1 1 8 Literary and Philosophical Society. 



of bricks, and, together with the tax, greatly enhanced 

 their price. From these causes, I believe, were an actual 

 survey taken at present, the number of inhabitants to a 

 house would far exceed the amount in the year 1773.* 

 But it is proper to observe that the devastations of this 

 disease have not been confined to this place. Dr. Fother- 

 gill, of Bath, informs me that all the manufacturing towns 

 in the vicinity of that city have been afflicted by a fever of 

 a similar kind. . . . 



'In 1773 the total number of the inhabitants of 

 Manchester and Salford, including the townships, was 

 29,151. . . . 



' From all these different views we may, I think, be 

 authorised to conclude that the number of inhabitants of 

 the two towns cannot be much lower than 50,000, es- 

 pecially as from a circumstance of which I shall hereafter 

 take notice, it is probable that the annual number of deaths 

 is underrated. . . . 



' Dr. Percival, whose attention was some years since 

 particularly directed to the subject of this paper, pointed 

 out a plan of keeping the parish register, which, if it had 

 been pursued, would have been productive of great advan- 

 tages ; and he took pains to ascertain the proportion of 

 deaths by the small-pox to those by all other diseases. 

 In the course of this inquiry he found that in a space of 

 six years, from 1769 to 1774 inclusive, the deaths by 

 the small-pox were nearly one-sixth and a half of the 

 whole. 2 I am happy to observe that in the last six years 



1 ' I have too frequently had opportunities of seeing a man with his wife and 

 three or four children, all residing in one small room, in which they dress their 

 victuals, eat, work, and sleep.' 



2 During the years 1772-3 and 4, the deaths by the small-pox in Liver- 

 pool amounted, according to an account communicated by the late Dr. 

 Dobson to Dr. Haygarth, to one in 5^ of the whole. ' 



