From Leonard Darwin [after 14 February 1874]1
Naval College | Greenwich.
This seems to point to some error in the census of 18532 The an-decrease percent from 1850 to 1860 is 2.01—much more in accordance with the other results. The population given for 1853 is more likely that for 1858— is the date right.3
| —4.6 | |
| 1836 | |
| —1.97 | |
| 1850 | |
| —2.01 | |
| 1860 | |
| —2.06 | |
| 1866 | |
| —2.10 |
The 4.6 seems the only one out of the series
L Darwin
CD annotations
Top of letter: ‘1850—78.854’ pencil
End of letter:
ink and pencil
| Year | Native Population | Annual percentage Decrease done (4.6)✓ |
| 1832 | 130,313 | — |
| 1836 | 108,579 | 1.969= 1.97 |
| 1850 | 82,203 | 4.759 |
| 1853 | 71,019 | 0.81✓ |
| 1860 | ✓67,084 | 2.18 |
| 1866 | ✓58,765 | done (2.17) |
| 1872 | 51,531 |
Footnotes
The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from T. M. Coan, 14 February 1874.
Titus Munson Coan’s figures suggested that the native population of the Hawaiian Islands fell by 11,184 in the three years between 1850 and 1853 and by 3,935 in the seven years between in 1853 and 1860 (see enclosure to letter from T. M. Coan, 14 February 1874). When CD published these figures in Descent 2d ed., p. 186, he omitted the figure for 1850.
The census dates given by Coan were correct; see also letter from ?, [after 14 January 1874].
Bibliography
Descent 2d ed.: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. London: John Murray. 1874.
Summary
Statistics showing rate of decline of population in Sandwich Islands, 1832–72.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8709
- From
- Leonard Darwin
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Naval College, Greenwich
- Source of text
- DAR 90: 8
- Physical description
- ALS 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8709,” accessed on
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 22
letter
