The Destination of British Emigrants

The volume of British emigration which has proceeded to North America since 1815, ¹ may be roughly estimated as amounting to slightly more than twelve million ² souls. Of this total, some nine and three-quarter million people have selected the United States as their destination, whilst the Dominion of Canada has claimed not quite three millions. Until the year 1817, the United States attracted a larger annual total of these immigrants than did British North America, but from 1818 to 1831, the years 1827 and 1828 being excepted, the conditions were reversed and our American colonies welcomed the major part of the outflow. From 1832 to the year 1909, ³ the United States once more proved the home of the bulk of the British exodus, but since 1910 the lead has again been taken by Canada. ⁴