418 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



equal. This period is nearly at the age of 

 srxteen years. Can we not derive some infor- 

 niciiion, fj'om so remarkable a fact, respecting 

 the iiicrease and population of the people of the 

 United States ? And may it not be determined 

 what must be the operation of natufe, to pro- 

 duce and preserve this equality of numbers, be- 

 low, and above that age ? 



Let us attempt to compute it upon a given 

 case. Suppose the v/hole number of people in 

 one of the states of America, amounted to thir-» 

 ty two thousand ; one half of which had not at- 

 tained the age of sixteen, and die other half had 

 passed this period. At the end of sixteen years, 

 the whole number will have passed the mean 

 period, and be found in that number whose age 

 IS above sixteePj making together thirty twa 

 thousand. To balance this number, nature 

 must have produced in the same time, an equal 

 number whose age will be below sixteen : That is, 

 during this period of sixteen years, thirty two 

 thousand must have been born. For every pne 

 then that has passed the, period of sixteen years, 

 nature must have produced two ; otherwise the 

 balance, or an equality in the numbers below 

 and above that age, could not be preserved. 

 And this would also be the exact period x)f 

 doubling the number of the inhabitants. 



This must be the operation of nature, if the 

 subject on whom the calculation was made, had 

 been invariable, or subject to no diminution. 

 But this is not the case. Death" is constantly 

 diminishing the number of those whose age is 

 above sixteen, and of those whose age is below 

 sixteen ; aird it diminishes them both, in the 



