344 Of the Checks to Population Bk. ii. 



himself to a miracle in order to account for it. 

 But the difficulty does not seem, in the present 

 instance, to be worthy of such an interference. 

 The fact may be accounted for, without resorting 

 to so strange a supposition as that the fruitfulness 

 of women should vary inversely as their health. 



There is certainly a considerable difference in 

 the healthiness of different countries, arising 

 partly from the soil and situation, and partly from 

 the habits and employment of the people. When, 

 from these or any other causes whatever, a great 

 mortality takes place, a proportional number of 

 births immediately ensues, owing both to the 

 greater number of yearly marriages from the in- 

 creased demand for labour, and the greater fecun- 

 dity of each marriage from being contracted at an 

 earlier, and naturally a more prolific age. 



On the contrary, when from opposite causes 

 the healthiness of any country or parish is extra- 

 ordinarily great ; if, from the habits of the people, 

 no vent for an overflowing population be found in 

 emigration, the absolute necessity of the preventive 

 check will be forced so strongly on their attention, 

 that they must adopt it or starve; and conse- 

 quently the marriages being very late, the num- 

 ber annually contracted will not only be small in 

 proportion to the population, but each individual 

 marriage will naturally be less prolific. 



In the parish of Leyzin, noticed by M. Muret, 

 all these circumstances appear to have been com- 

 bined in an unusual degree. Its situation in the 

 Alps, but yet not too high, gave it probably the 



