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As will be seen by the table at the head of this section, the figures
in which are extracted from the rate books, we have this year 17,47s
inhabited houses against 17,311 in 1878, a net increase of 164
dwellings; and, as the density last year averaged nearly eight persons
to each house throughout the Parish, we may safely reckon that each
of these new dwellings provides accommodation for at least that
number of persons. We have thus room in the Parish for an
additional number of 1312 persons, without more densely crowding
the houses already occupied. Now by adding this number to the
estimated population of last year we get in round numbers 133,300;
and as a birth-rate calculated upon this is precisely the same as that
of last year, I feel convinced that it fairly represents the population
for the year 1879. For the sake of comparison I have calculated by
logarithms on the Registrar-General's plan a population for the
middle of the same year. This shows the numbers as 134,080; in
my opinion a very much higher figure than we can lay any claim to,
as it is more than 2000 over last year's estimate; while our natural
increase, which is the excess of the births over the deaths registered
for the whole year, is only 2177; this higher number makes no
allowance for emigration, which most certainly has taken place to a
very considerable extent, and has not been counterbalanced by a
corresponding immigration.
Next year all our estimates throughout London will be checked,
and a fresh point of departure will be given, upon which our calculations
for the ensuing ten years will have to be based.
The Parish of Bethnal Green covers an area of 755 acres; the
number of occupied houses is 17,475; each acre has an average of
176.5 persons, and each house of 7.6 inhabitants. The RegistrarGeneral,
in his Annual Report, gives the density of London at 7.8
inhabitants to each house and 42 persons to each acre for the year
1871, when the last Census was taken.
BIRTHS AND DEATHS.
The number of persons who have died during the year in this parish
was 3,022, against 2951 last year. As out of this number 143 were
non-parishioners placed for purposes of treatment in the various
public institutions within our bounds, they are excluded from our