1 877.] 
National Wealth and Public Debt . 
207 
greatly as to the relative quickness with which they double 
themselves, and it has been calculated that in England the 
population doubles itself in every 56 years ; in the New 
World the Anglo-Saxons double in every 25 years. The 
Dutch double in 106 years ; the Turks in 555 years; the 
Italians in 135 years ; the Swedes in 92 years ; the Russians 
in 100 years ; the Spaniards in 112 years; the North Ger- 
mans in from 50 to 60 years, and the South Germans in 
167 3'ears ; whilst the French populations take about 
140 years in which to double. 
According to the last census (1871) the population of the 
entire British Empire was ascertained to be 234,762,593,* 
or nearly one-sixth of the total estimated population of the 
world. The territorial extent of the empire was, at the 
same time, found to be 7, 769,499* square miles, comprising 
in the two hemispheres, Great Britain and Ireland, the sur- 
rounding islands in the British seas, parts of Europe, 
America, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. 
As regards public revenue, the British Empire stands 
out unmistakably first amongst European nations, whilst 
the revenue of Great Britain is only exceeded by that of 
France and of the United States. The gross amount 
of public revenue of the British Empire amounts to 
£154,360,336, or nearly 13s. 2 d. per head of population. 
The revenue of the United Kingdom is £77,131,693, or 
£2 Js. id. per head of population. The following table 
shows the same particulars with reference to the principal 
foreign nations. The figures here given, it must be ob- 
served, are exclusive of what may be termed provincial 
taxation. 
Revenue. 
Amount 
per Head of 
£■ 
Population. 
£ s. d. 
t France 
86,125,625 
2 
7 
81- 
United States 
77,939,000 
2 
0 
5 
Russia (including railways) . 
72,437.000 
O 
17 
8* 
Austria and Hungary . . . 
63,356,000 
I 
15 
4 
Prussia 
53,568,000 
I 
6 
1 
Italy 
47,226,000 
I 
15 
2| 
Spain 
21,502,000 
I 
5 
74 
Holland (including railways) 
8,936,000 
2 
1 
0 
Belgium . 
8,534,000 
I 
15 
3i 
Portugal •..»»« 4 
5,766,000 
I 
8 
8* 
* Exclusive of Native States in Xndia 9 which have been included in the 
figures before given. 
f These figures fet the year 187s, Th© mm&\ revenue of Fringe i® 
nsw upwards sf ©ne hundred miliismii 
