Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-06-28
LANCASTER DAILY 1NTELlGENCER TUESDAY, JUNE 2s 1881
The Greatest city in tho World.

The Greatest city in tho world.
New York Sun.
The late English census shows that
London has been gaining rapidly in popu.
latiOn during the last ten years. 1t now
contains 3, ,814, ST. inhabitants, or 56O, 81
more than in 1871. Its increase was only
II per cent, and yet SO vast was its popu-
latiOn in 1871 that during the ten years it
has added to that total in actual numbers
more than our thriving city Of Chicago
now contains, and hearty as many IS are
included in Brooklyn, the third city OF the
Union in size.
During the period from 1870 to 1880,
New York increased % per cent; but it
gained only 2G4, 2S5 inhabitants, not half
SO many IS were added to London between
1871 and 1881 and its population last
year was considerably less than q third of
that Of tho English capital. If our pro-
pOrtiODate increase continues to be so
much larger than that of London, of course
wo shall in duo time catch up with the
older city, and put it in the second place
as to size !; but that day is still far of,
and rs New York grows more populOus it
may show a smaller rate Of increase. The
remarkable thing about London is that q
city of such unparalleled magnitude, in
the midst of an old civilization, has been
growing at a rate which, if continued,
will give it double its present population
less than half a century hence. Since 1861
it has gained over 33 per cent. If it keeps
on increasing in that proportion, by the
end of tho first quarter Of tho twentieth.
century it will contain about seven mil
lions Of people.
But such estimates of what will happen
in the future have only a curious interest.
Many causes may contribute to make the
growth Of London much less proportion
ately during tho next fifty years than it
has been during the twenty just passed.
1t is an impressive fact, however, that SO
vast capital, already far ahead Of any
other city Of the world in population,
should have increased One.third in twenty
years, and that it should be now three
times as large as it was sixty years ago.
The population Of London was I, ,37S, 900
in 1921. It has, therefore, gained nearly
two millions and a-half of inhabitants
since then. The population Of New York
was 1913. FOG in 1920, and in 1880 it was
nearly ten times that. During the twenty
years from 1860 to 1880 it gained about
ono half, against the increase Of one third
in London between 1861 and 1891. L: is
safe to estimate that at the beginning of
the next century VIC shall have made an
other gain that would give us over 800, =
600. Even then, therefore, New York
would contain less than half the present
population of London and if that city
added = third during the twenty years. it
would still contain nearly three times as
many people rs New York.
There are, however, in tho cities of Now
York, Brooklyn, andeJersey City and tie
contiguous towns, all substantially one,
toward two million people and therefore
We may put our population as about half
that of London at the present time, with
the prospect of an increase to between
three and four millions in 1900, against
about five millions for Lcndon, if it
keeps on growing as in tho last twenty
years. 1t is, therefore, not improbable
that by tho middle of the next century
what We may call our greater New York
will have population which will compare
favorably with that Of London, oven if it
is not more numerous.
Finally, it will assist people to form a
conception of the magnitude of London
to DO told that the English capital con-
tains within a few thousand as many in
habitants as the census takers found last
year in tho six chief cities of the United
States, namely, New York, Philadelphia,
Brooklyn: Chicago, Doston and st. Louis.