624 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO J 755. 



millions of people in England ; to which, if we add the increase that may be since 

 that time, the number will be near about what we have made them. But Sir 

 William Petty has endeavoured to make them, in his time, no less than 7369000, 

 by supposing them to be in proportion to the assessment, then 1 1 times greater 

 than that in the city of London. In which, with regard to the city, he was 

 certainly mistaken, as Dr. B. showed last year ; for the number at that time, in 

 l682, was not much above 504000, and therefose 11 times that, viz. 5544000 

 must, according to his own hypothesis, be the number of people in England. 

 And if we allow 1355000 to be the increase in about 73 years since that time, 

 the number could not be now, according to that assessment, above Sspgooo. 

 From which we ought at least to subtract 400000, which may be justly allowed 

 for loss in our wars since 169O; and the remainder 6499000 is not half a mil- 

 lion more than we have made them. The people then being computed at 6 

 millions, or rather less, it appears that Englanrl is but thinly peopled. For not 

 only the exportation of at least 400,000 quarters of wheat annually shows 

 plainly that we want people to consume it at home, and that we maintain in 

 bread about a million of foreigners abroad : but if we examine more particularly, 

 we shall find that the country is capable of supporting one-half more inhabitants, 

 or 9 millions. 



But in Ireland the case is still worse: for if there is but a million of people, 

 as is commonly supposed, and according to Mr. Templeman 27400 square miles, 

 which is 17,536,000 acres, and a 4th or more be supposed waste; then there 

 will be at least 12,000,000 good acres. And consequently if 4 acres in that 

 country be allowed sufficient, at an average, for the maintenance of one person, 

 Ireland, if duly cultivated, could maintain 2 millions more people than it has 

 now, or 3 times its present number of inhabitants. And in Scotland, if there 

 be, as is said, but a million and a half of people, for at present I know no way 

 to compute them, and 27700 square miles, or 17,728,000 acres, and -f be sup- 

 posed waste, which isv'tiot too much in that country, then there will be 1 1,000,000 

 good acres; of which, if we suppose that 5 acres of that soil is not more than 

 sufficient for each person, then there may be provision for 2,200,0000 people, 

 or more, with the advantages of fishing, that is 7OOOOO more than there are at 

 present. From all which it is plain, that if the land in both the British isles was 

 duly cultivated, they might sustain about 6 millions more people than they do 

 now; that is as many more people as England now contains. And here, by the 

 way, it may be observed, if we extend our thoughts to the whole globe of the 

 earth, and compare the quantity of land with the number of people, we shall 

 find that it will maintain above 26 times the present number of mankind. 



The proportion being given of the living to the dead in one year, and also the 

 proportion of the births to the dead, the number of the people being unknown; 



