The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-01-08
Room Enough.

A few facts touching population will
reassure those who suppose that this
country is getting to be so densely pop
ulated that it will not offer inducements
to European immigrants very much
longer. The islands of Great Britain
and ireland, with an area of about 21, :
600 square miles, contain forty-two
cities with population of 81 900 and
upward, their aggregate population be-
ing 6, ,O12, AGO. OF these cities twenty
six have a population of so, ,OOe and up
ward, the total being ,469, 600, and the
average 466, 800.
gland States, with New York and New
Jersey. These States, exceeding Great
Britain and Ireland in area by 1000
cities with a population of 81 900 and
upward, the total being 2,746, 800. OF
these only ten contain SO, 900 inhabitants
and upward, the total being 2, 152, 900,
and the average 215, $50, or less than
half that of the twenty-six British
cities. IF we include all the towns and
cities in New England, New York, and
New Jersey, with I, 600 inhabitants and
upward, we find seventy-one of them in
all, with a population 8, la, 800. The
number 1000 is chosen as being one
third of the lowest number of inhabit-
ants in any of the British cities re-
ferred to.
To narrow the comparison: England
proper, with an area of about 81 900
square miles. has no less than twenty
eight cities containing 81. 900 inhabitants
and upward, the total being ,322. 500, and
sixteen of these cities contain 80, 900 in
habitants each and upward the States
of New York and Massachusetts, with
an area exceeding that of England by
$500 square miles, only nineteen cities
containing q, 900 inhabitants and up
ward, the total being2, ,269, 800 and only
six of these cities contain SO, 600 and
upward each. To go one step further !:
England has 421 inhabitants to the
square mile, while New York and Mas
sachusetts have only 106 to the square
mile, or only about one fourth as many.
From these facts it is safe to conclude
that we still have room for more even in
the most densely settled of our States.
England, however, is not the most
densely populated country in the world.
Little Belgium, which is about the
size of the State of Maryland, has
442 inhabitants to the square mile,
or more than six times as many in all
as Maryland. With an equal density of
population Illinois would contain no less
than q, ,491 600 lnhabitants, or more
than Prussia, and nearly as many as
England and Scotland combined and
the United States as densely settled
would contain population of 1,6OO,-
600, 900 or 300, 600, 900 more than the
entire population of the globe at the
present time.
! It is true, of course, that large part
of the territory comprised within the
United States is incapable of support
ing a dense population. There are
great ranges of mountains which will
never be good for much except to afford
coverts for game, and to modify the
climate, and there are vast acres of arid
plains which will remain sterile so long
as the mountains stand as barrier be.
| yond which the clouds from the ocean
cannot pass. But notwithstanding all
that, there is no danger of our crowd
ing one another very hard for some
centuries to come unless the Chinese
should pour their millions into oul
midst ana if five ships, with 800 China
men each, should arrive on the Pacific
coast every day in the year, they would
bring less than million and half o.
the almond-eyed emigrants annually
| Chicago Times.