The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-12-14

The increase during the last twenty years
has been chiefly confined to a few of the lead
ing towns and their vicnity-as Boston, Low
ell, Worcester, Springfield, Fall River, &c.
and to places where people have clustered to
| gether for manufacturing purposes, and for the
conveniences of railroad transportation. In the
| agricultural towns, removed from these con
veniences, comprising by far the larger part OF
the State, the results are very different
In these towns, agriculture, the principal EN-
| pl0yment has not increased the wealth has
not apparently increased the means of com
Portable living have hardly been sustained, and
in many instances, have absolutely diminished.
The aggregate population of nearly half OF the
| towns of the State is now hardly equal to what
it was in 1870 There are about seventy towns
| in which there has been a loss of population
during the last ten years, and the whole in
crease in as many more is hardly equal to the
loss in the first seventy. The same may be
| said of the result of the preceding decade, and
in fact, Of that of the last twenty years. Dur
ing the last ten years nearly half of the whole
| increase is to be found in about dczen towns
| and cities.
The increase Of late years is composed Of the
descendants Of the Massachusetts people, of i'm
| migrants from other States with their children,
| and of foreign Immigrants with their children.
OF the first the decennial increase since 1890
| does not seem to have exceeded o or II per
| cent. The remainder of the natural increase
| seems to have emigrated chiefly to people other
States and Territories Of the Union.
OF the immigrants from other States with
| their children, it is believed that there are all
Of 10000 from New Hampshire, and scarcely
a less number from either Maine or Vermont,
| besides very many from the other New Eng
land States There are many also from the
Middle States, and some from all parts of the
South and West.
The foreign immigrants number $50, 229, of
which 63,466 are in Boston, $685. in Law
renee, and the remainder are distributed in the
| other towns and cities; only one incorporated
| town being found without a foreigner by birth
| in it. Thus it appears that the foreign popu-
| laton are most remarkably difiused over the
State. BY far the larger portion of them-at
least nine tenths-are from Ireland.
OF the above l80,229 only the number
stated as in Boston includes native children
of foreign parentage. Out of Boston the num-
Der born in foreign countries is 1888.
Assuming that the children of foreign parent
age amount to one-sixth part of the number of
foreigners by birth, we have to add 1912 to
the lS0, 300, and we have 1871 for the for
eign element in the population of Massachusetts
on the LIST of June last, which is more than
fifth part Of the whole. Very few of this for
eign population were in the country twenty or
even fifteen years ago, and nearly all of them
have come during the last ten years.
Hence II appears evident that Massachusetts,
is indebted to foreign immigration for nearly two
thirds of the increase of her population for the
last ten years, and for half of the increase
for the last twenty years; and, if we add the
immigration from other States, these proper
tons will be more than sustained and we shall
find that Of the native Massachusetts population
retained in the State, the increase has not much
exceeded ten or twelve per cent. in either de
cade.