The Census of British Guiana 65 
wanted on page 60 of the report to show those who can 
do both. Those who can read are given as 48,234 males 
and 43,206 females, being a total of 91,440. Those who 
can write are given as 40,598 males and 34,633 females, 
or a total of 75,231. This is an improvement on the 
census of 1S81, when only 77,396 readers and 59,075 
writers were numbered. Only 30^3 per cent of our popu- 
lation can read, and only 27 per rent are able to write. 
Infirmities. Only those persona being patients in the 
Lunatic and Leper Asylums were returned under the 
heading of Insane and Leper. For Leprosy the figures 
are 285 males and 68 females or a total of 353 persons. 
This number cannot be taken as at all giving the amount 
of this disease in the colony, although there is no reason 
to accept the exaggerated estimates that have from time 
to time been made. I think that this disease must be 
slowly dying out in the face of the steady but slow im- 
provement that is taking place in the colony in sanitary 
matters. Any maintenance of this disease amongst us is 
to be feared from our Indian Immigrants, who, in spite of 
all the care that is exercised in this matter both here and in 
India, from time to time bring this disease with them. Dr. 
HlLLIS gave an estimate in 1SS1 of 1 leper to every 500 of 
the people, and a government return from Medical Officers 
in 1879, fixed the total leper population in the colony as 
525, but this was not correct. Lepers are counted in the 
Indian Census and although they might not be all cor- 
rectly returned here, there is no reason, as far as I can see, 
why this part of the schedule should be more inaccurate 
than any other. 
The insane are divided into 418 males and 203 females. 
This number is probably nearly correct for there are few 
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