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338 ECONOMIC INQUIRIES AND STUJ.ES

ference to one or two additional topics suggested in the
same manner, and more particularly by the results ,;f
the last census investigations, which complete in this
respect the recot:d of what may be called the statistical
century par exceltence- the century which has. just
closed. .

Increase of European Population during last Century.
,
The first broad fact then of this kind, which I have
discussed on former occasions, is the enormous increase
of the population of European countries and of peoples
of European origin during the century just passed,
especially the increase of the English people and of the
United States, along with the comparative stationari-
ness of the population of one or two of the countries,
particularly France, at the same time. The growth all
round is from about 170 millions at the beginning of
the century to about 510 millions (excluding South
American countries and Mexico); while the growth of
the United States alone is from a little over 5 to nearly
80 millions, and of the English population of the British
Empire from about IS to 55 millions. Germany and
Russia also show remarkable growth-from 20 to 55
millions in the one case, and from 40 to 135 millions in
the other-partly due to annexation; but the growth of
France is no more than from 25 to 40 millions. With-
out discussing it, we may understand that the economic
growth is equally if not more remarkable. The effect
necessarily is to assure the preponderance of European
peoples among the races of the world-to put aside
completely, for instance, the nightmares of yellow or
black perils arising from the supposed overwhelming
mass of yellow or black races, these races by comparison
being stationary or nearly so. The increase of popula-
tion being continuous, unless some startling change
occurs before long, each year only makes European
preponderance more secure. Equally it follows that
the relative position ofthe English Empire, the United