496 OF OLD AGE 



Having thus traced the hiftory of Hfe and 

 death with regard to the individual, let us now 

 confider both in relation to the whole fpecies. 

 Man dies at every age j and, though the dura- 

 tion of his life be longer than that of moft ani- 

 mals, yet it is unqueRionably more various and 

 uncertain. Attempts have lately been made to 

 afcertainthefe uncertainties, and, by obfervations, 

 to fix fome ftandard with regard to the morta- 

 lity of mankind at different periods of life. If 

 thefe obfervations were fufficiently numerous 

 and exa<!^, they would be of great utility in de- 

 termining the number of people, their increafe, 

 the confumption of provifjons, &c. Many au- 

 thors have written with ability on this fubjed:. 

 M. de Parcieux, of the academy of Iciences, has 

 lately publilhed an excellent work for regulating 

 tontins and annuities. But, as his principal ob- 

 je£t was to calculate the mortality of annuitants, 

 and as fuch perfons are particularly pitched up- 

 on for their apparent ftrength of conftitution, 

 his calculatlong cannot be applied to mankind in 

 general. For the lame reafon, his curious tables 

 of the mortality of the different orders of re- 

 ligious mud be confined to tlicir proper objects. 

 Hally, Gram, Kerfboom, Simpfon, &c. have 

 alfo given tables of the mortality of the human 

 fpecies. But, as their obfervations have been li- 

 mited to the bills of mortality in a few parifiies 

 of London, Brcflau, and other large tovv^ns, they 

 can afford little information as to the general 



mortality 



