Ch. v. in Switzerland. 343 



" How comes it again that, of all our parishes, the 

 " one which gives the mean life the highest, 

 " should also be the one where the tendency to 

 " increase is the smallest ? 



" To resolve this question, I will hazard a con- 

 " jecture, which, however, I give only as such. 

 " Is it not, that in order to maintain in all places 

 " the proper equilibrium of population, God has 

 " wisely ordered things in such a manner, as that 

 " the force of life in each country should be in 

 " the inverse ratio of its fecundity ?* 



" In fact, experience verifies my conjecture. 

 " Leyzin, a village in the Alps, with a population 

 " of 400 persons, produces but a little above eight 

 " children a year. The Pays de Vaud, in general, 

 " in proportion to the same number of inhabitants, 

 " produces 11, and the Lyonois 16. But if it 

 " happen, that at the age of 20 years, the 8, the 

 "11, and the 16, are reduced to the same number, 

 " it will appear that the force of life gives in one 

 " place what fecundity does in another. And 

 " thus the most healthy countries, having less 

 " fecundity, will not overpeople themselves, and 

 " the unhealthy countries, by their extraordinary 

 " fecundity, will be able to sustain their popu- 

 " lation." 



We may judge of the surprize of M. Muret, at 

 finding from the registers, that the most healthy 

 people were the least prolific, by his betaking 



* Memoires, &c. par la Societe Econ. de Berne. Annee 1766, 

 premiere partic, p. 48, et seq. 



