5i4 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1756. 



pleasant reflection, that our country can never be fully peopled, while our losses 

 continue so great as they have been these last 6o years. And as the greatest 

 part of those losses above-mentioned belong to England, because of its much 

 greater trade, and the greater number of its people, it may be considered as in a 

 decreasing state with regard to its natives ; and, if it were not supplied from 

 Scotland and Ireland, the decrease would be plainly discovered. For, as the 

 people in England are double to those in both the two other countries, its losses 

 must be in that proportion at least, or about 5300 annually, two-thirds of the 

 whole ; which is more than the increase of its fencible men. 



From the above calculation we may likewise see, how small the annual in- 

 crease of fencible men may be in Britain, or perhaps in any other country in 

 Europe. For as that increase in both our islands does not appear to be more 

 than 8250, but rather less, or about 7900, and the number of our whole 

 people in them is not found to exceed 8,000,000, the annual increase in each 

 million must be less than 1000, or about 987 ; that is, less than one in a 

 thousand ; though we have allowed the increase in Scotland and Ireland to be 

 double in proportion to what it is in England. And from this we may form a 

 good rule, by which we may judge of the increase, or decrease of other nations. 

 For though they may be supposed to increase perhaps faster than we do, by 

 more frequent marriages, the annual increase of their fencible men will not ge- 

 nerally exceed 1000, for every million of people. And therefore, according as 

 their losses by war, or other devastations are fewer, or exceed 1000 fencible men 

 annually, for every million of their people, they are either in an increasing or 

 decreasing state ; and for every 1000 men that are lost, there is the increase of 

 a million for one year destroyed ; which it were to be wished, that princes would 

 attend to, in their ambitious schemes, by which they make such havock of 

 mankind. 



Now, to account for the cause of the want of increase in our British isles, it 

 ■seems to be chiefly owing to three things, that operate together. The fashion 

 able humour that greatly prevails, by which above one-third of our people in 

 England above 2 J are single, occasioned by a variety of circumstances ; and to 

 our wars and commerce at sea, which are rather beyond our natural strength, 

 by destroying more of our people than can well be spared, and which, if pre- 

 served, might improve our country, and augment our power ; and lastly, to the 

 use of spirituous liquors, by which numbers have been and daily are lost. But 

 there may be easy remedies for two of those evils, by a little attention of the le- 

 gislature ; which would greatly conduce to the public happiness. 



P. S. Since the above was written. Dr. B. had been certainly informed, that 

 from the survey lately made of the window lights, after the year 1750, there 

 are about 690,000 houses charged to that tax in England and Wales, besides 



