{"product_id":"2940148787709","title":"Worcestershire in the Nineteenth Century","description":"Before entering on a detail of occurrences which possess, comparatively speaking, only an isolated interest, I shall occupy a few pages in the consideration of some general facts and statistics, which may enable the reader to judge of the advance which the County of Worcester has made during a truly remarkable half-century.  No former period in the world’s history ever witnessed such mental activity and progress.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Increase of Population, though not a perfect test of general prosperity, yet indicates that the employments which engage the attention of the inhabitants of any given district are flourishing, that there is no such apprehended deficiency of the articles of wealth as seriously to check marriage, and that there is an absence of some of those evils which are constantly at work to retard the replenishment of the earth by the human family.  For the statistics of population in this county I refer the reader to Table 1, in the Appendix, from which he will perceive that a continuous, and in some instances a rapid increase has taken place in the manufacturing districts.  Until the last ten years, however, the increase of population in this county, though exceeding that of many counties, did not quite come up to the average increase of the entire p. 2kingdom.  The rate of increase from 1801 to 1811, was—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWorcestershire,\u003cbr\u003e15 per cent.  England,\u003cbr\u003e14½ per cent.\u003cbr\u003e1811 to 1821 „\u003cbr\u003e15 „ „\u003cbr\u003e17½ „\u003cbr\u003e1821 to 1831 ,,\u003cbr\u003e15 „ „\u003cbr\u003e16 „\u003cbr\u003e1831 to 1841 „\u003cbr\u003e10.4 „ „\u003cbr\u003e14.5 „\u003cbr\u003eFrom 1841 to 1851, the rate of increase for Worcestershire was slightly above the average, being as nearly as possible 13 per cent., while that of England, as a whole, had declined, and was only about 12.7.  This is a fact upon which no interpretation can be put, except such as is flattering to the condition and prospects of our county.  Emigration has been slowly going on from our manufacturing districts during the last fifteen years, but there has been no remarkable exodus at any particular period.  Many farm labourers and small occupants of land have also been seduced by the Mormons to seek an imaginary paradise in the Far West.  Even this desultory emigration cannot but be beneficial.  Great Britain has yet, however, to acquire the practical wisdom of the ancients in carrying out a systematic colonization, and it still remains for her people to perform the noble mission which their national advantages and insular position seem to assign them—that of peopling the solitudes of the earth with a race which has hitherto proved equal to all difficulties, and who would carry with them the laws of an Alfred, the language of a Shakspere, and, above all, the ennobling influences of the Christian religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA tabular statement of Criminals convicted, and of the nature of the sentences inflicted upon them, will also be found in the Appendix.  When the improvement in the machinery for detecting crimes and bringing offenders to justice is taken into account, there would not seem to be any serious increase in the amount of crime committed; but there certainly is no room for believing that the p. 3intelligence of the age, or the activity of the police, have been successful in diminishing it.  Neither does the comparative leniency of the punishments inflicted afford any proof that the crimes committed are less heinous than formerly.  The decrease in severity of punishments is to be attributed solely to the amelioration of our criminal code, and the humane desire to reclaim rather than to punish, which now distinguishes our legislature and even pervades the judiciary.  Worcestershire, it must be admitted, holds a bad preëminence both in respect to the number and character of the offences committed within its boundaries: a recent return, made by order of the Privy Council, assigns it the very lowest place amongst the English counties as to the proportion of criminals to the population, and within three of the bottom of the list in degree of crime.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEducation is regarded by many as the panacea which is to empty our prisons and render the judge’s office a sinecure; and, without being inclined to attribute to it any such efficacy, it cannot be doubted that it does act as a check to the commission of many of the grosser offences against society.  A private individual has not at his command the means necessary to compile complete statistics on a subject like this; it is a matter of congratulation, however, that Government caused inquiries to be made, at the last census, which will by and by put us in possession of much important information on this head.  Without pretending to accuracy, I believe it will be found that there are in Worcestershire about 550 private and public day and boarding schools, having accommodation for the instruction of 20,000 scholars.","brand":"Lost Leaf Publications","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47179564777712,"sku":"2940148787709","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/236611003.jpg?v=1743049018","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148787709","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}