CENSUS means, in this country, the periodical counting of the people. It is a Latin word applied by the Romans to one of the functions of their censors (q. v.). They had to enumerate the people, but only for immediate purposes of taxation, so that no accounts of the results of such enumerations has been preserved. The idea of ascertain ing the numbers of the people, and the proportions in which they are divided according to sex, age, profession, rank, and the like, as statistical information, is of late origin. The first C. of Britain was taken in the first year of the present c.-1801. From that time it has been taken at each period of ten years. An attempt, but a rather unsuccess ful one, was made to take the statistics of Ireland in 1811. Ten years after, the attempt was repeated, but the accuracy of the bare enumeration it furnished was doubtful. That of 1831, which was an improvement, was corrected three years after, in order that it might form the basis of a new system of education. The four subsequent enumera tions have been very trustworthy, and have furnished besides valuable statistics regard ing the agricultural condition of the country. The system of registration under a regis trar-general, established in England in 1836, has given considerable assistance by sup plying a staff for carrying out the enumeration, and also by affording the means of checking the census. A similar registration system was extended to Scotland in 1854, of which the C. of 1861 and 1871 have had the advantage. A C. must be taken for the
whole empire simultaneously, otherwise it cannot be accurate. The practiee is for the enumerating officer in each petty district to leave a schedule at each house, which he receives tilled up, aiding, when necessary, in the filling up. The 0. of 1851 was taken for the night of the 31st March. This C. supplied important, but not altogether satis factory information, as to the educational and ecclesiastical condition of the country, elements of which the latter has been left out in 1861 and 1871. The C. of 1861 was taken for the night of Sunday, 7th April; that of 1871 for the night of Sunday, 2d April, a schedule beingleft in each house on the Saturday, and called for on Monday. The schedule of 1871 contained compartments for "particulars of the name, sex, age, rank, profession or occupation, condition, relation to head of family, and birthplace of every living person" who passed the night of Sunday in the house; whether any was blind, deaf, dumb, imbecile, or lunatic; and how many between the ages of 6 and 13 were receiving education. Most civilized nations take a. C. at regnlar intervals—Frauee, every five years, the last in 1872; Belgium, every ten years, the last in 1866, with calcu lated estimate in 1873; Austria, every ten years, the last in 1869; the United States, the same, the last in 1870; in Germany, the last two censuses were taken in 1871 and 1875. The first C. for India was taken between 1867 and 1872.