The Express.
London, England, 1861-07-17 00:00:00

THE IRISH CENSUS.

The abstracts of the census of Ireland for 1861
have jag been issued. The teed population of Ireland on
the 7th of April was 5,764,60, lees by 787,842 than it warn
la 1861, which is a decrease of 12'02 per cent. on the last
deeseaial period. On the redoes decade there was a de-
wean of 19'85 per cent. The diminution has been greatest
in Mender, where it is 18 per cent., and least in Ulster,
where it is only 5 per cent. The commissioners ascribe the
decrease to emigration, ea there has been no other powerful
muse in operation, such as famine, pestilence, or war.
From the report of the Emigration Commissioners it appears
that 1,230,988 emigrants left Ireland during the last ten
years • and from the returns obtained by the Registrar-
-00011:11 of Ireland, it is found that of these 1,174,179 were
set down as " permanent emigrants." We have, unfortu-
nately, no registration of births and deaths, and we cannot
tell what efforts nature has mode to fill up the void created
by the famine. _

The portion of the returns expected with most anxiety is
th►t which relates to the religious denominations, of which
we have had no return since 1834. In obtaining these re-
turns the enumerators met with every facility from the
clergy and people, and as the commissioners have had only

liftsen complaints about them, they infer that they are
nearly correct. The following are the results :—Ronitn
catholic., 4,490,583 ; members of the established church,
678,881 ; presbyterians, 598,992 ; all other persuasions,
8,414 ; Jews, 372. The total number of protestanta
Ireland is 1,273,980, giving the Roman catholic. a majority
of 3,216,623; or about 34 Roman catholic, to 1 protestant.
In Ulster the proportions are--established church, 390,301;
presbyterians, 311,371; Roman catholic, 963,687.

- The Dublin iforosing Nero is almost in hysterics of joy
abou► these figures, pointing in triumph to the majority of
Roman catholic, in the old strongholds of protestantism.
For instance, in "protestant Ulster" there is • Boman
catholic majority of 16,966, and in Derry of 3,415. In
Enniskillen, Dungannon, and Bandon they have also got •
majority.

When the special census was taken in 1834, with the
object of ascertaining the religious persuasion of the people,
it was found that out of a population of 7,954,760 there
were—Roman catholic, 6,436,060 ; members of the es-
tablished church, including methodists, 853,160; pushy.
teriana, 643,638 ; other dissenters, 21,882. The present
return gives the methodists separately, as numbering
44,532. If we add this number to the members of the
established church in the census of 1861, we shall have
723,193. Comparing these figures with the returns of
1834 we obtain the following results :—During the genera-
tion that has pared since that census, the population of
Ireland has diminished by 2,190,217 ; the Roman catholic
population by 1,945,477 ; the Church of England popula-
tion (including the methodista)by 129,967, the presbyterians
by 11.4,666. The other protestant denominations have been
diminished about one-half.

THE EMPRESS or AUBTRIA.—A letter from Corfu
states that there is an Austrian frigate and a steamer in
attendance on the Empress. of Austria at Corfu, and that
she frequently takes excursions in their boats. 13he is living
very quietly and without any state. The writer adds that it
is likely her Majesty will spend the winter in Egmit.
Dovammi-eraser, JULY 15.—The Queen baa been
pleased to appoint Charles Parley said Peter Mitchell, Eriqm,
to be seembem of the Legislative Cletuicil of the province of
New Brunawisk ; Meta Cleomarammy, Fog to be a member
of the Emulative Council of the Liked of Ceylon; Thomas
Brown, EN., to be a member of the Executive and Legis-
lative Coseeib at her Majesty's settlements on the River
Gambia ; and Robert Chapman, Esq., to be a member of
the Executive Damian of the Island of St. Vincent.—Gaulle.