THE LAW OF POPULATION 155 



the births were legitimate. From the moralist's point 

 of view, the situation is a very sad one, but the 

 interest attaching to it belongs purely to the question 

 of social morality. 



In a country where the fecundity of the average 

 marriage is greater, the marriage-rate is lower than in 

 a country where the fecundity of the average marriage 

 is smaller, supposing the demand of the labour market 

 to be the same in both countries. 



In comparing the fruitfulness of English and Scotch 

 marriages, I have embraced a period of 33 years, 

 viz. from 1871 to 1903, a period sufficiently long to 

 bring the fluctuating results of the different years to 

 a general level or average. 



In those 33 years the average number of 

 births annually in 10,000 persons was in England 

 320, and in Scotland 322, showing an inappreciable 

 difference. But this equality in the number of births 

 is surprising when we perceive that throughout the 

 period the number of marriages per 10,000 persons 

 annually amounted in England to 78, and in Scotland 

 to 70 only. 



In order, however, to ascertain the relative produc- 

 tion of English and Scotch marriages, we must take 

 into account the relative illegitimacy of the two 

 countries. In Scotland the illegitimate births averaged 

 during the period 8 per cent, of the total births, while 

 in England they averaged only 4*5 per cent. 



Deducting from the sum of births the num- 

 ber of illegitimates, we find that 78 English 



