Robert G. Harper, Editor and Proprietor
Gettysburg, PA, Monday, January 20, 1849
The history of the future is clearly foreshadowed by the prevalence of our race and language, both at present and incoming time. The English is already spoken by a more numerous population than any other language. Look at the table.
| British Islands | 28,800,000 |
| Canada and Northern Provinces | 2,100,000 |
| West Indies, Guiana, and Bermuda | 1,000,000 |
| Australian Colonies and New Zealand | 250,000 |
| India | 250,000 |
| Africa—Cape of Good Hope, Sierra Leona, and Liberia | 300,000 |
| United States | 22,300,000 |
| Total | 55,000,000 |
| The French is spoken by about | 35,500,000 |
| The German, | 40,000,000 |
| The Russian, | 45,000,000 |
Hindustan is divided into several distinct languages, through all are derived from a common stock—the Sanscrit.
The Chinese are divided into a number of provinces, the people of which do not comprehend each other, though their written language is the same, and the Mandarin dialect is generally employed by the high officers of government.
From this tabular statement of the present, let us turn to the future. We know, by mathematical certainty, that unless some unusual dispensation of Providence occur, our own race in America, in 80 years, will number 240,000,000; and that there is nothing in human view to prevent their peaceable spread through the whole American Continent. As the French, Dutch, Swedish and Spanish have disappeared as far as the Rio Grande, so all others will vanish as far as Cape Horn.
Australia, the Sandwich, and other numerous Islands of the Pacific, a landed territory more extensive than the whole of Europe, will soon speak no other language than our own. There are eight distinct colonies upon New Holland, New Zealand, and Van Dieman's Land, and the emigration thither from the British Islands has reached as high as 19,000 in a single year.
Africa spreads out her wide fields, and the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, as fine a country as our globe contains, already numbers a quarter of a million of Europeans, and the prospect of their extending through the rich territories of the North, is almost indefinite—very much in fact like our prospects on our own continent. In this connection we must not overlook the present and future emigration to Africa by the blacks of America. These numbers are more than eight millions! distributed as follows.
| United States Free Slaves | 380,000 |
| United States Slaves | 3,000,000 |
| West Indies | 2,600,000 |
| Brazil and South America | 2,500,000 |
| Total | 8,480,000 |
The majority of these speak English. But a few days since the public was gratified with a letter from President Roberts, of Liberia, written in a highly commendable style, stating that his now adopted country has been recognized as an independent nation by England, France and Prussia. Liberia has already received 100,000 natives of the adjoining tribes, under the protection of her laws. In connection with Sierra Leon, it extends 400 miles along the coast. And if at this early day, colonization to Africa has begun among the colored class, how much will the stream enlarge under the pressure of the dense population which another century
will witness in our land. They will be as glad to return to their original country as we now are to remove to the West, or as Europeans are to cross the Atlantic.
Egypt, though nominally free, is fast becoming a British dependency, —being necessary as a thoroughfare to India.— A Numerous English society is collecting at Cairo, and an English church is erected. Although France May extend her power over the Barbara States, it is plain, especially in view of the great colony of the Cape of Good Hope, that four-fifths of Africa will speak the English language. According to this calculation, the proportion of the whole arena of the globe over which our language will extend, is the following:
| North and South America: Square miles | 13,000,000 |
| Australia and Pacific Islands | 3,500,000 |
| Africa | 8,500,000 |
| Total | 27,000,000 |
The earth contains fifty millions of square miles, and by the above estimate, the English will be used over more than one-half of it—to say nothing of its prevalence in Europe and Asia. In Asia, the British possess Hindustan, containing a million of square miles, and one hundred and fifty million of inhabitants. They have large territories in Farther India, between Burmah and Siam; they hold most of the Peninsula of Malacca; a part of Borneo; and Island on the coast of China; and Aden in Arabia. The latter guards the entrance to the Red Sea, as Gibraltar watches the Mediterranean.
Not only does it seem likely that our language will extend over more than half of the globe, but over by far the most fertile and productive half. And it is not generally known how immensely fruitful are the tropical countries, and what a numerous population they can support.
Belgium has 338 inhabitants to the square mile. Holland has 222, and exports provisions largely. If this can be done in a cold climate, where one half of the year lives on the products of the other half, what may we not expect from the regions which are fruitful the whole year? Probably the entire landed surface of our globe, when science shall be applied to agriculture, and when the principle of order and industry shall be every where prevalent, will support on an average 200 to the square mile.—This would swell the population more than a hundred times greater than it now is—and according to these speculations, our own expressive language will daily be spoken by more than one half of the entire number.
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