Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/355

 AREA AND POPULATION

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The decennial rate of increase or decrease ( - ) per cent, at each of the last five censuses has been as follows : —

— 1851 18C1 1871 1881 1891 England and Wales. Scotland. Ireland. The Islands. 12-65 10-25 -19-85 11-93 6-01 -11-50 0-22 13-20 9-72 -6-65 0-83 14-36 11-18 -4-40 -2-34 11-65 7-76 -9-1 4-7 2-5 5-7 8-6 10-75 8-17

If Ireland be excluded from the calculation, it will be found that the rate of increase for the remainder of the United Kingdom was very nearly uniform. The proportion per cent, of the population living in the various divisions of the United Kingdom was as follows at each of the six decennial censuses from 1841 to 1891 : —

Divisions 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891, England .... 55-4 61-0 64-6 67-5 69-8 72-2 Wales 3-4 3-6 3-8 3-8 3-8 3-8 Scotland .... 9-7 10-4 10-4 10-6 10 6 10-7 Ireland ..... 30-2 23-7 19-8 17-0 14-6 12-5 Isle of Man .... 2 •2 •2 •2 •2 •1 Channel Islands. •3 •3 -3 •3 •3 •2 Army, Navy, and Merchant \ Seamen abroad. / •8 •8 •9 •6 •7 •5

In 1891, in Wales and Monmouthshire 508,036 persons or 28*6 per cent, of the population were returned as able to speak Welsh only, and 402,253, or 22*6 per cent., as able to speak Welsh and English. Thus 910,289, or 51-2 per cent., persons could speak Welsh. In 1881 the number returned was 950,000, or about 70 per cent. In 1891, in Scotland, 43,738, or 1*09 per cent., of the population of Scotland could speak Gaelic only, and 210,677, or 5*23 per cent., could speak Gaelic and English. Thus 254,415, or 6*32 percent., could speak Gaelic. In 1881 the number was 231,594, or 6 20 per cent. In 1891, in Ireland, 38,121, or '81 per cent, of the population of Ireland, could speak Irish only, and 642,053, or 13-65 per cent., could speak Irish and English. Thus 680,174, or 14*46 per cent., could speak Irish. In 1881 the number was 949,932, or 18-20 per cent. The population of the United Kingdom and its divisions (exclusive of army, navy, and merchant seamen abroad) at the end of June, in each of the last ten years, was estimated as follows : —