inconveniences incidental to an entirely new enumeration (involving a classification into religious denominations) of the population of Ireland, we determined upon making the population returns for 1831 the basis of our operations with regard to this branch of our Inquiry, by referring them back to the original enumerators, in order that they might distinguish the religious persuasion of the several persons therein mentioned.
The last general census of the population of Ireland, was taken in the year 1831, by 1,308 enumerators, appointed for that purpose by the magistrates of the several counties, under the provisions of the Population Acts then in force.
That census was taken by districts, comprising one or more parishes, or parts of parishes, according to the civil division prevailing in counties for the purpose of grand jury assessments; and each enumerator employed upon it was bound to visit personally, and to verify on his oath the fact of his having so visited, every house within the parishes, or parts of parishes, which he had been appointed to enumerate.
In the original books used by these enumerators are specified, among other particulars, the several townlands or streets in each of such parishes; the several houses in each of such townlands or streets ; the name of the owner or occupier of each house ; the number of families residing in each house ; the number of persons in each family, distinguishing males and females; and the number of servants in each house, distinguishing males and females.
We may here notice two important advantages which attended this use of the census of 1831, as the basis of our Inquiry in respect to population.
In the first place, it furnished a fixed total number of persons in each parish, townland, and house, ascertained by simple enumeration, and free from the suspicion of being intentionally returned greater or less than the truth, owing to any bias that might be supposed to exist in the mind of the enumerator, since, at the time that census was taken, there was no expectation that it would be used for the purpose of dis¬ covering the proportion which the members of each religious persuasion bore to each other.
In the next place, the enumerators, by whom that census was taken, were appointed in 1831 by the magistrates in each county, and were better quali¬ fied by their local knowledge and acquaintance with their own entries in the census books, to insert the religious denominations with accuracy and expedition, than persons less conversant with the subject; and, by so employing them, we were also enabled to avoid the many delays and other inconveniences which would have arisen, had we undertaken to select for ourselves an entirely new body of enumerators for the whole of Ireland.
This return was also of use in checking any private census that might be presented to the Commissioner, inasmuch as it enabled him to estimate the probable accuracy of any return taken at the present time, by com¬ paring it with the classified census of 1831.
We accordingly caused copies of these books to be transmitted to the original enumerators employed in the year 1831, (except in some few instances, where others were of necessity substituted,) together with directions to them to ascertain and insert, in columns left blank for that purpose, the particular religious persua¬ sions of the inhabitants of each parish acccording to its population, as it appeared from such original return to have existed in the year 1831.
Among the other instruc¬ tions given to the enumerators, we impressed upon them the importance of their communicating with each minister of religion (of whatever persuasion) residing or officiating within the parish, and of soliciting from him such information as he might be able to supply with regard to any cases upon which his assistance might be required; and we further instructed the enumerators to afford to such of the clergy of the parish as might at any'time desire to inspect-the return of 1831, every reasonable facility for so doing.
At the same time that we transmitted the hooks and the accompanying instructions to the enumerators, we addressed a cir¬ cular letter to the respective resident and officiating clergy of each parish, apprizing them of the course that we were adopting in relation to this branch of our Inquiry, and requesting their aid so far as they could conveniently afford it.
The general outline of the course subsequently pursued, will sufficiently appear in an extract from the circular letter last referred to, which, after specifying the nature of the additional matter to be inserted by the enumerator in his original return, proceeds as follows:
