52 POPULATION. [chap. in. 



in that year was 53,057. The people, therefore, have little 

 more than doubled themselves in a century. When we con- 

 sider that in our own country the population has doubled 

 itself in about half that period, and that our increase is con- 

 siderably slower not only than that of the New World, but of 

 many of the anciently-peopled countries of Europe, and when 

 we consider also the general healthiness of the climate of 

 Madeira, and the small amount of emigration winch, till the 

 year 1835, has occurred there, this must appear an extra- 

 ordinary circumstance *. 



Dr. Heberden, in 1767, reasoning from the census of that 

 year as compared with the returns of 1743, conceived that 

 the duplicate proportion would have been reached in eighty- 

 four years f; but it appears that in the following year the 

 population, instead of increasing, diminished from 64,614 

 to 63,913. In that year it is stated \ that 2198 children 

 were born, and that 5243 persons died. In 1835, 4102 

 births were registered, and 2751 deaths, making an increase 

 in the population of 1351 souls. In 1839, 4671 were bom 

 and 3962 died ; the increase therefore was 709. In 1843, 4627 

 were bom and 2883 died ; the increase was 1744. In 1847, 

 3452 were bom and 3252 died; the increase was 200. In 

 1849, 3988 were bom and 2293 died ; the increase was 1695 §. 



* Malthus, writing in 1803, 0>ook iii. chap. xi. p. 476,) says, "If we 

 could obtain accurate bills of mortality in those southern countries, where 

 very few women remain unmarried, and all marry young, the proportion of 

 annual deaths would be 1 in 17, 18, or 20, instead of 1 in 34, 36, or 40, as 

 in European states." 



+ Phil. Trans., xii. abr. 1767, 475. 



% Forsler's Voyage round the World, under Capt. Cook, 1792, vol. i. p. 16. 

 § Census taken in 1767. 



Christened in 8 years . 17,611 

 Buried „ . 10,351 



Medium for each year 2,201 1 



Octennial increase 7,260 | Annual increase 907| 



