42 OBSERVATIONS on THE 
Briti/h ftandard of life,—the proportion is ftated as being 
one to twenty-eight.—It appears, however, by the number 
of inhabitants in Philadelphia and Salem, that in the form- 
er—a town about as populous as Breflaw—the proportion 
is one to forty-five; and in Salem, one to forty-feven. 
There is no circumftance that affords a more ftriking 
proof of the rapid progreflion of population in this coun- 
try, than the prodigious increafe in the numbers of our 
people, fince the original fettlements of Europeans on 
thefe fhores. The firft fetthement made by Europeans, 
within the prefent limits of the United States, was in 
Virginia, by a eolony confifting of about one hundred 
Englith, inthe year 1607. The honorable Mr. Jefferfon 
{in his notes on Virginia) remarks, that, about the year 
1654, the progreffion in the population of that ftate be- 
came pretty uniform ; importations having in a great mea-~ 
fure ceafed, and the inhabitants become too numerous to 
be fenftbly affected by Indian wars. Beginning, at that 
period, therefore, fays this gentleman, we find,—* that 
from thence to the year 1772, our tythes had increafed 
from 7,029, to 153,000.”-—The whole term being of 118 
years, yields a duplication once in every 27; years. The 
intermediate enumerations, taken in 1700, 1748 and 1759, 
furnifh proofs of the uniformity of this progreflion.”— 
A very inconfiderable colony of Englifh formed a fettle- 
ment at Plymouth, in New-England, in 1620. In 16435 
21,200 perfons, alio emigrants from Britain, fettled in 
New-England : and, fince that period, itis fuppofed more 
have emigrated from thence, than the numbers who had 
gone thither would amount to.* In the year 1760, they 
were increafed half a million. Therefore, as Dr. Price 
obferves, they have all along doubled their own number, 
in twenty-five years. Two years fince, Mr. Morfe efti- 
mated the number of people in New-England, at 623,000. 
Our 
* See a difcourfe on Chriftian union, by Dr. StilesBofton, 1761. 
