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two nations possess an equal extent of territory, 

 and raise an equal produce, and one contain 

 ten millions of inhabitants, the other twelve mil- 

 lions ;' in the former, the food being divided in 

 larger shares among the people than in the lat- 

 ter, the former people will enjoy greater com- 

 fort and happiness than the latter, in. common 

 and average years. 



But although the gross amount of pro- 

 duce, in proportion to territory, and its rela- 

 tive amount, in proportion to population, be 

 different things, and it be possible to conceive 

 the gross produce, in proportion to territory, to 

 be large, while the relative produce is small, and 

 the people but moderately supplied (which I 

 believe is the case in China) ; yet I imagine, in 

 general, large gross produce and relative abun- 

 dance uniformly go together, where no impolitic 

 laws or usages encourage a superfluous popula- 

 tion, or interrupt the commerce of grain. 

 Wherever these are left free to the operation of 

 nature, a large gross produce is uniformly attend- 

 ed with a relative abundance among the people. 



In regard, again, to the public strength of a 

 country, as opposed to other states, it is need- 

 less to shew how much this depends on the 

 amount of its land produce, in proportion to 

 the land produce of other states. If two neigh- 

 bouring nations are equal in extent of territory, 



