Thibodaux minerva., 1853-10-22
THIB0DAUX, LOUISIANA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER g. 1853

J1l l. - LULA l., OOI.ODIlU
CURIOUS FAcTs.-A London letter in the
National IntelIigencer contains some very
remarkable facts respecting the population
IofsGreat Britain:
"The returns of the population Of Great
Britain, according to the census Of 1850,
have at length been published, in part, in
two very thick folio volumes. The labor of
collecting this information was immense
go superintendent registrars, 2,190 regis
trars, and 8O.610 enumerators were en-
ployed in England and Wales, and in Scot
land 1910 superintendent, and 1873 emu
mera,ors. JaiIofs, masters of workhouses,
naval and military officers clergymen,
school-masters, and officers of public insti-
tutions, all assisted in supplying this inform
alton. BY this large array of workers the
whole of the population returns Of Great
Britain were collected in one day, so that
the mere expense of procuring the returns
was comparatively small The remain Ter
ofthe time, from that day to the beginning
Of the present month, was occupied with
arranging the returns for the press, and in
printing them. Seven millions of forms
were printed, and the weight of all the
papers sent from the central office exceeded
fifty-two TONS The most striking and
important information which it contains is
the certain fact of the continual increase of
the people since 1901, when the practice Of
taking a decimal census commenced.
Prior to that time the number of people was
conjectural, or ascertained by the loosest
and most vague calculation. AT the close
of the eighteenth century, it was supposed
that the population doubled in one hundred
and sixty years. Earlier records, however,
very conclusively show that the population
took the whole Of the fifteenth, sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, or three hundred
years, to double itself. OF the progress of
population previous 10 the fifteenth century,
nothing satisfactory is known. The best
writers upon the subject have concluded
that. at the time of the conquest, the popula-
tion of England and Wales did not exceed
100000, of whom" says Sharon Turner,
"nearly three-fourths were in a state of
slavery, and nothing could have broken
their bonds but such events as the Norman
conquest and the civil wars which it excited
and fostered." In 1901 Great Britain, which
had then been peopled at least twenty CEN
turies, contained a population Of 10.9l7,4s3
persons; in 1851 the population is ascer
tanned to have been 21:121. .967-being
nearly doubled of what it was in 1901 there
fore, during the fifty intervening years the
increase alone was very nearly as much as
the aggregate population which had accu-
mulated in twenty centuries. Thus the
population has done that during the last
fifty years which the eleven centuries be-
liam the Conqueror, had scarcely accom-
Mi ShoI ho+ ,~.h<
be shown. that the wealth Of the country has
increased faster than its population. The
81, ,12l :967 people in Great Britain are very
Wales they are at an average distance
asunder of las yards. In London they are
within IA yards of each other. In East
London there are 1876, ISL persons to square
mile; in the district of BeIlingham, North
cumberland, there are only 1s to square
mile. or in London the population of square
mile is more than tenthousand times greater
than that of Bellingham. In the towns the
people are SO persons to a square acre, in
the country there are 58 acres to each
person. Placing three persons in every
square yard, the whole population might be
placed in l,476 acres. Tn Great Britain
there are 815 towns containing 1866 ,2s8
persons, and 10, 4o3, 179 dwell in what, for
the sake ofdislnction, is always called the
country" ..a..-. s. ..t ... t-..-....
AN EXCITING ScENE.-A few years ago.
as the steamer Southern was On her depar-
ture from Charleston, S. c., for New York:
our attention was attracted by number of
passengers on board, aud the excitement of
a large crowd which had gathered at par
ticuar place on the vessels deck. We
made our way into the throng behind the
captain, and soon fouad man dressed in
the garb of Quaker, seated on what ap-
peared to be chest, declaring that it should
not be opened unless those who opened it
killed him. While he was thus acting,
voice from the chest las if from colored
person in distress) said in a smothered tone:
f Let me out. ! had rather go 10 master.
Oh! mercy! dis chile can't stan dis no
how, Oh golly, can't stan dis any longer"
"Look here my friend said the captain,
"you will please get off that chest"
"Pll do no such thing.n he replied cody.
"Oh, dear, luff me out disn' came dis
tinc;ly out of the chest, as if the speaker
was sufocating &
Mate,n said the captain. bring some
men, and take that person off that chest and
break il open. a*
The Quaker resisted, was seized by the
passengers: all believing he was stealing
darkey. contrary to the laws of the South.
and held uncomfor,ably. The mate took
an ak. and forced tho lid loose from the
chest
Oh, don't you'll kill me!' saidthe stihed
voice. g want to get out, want to go back
oh, dear ! shall die.D ...
HOLD on few minutes longer" said
good natured person, you shall soon be re-
leasedn
Quite an intense feeling was pow raised
in the crowd when the mate forced off the
lid, and as it came from the box, an un-
earthly demoniac laugh rang from the old
clothes with which the chest was filled. and
no sign of any living being was there.
Amazement appeared on the countenance
Of the before angry, but now bewildered,
lockers on. We were shortly after led into
the mystery, BY the captain saying that he
had forgotten that Wyman, the ventriIoquist,
was on board. The genius was standing