New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-30
noHEuENT or LMMIGRATrON

We publish in another place an interesting
letter from Washington, giving some facts as
entertaining as they are valuable In regard to
the movement of immigration to this country.
They are obtained from the forthcoming GEN.
aus returns and throw u great deal of light
upon the subject of the origin and the dis
tribution of the vast army of immigrants
which is continually landing upon our shores.
1t appears that although the native population
still maintains its majority it is rapidly losing
its relative superiority to the number of for
eigners and children of foreigners. Out of
our thirty eight and half millions, five and
one-half are foreign born, while almost twice
that number are the children of foreign pa
rents. The rapid increase of the population
from alien Sources and the diminished rate of
production among the original stock, are facts
wei worthy of tho attention of philosophical
and rejecting persons.
Of course the two most considerable elements
in this mass of new blood arc the Irish, who
numbered in June, 1870, f,S55,S27, and the Ger
mans who were counted at 1G90,4l0. They
are shown thus to be rather more equal in
numerical strength than would generally have
been supposed, and the last two years, as we
shall presently see, have brought them still
nearer together. But there is great differ
ence between them in their choice of homes
and way of living. The vast prepOnderance
of Irish is in the East. chiefly in Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and New-York City and its
vicinity. With fow exceptions they seek the
neighborhood of large cities. The Germans,
on the contrary, are much more generally dis
tributed. They are of course very numerous
in New-York and Philadelphia, but not in New
England, and are scattered throughout the entire
West. They are found in great masses in the
western part of this State, on the shores of
the Ohio and Mississippi, and on the west
coast of Lake Michigan. There are also con-
siderable settlements of them in Texas, which
form exceptions to the national distaste for
the South. The Scandinavians in bulk go to
the North West. IL is the best commentary on
the disturbed condition of things in the South
that even yet the tide Of no part of this valu-
able immigration has set in toward tho South.
Every requisite to the comfort and welfare of
the new settler except one il found in abund-
ance in the South; good climate, fertile
SOIL sparse population, unlimited opportuni-
ties open to industry and enterprise; but until
tranquility and good government are assured
in that region its great natural advantages will
90 for nothing.
The forthcoming report of our own Com
missiOners of Emigration will show remark
able increase of the number of immigrants
within the present year. While during the
year 1871 there landed nj New-YOrk 2e9,63y
immigrants, the number for this year reaches
291 217. The great increase is from Germany
One might naturally think that after great
war in which one nation was largely aggran-
died and another totally crushed, emigra-
ton would be rather the resort of the van
quished than the victors. But we see cisely
the contrary. Over 111,0O0 of this vast mass
of new citizens have come from Germany,
and only 2,1OO from France. The marvellous
local patriotism Of the Galhc race was never
more clearly exhibited. The German banner
has driven whole villages of them out of Al
SAGE into France, but nothing seems capable
of driving them out Of France. The large
emigration from Germany is not difficult
TO understand. The rigid system of conscrip-
ton by which the best years Of life are sac.
rifced to military drill, the increased taxation
which even tho milhards Of France are not
enough to prevent, the higher price Of living
which always follows war, are causes sufficient
to explain the general exodus which has ex-
cited such well grounded concern in the Prus-