The Express.
London, England, 1867-06-19 00:00:00

eoLiti)ity.

VIM EvimMO, THE CIA X'K MAK ER'S HAT. Mr. Vollahe
Meal:mei Lennox and C. Soundera.—And THE ANTIPODE.).
Mews. E. Gorden, Von:tire, G. Prior, hake, R. Meru% and S.
Emery Headmen Men Terry, kayond, and C. Saunders.

BRITANNIA.

Tow; Evisrno, MACAKTII. Mt ears. Reynolds, Drummond,
Nell, Leslie. Crouton!, Biwwood, and Elton; Memo S. Mlles and
Booth. - Muses. Hildebrandt met Ortoonde.—And 3100 K LIGHT
JACK. Mr. J. B. Howe, Mine J. Cot gamy, &e.

HIGH WATCH AT LONDON HZIDOX

Irtes DAY —Wareing, 33 203i..--Aftemooa. 3h. 37m.
to-Xoutow—Xoralas, *. 6511..... —Afternoon, 4h. 11w.

LONDON, IVEDNESDAY, JUNE 19.

THE University of London is delivered from the
unequal match intended for it by a Tory Govern-
ment ; but it has had a very narrow escape. That
a project so arbitrary and irrational as its union
with the University of Durham should have had
any chance of success is not creditable to Par-
liament ; but the divisions of Monday night and
yesterday morning only illustrate too well the
accidental character of the Reform legislation
taking place in the present session—one in which
every question seems to be determined by second-
ary and extrinsic considerations. The proposal
to unite Durham with London never ought to
have been made. The interests, the character,
the ideas, the aims of the two bodies are separate,
and, in some important respects, opposed. A candi-
date that would suit one would almost infallibly
be unsuited to the other, and the elections of
such a constituency would depend upon side
issues, giving scope for all manner of intrigue,
to escape which the most numerous and most
honourable part of the constituency would ab-
stain from voting altogether. All this was made
plain to the House by Mr. Lows and other mem-
bers. Nevertheless, the Ministerial proposal
would probably have passed but for one or two in-
cidents which made an unfavourable impression
upon the House. One of these was the discovery
that the constitution of the University of Durham
is sectarian, only members of a particular religious
communion being eligible to its governing body.
There was some difficulty in making this point
plain to the House, one member after another meet-
ing the objection by alleging the irrelevant fact
that persona of all creeds are admitted to Durham
degrees, except to those of theology. When it be-
came clear, however, the claims of Durham visibly
sank in estimation. The Ministerial proposal
was undoubtedly further prejudiced in the later
stages of the debate by the conduct of Mr.
DISRAELI in remaining silent while Mr. MOWERAY,
a member of the Government, who was sitting by
his side, promised that the constitution of Dur-
ham University should be liberalised, when, as the
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER subsequently ex-
plained, the Government had no intention of
assuming any responsibility in the matter. But for
these casualties of the debate, the obnoxious mea-
sure would probably have been carried, a number
of Liberal members once more so far forgetting
themselves as to support one of the most wanton
and absurd of Tory proposals.

Tnesz sections of the annual reports of the
Emigration Commissioners which relate to Ireland
have fur many years recorded the magnitude of
the emigration from that country. They are
becoming even more important now, for what they
show as to the decline of the natural increase of
the population. They prove that the population
of Ireland is not undergoing a mere numerical
reduction, but is attacked in its reparative prin-
ciple, in its very root. The number of Irish who
emigrated in the sad eight years from 1847 to
1854 averaged 207,105 per annum. During the
following eight years it averaged 59,989 a year.
During the last four years it has again increased,
so as to average 107,846 a year. The increase
of population by births, the Commissioners
observe, must principally depend on the propor-
tion which those between the ages of 20 and 35
bear to the rest of the community. The propor-
tion of such persons in the population of the
whole kingdom is about 25 per cent., while their
proportion in the emigration of the present day is
more than 52 per cent. When the fullest deduc-
tions have been made for emigration the Irish
population returns still show large deficiencies,
which can only be accounted for by admitting
a decline in the power of the population to
reproduce itself. The natural increase of the
population of Ireland in the period between
1831 and 1841 was 1.10 per cent. per
annum. In the period 1841-1851, which in-
cluded several terrible years of famine, fever, and
flight, it of course fell enormously ; but even
between 1851 and 1861, when there was nothing
to produce a specially injurious effect upon the
health of the people, the natural increase of the
population was only .70 per cent. per annum. In
the ten years before 1861 the population fell from
8,515,794 to 5,764,543. A natural increase of
460,000 souls was to be set against an emigration
of 1,210,000, and the decrease of the population
was 757,251. In the six years since 1861 as
many as 517,387 emigrants have left Ireland,
and supposing the natural rate of increase of the
period 1851-61 to have been maintained, the
population at the census in 1871 can scarcely
exceed 5,300,000 souls. But the Commissioners
believe that it is not being maintained. Of the
98,890 persons who emigrated last year 36,423
were single men, and 87.56 per cent. of the
whole Irish emigration went to the United States,
being a much larger proportion than in previous

years. That the emigrants (ho not leave in circum-
stances of destitution is shown by the better order
of passenger accommodation which they select.
In 1863 the proportion of those who emigrated in
steam vessels was 45.85, in 1864 it was 53.55, in
1865 it was 73.50, and in 1866 it was 81.16 per
cant. ; the shorter and better accommodation
being about one-third dearer than in sailing ships.
The inferences of the Emigration Commissioners as
to the effect of emigration upon the natural increase
of population are corroborated by the returns of
the Registrar-General of Ireland. Last year the
marriages of Protestants wens only 1 for every
144 Protestants and 1 for every 212 Catholics,
the rate in this country being one marriage to
every 122 persons. The birth rate in Ireland
was two-and-a-half per cent., while in England it
was three-and-a-half per cent. in the same year.
Mr. DISRABLI may postpone an Irish Reform
Bill, which perhaps is not the most direct remedy
fur the decline of population, but the state of
things which these figures disclose must commend
itself to a Reformed Parliament as one of the
must pressing subjects for its consideration.

OUR CONTEMPORARIES.
(THIS DAY.)