Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-09-15
The British Census.

The contrast presented between the
new census of Great Britain QS81) and
the first crude attempt at keeping a
record of the Britons and their pos
sessions, affords one of the impress
sive facts which go to show the worlds
progress. The conquering Norman who
conquered England in 1866, made,
eighteen years later, the famous 'Dooms-
dav Book" or "Domesday Book, F"
which contained a record of the
names of the British people and
their possessions. 1t was, of course, i'm
perfect; it did not include several OF the
northern counties, and in the regions it
did not include, many names, OF course,
were never obtained. The sturdy indi-
viduality and independence of the later
Britons resented anything looking like
an inquisition into their personal
possessions and affairs, and it was
not until the year 1853 that formal
proposal to take a census was made
in the House of Commons, and it was
then opposed as project which had for
its object the violation of an English
mans rights and liberty. The bill
passed the Commons, but was rejected
by the Lords, and a census bill was not
passed till 1901. The census just taken
is an immense Improvement upon that
one Last year Parliament voted for
the taking of the census 9135, 900.
For the census of the United States,
Congress gave 97O0,O or $500, 000;
more than five times the cost of the
British census; but ours is a greater
country, with a less compact popula-
ton. The new British census, which
was taken on the night of Sunday, the Sd
of April last, and the details of which
have lately been dr;bbling out, presents
some interesting facts and features.
Great Britain proper = the united
kingdom ''at home" without its immense
colonies in other parts of the world
contains, this year, 25,96S, 286 inhabit-
ants. This includes the Channel islands,
and the Isle of Man-really not integral
parts of the kingdom, but mere British
dependencies with ancient local govern
ments of their own. This is an increase
of 8, 401, 1873 in ten years; or at the rate
of 931 per day. OF this gain, England
alone-not counting Wales contributes
3,313,260 in the ten years since II.
Wales has population Of j.
359, S95-a gain, in ten years, of but
142, 760, and the country, except for its
mining, is still almost as stationary in its
population as it was six hundred years
ago, when Edward l. annexed that beau
tiful hill country, and the Cymries who
inhabited it, to England, and gave to his
infant son (who was born in CaernarvOn)
the title, ever since held by the heir ap-
parent to the British throne, of prince
of Wales" Scotland shows a gain of
374, 352 in the decade. Ireland falls off
again, and heavily, showing a total of
5, 159, $50, or loss in ten years of $685.
536, nearly all of which was gained by
the United States.
London, the great city of the world,
shows the most remarkable gain. The
aggregate census of the towns and vii
lagos which are now included in that
one vast city shows total population of
nearly four millions-3, 814. 571 exactly.
Its gain in ten years is $50, 81, 1886
more than the entire population of Liv-
erpool. The population of London
exceeds that of Scotland by 80,201. The
city's census reveals the astonishing fact
that there are no fewer than 80, 1926 per-
sons to the square mile, or about fifty to
the statute acre. The various spacious
parks are really necessary breathing
places in such a densely populated city.
There are, in the whole city, 226, 359
more women than men, England itself
shows a somewhat similar disparity-the
excess of females in England and Wales
being $40; and the proportion is
steadily increasing. The population of
London has nearly doubled itself in
forty years, and now displays the extra
ordinary fact that out of the entire
population of England and Wales pro-
portion of one person in every seven re-
sides in the ''great CITY," Glasgow, with
over 600, 900, appears to be, in numbers,
the second city of the kingdom, and Liv-
erpool comes next, with 552, 425-a gain
of $1,000
birmingham comes next, with over
$4,000, and gain nearly as great as
that of Liverpool. Leeds, Sheffield and
Bristol are large townsville former with
over 10000 Nottingham, the famous
hosiery and lace town, shows the enor-
nous growth of 115 per cent. during the
ten years, and now figures in the 200. 600
towns. Manchester, the great cotton
spinning town, which had Gncluding
Stafford, a town of 125, 900 people, really
a part of Manchester the large popula-
ton. ten years ago, of AIS, 800, has fallen
off 10000.
1t is revealed, among many other in
teresting facts brought out by this British
census, that, owing to the improvements
in sanitary science during the last ten
years, the annual death rate has de-
creased to such an extent, that no less
than 299, 1856 persons are now living who,
with the previous rate of mortality,
would have died.