The United Kingdom Census.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XII, Issue 2420, 31 July 1891, Page 2

The United Kingdom Census.

Papers by the mail contain some results of the census of Great Britain and Ireland, taken on the same nighfc as the census here, April 5. The general effect respecting England and Scotland is to show that they are m a sound and healthy progressive condition, and are uot the played-out old countries which some colonials like to repiesent (hem. In the 28 largest towns m England there is a population amounting to 9,388.000, that is, a little less than cne-tbird of the population of England and Wales. In these cities there has been an increase over the census of 1881 of about 1,000,000, or at the rate of 12 per cent. The population of London is now 4,221,452, while m 1881 it was 3,81.6,483, showing an increase ot 404,969. The increase has thus been at the rate of 10*6 per cent, i c, abont 1 per cent per annum. In the previous period of 10 years th« rate of growth was 17"3 per cent. It is said,- however, that this is merely an apparent falling off, And that the growth of London is as great as ever. The increasing travelling facilities encourage population to go further and further from the centre, tiil now many persons who may be sakl to live m London are beyond the registration district. Taking the "outer ring" of London (including such outlying places as Harrow, Dartford, Carshalton, Epsom) the population is 1,422,276, compared with 950,276 m 1881, giving an increase of 472,098 m ten years, or ac the rate of nearly 50 per cent. The total figures respecting the great metropolis are: — Inner London (77,410 acres): 1881, 3,816,483 j 1891, 4,221,452. Outer ring (370,924 acres): 1881, 950,178; 1891, 1,435,457. Greater London (448,334 acres): 1881, 4,766,661; 1891, 5,655,909. London thus has about one-fifth o? the tot#l population of England and Wales, living on an area of about 700 square miles, giving 8080 persons to the square mile. In the ocber large towns, the largest increase is shown m Cardiff, which has grown at the i*ate of 57 per cent, over 18,8,1. Liverpool and Glasgow contest the points as to which is the see )ud city of the empire. According to the Registrar-General, Glasgow has 532,282 which would leave Liverpool ahead, but Glasgow statisticians claim that Glasgow has really 700,000 inhabitants. The growth of Edinburgh has been remarkable—from 235,000 m 1881 to 275,000 m 1391, or at the rate of 17 per cent. The total population of Ireland qn Aprfl 5 was 4,706,162 persons (2,317,076 males and 8,389,086 ferries). This shows ardecrease over 1881 of 468,674 persons, or dl per cent during the decade. During the past ten years the decrease has been steady m all the provinces and m all the'eouncies except two. The decrease is highest m Munster and Connaught ; m the formerl2'2 per cent, and m the latter 11*9 per cent. The two counties showing an increase are Dublin and Antrim. l The greatest decrease has been m Monaghan. Duringtlie decade the total emigration has bean 768,105, while the natural jncre.ase has, been 26,7,653, the dutemipe not b.eirig, yerv far"short of the ascertained decrease. Of the population, 3,5,49^745,, or 75.4 percent, were Roman Catholics ; 6,00,83,0, or 12.g per cent, Protestant Episcopalians ; 446,685*, or 9.5 per cent, Presbyterians ; 55,235, or 1.2 per cent, Methodists. The Roman Catholics have decreased 10.4 per cent; the Epispopalians, 6^4; t|]e Presbyterians, 5.1, The Methodists 1 hap jnpre'ased by 6393, or 1.34 per cent, and th^ Je^s, by 1326, or 280.9 per cent. The. Protestants are m tlie minority m evqry province - excepb Ulster, wh,ere they Qulnmn.be? the Catholics by about 100,000, the majority being found chiefly m the counties of Antrim and Down.