414 Tradesman and Merchant — Commercial Population 



The second Table consists of results obtained by computations' 

 with the data of the first Table, namely, the percentum increases from 

 1688 to 1750 in the number of families and of people in the three 

 respective classes and in the total population. 



Obviously little dependence can be placed upon computations from 

 data which only purport to be personal estimates, made by two dif- 

 ferent men, in different times and circumstances. The Tables are 

 only drawn up to add to the other e\adence what httle they may. 

 Discounting, therefore, the vahdity of these conclusions by a wide 

 margin, the following are tentatively proposed: (a) That the mercan- 



Table A . Table of Population oj England. 



tile and trading part of the population were becoming an increasingly 

 larger per cent of the nation; the total population had increased less 

 than 10 per cent, whereas the commercial classes had increased 

 variously from 32 to 63 per cent, (b) That the eminent merchants 

 were increasing at a faster rate than the lesser, and far more than the 

 tradesmen; this means that business was concentrating in the hands 

 of the bigger merchants, (c) That there was arising a greater com- 

 mercial interdependence among the parts of the Kingdom and between 

 England and the nations beyond seas. 



On a priori grounds one would conclude that the commercial popu- 

 lation was increasing faster than the rest of the people. As the density 

 of population increased, the need of and opportunity for middlemen 



