colony of the other: one, at the south, produces; the other traffics, exchanges, and exports. Great Britain is assured of renewed resources in the east, but she has also made sacrifices enough in favor of the West Indies to enable us to judge of the value she attaches to the future prosperity of those fine islands. A people-less powerful, but of great perseverance never wrongly directed the Dutch, haved turned their whole attention towards Java, nearly the only important possession they have preserved. In 1826 the commerce of that island, entered and cleared, amounted to fifteen millions of florins, or nearly thirty-two millions of francs. In 1836 it had increased to forty-one millions of florins, or eighty-seven millions of francs. In the same space of time our commerce with our colonies, including the fisheries, remained absolutely stationary, and limited to sixty-eight millions of francs, the official value of the entries, and about fifty millions value of the clearances. It is impossible to have power without a military marine, a military marine without commerce and merchant shipping, merchant shipping without colonies and the fisheries, and lastly, colonies without doing something for their interests and their existence. Some will say we can do without all that, but for ourselves we have not the courage to make such a declaration. ART. II.-PROGRESS OF POPULATION AND WEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES IN FIFTY YEARS, AS EXHIBITED BY THE DECENNIAL CENSUS TAKEN IN THAT PERIOD. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION-THE CENSUS OF 1790. As soon as the framers of the Federal Constitution had decided on giv. ing to each state a representation in Congress in proportion to its numbers, and that direct taxes, whenever resorted to, should be in the same proportion, it became necessary to take an exact enumeration of the people. Such an enumeration was accordingly directed by the Constitution; and, as it was known that the progress of population greatly varied, and would continue to vary in the several states, it was further provided that similar enumerations should be taken "within every subsequent term of ten years."* This census of the people at stated periods, which was thus subordinate to a particular purpose, was soon found to have substantial merits of its own. It has furnished an authentic document which is invaluable to the * The provision of the Constitution referred to is in the second section of the first article, and is in these words: "Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and, excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other persons, [meaning slaves.] The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct." philosopher and political economist, as well as to the statesman and legis lator. By the evidence it affords they are enabled to deduce truths of sufficient importance to justify the trouble and expense it involves, though it were not necessary to the just distribution of political power, and to equality of taxation; and its benefits became so obvious, that the most enlight ened nations of Europe have followed the example, and now take periodi cal censuses of their inhabitants solely for the valuable knowledge they convey. As the numbers of a people are at once the source and the index of its wealth, these enumerations enable its statesmen to see whether national prosperity is advancing, stationary, or retrograde. They can compare one period with another, as well as different parts of the country with each other, and having this satisfactory evidence of the facts, they can more successfully investigate the causes, and apply the appropriate remedies, where remedy is practicable. They also furnish occasions for obtaining other statistical information on subjects that materially concern civilization and national prosperity. The same means taken to ascertain the numbers of the people may be used to distribute them into classes, according to sex, ages, and occupations, and different races, where such diversity exists. Accordingly, the United States, and all the European nations who have profited by our example, have thus improved their respective enumerations of their people. Six censuses have now been taken in this country, and in each successive one, some new list has added to our knowledge of the progess of social improvement. By their aid, speculations in political philosophy of great moment and interest may be made to rest on the unerring logic of numbers. This knowledge, so indispensable to every government which would found its legislation on authentic facts, instead of conjecture, is peculiarly important to us. Our changes are both greater and more rapid than those of any other country. A region covered with its primeval forests is, in the course of one generation, covered with productive farms and comfortable dwellings, and in the same brief space villages are seen to shoot up into wealthy and populous cities. The elements of our population are, moreover, composed of different races and conditions of civil freedom, whose relative increase is watched with interest by every reflecting mind, however he may view that diversity of condition, or whatever he may think of the comparative merit of the two races. It is the purpose of the following pages to profit by the information which the several censuses have furnished, so as not only to make us better acquainted with the progress of our Federal Republic during the half century it has existed, but also to give us a glimpse of the yet more important future which awaits us. Before we consider the inferences to be deduced from all the censuses together, let us take a brief notice of each of them in succession. The first census was taken in 1790, and its enumeration referred to the 1st of August of that year. It distributed the population under the following heads, viz: 1st. Free white males, sixteen years of age and upwards. 2d. The same under sixteen. 3d. Free white females of all ages. 4th. Slaves. 5th. All other persons; by which was meant free persons of color. The result is exhibited in the following TABLE OF THE POPULATION OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE 1ST OF AUGUST Maine was then a part of Massachusetts, and so continued until 1820, but as its census was taken separately, it has always properly held a separate place in statistical tables. By this census the population of the United States was first ascertained by actual enumeration, together with its several parts, white and colored, free and servile, and the comparative numbers of the different states. As the result somewhat disappointed expectation, the census was supposed by many to be inaccurate, and the assumed error was imputed, I know not on what evidence, to the popular notion that the people were thus counted for the purpose of being taxed, and that not a few had, on this account, understated to the deputy marshals the number of persons in their families.* But the general conformity of this census with those subsequently taken, in all points where the discrepancy cannot be satisfactorily explained, shows that the errors could not have been considerable. The census showed that the population of this country had been overrated at the revolution, for supposing the rate of increase to have been the same before the census as after it, the people of the thirteen colonies, at the time of the stamp act, fell considerably short of two millions, and at the declaration of independence, they did not reach to two and a half millions. The items of the first census were unfortunately too few to furnish much materials for comparison. The most important facts it discloses, are the following: * It is certain that this supposed source of error was credited by General Washington, usually so cautious, and almost unerring in his judgments, and that on the faith of it, he expected that the second census would show a much larger amount of population than proved to be the fact. The number of white males to that of the females was as 103.8 to 100; or for every 10,000 males there were 9,636 females. It deserves to be remarked that the age of sixteen, which was adopted by Congress to divide the male population into two parts, with a view probably to ascertain the number of men capable of bearing arms, made an almost equal division between them. Thus, of the whole male white population, the part over sixteen is 50.3 per cent, and the part under sixteen 49.7. The age of twenty was thus found to divide the male population of England into two equal parts, by the census taken in that country in 1821. It will be perceived that, at this period, every state in the Union, except Massachusetts, contained slaves. But, as in several the number was few, and slavery was there subsequently abolished, in tracing the progress of the slave population, it has been thought best to confine our views to those in which slavery still exists, and where it constitutes a larger part of the population. The proportion of the white, the free colored, and the slave population may be seen in the following table : THE CENSUS OF 1800-BEING THE SECOND ENUMERATION UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. The act of Congress which directed the second enumeration, added some new divisions of the white population to those of the first census. It discriminated between the sexes, and it distributed each under the five following heads, viz: Those persons who were under ten years of age. 66 66 66 66 ten, and under sixteen. sixteen, and under twenty-six. The result is exhibited in the following table :— |