The Census of British Guiana. 45 
Finally the 1891 Census, which I propose to examine 
in this article, gives a total population for the colony of 
278,328 being an increase on the figures of 1881 of 
26,24.2 or 10 percent., with an immigration of 34,266. 
The increase is due to the excess of births over deaths 
during the decennium which was over 6,000 in round 
numbers (the exa& figure I cannot find), and the excess 
of Immigrants remaining after deducting those returned 
to India for this period. A large number are recorded 
as having returned to their native country, some 16,849 
in all I believe. Thus the broad feature remains that 
3~4ths of the increase of the population for the last ten 
years is due to immigration, and i~4th to the excess of the 
births over the deaths. 
The annexed diagram shows very clearly the exa6l 
influence of immigration on our rate of increase. It is 
clearly shown how closely the curve of increase follows 
the curve of Immigrants, and the steady rise in the num- 
ber of the people is dire6lly proportionate to the number 
of persons brought to the colony. 
The fall for the decennium ending 1891 in the 
number of immigrants brought to the colony is closely 
parallelled by the curve indicating the fall in the 
rate of increase in the population. It is difficult in 
the face of this diagram to understand, how it 
could ever have been maintained that the exces- 
sive birth rate (!) was the chief fa6lor in the growth 
of our population. From a careful examination of the 
figures I have found nothing to indicate a very high birth 
rate in this colony. From the figures of the Census 
Report and the Registrar General's Annual Report, I 
find that J'6 children were born to every 100 women in 
