Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 10.djvu/560

* mmGRATION. 486 IMMIGRATION. briefly consider the facts connected with imnii- prill ion in oilier countries. ArsTRAiiA. The Austrnlian Commonwealth owes its origin to the penal settlement estab- lished there by Great Britain at the close of the einhtecnth century, to which a considerable num- ber of convicts were deported until the middle of the last century, when, at the enrnest solicita- tion of the colonials, the system was abandoned. KlVorts were made by the (loverniiient to send out free colonists to Australia, but, despite the SofTll America. Of the South American coun- tries, the Argentine Republic, Hrazil, and Uru- guay are the only oni^s in which immigration brings any considerable increment to the popula- tion. In Uruguay the immigration varies be- tween eight and ten thousand persons annually. In Brazil, 800.91)1 are reported for the years 1S71'J2. In the Argentine Republic the immi- gration in the years 1851!lil is reported as 2,r)(i4,3!>l. For several recent years the available data are given in the following table: ^ Argentina Uruguay Brazil Inimig, Elulg. Immlg. Einlg. Iniiiilg. 1892 'ii'.vii 30.820 45.921 67,457 65.530 62,241 10.505 9.140 9.467 U.U06 8.892 Mie 6.779 6.411 6.830 6,705 86.513 84.143 80.671 80.U88 135,205 105.143 95. 190 111.083 60,294 18S»5 _ 18<J6 164.371 167,948 112.496 lyyM 63.822 luot^ ..;. 1 liberal assistance of the Government, the total population by la.Tl was only 430,590. Following the discovery of gold in 1850, the populatioji increased three-fold in the next ten .vears, and considerable increments have been made to it at each subsequent census. The following table gives the increase of pop- ulation ascribed to the excess of immigration over emigration from 1851 to 1889 in four decennial periods and for the nine years ending in 1899: 1851-1860 .'. C13.253 1861-1870 291.342 1871-1880 33C.297 1881.1890 386.018 1891-1899 61,824 The colonies showed great variations from year to year, as the discovery of gold in one colony after another attracted the fortune-seekers. The distance of Australia from Europe and the cost of passage have been an obstacle to immigration to that country compareil with the more acces- sible Canada and the I'nited States. The at- tractive force of the gold-mines has partially olTsct the difficulty, while the colonies have gen eially adopted a policy of aiding immigrants by paying a portion, if not all, of the passage money. This policy still prevails in Queensland and in Western Australia, and it is only within the last fifteen years that it has Wen abandoned by the other colonies. Up to 189(i there had been intro- duced into the colonies, either wholly or partially at the expense of the State, no less than 756,095 persons, of whom 578,559 came in the period prior to 1881. Under these circumstances, the Australian colonies have to a large extent chosen their immigrants. It is not surprising, therefore, that the great bulk of the immigrants into Australia have been natives of the United Kingdom. Ac- cording to the census of 1S91, 08.58 per cent, of the population were Australian born, 14.76 per cent, bora in England and Wales, 3.86 per cent, in Scotland, 7.13 per cent, in Ireland. In other words. 25.75 per cent, of the total population were natives of the United Kingdom, leaving only 5.72 per cent, aborigines, natives of other British colonies outside of Xew Zealand, and foreigners. Among the last Germans and Scan- dinavians predominate. In the immigration to the South American countries, the Stales of Southern Europe are the largest contributors. Italy stands at the head of the list. In a foreign population of 800.983 in Ihc Argentine Republic in 1895, the Italians numbered 49i.0.'!0. the Spanish 198,085. The same races predominate in the immigiaiioii to Uruguay, while in that of Itra/.il the Por- tuguese take tlie second place, f(dlowing the Itali.ans, who constitute about one-half of the aggregate immigration. Canada. There is greater dilTiculty in detei- inining the amount of immigration to Canad.i than to other countries, not only because a large number of persons land there whose destination is the United States, but because a considerable number whose original intention was to remain in Canada drift into the United States. So great is the dilliculty of precisely ascertaining the number that a few years ago the Canadian authorities gave up the attempt. The most recent figures which are obtainable terminate with the year 1890, and these are put forward by the authorities with many cautions as to their accuracy. In five periods the figures are as follows: ASNCAL ATKBAOE lUUiaBATICS TO CANADA 18711875 84.2H 1S7C-1880 36,304 1881-1885 116.41S 1886-1890 40,911 A computation by British authorities that from 1815-89. 12.481,708 persons emigrated from the United Kingdom, showed that of these 8.317.- 019 went to the United States. 1,987,247 to Cana- da, and 1.003.388 to Australasia. The immigration into Canada is largely from the mother country. The census of 1891 showed that there were 047.302 foreign born in the population, of whom, after deducting natives of the United States, 500.444 had come from across the sea. Of these England and Wales furnished 219,085. Scotland 107.584. and Ireland 149.184. while the quota of foreign nations, among whom Germans predominated, was only 89.991. I'xiTKn States. The great bulk of those who have left Europe to seek new homes have come to the United States, Here the various phe- nomena connected with immigration can be