opinion of their emigration from would be 1,150, or 60 less than that

other States.

In the 8 counties in which there was a decrease of 294 persons, according to the censuses, it will be seen by Table VII that of this decrease 102 were males, and 192 were females.*

Thus the number of males in the 8 counties, exclusive of Erving,

of the females in 1830, and only 4 less in 1840. At each of the dates the sexes were very nearly equal.— The causes, apart from the peculiar immigration during these 10 years, which affect the increase or decrease of the colored population, seem to have been remarkably free to operate in these 8 counties. In the coun

*If we omit the colored people for Erving, in Franklin county, in 1830, on account of probable error in the census, the number of males in these 8 counties, in 1830, would be 1,150, and their decrease in 10 years, 85; and that of the females 1,210, and of their decrease in the 10 years, 141; and the total decrease 226, instead of 294, as will appear from the following table:

ty of Middlesex, there was an in- || pear from the following table, excrease of 22 males, while the de- hibiting the decrease in these 8 councrease of females was 46, as will ap-ties:

It is obvious that natural causes of || 127.79 males, which differs from the increase had not sustained the number of blacks in these counties, and that there was a decided tendency to a decrease of their number during these 10 years.

ly the influence of foreign causes. Here we find the increase of the males 828, or 82.63 per cent., of females only 26,or 2.24 per cent.; and of both sexes 854, or 39.50 per cent. These numbers give the proportion of 100 females to 3,184.61 males.

usual law of a near equality of the sexes from natural causes alone, and must arise from immigration. But when we examine the increase in Suffolk and Nantucket counties, the differIn two of the 6 counties in which ence of increase in the proportion of there was an increase of the blacks, the sexes becomes much more maninamely, in Worcester and Barnsta-fest, and indicates much more strongble, the females preponderated over the males in 1830 and in 1840, but the increase of each sex was 237, and the whole increase 474, or 88.43 per cent., as appears from table VIII. In the 4 remaining counties, the whole increase of the blacks was 1,444, or 35.36 per cent., of whom 285 only were females, and 1,159 were males, or in the proportion of 100 to 406.66, which is over 4 males to 1 female, and differs very little from the proportion of inIcrease in the whole State, where the females were 330 and the males 1,294, or as 100 to 392.12.

We perceive by inspecting table IX, that in two of these 4 counties, namely, in Berkshire and Bristol, the proportion of the sexes was not materially different at the two dates, and the increase of the males was 331, or 34.87 per cent., and that of the females 259, or 26.70 per cent.; that of the whole being 590,or 29.70 per cent. These numbers of increase give the proportion of 100 females to

Table X exhibits a comparative view of the increase of the colored population of Suffolk and Nantucket counties with the other 12 counties in 10 years, together with the numbers of both sexes in each division in 1830 and in 1840; from which it appears that the increase in these two counties was greater, especially of the males, than in any of the other counties during the last decennial period.

The proportions of the number of the free colored persons under the several ages, in the United States, was very nearly the same in 1830 and in 1840, and may be regarded as the standard proportions with which to compare those in any one of the States. They differ considerably

from those in Massachusetts at the the sexes and of the ages. The protwo dates.

The change in the proportions of the colored population in Massachusetts was very perceptible; that of the males being 6 per cent. more, and that of the females 6 per cent. less, in 1840 than in 1830; and this is even less than what belonged to the males alone of 24 years and under 36. The proportion of the increase of the males was nearly 4 times that of the whites during these 10 years, or as 79.68 to 20.32 per cent., showing the great disproportion in the increase of the sexes.

portions of the increase of the sexes differed from each other, and from the proportions of the census at each epoch.

In the 4 remaining counties of Suffolk, Berkshire, Bristol, and Nantucket, the whole increase was 1,444, and the proportions very much altered. The increase was, of males, 80.26 per cent., and of females, 19.74 per cent.

In Berkshire and Bristol,the whole increase was 590, of which that of the males was 56.10, and that of the females 43.90 per cent., of the whole. The increase was especially of the males of the age of 36 and under 55 years.

Finally, the most extraordinary change in the proportions was in Suffolk and Nantucket. The whole increase was 854, or 39.50 per cent., of whom 828 were males, and 26 females, amounting to 96.96, and 3.04 per cent., respectively, the former being nearly 32 times that of the latter.

In Boston, the increase in the 10 years of males was 534, and of females 18; and in Nantucket, of males 291, and of females only 8. In Boston the increase of the males was 29 times, and in Nantucket 36 times that of the females.

As we examine the parts of the commonwealth, we notice some changes in the proportions of the people of color from 1830 to 1840. In the 8 counties in which there was a decrease of the people of color, the proportions generally were not much altered during the period, that of the females being 1.85 per cent. more in 1830 than in 1840. But the pro'portion of the decrease of the fe'males in these counties was over 30 per cent. more than that of the males. The increase of the colored population in the 6 counties of Suffolk, Worcester, Berkshire, Bristol, Barnstable, and Nantucket, was 1,918, or 41.54 per cent., during the 10 years. The proportion of the males in 1840, Thus, we find there was a dewas 7.42 per cent. greater than increase of the colored population of 1830. The proportion of the in- Massachusetts from 1830 to 1840, in crease of the males was 72.78 per 8 counties, and an increase in the 6 cent., and that of the females only counties of Suffolk, Worcester, Berk27.22 per cent. shire, Bristol, Barnstable, and Nantucket. The increase of the males in these counties and in the State, greatly preponderated over that of the females. In Worcester and Barnstable the increase of the two sexes

In the counties of Worcester and Barnstable, the increase of the males and of the females was equal, namely, 237, during this period; but the proportions were changed, both of

*The great increase of the colored population of Barnstable county, in the 10 years, is owing to the omission of Marshpee, in the census of 1830, but in 1840 it contained 146 males and 148 females-total, 294. Omitting Marshpee, there was a loss of 25, or 14.88 per cent., so that, really, there was an increase in only 5 counties, and a decrease in 9 counties. The increase of the colored population from 1830 to 1840, according to the censuses, was as follows:

3,360

3,685

7,045

was equal. In the 4 remaining counties, and especially in Suffolk and Nantucket, the increase of the males vastly preponderated over that of the females. The proportions of those under the several ages were also very much changed during these 10 years. These facts show clearly that other causes besides the natural increase, have had an effect in producing these changes. After making reasonable allowances for the presumed excess of numbers in the returns of Ward 2 in the city of Boston, we are confirmed by these results in the opinion, that immigration has been the principal cause in the increase of the people of color, and in the changes of the proportions during these 10 years. The increase has been mostly of males from 24 to 55 years of age, which embraces the period within which only even men would be likely to have emigrated from other States. Only a very small number of females would be expected to have emigrated at all.

908

900

1,808

4,268

4,585

8,843

as the whole number possible on the supposition that these censuses were correct, and that no death nor immigration of colored persons into the commonwealth occurred during these 10 years. But according to the census of 1840, there were 4,654 males, 4,015 females, and 8,669 of both sexes; that is, there were 386 more males, and 570 less of females; and 184 less of both sexes, than is possible by the first position. Now, it is to be presumed that during this peThe decrease of the blacks in riod not less than 570 deaths of cothe 8 counties, while the propor- lored females occurred in these 10 tions by ages continued nearly the years, which is only 57 per annum, same, shows that the blacks are not or 1 to 65 persons out of 3,685. A likely to increase much in Massachu-proportional number of deaths among setts, situated as they are in the midst of, and dependent upon a predominant class of a different color, whose sympathies are vastly less fully in unison with the colored than with the white race.

According to the census of 1830, the number of colored males in the

the 3,360 males would be 520, which being taken from 4,268, the highest number possible by the first position, we have 3,748, and the number of both sexes, 7,763, without immigration, instead of 8,669 in the census. Thus it is clear that at least 906 of the colored population in 1840 must

In the State containing 7,045 colored in 1830, the increase was 1,624 or 23.05 per cent.

decrease " increase "

66

Worcester & Barnstable 536
Berkshire and Bristol 1,919
Suffolk and Nantucket 2,162 66

The increase of Worcester county was 205 or 55.70 per cent., and that of Barnstable county 269, or 160.11 per cent., but, exclusive of Marshpee, there was a decrease in that county of 25, or 14.88 per cent. The increase of Worcester and Barnstable counties, exclusive of Marshpee, was 180, or 34.69 per cent.

The following will show the immigration of colored persons into Boston during the 10 years, accord-gether with the increase during each ing to the census:

period, the number of each sex in the last three censuses, the increase from 1765 to 1840, and from 1790 to 1840, and the proportions of the colored to the white population in 1765, 1790, and 1840, the decrease being marked thus It appears that the proportion of the colored to the white population in Massachusetts has been 211 increased in the counties of Berkshire, Bristol and Nantucket, during 416 the 75 years from 1765 to 1840, in 1,070 all the rest it has been diminished, and in the State it has been diminished nearly one-half.