$2 OBSERVATIONS on THE 
quently, if the medium of annual deaths in the kingdom 
be multiplied by thirty five, the produ& will be the num- 
ber of inhabitants it contains---Accordingly, by the firft 
hypothefis, France fhould contain 24,812,877 inhabitants 
(taking the medium of births in that kingdom, exclufive 
of Corfica, in 1781 and 1782,---as {tated in the mem- 
oirs of the Royal Academy of Sciences, for 1783) :—-And 
by the fecond hypothefis, the number would amount to 
25,916,170, (taking the medium of deaths in nine years, 
viz. from 1754 to 1763,---as ftated by the Abbé D’Ex-~ 
pilly.) The variance in the refult of thefe two hypothefes 
thews, that both cannot be juft.—I am induced to believe 
that the fecond proportion approaches neareft the truth, 
for the following reafon---Each marriage gives four and 
an half births, duringthe nine years eftimated by the Ab- 
bé D’Expilly; whereas the fame gives only the proporti- 
on of 423, births, for the years 1781, and 1782,—as 
ftated by M. de la Place: and it may be prefumed, that 
the longeft term gives the trueft proportion. If, therefore, 
the proportion of births to marriages from 1754 to 1763 
(the laft, included,) compared with the proportion of births 
to marriages, in 1781 and 1762, be admitted as a Daf- 
uty from which any probable eftimate of the number of 
inhabitants in France may be deduced, for the latter pe- 
riod,—that number would be 26,396,667; which exceeds 
the higheft number above ftated. But 4%, births to a 
marriage—an intermediate ratio—will give the number of 
inhabitants the fame, as thirty five of the whole number, 
living in a given term,to each death during the fame time; 
and this accords with M.de Buffon’s hypothefis.---Aflum- 
ing, then, the truth of this pofition---there are in France 
26 £3, perfons living, in proportion to each birth—Hence 
the number of annual births in that kingdom, multiplied 
by 26,°3¢5 will yield the number of its inhabitants.---It ap- 
pears, alfo, by an enumeration of the inhabitants of the 
| kingdom 
