Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-09-19
statistics of Mar,iogs-A Great Law.

The influence of periods of scarcity on marriage is
fully established by official statistics in England
The Report of the Register General OF births deaths,
and marriages shows that from the cessation of the
famine in 1847 up to 1854, the number of marriages
was continually the increase; and that in the lat
ter year. for the first time in seven years, they began
TO decline A superficial observer might suppose
that the Eastern war, which broke out in 1854, was
the cause of this falling off. But the decrease in the
number of marriages commenced in the first quarter
of the year, before war was proclaimed, and months
before the waste of life, caused by hostilites. could
affect the result. The real cause must therefore, be
sought elsewhere 1t is 10 be found in the fact that
in November, 1853, the price of wheat rose to seven
ty-two shillngs and FIVE pence per quarter, nearly
double of what it had been in 1852, and considerably
more than it had been since 1847. This enormous
rise was attended by great check to the foreign
trade of England, especially with this country and
Australia produced by the scarcity OF wheat here and
in that colony and 10 these causes all resolving them
selves really into one, the decline in marriages is real
| ly to be attributed.
! Nor is this the only law deducible from the Eng
! liSh marriage statistics. The number OF marriages
between old men and young women, which might be
supposed vary year by year, is annually about the
same. So 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 fe
males, married under age, appear year after year, to
be the males, likewise married under age, IN the
proportion of three to one. In like manner, the
number of bridegrooms who could not write their
names 10 the marriage register, hardly varied four
per cent. in six years while the number of brides
who had to make their mark exhibited similar
ratio that, if allowance be made for the ncreas-
ing efforts to extend education, the real proportion
was the same, year after year Another law estab.
lished by these statistics that, up to the age of
twenty-five, the number of females marrying exceeds
that of the males but that after that period the
Der of males marrying exceeds that of the females
Thus though women live longer than men, they mar.
~ earlier
here is no doubt that similar results would appear
in the United States if statistics of marriages were
kept here as they are in England. Our bills of NOR
tally prove that the number of deaths annually beat,
certain proportion to the population and that this
holds good universally, except in years of severe pes
thence and then, if the statistics of the entire
globe could be obtained it is probable that the Law
would still be found to prevail. The number of lives
. lost by accidents exhibit similar uniformity. In {
word, in everything which superfcialIy seems con
roed entirely BY chance the working of great ant
month by month, and year by year, averages It's re
suits. Thus, nature, it we may phrase it, create
uniformity out of diversity. Annually, in a give
population, about the same number of births occuI
and always the males slightly exceed the females,
as to sprovide for the greater degree to which til
:. in given population. the same number of person
marry and annually, in given population, deaf
claims the same proportion OF vctims.-Balt. Sun.
A FEMALE COLONEL OF CuIRAssiERs.-The Zeit, c
Berlin, tains the following
lt has been already stated that the Empress Dowa
ger of Russia has been named chief of the 9th req
3 ment OF Cuirassies. When the officers of that reg
msnl we're presented to her Majesty on the 9th. q
l. Sans Souci the Empress wore a costume which, to
certain degree resembled the uniform of the regiment
o With the exception of the Queen. no lady has eve
received snch command in Rnssia.