Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/366

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THE BRITISH EMPIRE: — UNITED KINGDOM

The following were the numbers of the population of the Islands at each of the four censuses of 1861, 1871, 1881, and 1891:—

Islands 1861 1871 1S81 1891 Isle of Man Jersey .... Guernsey, Herm, andJethou Alderney .... Sark and Brechou. Total. 52,469 55,613 29,850 4,932 583 54,042 56,627 30,685 2,738 546 53,558 52,445 32,638 2,048 571 55,608 54,518 35,287 1,857 572 143,447 144,638 141,260 147,842

II. Movement of the Population. 1. Births, Deaths, and Marriages. England and Wales.

Year Estimated Population Total Birthf; Illegitimate Deaths Marriages 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 29,725,358 30,052,397 30,383,047 30,717,355 31,055,355 914,542 889,242 922,291 917,201 921,254 38,858 38,343 38,836 38,729 38,409 569,958 498,515 568,997 527,929 541,428 218,689 226,109 228,204 242,445 248,843

The Registrar-General's estimate of the population in the middle of each year is based on the assumption that the rate of increase which prevailed in the intercensal period immediately preceding, has since been maintained. Thus it is assumed that the rate of increase in London was constant between 1891 and 1897, and that the rate of increase iu the remainder of the country was constant between 1881 and 1897. The proportion of illegitimate births to the total births in 1897 was 4*2 per cent., having gradually diminished from 7 per cent, in 1845. The minimum rate in 1896 was 2*9 per cent, in Essex, and the maximum 7 "5 in Herefordshire. The per- centage for London was 3 '7. The births and deaths are exclusive of still-born. The proportion of male to female children born in England during 1896 was as 1,036 to 1,000. But as the former suffer from a higher rate of mortality than the latter, the equi- librium between the sexes is restored about the tenth year of life, and is finally changed to the proportion of 1,000 females, of all ages, to 949 males in England.