H4 TRAVELS THROUGH 



In the fcale of wealth, but the amount of 



the products. 



In the courfe of their obfervations, which 

 acknowledged all this as true, I remarked, 

 that there was another object which they 

 feemed to forget, and that was, population. 

 Notwithflanding France is badly cultivated, 

 yet is me very populous, and perhaps as 

 much fo as England. In anfvver to this 

 they replied, that France was certainly not 

 fo populous as England j for, taking the 

 population of the latter kingdom, at fix 

 millions, it makes about five acres a head $ 

 but, if France had only five acres a headj 

 J(he would have above twenty millions of 

 inhabitants ; whereas the number certainly 

 does not exceed tborty millions. But they 

 farther infixed (efpecially M. du Pont) 

 that the mere number of people was not the 

 great object, as they had long fc-und, in 

 France, where it is very well known that 

 they felt no want of men with only thirteen 

 millions of people, when they coiild raifs 

 money to pay them ; that, in all times of 

 diftrefs in France, the number of people 

 flarving filled their armies fader even than 



they 



