The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-05
From the Philadelphia North american.

| POPULATION OF New YoRK.--The New Yorh
Courier and Enquirer, after taking sufficient time
to deliberate on our articles, of Monday and Tues
day last, reviewing and contrasting the census re-
turns OF population and dwellings in that city and
in Philadelphia, takes up the subject in its leader
of Saturday, and settles the question in very
pleasant and logical way--chiefy by accusing us
of being "painfully exercised" on The subject OF
New York superority-of being distressed at the
failure OF predictions, which we never made
with similar filings at our "paItry makeshifts, -
"past Authorizations" ''shallow speculations, 4"
and ''rickety differences and in general, by as
Stunning an air of cockney superiority, on behalf
Of New York, intended to help bad cause and
strengthen feeble advocate. We are Of opinion
that this controversy is one of no little public in
teres, and hat IL he best conducted by strict
| adherence to facts, figures, and arguments in
which view We shall not retort the righteousness
or ring second to the safcasms Of our cotempor-
airy, but confre ourselves to that small portion of
it's reply which has the merit Of being relevant to
the subject
| The following paragraph contains the Courier s
answer to one of the difficulties commented on
THAT of the census returns showing more than
twice as many persons to house in New York
as in Philadelphia
sit is urged, says the Courier and Enquirer,
SHAT according to the returns, New York has on
ly 1850 dwellings, giving an average OF 49, per
sons TO each house; whereas Philadelphia has
81 ,202 dwellings, giving an average Of only g. to
| each house. Can this strange anomaly actually
exist asks the North .4m.rican. 1t does exist, II
there be any virtue in official figures, and IL is not
so strange either. 1t is capable of very simple
| explanation. The houses Of this city, on account
| other superior height, BREADTH and depth, have,
on the average, twice the capacity of the houses
IN Philadelphia. The former are usually occu-
pied by two or more families, the latter seldom
by more than one. Every one, too, knows thai
pofv thaea nd IA r,fn
ings, there is very much less house room in New
York than in Philadelphia. as is most conclusive
ly shown by the fact that rent for the same space
here Is nearly, il not quite, twice high as it is
there. These simple facts are enough to dispe
the editor Is "strange anomaly into thin air.
| With due Difference, we muet say that this ar
gument involves pefitio princpii- an assumption
OF the very fact which we desired 10 have proved
The question s-ore there twice many persons
IN house in New York az In Philadelphia
This does not entirely, or necessarily, depend or
the question whether the houses are larger IN tn,
former than in the latter city. But admitting this
to be legitimate object of inquiry, we may make
the following remark the dwellings, in Philsdel
phin, with an average Of 8 Go persons to each
are, generally, three -storied ones; in New York
with an average OF Is. Sc persons, they ought Il
be slx-sorIed Is this then, generally, the case 7
We stated that "i has always heretofore beer
supposed that there was natural and tole
rably uniform relation between the numbers o
houses and their inhabitants, at least in cities q
the same country and in the same nelghborhood
The Courier makes this postuate Of differen
character, affirming "a fixed relation between tb,
number OF dwellings, and the population" and
declares. what we do not dispute, except within
the limits Of our restrictions that "the one is M
kind of criterion Of the oiher" and it goes on Il
illustrate the point as follows,
Take, for instance, the cities Of London nns
Paris. According to the report Of Nj. Dnrcy,
French inspector Of the Pouts ct Chnmssees, pub
I'shtd few months since, the popuIa ION ofLon
don proper ~ l,29a,000. and the number of III
houses eco 900, occupying surface Of $40 900 00t
square metres; the population Of Paris 10 ,053,