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 CENSUS 199 the United States has been divided by the suc- cessive boundaries of political divisions, and tables showing the parcels of territory compo- sing each political division at specified dates. One of the most important features of the cen- sus report of 1870 is- the geographical illustra- tion of important subjects by means of maps, which is now introduced for the first time. These maps represent the whole area of the United States ; most of them are double, pre- senting two distinct subjects, generally selected for purposes of direct contrast. The population volume is illustrated with seven maps, which exhibit the density of total population ; the dis- tribution severally of the colored and the for- eign elements of population ; the dispersion over the states of the natives of certain specified for- eign countries, viz. : Germany, Ireland, Sweden and Norway, England and Wales, China, and British America ; the illiteracy and the wealth of each section in contrast ; and the geographi- cal and political divisions of the United States at each period of its existence, from the organi- zation of the government to the latest census year. The volume on vital statistics contains seven maps showing the range, and, within the range, the degree of prevalence of four specific diseases, or groups of diseases, viz. : consump- tion, typhoid, typhus, and enteric fevers, ma- larial diseases and dysentery, diarrhoea, and enteritis; also the annual distribution of rain and the courses of the lines of equal tempera- ture, thus affording instruction upon the agri- cultural capabilities of the country and the con- ditions of human life in the United States ; and a physical chart presenting the most complete and accurate series of elevations yet attained. The five maps illustrative of the volume on industry exhibit the extent of cultivation of five principal crops, cotton, corn, wheat, hay, and tobacco, and also the dairy products of each state and section ; also eight principal ge- ological formations of the United States. The re- sults of the ninth census appear in three quarto volumes: I. Population and Social Statistics; II. Vital Statistics ; III. Industry and Wealth. A compendium has also been prepared for wide popular distribution, and congress has au- thorized the preparation and publication of a statistical atlas of the United States, based on the results of the ninth census, to consist of not more than 50 maps, to be compiled by Francis A. Walker, late superintendent. The period contemplated by law for the completion of the enumeration in 1870 was about 100 days ; but the enumeration, which was begun June 1, 1870, was not substantially completed till Jan. 9, 1871, and the last returns were not received in Washington till Aug. 23, 1871. The enu- meration was made by the 61 United States marshals and 6,572 assistants. The compila- tion and preparation for the press were per- formed in Washington under the personal supervision of Superintendent Walker. This work was completed by Nov. 1, 1872 ; soon after which the first volume was given to the public, and the remaining two volumes early in 1873. This early publication of the complete results of the census is unprecedented. The total cost of the census, exclusive of printing the results, was about $3,500,000. Indepen- dent of the federal census, most of the states, either in their constitutions or by act of legislature, have made provision for enumera- tions of their respective populations. The fol- lowing statement exhibits the date of the first census in each state, with the interval at which succeeding censuses are to be taken : STATES. Date of first State Cemus. Subsequent interval, Years. Alabama 1875 10 Arkansas 1875 10 California 1852 1855 10 Florida 1875 10 Indiana, '. . 1865 6 Iowa 1859* 10 Kansas 1865 10 Kentucky 1850, 1858 8 Louisiana 1875 10 Massachusetts 1857, 1865 10 Michigan 1854 10 Minnesota 1865 10 Mississippi 10 Missouri 1876 10 Nebraska 1875 10 Nevada 1867, 1875 10 New Jersey. .' 1855 1865 10 New York 1855 10 North Carolina 1865 10 Oregon 1865 10 Pennsylvania 1864 7 Rhode Island 1865 10 South Carolina - 1869, 1875 10 Tennessee 1871 10 Wisconsin 1855 10 In the states not named in the above table, no provision is made for a separate census. The first census of Brazil was taken in 1872. There was a census taken in the Argentine Republic in 1869, in Colombia in 1870, and in Egypt in 1862. In Abyssinia, Persia, and other eastern nations, there is either no census, or merely a general estimate of the population. In China there has been no census since that of 1812. The extent of the population is ascer- tained by estimates. The census of 1711 is the first on record that bears the appearance of credibility. The subject of census systems has in recent years caused much discussion among statists and publicists of all countries, with the view "of adopting such methods as will make the census of each nation the most com- prehensive and accurate exhibit of the social and industrial condition of its people. The im- portance of such information in promoting the usefulness and happiness of a nation has been fully recognized. International statistical con- gresses for the consideration of these and kin- dred questions were held at Brussels in 1853, at Paris in 1855, at Vienna in 1857, at Lon- don in 1860, at Berlin in 1863, at Florence in 1867, at the Hague, Netherlands, in 1869, and at St. Petersburg in 1872. In these con- gresses it was strongly recommended that the 10 years afterward.
 * Required in 1859, 1868, 1865, 1867, 1869, 1875, and every