SOCIAL STATISTICS. 



and of the deaths, 400 in 1000 were from epidemic 

 and endemic diseases, or double the ratio in Eng- 

 land and Wales. The most advanced nations 

 contain many who grow up, live, and die the 

 unreflecting creatures of impulse, ever scrambling 

 for a precarious subsistence, now gorged, now 

 starved, ignorant of responsibilities, some even 

 thorough savages, while their squalid dens spread 

 contagion among the civilised and comfort- 

 able classes. The increased public health and 

 longevity during the last 100 years have been pro- 

 moted by the spread of knowledge, inventions in 

 industry, and cheap literature. Formerly, even 

 the houses of the gentry exhibited small rooms, 

 deficient ventilation and sanitation, and over- 

 crowding. The universal deep drinking has long 

 ceased among the wealthy. Improved tastes and 

 pursuits have improved their morals and health. 



POPULATION. 



The periodical census of a population gives 

 interesting data about its increase or decrease, 

 its density, and the proportion of the sexes, and 

 their ages. 



The population of England and Wales was 

 estimated at 2,150,000 in 1066; at 5,500,000 in 

 1688 ; and has regularly increased, at each 

 decenial census, from 8,892,536 in 1801, to 

 22,712,266 in 1871. The population of Scotland 

 was estimated at 1,050,000 in 1707 ; and at the 

 census has regularly increased, from 1,608,420, 

 in 1801, to 3,360,018 in 1871. The population of 

 Ireland was estimated at 1,320,000 in 1672 ; and 

 at the census was 5,395,456 in 1801 ; 8,175,124 in 

 1841 ; and 5,411,416 in 1871. The total popula- 

 tion of the United Kingdom has increased from 

 16,160,047 in 1801, to 31,619,681 in 1871. The 

 ratio of increase in the 70 years in England and 

 Wales has been 100 to 255 ; in Scotland, 100 

 to 228 ; but in Ireland, there was an increase, 

 1801-41, in the ratio of 100 to 120, and then a 

 decrease, 1841-71, in the ratio of 100 to 66. 

 The emigrants from the United Kingdom, chiefly 

 in the prime of life, 1831-71, amounted to 

 6,536,908. The population of Great Britain, at 

 each successive decade, 1811-61, shewed an 

 increase at a decreasing rate, but the increase, 

 1861-71, was at an increasing rate. In 1851- 

 7 1, the urban population of England and Wales 

 increased 37 per cent., and the rural u. In 

 Scotland, 1861-71, the population of towns in- 

 creased 19 per cent., and of villages 29 per cent., 

 but the rural population decreased 9-3 per cent. 

 There are some remarkable cases of local increase 

 of population, from development of mines or 

 transit. Thus, the population of Middlesborough, 

 in Yorkshire, has increased from 154 in 1831, to 

 46,643 in 1871. But facilities of transit have 

 greatly diminished the night or sleeping popula- 

 tion of the central or business parts of towns, 

 though they are crowded in the daytime. 



The increase of the population has been such 

 as to double itself in England in 55 years ; in 

 Prussia, in 54 ; and in France, in 108. England has 

 I birth in 28-6 inhabitants ; Prussia, i in 26-5 ; and 

 France, I in 37-4. The paucity of births in France 

 appears from every too women, of the ages 15 

 to 55, having in Paris only 10-47 children, and in 

 France 15-10; but they have in Bavaria 18-02; 

 in Belgium, 18-03 > m Denmark, 19-09; in Saxony, 



20-00; in Holland, 21-00; and in England, 22-35. 

 In France, the low birth-rate, and slow increase 

 of the population (following the rapid increase 

 for 30 years after the partition of the great estates 

 of the nobles), arise from the laws of inheritance, 

 the great subdivision of landed property, and an 

 inordinate desire for material comforts and lux- 

 uries. To avoid poverty, and leave each child a 

 good patrimony, the French marry late, and sys- 

 tematically limit the number of their children. 



The population of the earth is estimated at 

 1,377,000,000, and its density, or the average 

 number of people to an English square mile, at 

 26 ; or 75 in Europe, 45 in Asia, 16 in Africa, 5 

 in North and South America, and 1-2 in Oceania. 

 The density in Belgium is 451 ; England and 

 Wales, 390 ; China, 288 ; Great Britain and Ire- 

 land, 265 ; Italy, 237 ; British India, 207 ; German 

 Empire, 193 ; Ireland, 169 ; Austria and Hungary, 

 158; France, 150; India, British and Native, 

 123; Denmark, in; Scotland, no; Spain, 90; 

 Russia in Europe, 32 ; Turkey, 20 ; Norway and 

 Sweden, 19; United States, n ; Russian Empire, 

 10 ; Mexico and Persia, 9 ; Brazil, 3 ; Argentine 

 Confederation, 3 ; Russia in Asia, i -6. The mean 

 proximity of the people on the land of the earth 

 is about 345 yards apart ; in Europe, 203 ; Scot- 

 land, 170 ; England, 96. In England and Wales, 

 1871, the counties varied in having 3498 persons 

 to a square mile in Middlesex, to 178 in Mon- 

 mouthshire ; and the mean number of persons to 

 a house has decreased from 5-45 in 1811, to 4-98 

 in 1 87 1 a moral and sanitary advance. There are 

 14 acres to a household in the United Kingdom*; 

 17 in India ; and 2534 in our colonies. In the 

 United States, 1870, there were 5-47 persons to a 

 house. In Britain, 1851, the towns as a whole 

 contained 3337 persons to a square mile, and the 

 country only 120. Scotland, 1871, had a mean of 

 12-2 persons to I house in towns, 5-8 in villages, 

 and 5-3 in rural parts ; but there are 10 rooms in 

 both towns and villages to every 17 persons, and 

 towns are not much worse off for room accommo- 

 dation than villages or rural districts. Of the 

 Scotch, 88 per cent, live in houses of 1-4 rooms, 

 and few of these pay taxes ; and the remaining 

 12 per cent, live in houses of more rooms, and 

 form the wealth and support of the country. 

 Shetland is the worst housed Scotch county, but the 

 most healthy and moral. In the eight chief towns 

 in Scotland, the percentage of families living in 

 houses of i to 4 rooms is 94-5 in Glasgow, 94 in 

 Dundee, 93-5 in Paisley, 92-7 in Greenock, 89-3 in 

 Aberdeen, 88-7 in Leith, 85 in Perth, and 78 in 

 Edinburgh. The building of tenements, divided 

 into blocks of 3 or 4 rooms, in towns, for the 

 labouring and artisan classes, has not diminished 

 overcrowding, for nearly a third of the families 

 living in such houses let rooms to strangers. 

 More evils arise from the sexes of different 

 families crowding together in the same house, 

 than when one house had only the sexes of one 

 family ; hence probably the recent increase in 

 the general mortality and illegitimate births. In 

 Aberdeen, 1874, there are cases of 9-12 persons 

 living in two rooms, and 7-12 in one room. 



As to the proportion of the sexes, 1871, to 100 

 males, England had 106 females ; Wales, 102 ; 

 Scotland, no; Ireland, 105; United Kingdom, 

 104; India (1868-72), 93; United States (1870), 

 98 ; France, 100-2. Over the world, more males 



539 



