338 Of the Checks to Population Bk. ii. 



was, however, about this time published by M. 

 Muret, minister of Vevay, who, before he pro- 

 ceeded to point out remedies, thought it neces- 

 sary to substantiate the existence of the evil. 

 He made a very laborious and careful research 

 into the registers of the different parishes, up to 

 the time of their first establishment, and compared 

 the number of births which had taken place during 

 three different periods of 70 years each, the first 

 ending in 1620, the second in 1690, and the third 

 in 1760.* Finding upon this comparison, that 

 the number of births was rather less in the second 

 than in the first period, (and by the help of sup- 

 posing some omissions in the second period, and 

 some redundances in the third,) that the number 

 of births in the third was also less than in the 

 second, he considered the evidence for a con- 

 tinued depopulation of the country from the year 

 1550 as incontrovertible. 



Admitting all the premises, the conclusion is 

 not perhaps so certain as he imagined it to be : 

 and from other facts which appear in his memoir, 

 I am strongly disposed to believe, that Switzer- 

 land, during this period, came under the case 

 supposed in the last chapter; and that the im- 

 proving habits of the people with respect to pru- 

 dence, cleanliness &c, had increased gradually 

 the general healthiness of the country, and, by 

 enabling them to rear up to manhood a greater 



* Memoires, &c. par la Societe Economique de Berne. Annee 

 1766, premiere partie, p. 15 et seq. octavo. Berne. 



