Dr. feici-val's Notes and Illujirations. 643 



the inhabitants ; for the labour of one day furnifties fufficient" 

 fupport for a whole week, and every additional exertion fupplies 

 the means of riot and excefs. * Sir William Temple, in his 

 comparifon between the people of Ireland and the Netherlands, 

 afcribes the lazinefs of the former to the like caufe. " For 

 **men," fays he, "naturally prefer eafe before labour, and 

 ** will not take pains if they can live idle ; though, when by ne- 

 " ceflity they have been inured to it, they cannot leave it, 

 '• being grown a cuftom neceflary to their health and very enter- 

 " tainment." f But in Siberia and in Ireland, the inhabitants 

 having never feen or tailed the enjoyments procured by induftry, 

 and being in a ftate of opprefllon, from which they have not the 

 power to free themfelves, they are deflitute of adequate incite- 

 ments to exertion : Whereas in the provinces of America, though 

 the price of labour is very high, and the neceffaries of life IHII 

 more cheap and plentiful than in the countries above-mentioned, 

 induftry fubfifts in its full energy. The evils, flowing from 

 high wages and the cheapnefs of provifions, are chiefly obferved 

 in our great manufafturing towns, and in the diftrifts immedi- 

 ately dependent upon them. In the kingdom at large, fuch con- 

 fequences are not experienced; yet the country working poor 

 are fuppofed to conftitute three fourths of the whole body of 

 labourers : So that the adoption of a maxim, which is juft and 

 falutary with refpeft to the ingenious but profligate inhabitants 

 of towns, may prove injurious to the more fober, orderly, but 

 lefs aftive inhabitants of the country ; who are alfo the great 

 fources of population. For it appears, from Mr. Howlet's calcu- 

 lation, that, at Dunmow in Efl"ex, two hundred and fixty poor ' 

 families have four hundred and fixty children; whereas one 

 hundred and fixteen families, of the ranks abpve them, have 

 only one hundred and twenty children. 



• Lord Kalms's Hiftory of Man. Yol. II. 

 f Account of the Netherland$, chap, VI. 



T t 2 Note 



