Republican landmarks. The views and opinions of American statesmen on foreign immigration. Being a collection of statistics of population, pauperism, crime, etc. With an inquiry into the true character of the United States government, and its policy on the subject of immigration, naturalization of aliens, etc

Front matter

S3 I

New York

State College of Agriculture

Preface

It would, perhaps, be deemed presumptuous in the writer of the following pages to solicit public attention to them without stating some of the reasons which induced him to undertake the task, or, at all events, explain the object at which he has aimed in its execution. Many reasons might be adduced by him for engaging in the preparation of this volume. Let it suffice, however, to say, that the object aimed at by him was, to give the ojtinions of others, not his own — in a word, to present facts, historical and otherwise, showing the progress of immigration, the extent of the immigrant population, its tendencies and influences, and its general effects upon the country and its fustitutions ; and, also, to exhibit an outline of the true principles and the distinguishing characteristics of the United States Government, and the views and opinions of its founders, as well as the policy of the governjnent on the subject of immigration, naturalization of aliens, etc.

With the hope that the facts thus presented to the American people may, in some degree, contribute to correct misapprehensions, prevailing to a considerable extent, in relation to the subjects discussed in this volume, it is now, with great diffidence, and a full conviction of its imperfections, submitted to the public by

■ THE AUTHOR.

Philadelphia, December 1, 1855.

Contents

OUAPTER PAGE

I. White and Free Colored Population, 7

II. Foreign Immigration, 16

Chapter I. White And Free Colored Population

Though repeated efforts were made, by the Continental Congress, to obtain an enumeration of the inhabitants of the United Colonies, no accurate enumeration was had prior to the adoption of tlie Federal Constitution. It is the better received opinion now, however, that at the beginning of the Revolution the population of the Colonies did not exceed two millions, eight hundred thousand. Since the formation of the United States Government there have been seven enumerations of the inhabitants, the periods and aggregate results of which were as follows : Three million^, nine hundred and twenty-nine thousand, eight hundred and twenty-seven persons, in the year 1790 ; five millions, three hundred and five thousand, nine hundred and twenty-five persons, in the year 1800 ; seven millions, two hundred and thirty-nine thousand, eight hundred and fourteen persons, in the year 1810; nine millions, six hundred and thirty-eight thousand, one hundred and thirty-one persons, in the year 1820; twelve millions, eight hundred and sixty-six thousand, and twenty persons, in the year 1830 ; seventeen millions, sixty-nine thousand, four hundred and fifty-three persons, in the year 1840 ; and twenty-three millions, one hundred and ninety-one thousand, eight hundred and seventy-six persons, in the year 1850.

The following table, collated from the Census returns of 1850, exhibits the aggregate white and free colored population of each State and Territory — the number of white and free colored foreigners, and of those of unknown birth, and the ratio of the foreign to the white and free colored, and of the free colored to the total population, in each State :

(7;

EEPUBLICAN LANDMARKS.

Aggregate

Unknown t^%i m

Population.

Population.

Nativity.

STATES.

Ratio pe of Fore White FreeC

Ratio Colorec Total 1 tion.

White.

Free Colored.

VThite.

Free Colored.

White.

Free

Colored.

Alabama,

426,514

2,266

7,498

1,001

1.78

0,29

Arkansas,

162,189

1,468

1.00

0,29

California,

21,629

24.16

1,04

Dial. Columbia,

87,941

10,069

4,913

10.35

19,46

Connecticut,

363,099

7,693

38,374

10.11

2.07

Delaware,

71,169

18,073

6,243

5.84

19,76

Florida,

47,203

2,740

—

6.73

1,07

Georgia,

621,672

2,931

6,462

1.13

0,32

Illinois,

846,034

6,436

111,860

3,862

12.99

0,94

Indiana,

977,184

11,262

66,637

2,339

6.51

1,14

Iowa,

191,881

21,014

—

11.06

0,17

Kentucky,

761,413

10,011

31,401

1,301

3.78

1,02

Louisiana,

266,491

17,462

67,308

24,33

3,37

Maine,

681,818

1,366

31,696

6,39

0.23

Maryland,

417,943

74,723

61,011

10,82

12.82

JMassachusetts,

986,460

9,064

163,698

2,808

16,18

0,91

Michigaji,

396,071

2,683

64,693

1,266

13.79

0,66

Mississippi,

296,718

4,782

1.67

0.15

Missouri,

692,004

2,618

76,570

SOT

12,19

0,38

Wew Hampsbire,

317,466

14,257

4,27

0,16

New Jersey,

465,609

23,810

69,804

11,93

4,86

New York,

3,018,326

49,060

666,224

4,271

21,04

1.68

North Carolina,

663,028

27 463

2,666

3,16

Ohio,

1,966,060

26,279

218,099

4,263

11,03

1,28

Pennsylvania,

2,258,160

68,626

303,106

1,779

12,76

2,32

Rhode Island,

118,876

3,970

23,832

16,66

2,48

South Carolina,

274,563

8,960

8,608

8.06

1,34

Tennessee,

756,836

6,422

6,638

1,637

0,64

Texas,

164,034

17,620

10.88

0,19

Vermont,

313,402

33,688

10.46

0,23

Virginia,

894,800

64,333

22,953

2,36

3.82

Wisconsin,

304,766

110,471

34,94

0.21

Minnesota,

6,038

1,977

—

—

33,70

—

New Mexico,

61,626

2,161

—

—

3,86

—

Oregon,

13,087

—

8.72

—

Utah,

11,330

2,044

—

17.63

~

It thus appears that the total white and free colored population of the United States, in 1850, amounted to 19,98'r,'?63 persons— 19,553,268 of whom were white, 434,495 colored, 17,708,316 natives, 2,244,774 foreigners, and 34,673 whose birth-place was unknown. Of the natives^ 17,279,929 were iwMe, and 428,387 colored; of the foreigners, 2,240,684 were white, and 4,090 colored; and of unknown birth, 32,655 wevewhiie, and 2,018 colored. This white and free colored population, it appears, farther, was thus distributed in the slave-holding and non-slave-holding States and Territories :

WHITES. FREE STATES.

SLAVE STATES. AGGKBGATE.

5,897,243 17,279,929

316,673 2,240,684

8,702 32,665

FREE COLORED,

Native born,

Unknown,

... .2,503 1,687 4,090

....1,662 366 2,018

Total, .

..200,473 234,022..

.434,495

REPUBLICAN LANDMARKS.

The proportion of foreign to white and free colored native, in different sections of the country, may be stated to have been as follows, in 1850:

Eastern States, , 12.65 per cent

Middle States, 19.84 " "

Southern States, 1.86 " "

Southwestern States 5.34 " "

Northwestern and Territories, 12.75 " "

Of the native white population, 13,103,650 still resided in, and 4,116,225 resided out of the States in which they were born. Connecticut, South Caroliaa and Vermont, had more than half as many native born residing in other States, as remained at home ; Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee, nearly one-half, and Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland, about one-third. No less than "126,450 persons were living in slave-holding States, who were natives of non-slave-holding States. and 232,112 persons living in non-slave-holding States, who were natives of slave-holding States. Whilst more than one-fourth of the free persons born in the Southern States had left those States for other parts of the Union, only one-sixth had left the Eastern and Middle States, about one-tenth the Southwestern, and one-fortieth the Northwestern and the Territories. The following table, taken from the Census of 1850, will explain this fact more fully :

STATES,

NatiTos, -white and free colored, residing Id the State where born.

Ratio

per cent.

Residing out of the State in which they were born.

Ratio per cent.

Eastern,

Middle,

Southern,

Southwestern,

Northwestern and Territories,

Of the foreign white population, numbering 2,240,535 persons, in the United States, in 1850, there were from Ireland 961,719, Being over forty-two per cent, of the whole number ; from Germany, 583,'7'74, being over one-fourth of the whole number; and from England, 2'r 8, 615, being near one-eighth of the whole number. The Irish, German, and English, it will be thus seen, constituted considerably over two-thirds of the entire foreign population. Of the remainder, 141,111 were from British America; 70,550 from Scotland ; 54,069 from France; 29,868 from Wales ; 13,358 from Switzerland; 13,317 from Mexico; 12,618 from Norway; 9,848 from Holland; 5,112 from the West India Islands; 3,645 from Italy; 3,559 from Sweden; 3,113 from Spain; 1,838 from Denmark; 1,543 from South America ; 1,414 from Russia; 1,313 from Belgium; 1,214 from Portugal ; 946 from Austria ; 158 from China ; 588 from the Sandwich Islands ; 141 from Central America ; 106 from Turkey ; 86 from Greece ; 34 from Sardinia ; and the balance from other countries,^ and uukaown. Of the immigrants who arrived in 1851 and '52, there were 218,193 Irish; 188,009 German; 59,828 English ; 14,942 Scotch; 14,842 French ; 10,954 Swiss; 4,120 Welsh ; 4,001 Norwegian; 3,012 Hollanders; 2,938 Swedes; 916 Italians; .840 West Indian; 551 Belgians ; 128 Spaniards ; 341 South American ; 328 Poles ; and the remainder in small numbers from- other countries. During the first six months of 1855, there arrived at New York 69,416 immigrants, 22,801 of whom were Irish, and 26,824 German.

But few of the Irish appear to be engaged in agricultural pursuits ; they are chiefly in the commercial and manufacturing States. Of the 961,119 in the country in 1850, there then were 851,345 residents in the free States and Territories, being about 88 per cent, of the whole number; and of those there were 196,609 in the manufacturing States of New England, being 23 per cent, of the number in the free States. In the commercial and manufacturing States of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, there were 525,926, being within a fraction over 61 per cent, of the number in the free States, and leaving but 134,810 scattered over the agricultural States and Territories of the West and Northwest, being only about 16 per cent, of the number in the free States and Territories, and the greater portion of those were probably engaged as laborers on canals and railroads. Of those in the slave States, numbering 104,314, there were 10,200 in the States of Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri and Virginia, being 69 per cent, of those in the slave States.

So with the English ; they, too, were mainly in the Eastern, Middle and Northwestern States. Only 25,515 of the whole number were in the slave States, 19,211 of whom were in the States of Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Missouri, Kentucky and Texas. Those in the free States numbered 253,100, of which number 31,240 were in the New England States, being 12 per cent, of the number in the free States ; 134,245 in the Middle States of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, being 53 per cent. ; 81,615 in the Western and Northwestern States, being only 35 percent., of which number 25,660 were alone.in Ohio.

The Germans were found in greater numbers in the agricultural States, and but comparatively few of them in New England. Of the number in the country, 456,439 were in the non-slave-holding States, and only 121,335 in the slave States. Of those in the free States, only about 1,000 were in the six New England States, being but one out of every sixty-six of their number in the free States. In the Middle States of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, there were 210,360, being over 46 per cent, of the number in the free States ; in New York alone, there were 120,609, being near one-fourth; and in the Western and Northwestern States and Territories about 240,000, being over 50 per cent., of which 112,022 were in Ohio. Of the 121,335 in the slave States,

REPUBLICAN LANDMARKS.

of whom 58,854 were in the States of Missouri and Kentucky, being nearly one-half of those in the slave States.

The Hollanders, Norwegians, Swiss and Swedes, were principally in the agricultural States and Territories in the West and Northwest. Two-thirds of the Norwegians were in Wisconsin, and one-fifth in Illinois ; one-third of the Swedes were in Illinois ; one-fourth of the Swiss in Ohio, and one-third in Illinois and Wisconsin ; and about two-thirds of the Hollanders were in Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and New York. The French were principally in New York, Pennsylvania, Louisiana and Ohio. One-half of the Mexicans were in California, one-third in Texas, and one-tenth in New Mexico. Of 30,000 Welsh, 25,000 were in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin. One-third of the Scotch were in New York, one-tenth in Pennsylvania, and about one-seventh in the New England States.

That a large part of the foreign born population resides in the cities and towns, may readily be perceived by examining the following table, showing the number of inhabitants, native and foreign, of the cities therein named :

T-REB STATES. NATIVE. FOREIGN.

.1,411,749

SLAVE STATES. NATIVE. FOREIGN,

■f

.160,064

Aggregate, : 468,978

Aggregate population, 1,880,727

It will be thus seen, that almost one-third of the entire foreign population in the country resided in the twenty cities named in the foregoing table, while they contained but about the fifteenth part of the native population of the United States. Of the 1,924,011 foreigners in the non-slave-holding States, 542,832 were in the cities named in the table ; and of the 316,613 in the slave States, 150,64 were in the Southern cities named in the same table.

It will be seen, also, that of the foreign population of the New England States, there were in the cities of Boston, Providence, Portland, and New Haven, no less than 63,555, being over 20 per cent, of the whole number in these States. In the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Newark, and Albany, there were 386,346, being 38 per cent, of the foreign population of the three Middle States of New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

REPUBLICAN LANDMARKS.

In Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukie, there were 92,932, being 17 per cent, of their number in the Western and Northwestern States, comprising Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa. In the cities of St. Louis and Louisville, there were 50,858, being 43 per cent, of the number in the Southwestern States of Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Arkansas. In the cities of Baltimore, Richmond, Charleston, Mobile, and New Orleans, there were 94,924, being 54 per cent, of those in the Southern Atlantic States of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana.

An examination of the Census returns of 1850, will disclose these facts : That near 40 per cent, of the foreign population then in the State of New York, resided in the cities of New York and Albany ; that over one-fourth of those in Massachusetts were in Boston ; that there were 40 per cent, of those in Rhode Island, in Providence ; that about one-sixth of those in Connecticut, resided in the cities of Hartford and New Haven ; that the city of Newark alone had one-fifth of those in New Jersey ; and Philadelphia about 40 per cent, of those in Pennsylvania. So in the Southern States. Mobile had about 60 per cent, of the foreign population of Alabama ; New Orleans, over 70 per cent, of those in Louisiana ; Savannah, about 37 per cent, of those in Georgia ; Charleston, considerably over one-half of those in South Carolina ; Louisville, near 40 per cent, of those in Kentucky ; St. Louis, over one-half of those in Missouri ; Nashville and Memphis, over 40 per cent, of those in Tennessee ; Baltimore, about 67 per cent, of those in Maryland ; and Wilmington, about one-third of those in Delaware. And the same may be said of the Western States. Of those in Ohio, over one-fourth were in Cincinnati ; of those in Illinois, over one-eighth in Chicago ; of those in Michigan, about one-sixth in Detroit ; and of those in Wisconsin, over one-ninth in Milwaukie.

A still further and more minute examination of the Census statistics of 1850, will disclose the fact, that of the 196,609 born in Ireland, residing in the New England States, there were over one-fourth of them in the cities of Boston, Portland, Providence, Portsmouth, Hartford, New Haven, and Manchester ; of the 525,926 residing in the States of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, 224,685 of them were in the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Newark and Albany, being over 40 per cent. ; and of those in the other non-slave-holding States, numbering 134,810, there were 26,594 in the cities of Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukie. Of the 104,374 in the slave States, 50,062 were in the cities of New Orleans, Baltimore, Charleston, Louisville, Savannah, Nashville, Memphis, Richmond, St. Louis, Washington, and Wilmington.

Of those from Ireland, residing in Massachusetts, nearly one-third were in Boston ; of those in Maine, one-sixth were in Portland ; of those in Rhode Island, about one-half were in Providence ; of those in Connecticut, one-fifth were in Hartford and New Haven ; of those in New York, over 40 per cent, were in New York and Albany ; of those in New Jersey, over one-sixth were in Newark ; of those in Pennsylvania, nearly one-half were in Philadelphia ; of those in Ohio, over one-fourth were in Cincinnati ; of those in Illinois, near one-fourth were in Chicago ; of those in Missouri, over two-thirds were in St. Louis ; of those in Michigan, near one-fourth were in Detroit ; of those in Maryland, almost two-thirds were in Baltimore ; of those in Louisiana, over 80 per cent, were in New Orleans ; of those in South Carolina, over one-half were in Charleston ; of those in Alabama, two-thirds were in Mobile ; of those in Kentucky, one-third were in Louisville ; of those in Tennessee, nearly one-half in Na-shville and Memphis ; and of those in Georgia, one-half in Savannah.

The Germans in the New England and Middle States were also principally in the cities and towns. Of the 7,000 in New England, about 2,500 were in the cities of Boston, Hartford, New Haven, Providence, Portland, and Portsmouth ; of the 210,360 in the Middle States of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, 85,859 were in the cities of New York, Philadelphia, Albany, and Newark ; of those in the free States of the west, about one-fifth were in the cities of Cincinnati, Chicago, Detroit, and Milwaukie ; and of the 127,335 in the slave-holding States, over one-half were in the cities of Baltimore, Richmond, Washington, Wilmington, Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans, St. Louis, Louisville, Memphis, and Nashville. Of those in Massachusetts, over 40 per cent, were in Boston ; of those in New York, about one-half were in New York city and Albany ; of those in New Jersey, about one-third were in Newark ; of those in Pennsylvania, about 30 per cent, were in Philadelphia ; of those in Ohio, about 30 per cent, were in Cincinnati ; of those in Illinois, about one-seventh were in Chicago ; of those in Missouri, about one-half were in St. Louis ; of those in Maryland, over two-thirds were in Baltimore ; and of those in Kentucky, over one-half were in Louisville ; of those in Louisiana, near two-thirds were in New Orleans.

The English, Welsh and Scotch, were chiefly in the cities and towns. One-twelfth of the whole number of English and Welsh, and one-tenth of the Scotch, were in New York city.

The French, Spanish and Italians, were also chiefly in the cities and towns. Considerably over one-fourth of the French were in the cities of New York, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. There were 1,150 Spaniards in New Orleans, 303 in New York, 291 in Philadelphia, 144 in Mobile : making an aggregate in these four cities of 1,888, and considerably over one-half of the whole number in the country. Of the Italians, 708 were in New York, 658 in New Orleans, 236 in Philadelphia, 152 in Cincinnati, 134 in Boston, 112 in Louisville, and 101 in St. Louis : making an aggregate in these seven cities of 2,160, and more than one-half of their number in the Union.

A late California authority, quoted by Professor De Bow, in his Census report to Congress, in 1854, estimates the population of that State to be as follows: 215,000 Americans, 25,000 Germans, 25,000 French, 20,000 Spaniards, 17,000 Chinese, 5,000 other foreigners, 20,000 Indians, and 2,500 Negroes : making an aggregate of over 820,000, about one-third of whom are not natives of the United States. Of late years the Chinese immigration has increased immensely, and the number of these pagans is already so great in California as to prove the source of much difBculty, and to be a cause of considerable alarm to its inhabitants. According to a late report of Captain Heurtier, the number of immigrants from Hong Kong to California, up to the 30th of Juno, 1854, amounted to 45,000 ; to Australia (wives and children included), to 15,000. Prom January 1st to June 30th, 1854, 10,496 immigrants left Hong Kong for California, and 4,341 for Australia.

Another subject worthy of more attention than it has yet received, is that of the Mormon immigration. In a few years more, Utah will be a flourishing and powerful State, a large majority of whose citizens will be foreigners who are not naturalized and owe no sworn allegiance to the United States, Some statistics have recently been collected concerning the amount of immigration from Great Britain alone to Utah, which has taken place within the last year past, and the aggregate will be somewhat surprising to those unacquainted with the extensive system of proselytizing which the Mormons have now organized throughout Europe. The following is the statement as published, dating from the 21th of November, 1854, to the 26th of April, 1855 :

SHIP. SAILED. NtTMBER OF PASSENGEK3.

Clara Whoeler, Not. 27 422

James Nosmith, Jan. 7 440

Charles Buck, Jan. 17 403

Rockaway, Jan. 6 24

Neva, Jan. 9 13

Isaac Joans, Feb. 3 16

Siddons, Feb. 27 430

Juventa, Mar. 31 673

Chimborazo April 17 431

S. Curling April 22 681

Wm. Stetson, April 26 293

Of these, 814 were landed in New York, 1,450 in Philadelphia, and 1,302 in New Orleans, from which places they were forwarded to Salt Lake City ; 1,127 of their number were indebted to the Perpetual Immigrating Fund, for the means of immigrating.

A recent Census taken of Boston, shows the population of that city to be 162,629, being an increase since the year 1850, of 23,841 persons. Of this population, there are 86,336 foreigners, including their children under 21 years of age, being considerably over one-half of the entire population of the city proper, and an increase of the foreign population since the Census of 1850, of 22,8'I0 persons. It thus appears that the foreigners outnumber the natives, and that within the last five years, the disproportion in favor of the former has been augmented. It is estimated, however, that a portion of the business population of the city, to the number of 50,000, reside in the vicinity and neighboring towns; and as it is probable that a large majority of them are native born, the native clement of the population of Boston still preponderates considerably over the foreign. Of this foreign population, 69,239 are Irish, 4,586 are German, and 12,511 from other countries.

In Wisconsin, according to the returns of the recent Census of that State, there has also been a large increase in the foreign population since the year 1850, especially in the city and county of Milwaukie, as the following table shows :

NATIVE. POEEIGN. TOTAL.

It will be seen that, of every thousand of the population, 618 are of foreign, and but 382 of native birth. In the city, the population is 80,438 ; foreign 19,621, native 10,827 — giving a foreign ^element of 645 per cent., or a clear foreign majority of 290 in every thousand votes polled.

The returns of the Census taken in New Jersey, during the summer of the year 1855, show the population of Newark, the largest city in the State, to be 50,711 persons, of whom 28,902 are white natives, 20,584 are foreigners, and 1,230 colored. In Jersey City, there are 12,283 native whites, 9,135 foreigners, and 291 colored natives, and 6 colored foreigners : making an aggregate population of 21,715 persons. Trenton has a population of 13,819, of whom there are 7,395 native adults, and 3,368 foreign adults. Thus we find in these three cities in New Jersey, with an aggregate population of 86,245 persons, no less than 33,087 foreigners, being nearly 40 per cent, of the entire population. In the sixth, seventh and eighth wards, in Newark City, with an aggregate population of 13,939 persons, including 456 colored, there are 8,594 foreigners, being very near two-thirds of the whole population.

]6 KEPUBLICAH LANDMARKS.

Chapter II. Foreign Immigration

" The right of expatriation," observes the report of the Society established in New York, for the purpose of giving useful information to immigrants, " is a right acknowledged and practiced by all nations, from the earliest ages to the present time. It is a right indispensable to liberty and happiness, and ought never to be surrendered. The free States once established in Asia recognized it ; Greece adopted it ; the Romans avowed it, and vindicated the right in all its latitude, and the following declaration composed part of their code : ' Every man has a right to choose the State to which he will belong. It is a law of nature that we go whither we list to promote our happiness.' " Without stopping here to inquire whether the right of expatriation is thus broadly and unqualifiedly recognized, even in the United States, it is entirely safe to adopt the opinion expressed by the Rev. D. R. Thomason, Secretary of the Philadelphia Immigrant's Friend Society, in his published "Hints to Immigrants," and to say that "no man ought to quit his native land without just and cogent reasons. It is the land which gave him birth, 'the home of his fathers,' and the filial obligations which bind him to it are strong and sacred ; they cannot be needlessly broken, and obligations to a foreign government contracted, without exposing to censure, and incurring a large share of criminality. That there are, however, circumstances which abundantly justify such a step, is sufficiently obvious, and the individual who can refer to them as bis own, and plead them as reasons for self-expatriation, may be pitied as unfortunate, but cannot justly be charged with dereliction of duty."

Various reasons may be urged to exculpate self-expatriation, prominent among which is the want of honorable and remunerative employment, as a means of procuring an independent and adequate support. " When the parent is unable to make suitable provision for the offspring, it is time," says Mr. Thomason, "that the needy children should quit the parental roof and seek elsewhere their daily bread ;" and he well adds, " that this, at the present moment, is precisely the situation of the mother country, ia undeniable." The most obvious and most fruitful cause of this calamity is, no doubt, as he observes, a disproportion between the population and the resources of maintenance. In Europe, there are more hands to labor than profitable labor to be performed, and a remedy for the evil can only be found in a diminution of population by immigration. This is a simple and efficient remedy not dependent on the plans of politicians and enactments of rulers, but to a great extent on individual will and action. It is within the reach of all who have the requisite courage and enterprise, and the small amount of pecuniary means necessary to transport them across the Atlantic. " It is not, therefore, matter of surprise that the stream of immigration should flow fast from the overcharged basin of European population, iu whatever direction a suitable outlet can be found — that thousands should be leaving their native land, and thousands be preparing to follow, to seek in other climes at once a sphere for their talents and industry, and the means of competent maintenance for themselves and families, content to endure temporary inconvenience and privation to secure the substantial and permanent advantages of independence and competence for themselves, and to perpetuate the same blessings to their offspring.

According to a table in Be Bow's Gompendium TJ. S. Census of 1850, the progress of immigration since 1790, has been as follows :

TEA.E3. ARRIVALS.

According to this statement, collated from the reports of the Collectors of the Ports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other seaports, the number of immigrants arrived, during the last eleven years past, exceeds two millions and a half of persons. Enormous as has been the increase, the number actually arrived is no doubt much greater; and this opinion is sustained by the following table, compiled from the reports to Congress, made annually by the Secretary of State, underthe act of 1819, which shows the number of passengers arrived in the United States from foreign ports, from October 1, 1843, to January 1, 1855 :

MALES. FEMALES. SEX SOT STATED. TOTAL.

By a published statement of the New York Commissioners of Immigration, it appears that, during the first six months of the year 1855, there arrived at that port but 69,4T6, being a decrease, as compared with the same period of the year previous, of 65,275.

It appears from these statistics that the immigration, previous to the year 1840, was comparatively smaU, and that there was no material increase until 1846, when the Irish exodus commenced. It then rose to 300,000 per annum, and now, with the aid of similar exoduses from Germany, China and other countries, it has swelled to a half million a year. Mr. Kennedy, the Superintendent of the Census, in his report to Congress, in 1851, makes the following estimate of the accessions to our population from immigration, from 1790 to 1850 :

Increase, 47,560

Increase of the above, 19,000

Increase from 1810 to 1820, of those arriving previous to 1810, 68,450

Immigrants and their descendants in 1820, 359,010

Increase of the above, 35,728

Increase from 1820 to '30 of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, in 1820,. ..134,130

Immigrants and descendants of immigrants in 1830, : 732,847

Increase of the above, 129,602

Increase from 1830 to '40 of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, in 1830,. ..254,445

Immigrants and descendants of immigrants, in 1840, 1,879,263

Increase of the above, 183,942

Increase from 1840 to *50 of immigrants and descendants of immigrants, in 1840, ...719,361

Immigrants since 1790, living in 1850, and descendants of immigrants, 4,304,416

Professor De Bow, in his Compendium of the Census of 1850, expresses the opinion that Mr. Kennedy's estimate is too high, and gives it as his own that the immigrants and descendants of immigrants did not exceed, in 1853, the number of 3,000,000. Dr. Chickering, a celebrated statistician, and who is generally regarded as good authority, has, however, made an estimate, which exceeds that of Mr. Kennedy, in number.