Jewish Population of Austria.

It is often alleged by persons writing geography, that the whole Jewish population all over the globe is about two and a half millions. But from authentic information it would appear that in Russia and Austria alone there are more than this number; consequently there is the greatest probability that the rest of the Jews in other countries amounts to no less a number, which would therefore give us a total population of upwards of five millions. It is well known that the census in Russia and other European countries is taken with great care, and that much pains is taken to designate the people according to their religions and national origin, unlike to what is done in America, where these two points of inquiry are of no importance, all the white inhabitants being citizens, without regard to their persuasion or descent. Hitherto this has not been the case in Europe, excepting France, Belgium, and Holland, and perhaps England; wherefore it was of importance to the respective governments to be able to classify at once their resident population into the proper classes and divisions. We have therefore something like certainty when speaking of Jews in Europe, when we are furnished with the statistical tables.

In our fourth volume, p. 308, we gave a table, which made the Jews of Russia and Poland amount to 1,604,767; and we then stated that there was reason to believe the number to be rather under than overrated. We are now enabled to give the following as the number of Jews in Austria, as extracted from the Orient of the 3d of February last: In the maritime coast-lands there are, out of 489,946 inhabitants, 3,490 Jews; in Bohemia, out of 4,347,444, 70,037; Moravia and Silesia, out of 2,263,021, 40,064; in Galicia and Bucovina, including Cracovia, out of 5,255, 621, 346,702; in Dalmatia, out of 404,640, 410; in Venice, out of 2,257,000, 4,760; in Hungary, out of 11,000,000, 260,000; in Transylvania, out of 2,383,880, 7,000; and in the military frontier, out of 1,091,748,532, which, added together, would give 732,995. The Orient, however, gives the total at 740,256, perhaps allowing for those in Austria, Lombardy, Tyrol, Styria, &c., who must amount to more than 7,261, because we believe that the Vienna congregation alone amounts to more; and then there <<281>>were reported several years back 6,900 in the Venetian-Lombardy kingdom, or upwards of 2,000 more than stated here as belonging to Venice. The whole result would give us probably 750,000, if not more. We should be pleased to present correct statistics of the entire Jewish population in all lands but the notices are so scanty and scattered, that it is only occasionally we can obtain anything authentic, and then errors are always easily discernible in the best information, as our readers will readily discover. Enough, however, that we have established that the Jews are much more numerous than their enemies have always imagined; for in addition to the above, there are 204,000 at least in Prussia, 100,000 in France, 100,000 in the Netherlands, besides vast numbers in other continental states (except Norway and Spain); for in Portugal they are again tolerated at Lisbon at least, and in Turkey there cannot be less than 250,000, probably more, if we may take the congregations at Salonica and Constantinople as criteria. There is no possibility of ever arriving at a proximate guess for those in Asia and Africa, who certainly cannot be less than their European brothers; whilst in America as yet they are comparatively, few, perhaps not exceeding 70,000 in the whole western hemisphere, from Labrador to Cape Horn, But they are increasing, and may God’s blessing be with them.