The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-08 00:00:00

The following tables of the population and houses
enumerated in England and Wales, and in the
islands iu the British seas, on April 8, 1861, were
yesterday presented to both Houses of Parliament
by command of her Majesty :
" The Act for taking the Census of England required that
the 31,000 enumerators should copy into books the house-
holders' schedules and other particulars collected in their
several districts. These books were to be placed, with the
schedules, in the hands of the 2,197 Registrars, who were to
subject them to a strict examination, and make all neces-
sary corrections. Before the 30th of April the enumerators'
books and other documents were to be transferred to the
631 Superintendent-Registrars, who were required to test
the accuracy of their contents by a further process of revi-
sion.
" The Superintendent-Registrars were allowed a short
time for the purpose of returning the revised books to the
Census-office, where they have still to undergo strict and
minute revision before any detailed and exact statement of
results can be given. As this essential labour must, how-
ever, of necessity, engage much time, it has been thought
desirable not to withhold from the public such an approxi-
mation to the general results as might be obtained without
waiting for the entire completion of this series of checks.
The Registrars, therefore, were desired to forward to the
Census-office summaries of the population and houses
within their respective districts.
" From these summaries have been chiefly compiled the
following tables, which must be taken to represent the re-
sults of the Census according to the statements of the lccal
officers, previous to the revision now in progress at the cen-
tral office. And although minute accuracy is not to be
looked for, yet it is apprehended that the alterations which a
careful revision of the original documents may render neces-
sary will not be of importance sufficient to lessen the value
of the figures as materials for whatever general inferences
may fairly be drawn from them.
" Table I. comprises the population enumerated on the Bth
of April, 1861, in England and Wales and the islands in the
British seas, amounting to 20,205,504. The portion of the
army, Royal navy, and merchant seamen out of the country
at the time of the census is not included, and as it appears
from official returns that the army abroad amounted to
about 137,000, the Royal Navy and Marines absent from
the United Kingdom to about 42,900, and the merchant
seamen absent on voyages to about 9F,000, it may be as-
sumed that the numbers of these classes belonging to Eng-
land and Wales were collectively not less than 162,021,
mostly adult mails.
"Table 11. exhibits the number of houses and the popu-
lation enumerated in England and Wales in 1851 and 1861,
with the increase in the interval.
" Table HI. shows the population of England and Wales
at each of the censuses, 1801.61, including the army, navy,
and merchant seamen abroad as well as at home, with the
increase in each decennial period. The actual increase of
population (2,169,576) between 1851 and 1861 was greater
than in any previous decennial period, but the rate of in-
crease, owing to active emigration, had somewhat dimi-
nished.
" Table IV. presents a comparative view of the number
of houses enumerated at each of the censuses.

" Table V. shows the houses and population enumerated
in the counties (proper) in 1851 and 1861, together with the
increase or decrease of persons in each county in the period
between the enumerations.
" In Table VI. the numbers of inhabited houses and of
the population in 1851 and 1861, with the increase or de-
crease of persons in the interval, are presented for each of
the 631 Superintendent-Registrars' districts into which
England is divided. These districts are for the most part
co-extensive with single Poor-law Unions, or two or more
Unions combined, but in some instances they consist of
places in which the rel,ef of the poor is regulated under Local
Acts, or otherwise than by the Poor-law Amendment Act.
A column is added in this table showing the excess of re-
:istered births over deaths in the 10 years 1851-60, but in
comparing these numbers with the ascertained increase or
decrease it is necessary to bear in mind that the whole of
the births are not registered. No birth can be recorded
atter six months, and registration is not compulsory, so in
the present state of the law many births are not entered in
the registers, especially in London and the large towns.
"Table VII. is framed from the details in Table VI. The
Superintendent -Registrars' districts are grouped together
in 11 divisions, each comprising the whole, or nearly the
whole, of the several counties named. In the columns show-
ing the ascertained increase of population and the excess of
births over deaths in these divisions maybe traced the power-
ful stream of immigratirm into the principal centres of trade
and the seats of mining and manufacturing industry. Thus
in London (Division 1), where the excess of registered births
over deaths was 253,989, the influx of persons from other
parts had raised the actual increase to 440,798; in the
Eastern division (4), consisting of the counties of Essex,
Suffolk, and Norfolk, the ascertained increase was only
28,220, while the natural increase or excess of births over
deaths was 129,726.
" In Table VIII. the houses and population in the prin-
cipal cities and boroughs in 1861 are stated chiefly on the
authority of the Superintendent-Registrars in whose dis-
tricts the places are wholly or partly comprised. The
municipal and parliamentary boundaries are frequently not
conterminate with those of parishes or other local sub-
divisions, and great care is required in assigning the popu-
lation within their exact limits. It is probable that suffi-
cient attention to questions of boundary has not been given
in some cases by the local officers in preparing these state-
ments within the limited time allowed them. The numbers
most therefore be received as approximations only, subject
to revision hereafter at the Census-office. This table includes
only corporate towns and boroughs returning members to
Parliament; several large towns, consequently, do not appear
in it.
"'Tables IX. and X., referring to the Channel Islands
and the Isle of Man, require no explanation.
"Table XI. relates to emigration. According to the re-
turns of the Emigration Commissioners, 2,249,355 emigrants
sailed from theports of the United Kingdom in the interval
between the Census of March 31, 1851, and the Census of
April 8, 1861. But 194,532 of the number were probably
of foreign origin, leaving 2,054,823 emigrants from the popu •
lation of the United Kingdom, of whom about 640,210 were
of English origin, 183,627 were of Scotch origin, and
1,230,986 were of Irish origin.
" We will reserve any further observations for the report
which will accompany the detailed abstracts.
"GEORGE GRAHAM, Registrar General.
" WILLIAM FARR, Assistants to the Regis.
" JAMES T. HAMMACK, Sl trar-General in the
Matter
of the Census.
" Census-office, Craig's-court, June 7, 1861,"

ENGLAND AND WALESTISH AND ISLANDS IN THE
BRI
Table I.—Population Enumerated in England and Wales
and in the Islands in the British Seas on April 8, 1861.

Population enumeratedon)
April 8, 1861 (exclusive 'N.
of the Army, Navy,
and Merchant Seamen I
Abroad) ....•••)

England and Wales ,
Islands in the British Seas'

Persons.

*20,205,501

20,061,725
143,770

ENGLA/,
Table ll.—Houses and Po]
and Wales

Males. Females.

9,825,246 1 10,380,258

9,753,8521 10,302,873
66,391 77,385

rD AND WALES.
Dulation Enumerated in England
in 1861 and 1851.

'OIJSES.

-----
In- Unin-
Census Year. habited. habited. Building.
-- ---
1861 (April Sth)
1851 (March 31st)
---
Increase in the Interval be-) 467,424 28,831 1,009
tween 1851 and 1861.. • • • •