The Sun.
London, England, 1852-08-25 00:00:00

WEDNES y

AUGUST 25,

EUROPEAN RACES IN THE UNITED

STATES.
(FROM AN AM:iraCAN CORRESP3NDENT.)
The predorninance of the Anglo-Saxon race in
nurut•rioal, As well as in intelloctual capacit:s-,
in that pert of North America comprised wi!bin
the area of the Ii; ipublie of the United
States has ben generally admitted, or, in-
deed, scarcely denied, tritii within a very recent
period. It now seems to ll4ve become important to
political demagogues, in their anxiety to wield an
influence with the numerous classes of the American
population, principally from Ireland and Ger-
many, who have swelled the ranks of emigrants to
those shores within the last quarter of a century, to
misrepresent and exaggerate the proportion of the
Celtic and modern German element in the aggregate
numbers of the American nation. An Irish-Ameri-
can writer of this stamp, I observe, is quoted as an
authority in the last January number of the London
Quarterly Review, and on thi.t account deserves at-
tention, for the purpose of correcting his gross mis-
representations.
In the article referred to (on " Highland Destitu-
tion and Irish Emigration") the Quartfirly says :
" But what will be the influence of the Irish exodus upon
the destinies of the great American Republic? The
population of the United States is probably the most
mixed and heterogcnons on the faco of the earth.
The Slavonic element, which is entirely antipathic,
is almost the only European one unrepresented
there. The native German, the Anglo-Saxon, the
Milesian, and the Gaelic sub-varieties of the Celtio
race—to say nothing of the African—have all contri-
buted largely to the composition of that strange people.
But, if any reliance can be placed on the accuracy
of the following table, which seems to have been con-
structed with great care by a Mr. William E. Robinson,
and read before a learned and statistical assemblage at
Clinton, in New York, the Celtic blood even now predo-
minates. The gross population of the Union was, in
1850, a little above 23,000,000, which (says litr. Robin-
son) may be thus appropriated :
Irish born 3,000,000
Irish by blood „,. 4,500,000
German by blood or birth ... 5,500,000
Anglo-Saxon by blood or birth ... ... 3,500,000
French, or other Celts, by blood or birth 3,000,000
Coloured, free or slave ... ... 3,500,000

Total... .. 23,000,000
" According to this table (the Quarterly gravely re-
marks), more than half the white population in the
United States are Celts; more than a third Irish Celts;
more than a seventh actually of Irish birth. This
increasing predominance of a race of so strongly-
marked a character, and of qualities so opposed to those
of the Anglo-Saxon,
may well give rise to consider-
able anxiety on the other side of the Atlantic, and to
interesting speculation here. It tho Irish, enabled by
their numbers to congregate together there as in the old
country, and thus to withdraw themselves in a great
measure from the influences of a new scene and a supe-
rior race, shall retain their national features unchanged
or only slightly modified, they may affect greatly the
aggregate character and the political and sccial proceed-
ings of the Union. The stern and resistless energies of
the Anglo-Saxon may, and probably will, still enable him
but even then the destinies and
to retain the supremacy,
the nature of the American people, as a whole, must be
affected by this inordinate infusion of Irish blood."
As I shall be able to show that the reviewer reasons
upon false premises, founded upon the misrepresenta-
tions of the Irish lecturer " before a learned and
statistical assernWage, at Clinton, in New York "
(which assemblage, by the way, was principally
composed of young men and plain country people at
the commencement of Hamilton College, a minor
institution in central New York), I think he may
dismiss his apprehensions as to the effects which
an Irish Celtic emigration in large numbers
may produce on the character of this Anglo-Saxon
Republic in its social or political relations. If I
were, however, to admit the facts stated, such is my
confidence in the' predominance of the Anglo- Saxon
intellect, and governing powers and influence over
the other races with which the people of this vigo-
rous stock comes in contact, that I should still
believe in the permanency, of Anglo-Saxon insti-
tutions, government, and social superiority, as much
in America as in Great Britain. All experience ou
both sides of the Atlantic serves to confirm the
soundness of this opinion. In the United States it
is wall known that the only influence the Celtic race,
when banded together, has exercised upon our poli-
tics has been in the use which has been made of them
by demagogues (generally of other races, and most
frequently Anglo- Saxon) to hold the balance of
power between contending parties, and thus to
elevate aspiring individuals to office and power. A
transfer to the American continent of the entire
Celtic population of Ireland need not, therefore,
create any feelings of apprehension among those
who are anxious for the perpetuity of Anglo-Saxon
rule and predominance. Indeed, most of the Irish
and other emigrants who settle among us seem to
consider this result as a necessary consequence, and
to acquiesce in it with a readiness which shows that
they appreciate Anglo-American institutions, man-
ners, and customs, as the best calculated for the
adoption and use of a free and republican people.
I propose, however, to show the erroneous cha-
racter of the statement respecting the elements of
the population of the United States, as quoted by
the Quarterly Review. This I shall do very briefly,
but I trust satisfactorily, by two statements ; first,
by answering the inquiry which may be made, what
was the character, as to races, of the population
which composed the thirteen British colonies which
declared their independence in 1776 ; and, secondly,
in giving the numbers and character cf the emigrants
from Europe to the United States since the Ameri-
can Revolution, with an estimate of the probable
numbers of the descendants of those emigrants, thus
added to the population.
The British colonies in America, forming the
original 13 States, it is well known, were' settled by
emigrants, a large -proportion of whom were natives
of Great Britain. No considerable rab e emigration of
Celtic Irish, or other people of Celtic origin, took
place until after the commencement of the pre-
sent century. The New England States, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia,
were mainly settled by Englishmen., New York,
the only Dutch colony, passed under British domi-
nion, with a small population, partly Dutch and
partly English, in 1674. The Dutch records of
1673 say ;nen They, and as many of the Dutch
nation as are yet residing under tbis Government,
are calculated to amount, women and children in-
cluded, to about 6,000." In 1698 the total number
of inhabitants in the colony was 18,067, and in
1723, the whites had increased to 34,393, and the
blacks to 6,171 :—total, 40,564. This was under the
English Government. A few Dutch, Germans, and
Poles, settled in New Jersey ; a few Swedes in
Delaware, many Germans in Pennsylvania, where
they afterwards became one-third of the popula-
tion ; and some French Protestants, called Hugue-
nots, in New York, New Jersey, and South Caro-
lina. Besides the small Polish colony in New
Jersey, referred to above, another branch of the
Slavonic race was represented by a colony of a few
Moravians and Bohemians in Pennsylvania.
With the exception of a few Scotch Highlanders
who settled in North and South Carolina and Geor-
gia, I believe no Celtic colony is to he fonnd among
the settlernents in the British North American
colonies of either the 17th or 18th centuries. Settle-
ments of Lowland Scotch and Scotch- Irish from
the north of Ireland were made in Pennsylvania and
tne Carolinas, and a small number of Irish Protes-
tants settled in the town of Londonderry in New
Hampshire. The very considerable numbers of
Irish Protestants from Ulster and other parts of
Ireland (of Lowland Scotch and not of Celtic
origin) who have, from time to time, emigrated to
the United States, have led to much confusion and
error in investigating the elements of American
population. But minute inquiries into the progress
of the colonies will satisfy impartial observers that
no considerable Celtic element existed in the
population of America previous to the United
States census of 1790. The Welch, considered by
some as Celts, but who, in truth, are the descend-
ants of the Cymri, furnished a small proportion of the
early emigrants to British America. They have doubt-
less mixed more with their English neighbours on
their native island than have the Scotch and Irish ;
and of the emigrants to America, particularly to
New England. it was often difficult to distinguish
between the 'Welch end English who came over
together in the early colonial history. There were,
however, a few 'Welch colonies in the United States
in the last century, where the emigrants retained
their language, manners, and customs. Such is the
county of Cambria, in Pennsylvania, and some smaller
settlements in New York and other States. It is pro-
bably fair to estimate the Welch element in the pre-
sent population of the United States at 500,000.
In giving a view to the various races who contri-
buted to form the population of the colonies, I should
mention that a few Jews wero among the number,
principally commercial adventurers in the Atlantic
cities and towns ; but the greatek t proportion of the
Jewish race now found there is of recent emigration.
We see, then, that the following European races
made up the population of the British Colonies pre-
vious to the American Revolution—viz., Anglo-
Saxon, Lowland Scotch, Scotch-Irish, Welch, High-
land Scotch, Germans, Dutch, French (Ilugtrn°t'i'
Moravians, Poles, Swedes, and Jews. To these may
be added a few Flemish or Belgians who cause over
t
with the Dutch to New York end New Jergalt.
the commencement of the revolutionary
bevefille, in
sti.
1775, the population of the 13 colonies
1'97000 black'.
mated at 2,000,000 of whites, and
6fot;eltic origin
There were a few Irish gentlemen 0-
es of
who accompanied the English Catholics of failal-
- colony to Maryland,
like origin are to he found among
Stftte% • but
"dthae old families of
New England and some of the other
their numbers Were too
general non like the prtsent.
inCO.D.Siderable to affect a
inquiry and caleula

1852.

The same remark will apply to the Irish Celtic ser-
vants end lubcurer3 who bccompanicd the Arglo-
Szxon, .ad Scotch euligfatits in the 17th and
18th centuries to the middle and southern col7nies.

• _
I nor: prec-,A to examine, very 6riEfly, the eiit:et
of emigration from Europe to the Uni:ed States, for
a period of GO ycws—viz:, from 1790 to 1850, upon
the present population of Ame,rieiJ. The following is
the result of estimges and returns made up at the
J.C:entsoufse-moligereaatitonVv;_ashington bearing upon this sub-
*

IMMIGRANT-8
FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES INTO TILE

UNITED STATES.
From 1790 to 1810
From 1810 to 1820
From 1820 to 1830
From 1830 to 1840
From 1840 to 1850

120,000
114,000
203,979
778,500
1,543,850

Total number of immigrants for 60 years ... 2,760,329
Natural increase in periods of ten years ... 1,590,605
Total number of immigrants since 1790 and
their descendants in 1850 ... 4,350,934
The aggregate number of whites, as shown by the
census of 1850, was 19,631,799 ; so that, if we allow
half a million for the gain of white population by the
accession of Louisiana, Florida, Texas, California,
and New Mexico to the territories of the United
States, with a further allowance for other accessions
by immigration previous to 1790, it appears that
about three fourths, or more than 14,000,000 of the
present population, are descendants of European co-
lonists previous to the American Revolution.
Twenty years since, when the white population of
the United States was 10,537,378, and the number
of coloured people 2,328,642 (viz., slaves 2,009,043,
free 319,599), according to the census of 1830, Pro-
fessor Tucker, of Virginia, who has written much on
the subject of population, made the following esti-
mate of the division of the people of the United
States, according to races and descent, viz.:—
Census of 1830.
English and their descendants ... 6,000,000
Scotch
~.
***
500,000
Irish • • ••• •••
"• ••• 2,000,000
German
***
***
••• ... 1,000,000
Dutch
••• **• ••• ... 500,000
French
Swedish, Spanish, Bwiss,-/Le.
...*: 300.000
200,000

Total whites 10,500,000
Africans and their descendants ... 2,328,642

Total white and coloured 12,828,642
On the above basis, slightly varied, I give the fola
lowing estimate of the approximate proportions of
the different races forming the population of the
United States in 1850
Anglo-S,xons
••• ••• 11,000,000
Lowland Scotch
700,000
Scotch and Anglo-Saxon Irish ...
,1500000
Celtic Irish
Welch 2,000,000
German ... 300000
Dutch •.. . 2,000,000
... ... 800,000
French (including Huguenots) ... 1,000,000
Danes and Norwegians ... 100,000
Swedes 100,000
Swish • • • 50,000
Spaniards, Italians, Jews, &c. 100,000

Total whites ... ... 19,650.000
Africans, slaves and free ... ... 3,600,000

Total ... 23,250,000
With regard to the Irish Celtic population in the
United States, it may be remarked that, compared
with the inhabitants of the Anglo-Saxon stock, it is
a short-lived race, and the average rate of mortality
among these recelit immigrants to America is much
greater than among other portions of the population.
--Times.