8 THE CENSUS OF 1861. 



hardly be perceptible, as tbe wave of excess of population, commen- 

 cing between 20 and 30, would gradually extend into the higher ages, 

 and would be succeeded by a similar wave of the descendants of the 

 first immigrants, which would fill up the lower ages in a similar pro- 

 portion. Almost the only noticeable consequence of immigration, as 

 exhibited in this table, especially in Upper Canada, appears to be the 

 small numbers in extreme old age, to which the wave of the great 

 immigrations of 25 or 30 years ago has not yet reached. The great 

 excess of the numbers between 20 and 40 in the State of New York, 

 appears to be owing, not so much to the influx of permanent settlers, 

 as to the temporary resort of persons in the prime of life to the great 

 commercial centres. This tendency is more clearly visible if we take 

 those counties alone, in which the great cities are situated, which 

 exhibit an excess of 6 per cent, on the whole population between the 

 ages of 20 and 40, over what is found in the country parts. 



It is not easy to draw any safe inference from such a table of pop- 

 ulation, as both a high rate of births, and a high rate of mortality 

 have a similar efPect in rapidly reducing the proportionate numbers 

 living at the several ages. Indeed, from the great preponderance in 

 all countries of the deaths in the first few years, the two things almost 

 necessarily go together, and an increased number of births involves 

 an increased rate of general mortality. Such a scale, however, as 

 that exhibited by Canada, is generally characteristic of a population 

 growing rapidly by natural increase. If we look more into detail, 

 many anomalies present themselves, which throw a suspicion upon the 

 accuracy of the enumerators. Thus, it is hardly possible to conceive 

 any law of mortality, which in five years would reduce the 17f per 

 cent., said to be living under 5 years in Upper Canada, to the I2f per 

 cent, living at the next period. In as far as it may be relied upon, 

 this would point to a very large percentage of births with a fearful 

 mortality in the earlier years. Other minor difiiculties present them- 

 selves in the progress from year to year, but in its general features 

 I am inclined to think, that this constitution of population is a true 

 and remarkable characteristic of Canada. 



Irrespective of the proportions between births and deaths, with 

 regard to which the Census affords us such doubtful data, there are 

 some other sources from which we may obtain an approximation to 

 the natural increase of the population — of Lower Canada especially. 

 The population of French origin is absolutely unaffected by immigra- 



