The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1856-09-18

The influence Of periods OF scarcity on mar
riage is fully established by official statistics ia
England. The report Of the Register Genera
Of births. deaths and marriages shews tha,
from the cessation Of the famine in lS41 up tC
1854 the number OF marriages was continually
on the increase and that in the latter year
for the first time in seven years, they began tc
decline. A superficial observer might suppose
that the Eastern war which broke out in 1854
was the cause Of this falling of But the de
crease in the number Of marriages commenced
in the first quarter ct the year. before war was
proclaimed, and months before the waste o
life, caused by hostilities, could affect the ne
suit. The real cause must. therefore be sought
elsewhere II is to he found in the fact that In
November, 1852 the price Of wheat rose to sew
enty-two shillings and five pence per quarter
nearly double Of what il had been in 1852 and
considerably more than II had been since lsl7
This enormous rise was attended by great
check to the foreign trade Of England. espec.
tally with this country and Australia. produced
by the scarcity Of wheat here and in that col
ony and to these cauSs. all resolving them
selves really into one, the decline in marriages
is really to be attributed.
The Baltimore Sua. 10 remarking upon this
statement, says
Nor is this the only law deducibe from
the English marriage statistics. The number
of marriages between old men and young wo
men, which might be supposed to vary year
by year, is annually about the same 30 srr
the marriages between widowers and spnsters,
between widows and bachelors, between minors
and generally between persons even in cases
that would be thought exceptional. SO also
the females, married under aye, appear, year
after year to be 10 the males. likewise married
under age, in the proportion Of three 10 one
In like manner the number Of bridegrooms
who could not write their names 10 the mar.
riage register hardly varied four per cent, 10
six years while the number Of brides who had
TO make their mark exhibited q similar ratio ;
~ that, If allowance he made for the increas
ing efforts TO extend education, the real proper
tion was the same, year after year. Another
law Established by these statistics is that up
10 the age of twenty five, the number Of females
marrying exceeds that OF the males but that
after that period the number Of males marrying
exceeds that of the females Thus, though
women live longer than men. they marry ear
! lier.
There is no doubt that similar results would
appear in the United States If statistics OF
marriages were kept here Us they are in Eng
lsnd. Our bills of mortality prove that the
number Of deaths annually bears certain pro-
portion 10 the population and that this holds
good universally, except in the years Of severe
pestilence, and even then, if the statistics of
/ the entire globe could be obtained, it is proba.
bic that the law woalh still be found TO pre-
vail. The number Of lives lost by accident
exhibits similar uniformity. In word, in
every thing which specifically seems controlled
entirely by chance the working OF great and
steady law may be- traced which. week by
week, month by month and year by year, av.
| erages its results. Thus nature, IL we may 80
phrase it, creates uniformity out OF diversity.
Annually, in given population, about the
same number Of births occur and always the
males slightly exceed the females, 30 as to pro
vide for the greater degree to which the for.
mer are liable TO casualties and exposure an.
nually, in given population, the same number
Of persons marry and annually, in given
population death claims the same proportion
Of victims
The Monster steamer
A huge black structure very like a whale v
has heen slowly rising on the bank Of the
Thames near ondon, for several months,
which is destined at no distant day 10 astonish
the world. II is the new steamship VI Mr.
Brunei, built entirely OF iron plates, and inten
ded 10 be the biggest contrivaDce thntervcr hoat
ed She s abont twice the size of Noabs
Ark. according TO dimensions laid down in
Genesis, The passengers who set out 10 walk
from her bow 70 her stern and back again. win
have . Journey Of Just q quarter Of a mile
She is divided tight bulkbcads into twenty.
one compartments each of them 30 large that
| il three story housr were dropped in there
| might be some trouole ~ finding II aga,n
| Her paddle wheels are larger round than the
ring OF ban Rcc's Circus Fonr steam en-
gin,s are TO drive them, and sir more are 70
turn nonstrous Screw. Besides ber ten en-
gine- she is TO carry seven mssts, aud spread
more canvass than a the factories 10 CobOs
could turn out in . week As she is 10 carry
1000 passengers, she could take the entire pop.
ulstiou n that enterprising village on board,
I that is il she could get into the Mohawk River.
/ She lies brosdside 10 the stream, while she
/ building, and is 10 b. launched si.leways-ber
immense size rendering II iocOnvenient 10 tilt
her up lebgthwi~ 10 the ordinary fashion.
So vast an apparatus, of course, Il unwieldy
for men to handle by ordinary mean. Mechan.
ical poser ia requisite Her steam engines
are To weigh the anchor, work the pump, AMI
raise tbe sails A Telegraph wire runs from
the Captains rom 10 the engineer, and abotb-
er TO the belmsInaD The cabins anil state
rooms are to he lighted with gas made on beard.
But at the masthead .be Is to csrry sn Elec-
trcal Light visible 6f,eea miiss. AMI casting .
moonlight radiance 90 the 80 for half Ia,le
arouod F1 Liz Bosts she IS to carry =
couple II screw steamboats, D,nety tset long,
and small feet oi ya~ls aud Jolly boa,s- sbs
- expected 10 90 round the world wtboat
t'eing obi,gtsi TO stop once for coal
such is tke GTsaf Eas,sya, INTENDED fH tie
Pacific Trade II tehoyes cur An<f,css Ship
tsiIdsrs to look sharp q they Oil b. d,.tsneed
by ths last ebai u John Bsli - Aitany Et,
aing Journal.
M S.ubt4stt'Va 90 br daughter Laura !
1T ~As very wrong a yoa. laura. to walt,
xith yoany Jolly Your papa w. graft,
shoctei H. say. h. ha. met young Jolly II
,h~ city. 10 pIarss whsrs no ieont young mat
uul1 ever IT, sen >"
Llgra- Well. rhat was pads doing 10
thoAe plAc,- ihen Isnt he scTsr as.oria,s''
M SaubltscAoyt y Wy love you -bcsb NJ
Ask sseh QUESTIONS Yon kDov, sith him ~
quite diseren'
a 49, H.