New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-03-22
TIE FRENCH CENSUS.


population remains nearly stationary. Since
1876 there has been an increase OF 3S9,o|o,
whereas during the preceding five years there
had been a gain of S02,SG7, which was
nortly due to the emigration of families from
the provinces annexed to Germany For
nation of 1000, 900 this is very low rate OF
increase. and inasmuch as the losses due to
emigration are scarcely worth mentioning, IL
can only be accounted for by the birth-rate
which is the smallest known in Europe. Not
withstanding the inroads of foreign emigration,
Great Britain, with a birth-rate of 81 per
thousand, now has population of 80, ,062,
an increase of $3.50 224 during ten years; and
Germany, with a birth-rate of 40 per thousand
has a population of 45,21O 900, an increase of
4.1S6,9O5 during the same period. Austria
Hungary, with birth-rate OF AZ per Thousand,
would have had an even larger increase, II the
death-ratc, which was 20 in Great Britain and
90 in Germany, had not been 81 per thousand
In France the death rate Is only Il, the
popular idea that the Partisan dies young beng
fallacious, for the boulevards rs well rs the
streets of London have their octoSenarians ana
centenarans, and fifty-five is roughly COM
puted in the cafes as the average age IN the
capital But the birth-rate is exceptionally
low-26 per thousand-so that the margin for
natural increase is very small. An increase of
3S9,670 in five years is an average gain OF
1884 Il wear, with population Of 100000.
This is a lower rate than the differences from
the vital statistics would have justified.
Another tendency revealed by the recent
census is the movement Of population IRON
(
country to town. In 1876 the proportion OF
urban to rural population was 11,96O,12l to
24.945,O64. The proportion will now run con
sideraby above 80 to 60, for the population OF
all the agricultural departments has declined
and there has been marked increase III the
towns and industrial quarters, especially in
Paris. Lille, Lyons Marseilles, Havre and
Rouen The Department of the Seine, or
Paris. has added $4,000 to its population
since 1876. This is an annual Increase or
67.4OO, as compared with 1884 for the whole
nation. That is to say, the capital, with less
than a thirteenth of the whole population of
France. absorbs within 10000 of the whole
annual increase. At this rate Paris seems des-
tined to remain the second city of modern
times, although France has been already out
stripped in aggregate population by the United
States, Germany and Austria-Hungary, and
will soon yield the next place to the United
Kingdom, which is already nearly on level
with it. London, with population OF
4,764,312 (within the police districts) has the
browning position; Paris with 2,747OOO is
second; New-York with 100000 Cor
1912, 900 with Brooklyn, Jersey City. Hobo
ken and Long Island City added is third
Berlin with 1,122,36O fourth; Vienna with
1.1O3, S57 fifth; and st. Petersburg, Moscow
and Constantinople, which exceeded 100000
ten years ago, vying with Philadelphia, Cal
cutta and Bombay for the next place; Pckin
being left out of account, nasmuch as its popu-
lation has never been definitely asccrtained.