Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 1, 1873

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. 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.

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.

GEORGE BANCROFT.

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
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.

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.