[ 4*2 ] 



out a proportionable increase of population 

 in confequence of it. 



But frill, fay thefe writers, we are not fo 

 populous as at the Revolution. Now fup- 

 poiing all I have replied is falfe ; mppofmg 

 that agriculture, arts, manufactures, and 

 commerce, have made vail advances ; fup- 

 poimg that the whole kingdom is adorned, 

 and every enjoyment of life increafed ,• fup- 

 pofe all this has been regularly the deftruc- 

 tion of population ; and that we have loft a 

 million and half of people ; yet I anfwer, 

 that this lofs is no otherwife an evil than 

 being the fign of a decay in general pros- 

 perity. What are the hands that it is pof- 

 fible we mould have loft ? Many of thefe 

 writers allow (indeed they cannot pofiibly 

 deny) the increafe of agriculture, manufac- 

 tures, and commerce ; confequently we 

 cannot have loft any induifrious hands : 

 They muff have been on the increafe. It 

 is equally impoflible that the rich claiTes 

 can have decreafed, becaufe, if thofe pro- 

 feffions which yield riches have been aug- 

 mented, it would be flrange indeed if that 

 clafs was fallen off. Beiides, the old taxes 

 on confumption, that continue to the pre- 

 fent time ; the rife of rents ; the creation 

 of new income ; as well as univerfal opi- 

 nion, confirm this remark. The lofs in 

 population muft, therefore, have been only 



in 



