Guns and Gold; Faith and Food : 169 



ceded 1650, the population of Europe had grown very slowly indeed. 



This may be expressed in another way. Before the great expansion, 

 Europeans made up about 18 per cent of the world's population; 

 after it, 35 per cent. 



Respecting the growth of the white race, one authority supplies 

 the following figures: in 1750, 175,000,000; in 1929 (that is less than 

 200 years later), 675,000,000. 



One measure of growth may be made in terms of the use of lan- 

 guage. Between 1800 and the present, the English-speaking people 

 have increased eightfold. In the beginning they represented one- 

 eighth of the people of European descent — now one quarter. 



In an important way these changes were due to the exploration 

 and settlement of the North American continent, some details of 

 which are presented in the next chapter. 



