382 Scientific Intelligence. — Geography. 



when the marshes pour their dangerous miasmata into the a(- 

 viosphere, that is to say, in autumn. Thus, Aiguesmortes, 

 which is situated in the midst of marshes, which render it very 

 unhealthy, instead of 884 births, at the periods of their smallest 

 number in France, in general, does not yield more than 628, 

 which is the mean term of the minimum of births for thirty 

 years in that town. Consequently, the marshes, as our author 

 judiciously observes, do not diminish the population, by in- 

 creasing the number of deaths alone, but also by attacking the 

 fecundity ; and it is by supposing that the early period at which 

 the frosts commence in the north prevent the marsh exhala- 

 tions, that he explains the exception which Sweden has pre- 

 sented to him in the delaying of the minimum of births. From 

 the examination of natural causes, M. Villerme passes to that 

 of the influence of some of our institutions ; marriages, hard 

 work, times of festivity, and abundant food, of scarcity of food, 

 and of lent ; and it is always in the same manner that he pro- 

 ceeds, that is to say, by consulting the tables of births, month 

 by month. His inquiries respecting marriage have led him to 

 this remarkable result, that very Jew women conceive during the 

 first weeks of their union, and the season appears to have no 

 influence in this case. On the other hand, the periods of hard 

 work, that of harvest, for in,stance, do not seem to be more un- 

 fovourable to conception than the other periods of the year ; 

 while tlie contrary is the case with respect to the periods of rest 

 and abundance of food, especially in the northern countries. 

 But France, in one particular circumstance, has also afforded a 

 striking example. The number of births greatly increased, and 

 afterwards diminished, at the period of the revolution, when 

 several imposts were suppressed, and the national lands were 

 sold. From this result it might be inferred, and the inference 

 has been confirmed by example, that the scarcity of food, as 

 well as the periods of privation and penitence, would restrict 

 the number of births. In fact, the years of dearth, and the 

 periods of lent, exercise the same influence upon the conceptions, 

 both being causes of diminution of strength. It is with these 

 considerations that the memoir, of which we have given an ac- 

 count, concludes. 



