The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-01 00:00:00

CENSUS OF OCCUPATION,

On the eve of the meeting of Parliament we pub-
lished a statement of the population of the kingdom
And its distribution at the time of the last census.
'We propose now to give an account of the occups-
tiJns of the people. The general classification of the
population enumerated in England and Wales at
the census of 1851 and that of 1861 is as follows :•—•
1851. 1861.
1. Professional class .. 376,434 .. 481,957
2. Djmestic ~ • • 10,010,343 .. 11,426,720
3. Commercial „ •• 528,599 .. 623,710
4. Agricultural ~ .. 2,084,153 .. 2,010,464
5. Industrial .. 4,143,293 .. 4,828,399
6. Indefinite .. 784,787 .. 69.5,984

17,921,609 20,006,224
The professional class is subdivided into three
orders or sub-classes. The first is the Governmental,

beginning with her Majesty the Queen, and reach-
ing down to the police, the letter carriers, and the

dockyard labourers; for the subordinates a;ways in

the census returns go to the rrincipals. The de-
partment of the Post Office increased its numbers
from 8,881 in 1851 to 14,131 in 1861, the police from
16,39 to 21,938, and the whole Governm .mtal body
advanced fmtn 66,724 to 87,350. The second sub-
class, the military, increased from 85,818 to 131,944.
This does not include the Volunteers; volunteering
was not their principal occupation. The third
sub-class—the learned, literary, and artistic pro-
fessions—increased from 204,093 in 1851 to 262,663
in 1861. The clergy were returned at 17,320 in
1851 and 19,195 in 1861; Protestant Ministers, 6,405
and 7,840 ; Romin Catholic priests, 966 and 1,216.
Barristers advanced from 2,816 to 3,071, but the
number of attorneys was stationary. The physicians
increased from 1,771 to 2,385, but the surgeons and
apothecaries decreased in number, the profession
answering to the preference of the patient for the
higher title. Schoolmasters, schoolmistresses, and
teachers increased from 94,878 in 1851 to 110,364

in 1861 ; this last number includes 24,770 gover-
nesses. Authors and literary persons are stated at

3,395 men and 185 women in 1861.
The progress of thfi taste for music is seen in the
increase of musicisas and musicmasters from 11,105
in 1851 to 15,021 in 1861. Photographers were
but 45 in 1851, but i❑ 1861 had become 2;534. Civil

engineering is also a profession rapidiyineressing

its-members at the two dates were 2,577 and 3,329,
C!assification is difficult with the literary and ar-
tistic CiSSS. An author may also be a clergyman,
barrister, physician. It is necessary also to include

persons ministering in the lowest fields of public

amusements. Conjurors, performers at shows, bal-
lad singers, pugilists (18 in number)—th©y here get
into worshipful company; and we have to close the

list of the " professional class" with the last minis-
ter of the law, who is introduced with such
honours as may be—" The ancient office of execu-
tioner has one representative left in England."
The domestic class comes next. It comprises
women not in business, children, servants, and with

these are placed innkeepers and other persons en-
gnged in providing board and lodging. The whole

class constitutes more than half the population o:

England, But besides the 6,795,805 females here
returned as of no occupation, mothers, housewives,

daughters of all ages, there are no less than
3,436,749 women returned in other classes as

engaged in business, or assisting in it : proof
enough that' women are not idle. The most
remarkable thing, however, is the large increase

in the number of children returned as scholars,
either at school or at home. In 1851 they wcre
2,297,232; in 1561,'3,150,0.18, of whom 1,552,738
are boys and 1,597,310 girls. The number of
scholars under five years of age doubled in
tho ten years. Of children between five and ten 69
in every 100 boys (61 in 1851) and 66 in every 100
girls (56 in 1851) are returned as scholars—that is,
"daily attending school or receiving regular tuition
at tome." Between 10 and 15, 37 in every 100 boys
aTe in recognised occupations, and 20 in every 100
girls, but the proportion who are still scholars at this

course, is independently of the vast body of persons
employed upon the mineral when got.
Class 6 is created in great part by imp, ifect re-
tarn!. It comprises persons whose occupation is ill-
defined or undefined. There are in it 3' 6,544 men
returned generally as " labourers,' 11,621 as
mechanics. It concludes the account given of the
occupations of the people of England and Wales at
works of great labour, and executed with much care
and skill, though not infallih,e after all.
Scotland having now its own Registrar-General,
its census was taken by that functionary, with the
assistance of Mr. Stark. They present the follow-
ing result :

1851.

1861.

1. Professional class
2. Domestic „
3. Commercial „ 74,756 .. 84,338
4. Agricultural ~ 388,203 .. 378,609
5. Industrial 0
6. Indefinite „ 108,841 .. 118,463

2,888,742 3,062,294
In 1861, therefore, of every 100,000 persons in Scot-
land
1,715 belonged to the professional class, 2,754
to the commercial, 12,364 to the agricultural, 22,665
to the industrial, 56,634 are classed only as domes-
tic, and 3,868 are undefined, ill•defined, or non
productive ; 567,056 are returned as scholars, so that
15.2 per cent. of the population, or one in every 6.5,
was receiving education at the date of the census.
In England the proportion was 15.7 per cent, and yet
the number of adults able to sign their names on the
marriage register is much below that of Scotland.
The percentage of domestic servants to population
was as high as 9.3 per cent. in Edinburgh, and in
Glasgow it was only 3.6 per cent. The bakers in-
crease in Scotland; the increase of this class be-
tween 1841 and 1851. was as much as 44.8 per cent.,
indicating the change of diet by the gradual adop-
tion of wheaten bread in the country districts.
Very great pains have been bestowed upon this
°ensue of Scotland, and much interesting informa-
tion has been collected, but the compilers propose a
far more complete method in future, showing the
number of persons dependent for their support on
each occupation or trade, and not the mere workers
only. When the expense and trouble are taken of
going the round of the kingdom and knocking at
every door, it will be well to get a little more in •
formation than hitherto.

The Irish census distributes the people of Ireland
into ten classes—Landed proprietors, 8,412 ; agri-
culturists, 969,636; engaged in commerce, manu-
factures, and mechanical trades, 815,356 ; learned
Professions, 11,695 ; other liberal professions, 1,066 ;
engaged in teaching, 19,346; civil service, 20,564;
military and naval services, 30,328 ; miscellaneous,
829,138 ; without specified occupation, 3,092,630
—total, 5,798,967. Or again thus—Ministering to
food, 1,053,031 ; to clothing, 490,450; to lodging,
furniture, and machinery, 463,547 ; to conveyance
and travelling, 68,793; to banking and agency,
4,555 ; to literature and education, 40,840 ; to
religion, 10,625 ; to charity and benevolence, 982 ;
to health, 6733 ; to justice and Government, 55,083 ;
to amusement, 2,840 ; to science and art, 757; resi •
due unclassiaed, 3
.600,338. Tht, Irish census
volumes have not gi7en so much information of
the occupation of the people in detail as the Eng-
lish and Scotch have. It strikes the eye in glancing
over the volumes that those for England and Scot-
land abound in details respecting occupation, but
there is not a line about religious persuasion. The
Irish census, it no more is to come, will seem a little
bare as to occupation, but it is brimful of religion.