cost of administration. Such towns, having over 1,500 inhabitants, may be constituted urban sanitary districts. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not bound by Acts of the Imperial Parliament unless specially mentioned. The Isle of Man is administered in accordance with its own laws by the Court of Tynwald, consisting of the Governor, appointed by the Crown; the Council for Public Affairs, composed chiefly of ecclesiastical and judicial dignitaries appointed by the Crown; and the House of Keys, a representative assembly of 24 members chosen on a property qualification for 7 years by the 6 'sheadings or local subdivisions, and the 4 municipalities. The Channel Islands are administered according to their own laws and customs, each by a Lieut.Governor, with judicial and other functionaries; and a States Assembly, partly elective. Jersey has a separate legal existence. Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark have a Lieut.-Governor in common, but otherwise their governments are separate. Area and Population. I. PROGRESS AND PRESENT CONDITION. The population was thus distributed at the census, taken April 5, 1891 — The following table gives the population of those divisions at each of the four decennial censuses previous to 1891: The decennial rate of increase or decrease (-) per cent. at each of the last five censuses has been as follows: If Ireland be excluded from the calculation, it will be found that the rate of increase for the remainder of the United Kingdom was very nearly uniform. The proportion per cent. of the population living in the various divisions of the United Kingdom was as follows at each of the six decennial censuses from 1841 to 1891 :— In 1891, in Wales and Monmouthshire 508,036 persons or 28.6 per cent. of the population were returned as able to speak Welsh only, and 402,253, or 22.6 per cent., as able to speak Welsh and English. Thus 910,289, or 51.2 per cent., persons could speak Welsh. In 1881 the number returned was 950,000, or about 70 per cent. In 1891, in Scotland, 43,738, or 1.09 per cent., of the population of Scotland could speak Gaelic only, and 210,677, or 5.23 per cent., could speak Gaelic and English. Thus 254,415, or 6.32 per cent., could speak Gaelic. In 1881 the number was 231,594, or 6.20 per cent. In 1891, in Ireland, 38,121, or 81 per cent. of the population of Ireland, could speak Irish only, and 642,053, or 13.65 per cent., could speak Irish and English. Thus 680,174, or 14.46 per cent., could speak Irish. In 1881 the number was 949,932, or 18.20 per cent. The population of the United Kingdom and its divisions (exclusive of army, navy, and merchant seamen abroad) at the end of June, in each of the last ten years, was estimated as follows: |