

SOCIAL STATISTICS. 



vigorous, and happy than those born in wed- 

 lock. They are often a public burden, and 

 have less chance of becoming useful citizens. 

 Their paucity in a community may arise from 

 two opposite causes high moral purity, or ex- 

 treme licentiousness. Of the total births in 

 England and Wales, the annual average of illegiti- 

 mate births declined from 6-7 per cent, in 1845- 

 50, to 5-6 per cent, in 1869-71. In the differ- 

 ent counties of England and Wales, 1845-71, 

 illegitimate births varied from 3-9 per cent, of the 

 total births in Surrey (extra-metropolitan) to 

 1 2-1 in Cumberland. Illegitimate births are pro- 

 portionally fewest in the districts south of the 

 Thames occupied by people of Saxon descent ; 

 they are more numerous in Wales, and what was 

 ancient Mercia ; and most occur in Cumberland 

 and Westmoreland. For all England and Wales, 

 looo married women, of the ages 15 to 55, bear 

 yearly 220 children, and 1000 unmarried bear 16. 

 In Scotland, 1855-70, to 100 births the annual 

 illegitimate rate decreased from 18-6 to 10-6, in 

 the mainland rural districts, and varied from 4-3 

 to 6-6 in the insular, and from 7-1 to 9-8 in town 

 districts. Only 3-2 per cent, of the annual births 

 in Italy, where marriage is early, are illegitimate. 

 In France, 1817-60, the yearly average of 

 illegitimate births was 7-8 per cent, of the total 

 births. But other European countries have a 

 higher illegitimate birth - rate ; it is high in 

 Austria, and even 25 per cent, of the total births 

 in Wiirtemberg and Bavaria. In cities, the 

 illegitimate birth-rate is often very high. It is 

 said to be 50 per cent, of the total birth-rate in 

 Lisbon and Stockholm; 33 per cent, in Berlin, 

 Vienna, and Naples ; 25 per cent, in Milan and 

 Copenhagen ; and 20 per cent, in St Petersburg 

 and Turin. In London, 1852 to 1871, it averaged 

 only 4 per cent, of the total births. In the eight 

 chief Scotch towns, 1870, it varied from 5-1 per 

 cent, in Greenock to 12-3 per cent, in Aberdeen. 

 Continental foundling-hospitals encourage illegiti- 

 macy. 



Birthplace of the People. Most people do not 

 remain all life fixed to their birthplaces, but move 

 from house to house, from town to town, and from 

 country to country. The people of the British 

 Isles are especially noted for wandering over the 

 earth. Seats of industry and trade are constantly 

 receiving people from rural districts. Of 100 

 inhabitants of England and Wales in 1871, 95 

 were native born, 3-5 were born in the rest of the 

 British Isles, and 1-5 in other countries. Of 100 

 inhabitants of London in 1871, 63 were born in it, 

 30 in the rest of England and Wales, i -2 in Scot- 

 land, 2-8 in Ireland, and 3 in the rest of the 

 world. London contains natives of all parts of the 

 British Isles, and from all the chief countries of the 

 world. Of the 4,500,000 inhabitants of the other 

 62 chief cities and towns in England and Wales, 

 93 in zoo were born in England and Wales, 1-5 

 in Scotland, 4-5 in Ireland, and i in other coun- 

 tries. In 1851, of loo inhabitants of Scotland, 

 i -6 were born in England, and 7 in Ireland. Pro- 

 portionally to the populations, a great many more 

 Scotch go to England than English to Scotland ; 

 but the population of Scotland contains propor- 

 tionally many more English than that of England 

 contains Scotch. The Irish have, of late years, 

 migrated in large numbers to Scotland. In the 

 58 years 1815-72, 7,561,285 emigrants, mostly in 



the prime of life, left the United Kingdom, in the 

 ratio of 27 to the United States of America, 13 

 to British colonies, and I to other places. Of the 

 6-8 million Europeans, mostly in the prime of 

 life, who emigrated to the United States, 1820-70, 

 3-8 millions were from the British Isles, and 2-3 

 millions from Germany. 



Marriages. 



Ratio to the Population To every rooo persons 

 living, the mean annual ratio of persons married, 

 over Europe, is 16-1, variation 14-0 to 22-2 ; in Eng- 

 land and Wales, 1838-71, 16-5, 14-4 to 17.9; 

 in Scotland, 1855-70, 14-14, 12-9 to 14-8 ; in 

 France, 1817-60, the mean ratio was only 8. 



Many conditions vary the number of marriages 

 in a community. Above a certain point of educa- 

 tion, comfort, and respectability, the desire of 

 marriage is less, if it were to lower the two latter. 

 The desire is greater in a dense population, 

 especially among operatives, than in a scattered 

 one ; and it is greatest in the half-destitute class. 

 An increased marriage-rate is generally attended 

 by an increased death-rate, especially in children. 

 Early and improvident marriages, and bastardy, 

 are both above the average for all England in the 

 northern and mainland, and in the mining and 

 agricultural counties ; but below the average in 

 the metropolitan and south maritime counties. 

 Improved trade increases improvident marriages 

 and bastardy in manufacturing and mining dis- 

 tricts. To every 1000 persons living in Scotland 

 in 1870, there were 46 marriages in the insular 

 districts, 60 in the mainland rural, and 89 in the" 

 town. In England and Wales, 1871, first mar- 

 riages on both sides were 82 per cent of the 

 whole; first marriages only on one side, 13 per 

 cent. ; and remarriages on both sides, 5 per cent. 

 In England and Wales, 1861-71, 356 divorced 

 persons married, in the ratio of 5 men to 4 women. 



Age of Marriage. This influences public 

 manners, and the number, character, and vigour 

 of the offspring. In England and Wales, the 

 mean age of first marriages is 25-7 years for the 

 male, and 24-3 for the female, and the mean age 

 of all marriages, ist, 2d, &c. is 26 years for males, 

 and 25 for females. Of first marriages, 8 in 10 

 are between the ages of 20 and 30, when the body 

 is full grown and matured. In France, 1866, the 

 mean age of first marriages was 29-9 years for 

 males, and 24-8 for females. The ratio of the 

 married in a community increases with the ages 

 of the individuals. Thus, in every 100 persons 

 living in England and Wales, from 0-4 male 

 under the age of 20, to 8 1 of the ages 45 to 50, are 

 married ; and from 2-5 to 75 females at those ages. 

 After the age of 50, death rapidly dissolves mar- 

 riages ; and after the age of 80, only 37 men in 

 100 have wives living, and only 12 women have 

 husbands living. During the last 70 years 

 in England and Wales, of 100 couples married 

 at the age of 25, 54 are found to live 25 years 

 together, and nearly 7 live 50 years together. 

 The marriages of minors, or persons under the 

 age of 21, in England and Wales, to every 100 

 marriages, increased from 14-3 in 1841 to 16-6 in 

 1855, and 29-8 in 1871. Nearly three times as 

 many female minors marry as male. Of married 

 couples in England and Wales, the mean lifetime 

 of a surviving husband is 9-4 years, and of a sur- 

 viving wife 11-3, and the mean duration of the 



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