No. 505.
Mr. Bancroft to Mr. Fish.
American
Legation,
Berlin, September 8,
1873. (Received September 26.)
No. 518.]
Sir: The main question on which you inquire in
your instruction No. 599 has engaged my attention ever since I have
resided in Germany as minister.
When measures were adopted for taking the census of the United German
Empire, I requested that the officers employed in taking it might be
instructed to make a special count of the Americans in Germany.
[Page 1225]
The German government
acceded to my request, and it appears from the returns that on the 1st
day of December, 1871, the Americans present in Germany numbered 10,672.
This census includes the American-born not less than the naturalized
Germans; and travelers and sojourners as well as residents. But it was
taken at a period of the year when the number of transient travelers is
at a minimum.
As a help to a conjecture on the question how these are to be distributed
as residents or sojourners, (and nothing more than a conjecture is
possible,) I have made fresh inquiries at Bremen and at Hamburg, on the
number of passengers which the two great lines of steamers annually
bring to those ports. In the year from July 1, 1872, to July 1, 1873,
the regular Hamburg steamers brought 9,594 passengers to Europe, of whom
9,000 may have been destined for Germany. Extra Hamburg steamers brought
about 1,000 passengers more, so that we may set down the arrivals in
Germany by that line of steamers at 10,000 a year, and of these 7,500
may be German-Americans. During the same period of twelve months the
passengers in the Bremen line amounted to 3,910 first-class passengers
and 7,216 steerage passengers; in all, 11, 126. Of these, I think 10,000
were American citizens, of whom perhaps 1,000 remain in Germany or some
part of Europe for more than one season. These statistical accounts
obtained from Hamburg and Bremen in my judgment go to show that the
census return for December 1, 1871, fell short of rather than exceeded
the true number of Americans then present in the German Empire. Your
instruction to me is, if possible, to ascertain
the numbers you inquire after. To that I must reply that to ascertain is impossible, but relying on the
candor of the Department, and repeating that estimates, if made at all,
must be made on mixed and imperfect data, I venture to give to your
questions conjectural answers.
- I.
- Of Americans whose residence in Germany has been of long
continuance, or seems to be indefinite in its intended duration, I
estimate the number at 10,000, and that number rather on the
increase.
- II.
- Of Americans annually arriving from the United States in the
German Empire, I estimate the number at about 15,000, of whom about
13,000 return in the same season, leaving, perhaps, about 1,500 as
sojourning or temporarily abiding in the country, and about 500 to
be added to the class of those whose residence seems to be
indefinite, thus doing a little more than making good the losses by
death and otherwise in the resident class.
- III.
- It is not possible to state the number of children born in Germany
of fathers who claim to be American citizens. But as the class of
resident Americans is composed mainly of persons advanced in fife,
or of families of whom the heads are advanced in life, the number of
children born in Germany of American parents must be proportionally
very much less than the number born among the same number of
Germans.
- IV.
- There is no record kept at the legation of children born of
American parents in the German Empire. The only instances of a
registry that have occurred in my time are those of children born in
families of this legation. So far as I know, no such record is kept
at any of the consulates. The Germans, however, are very particular
in registering all births; but as these registers are kept by the
clergy, so that a separate one is kept for each parish in the
Empire, it would not be possible for the legation to ascertain how
many have been registered as American citizens. In special cases the
inquiry would be easy, for a claimant of American citizenship of
this class might be called upon to produce an authenticated copy of
his baptism.
[Page 1226]
I annex a translation in detail of the reports made to me from the census
bureau of the Americans present in the German Empire on the first day of
December, 1871, and copies of letters from the consulates at Hamburg and
Bremen.
I remain, &c.
View of the Americans counted as present on
the 1st December, 1871, in the states of the German Empire, Prussia and
the principalities of Pyrmont and Waldeck excepted.
| States of the German Empire. |
Male. |
Female. |
Total. |
| Lauenburg |
|
1 |
1 |
| Bavaria |
757 |
689 |
1,446 |
| Saxony |
595 |
652 |
1,247 |
| Würtemburg |
624 |
668 |
1,292 |
| Baden |
450 |
381 |
831 |
| Hesse |
292 |
241 |
533 |
| Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
27 |
16 |
43 |
| Saxe-Weimar |
56 |
35 |
91 |
| Mecklenburg-Strelitz |
11 |
7 |
18 |
| Oldenburg |
56 |
41 |
97 |
| Brunswick |
48 |
28 |
76 |
| Saxe-Meiningen |
27 |
17 |
44 |
| Saxe-Altenburg |
12 |
10 |
22 |
| Saxe-Coburg Gotha |
50 |
36 |
86 |
| Anhalt |
9 |
6 |
15 |
| Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt |
8 |
9 |
17 |
| Schwarzburg-Sondershausen |
10 |
8 |
18 |
| Reuss, elder branch |
1 |
|
1 |
| Reuss, younger branch |
5 |
5 |
10 |
| Schaumburg-Lippe |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| Lippe |
22 |
11 |
33 |
| Lübeck |
8 |
14 |
22 |
| Bremen |
246 |
233 |
479 |
| Hamburg |
333 |
235 |
568 |
| Alsace and Lorraine |
56 |
33 |
89 |
| In the German Empire, exclusive
of Prussia, Waldeck, and Pyrmont |
3,704 |
3,377 |
7,081 |
| In the kingdom of Prussia |
2,016 |
1,567 |
3,583 |
| In Waldeck and Pyrmont |
6 |
2 |
8 |
| Total |
5,726 |
4,946 |
10,672 |
View of the Americans counted as
present on the 1st December, 1871,
in the Kingdom of Prussia and the
principalities Waldeck and Pyrmont.
|
Districts and provinces. |
Number of
Americans. |
| Male. |
Female. |
Total. |
| 1 |
District of Königsberg |
7 |
1 |
8 |
| 2 |
District of Gumbinnen |
1 |
1 |
2 |
| 3 |
District of Dantsic |
4 |
5 |
9 |
| 4 |
District of Marienwerder |
7 |
3 |
10 |
| I |
|
19 |
10 |
29 |
| 5 |
District of Berlin |
346 |
187 |
533 |
| 6 |
District of Potsdam |
21 |
13 |
34 |
| 7 |
District of Frankfort |
16 |
4 |
20 |
| II |
Province of Brandenburg |
383 |
204 |
587 |
| 8 |
District of Stettin |
26 |
16 |
42 |
| 9 |
District of Coslin |
9 |
6 |
15 |
| 10 |
District of Stralsund |
3 |
3 |
6 |
| III |
Province of Pomerania |
38 |
25 |
63 |
| 11 |
District of Posen |
21 |
13 |
34 |
| 12 |
District of Bromberg |
16 |
5 |
21 |
| IV |
Province of Posen |
37 |
18 |
55 |
[Page 1227]
| 13 |
District of Breslau |
26 |
22 |
48 |
| 14 |
District of Lieguitz |
25 |
33 |
58 |
| 15 |
District of Oppelin |
7 |
3 |
10 |
| V |
Province of Silesia |
58 |
58 |
116 |
| 16 |
District of Magdeburg |
12 |
10 |
22 |
| 17 |
District of Merseburg |
17 |
14 |
31 |
| 18 |
District of Erfurt |
13 |
12 |
25 |
| VI |
Province of Saxony |
42 |
36 |
78 |
| VII |
Province of
Schleswig-Holstein |
92 |
56 |
148 |
| 19 |
District of Hanover |
122 |
113 |
235 |
| 20 |
District of Hildesheim |
75 |
53 |
128 |
| 21 |
District of Lüneburg |
14 |
7 |
21 |
| 22 |
District of Stade |
87 |
64 |
151 |
| 23 |
District of Osnabrück |
41 |
21 |
62 |
| 24 |
District of Aurich |
10 |
9 |
19 |
| VIII |
Province of Hanover |
349 |
267 |
616 |
| 25 |
District of Munster |
17 |
7 |
24 |
| 26 |
District of Minden |
54 |
30 |
84 |
| 27 |
District of Arnsberg |
17 |
13 |
30 |
| IX |
Province of Westphalia |
88 |
50 |
138 |
| 28 |
District of Cassel |
147 |
116 |
263 |
| 29 |
District of Wiesbaden |
543 |
533 |
1,081 |
| X |
Province of Hesse-Nassau |
690 |
654 |
1,344 |
| 30 |
District of Coblentz |
44 |
36 |
80 |
| 31 |
District of Dusseldorf |
99 |
62 |
161 |
| 32 |
District of Cologne |
48 |
66 |
104 |
| 33 |
District of Treves |
15 |
16 |
31 |
| 34 |
District of
Aix-la-Chapelle |
12 |
18 |
30 |
| XI |
Rhine Province |
218 |
188 |
406 |
| XII |
Hohenzollern |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
In the Kingdom of Prussia |
2,016 |
1,567 |
3,583 |
|
Principalities
Waldeck and Purmont |
6 |
2 |
8 |
Mr. Robinson to
Mr. Bancroft.
Hamburg, September 3,
1873.
Dear Sir: I am in receipt of your favor of
the 1st, and fear you will find it a difficult task to ascertain the
number of German-Americans who annually resort to Germany.
The twenty-six regular Hamburg steamers which arrived here from July
1, 1872, to July 1, 1873, brought 9,594 passengers to Europe.
Although one-fifth of these landed at Cherbourg or Plymouth, they
were mostly bound for Southern Germany, so that I can safely assume
that 9,000 of them came to Germany. By the extra steamers which came
about 1,000 passengers were brought. This would make 10,000 persons,
of whom, knowing what material they are generally composed of, I can
say that 7,500 were German-American citizens, their wives, children,
&c. How many of these came to remain it is impossible to state,
but I should say certainly not more than 500 or 1,000, leaving;
6,000 to 6,500 as temporary visitors during the year.
I am, &c.,
ED. ROBINSON,
United States Consul.
[Page 1228]
Mr. Gruner to
Mr. Bancroft.
Bremen, September 3,
1873.
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your communication dated September 1. In answer I beg to
state that it is nearly an impossibility to ascertain the fact
inquired for, there being no data to refer to. The passengers
arriving here from the United States do not state their
nationalities, but merely the State or city they came from, and the
only criterion to go by is their name, which, of course, is only
guess-work, as they may just as well be American-born as
naturalized. Taking, therefore, into consideration that the
passengers arrived here from the United States during the year 1872
amount to 3,910 first-class and 7,216 steerage, (the same proportion
about in 1873 up to date,) it can be safely calculated that nearly
from two-thirds to three-fourths of the former class, and at least
five-sixths to seven-eighths of the latter, bear German names. From
this statement, however, have to be deducted the commercial agents,
who yearly make several trips to and fro; the quantity of those who
remain in Germany permanently it is impossible to state, as all of
them pass through this city for the interior. I judge, however,
there are but few families, although it is said that lately more of
the working-class of people have returned on account of the higher
wages and cheaper living.
Trusting these explanations will meet your approbation,
I remain, &c.,
J. GRUNER,
Acting
U. S. Consul.
