Rensselaer Republican, Volume 15, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1882 — Our Foreign-Born Population. [ARTICLE]

Our Foreign-Born Population.

The foreign elements of our population have varied widely since 1850. At that time foreigners constituted 9.5 per cent, of the total population; .they now constitute 13.3 per cent. Of the foreign residents of 1850, 43.5 per cent, were Irish; 26.4 Germans; 13.9 English ind Welsh; 6.7 British Americans, while the Scandinavians formed less than 1 per cent. Since that time the proportion of Irish to the other foreign elements lias steadily declined. Of the arrivals in the ten years ending in 1850, he Germans were but 25 per cent.; of 'hose in the ten years in 1860, they were 37 per cent. Between 1860 and 1870 other foreign elements began to asKume importance through the fastincreasing immigration of Swedes and Norwegians across the ocean and of Canadians across our northern border. We have seen that the Irish of 1850 constituted 43.5 per cent, of the total foreign population. In 1860 this propor-

■ tion had fallen to 3&T9, and in 1870 still further to 33.3. Although the statistics of nationality at the census of 188$ are not yet published, it is not probable that the Irish to-day constitute more than 27 per cent, of the foreign population of the country.— Gen. Walker.