New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-03
UyHE Pr OpLE Of the STATE of NEw-YORK
Ntw1lork Daily Gribn,re
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHICAL AND STA
TTSTICAL SOCIETY,"


The monthly meeting Of this Society was held " the
New.York University last evening, Mr.. AKchIBALp
RUSSELL in the chair. 80
FRAyxlIy Is. HouGB, esq, Superintendent OF the
State Census read the paper OF the evening" oh 'ne
RESULTS OF THE NEw-YORk STATE CLNsos OF
1885. AND TIE COMPARATIVE GROWTH OF
THE CITY AND STATE OF NEW-fokh BE-
TWEEN DIFFERENT PERIODS.
The eompleton Of the State Census OF 1850 affords
an cpportunity for noticing some OF the PROMINENT re-
,ults that may be drawn from its summaries and com
pairing these with former enumeratons, WIFI 'ho we"
Of illustrating the progress Of our development ana the
comparative growth of the City and STATE Oh New
York between different periods.
An equal distribution OF representative power can
snv be ascertaued and preserved by careful and re-
heated summaries Of our numbers, and these have be-
come eouav necessary in an intelligent admnistra-
t,sn Of public affairs and the multiplied details OF gov
eminent. Al, :
ysfe than the public interests OF society. Inc mer-
chant the manufacturer, and the pfo)ector OF new
Enes Of comm u icaton new schemes OF commercial
or financial enterprise, not less thanthe PhanihropSt
the politician and the statesman, seek Ia Is columns
for the numbers the character me origin anu ue con
ditiOn Of the population embraced "!nh l"e se'ci@l
The interest which these enumerations awaken IS
not limited to the period that produced fhein nor the
uty 10 the illustration of the existing conditions OF
The country to which they relate. When Their occa-
sion for present use has been superseded by newer
summarifes, they become valuable LANDMARKS ny
which to measure the progress OF the community IN
numbers and resources the data by which to compute
the influences Of moral political and social causes upon
the body polite; the elements from which the hsto
risn derives his facts concerning the upwaru ahu po
gressive perchance the aecnhhs 'oi'u"'t u '"'
nation c.... .,,. h
Although the occasion of obtaining a census mas
been seized favorable opportunity for procuring
a multitude of facts relating to agriculture, manuisc
tures and various statistics Of an educational resous
and literary character still the primary and promnen,
end Of its inquiries is to develop the anu
socia condition Of man. to penetrate INTO hs most IN
innate social relations and discover the organic eie
tents of the civil economy. e.. f III;
In private liie it takes him al the nrst uay VI '
e,;.ttnce adds him to the general NUMBER oil pHths
,d rts;ns him perhaps three fourhs OF century in
;ts columnr 1t reckons him dozen years at school,
and perhaps records him among the marriages. II
snakes bu figure in the CLASSIFICATION OF the varied
professions and occupations of life or assigns him
plsee among the civil or official stations Of the couu:
fry; or it may be- unfortunately in the statistics oil
asyums prisons; and at length, aIter hguns many
times in the drama of life, it ranks him IN the fatal
column. - , 80 , .,
the general wel-being may have depended, upon tls
unit of the population At the tribunal on the jury, al
the elections in the legislative assembly he may nave
represented decision verdict, vote, upon wlich,
perhaps hung the balance of justice, or the destimes
of the State. . - . $500
hers which EXPRESSED agricultural industrial pro-
auction and all the interests winch accompany taer
fortune. Ii unfortunate and needing the au OF puoc
charities The census kindly directed attention to MS
necessities and enabled the Government 10 proportion
its charities to the demands actually existing upon
them.
Greeks and Romans, enumerations corresponding WIN
our census were employed 10 second tue wondetfui
development of civilization and art to which these ma.
tons attained, the application OF s'atsucs IKE lha'
Of kindred sciences was lost during the mudle ages.
After the revival Of learning this science long re-
manned purely speculative and uEapplled 10 puDilc
sars rejected by the people US fiscal invention for
more thoroughly e1haustiIg thei slender resources,
or as continuance for further facilitating military
eonscriptions-and Stunned by princes, Is dvulging
the secrets OF their Government or perhaps betaying
their weakness the calculating aud aggressive Gu
pidity Of some neghboring rivai power.
The want Of data for an intelligent administration OF
the affairs OF her American Colonies led the English
Government at an carly period and from time TO time
70 direct an enumeration Of their Inhabitants; and
have during the last century better know Wedge of
population than that If England herself during the
came period.
The frst State Constitution, adopted in I777, pro-
vdcd for septennal census OF electors the basis
al repfesentaon IN the Legislature, and this, with ne
period changed TO years. aud extended TO embrace
fhe total population has been continued I'll the pres
ent time, afordin9 At IS believed, t1e nfe instance IN
syhich a regular enumeration at fred lRisrrol. wa.
ever instituted.
In preparing the Federal Constitution 10 l7S sim
siar provision was inserted; AID no. until two deeen
NAL cnumeyations had been made by the United
States did Great Britain and France apply the censu
10 their own dominions.'
From 1893 20 $50, there taken by authority OF
Government thirty separate en1mcratIors, OF which
all but lbree exhibit les detail concerning
each county of New YORK.
For convenience, viii arranged The in groups, and
notice the prominent results OF the censuss OF te In.
gsh Colonial period those OF the Revolution and until
the adoption Of the Federal COnsitrtiOn the several
summaries q electors under the first State Cons.itu-
fon and the various national and STATE cnumerations
with intervals Of ten years.
Under The English Government, cersus was taken
IN each OF the years 1888 1903 1873, E3l l1U I7iG
H49, 400 and III. Partial euuncraGons of 1858,
HI2 and III are also preserved All Of these admit
Of classification into whites aud blacks, the latter
usually specified slores and excepting the first
into male and femaleadats aud children. la 1891
and 1887 the numbers Of eaph class under and above
the ege Of ten years specified and after that pc
spd, The years III and 90 used to divide the ages
Of the population.
These censuses, following at intervals OF 3,
> and II years and extending through about three
bshs Of century, indicate increase Of population
IN the ceony from i8 067 to 163 37 and OF e City OF
Eew-York rom 4, $50 10 81 ,S62 souls.
The general results Of each were Us follows:
TIE C,psus ~ Gyczp Bna,n has been published 4 .cr,s