18,401,879, the expenditure was .18,179,544. 

 In Ireland, from 1840 to 1872, the poor-rates 

 collected were 25,401,482, the expenditure 

 .24,629,598. In England and Wales, 8,007,403 ; 

 in Scotland, .862,171 ; in Ireland, ^868,820, were 

 spent in relief of the poor by rates in 1872. As 

 regards 



192 



CRIME, 



the following little table will give a concise view 

 of the leading facts and figures bearing on this 

 subject : 



CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS, 1858 TO 1872. 



There is manifest here a gratifying decrease of 

 crime comparing the figures not one year with 

 the one before it, but regarding them as a whole. 

 The number of paupers in receipt of relief in the 

 unions and parishes of England and Wales in 

 1881 was 803,126; in Scotland, 97,787; in Ireland, 

 109,655. The number of criminal convictions in 

 the same year were respectively 11,353; 1832; 

 and 2698. 



