106 



extent — increased since the year 1750, in the following 



rates : — 



From to was. 



The addition to the population! , ^ K „ , OA1 . nnn non 

 j ., r , r L 1 oO 1801 4,902,962 



during the ol years j 



The do. 40 „ 1801 1841 7,901,778 



In fact, the population has nearly trehled itself since the 

 year 1760, at which time it is stated, upon the joint autho- 

 rity of Finlaison and Rickman, to have heen 6,479,730, 

 whereas the census of 1841 gives the population (of South 

 Britain alone) as 16,224,250, and we are now supposed 

 to be increasing at the rate of 220,140 persons per annum. 

 If further proof were wanting as to the causes of such 

 rapid accumulations of population, I have only to refer you 

 to the statistics of each county, and the tables will show 

 that the greatest additions have been in the manufacturing 

 ones. By way of contrast, I may mention two of them. 

 In 1841, Lancashire had 944 inhabitants to the square 

 mile, and had increased from a population in 1801 of 

 672,731 to 1,667,354. In the same year, Westmore- 

 land had 74 to the square mile, and had only in- 

 creased from 1801, when the population was 41,617, to 

 56,454. 



I now turn to the second portion of my remarks, viz., 

 The consideration of the absolute necessity of such a 

 system of published Agricultural and Commercial Statistics 

 of Food, under the entire control and management of the 

 Government, as would give us more timely notice of our 

 probable wants and requirements. 



It is an astounding fact, that a country, one of the 

 most thickly populated in the world, and certainly having 

 greater food requirements in proportion to that population, 

 than any nation upon earth, is, and has been, and that, 

 too, in the midst of valuable statistical information on all 

 other subjects, entirely dependent for the supply of absolute 



