522 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1755. 



the number to be fixed on, where people do not go so much into single life, and 

 where there are not so many lodgers. For if we consider that for every marriage 

 there are four births, on an average, as Dr. Derham, Major Graunt, and others 

 have shown, and which Dr. B. found to be true from the registers both in the 

 town and country ; consequently, allowing for deaths, there cannot be 3 children 

 that survive from every marriage to mature age, and indeed not much above 2, 

 as appears from Dr. Halley's table of the probability of life. Therefore every 

 family, where there are children, one with another, cannot consist of more than 

 between 4 and 5 persons, besides servants or inmates : which shows plainly that 

 families, where there are children, cannot be estimated at more than 6 to a 

 house, and where there are no children they cannot be reckoned more at an 

 average. 



The number then being 6 to be assumed, let us next consider what number 

 of houses is to be supposed. That Dr. B. might come at some certainty in this, 

 he applied to one of the public offices, where he thought they could very 

 likely give an account of them ; and he there found, that before the year ] 7 10. and 

 near about that time, an account had been taken of all the houses throughout 

 England and Wales, in order for some assessment upon them ; and the number 

 then amounted to 7290'18. In which it may be supposed that a number of 

 cottages were omitted that might be improper for that assessment ; but he thinks 

 there could not possibly be above a 4th part of that number more : for surely the 

 surveyors, if they had any care of the public revenue, would never omit above 

 one in 5. Let us therefore suppose, that there might be a 4th part of that 

 number more; and then those omitted will be about 182262, and the whole 

 number of houses could not exceed 91 1310. 



If now we take Q11310 for the number, it is evident, if we allow 6 persons 

 to a house at an average, the number of persons in England and Wales, before 

 the year 17 10, could not be above 5467860. And since that time, 45 years 

 ago, by a method of computing which he shows below, the increase could not be 

 above 789558; and so the whole number of people now must be about 6257418 ; 

 or six millions, all ages included ; for it must be remembered that in our wars, 

 since 17 10, there could not be fewer lost than 200000, which is to be deducted 

 from that number. 



As to the other way of determining this, by considering the quantity of bread 

 consumed, it may perhaps at first view appear more uncertain ; but it will, he 

 thinks, from some things that may be observed, at least help to ascertain the 

 above number. For it is plain, if the quantity of wheat that is produced in 

 England could be known, it would then be very easy to make the computation, 

 as it might be nearly discovered, by a little observation, what each person at an 

 average might consume. But the great difficulty is to find out nearly the quan- 



