360 Of the Checks to Population Bk. ii. 



an end. Very great emigrations, he said, had of 

 late years taken place ; but the breeding system 

 went on so fast, that they were not sufficient to 

 relieve the country of its superabundant mouths, 

 and the effect was such as he had described to 

 me, and as I had in part seen. 



In other conversations which I had with the 

 lower classes of people in different parts of Swit- 

 zerland and Savoy, I found many, who, though 

 not sufficiently skilled in the principle of popula- 

 tion to see its effects on society, like my friend 

 of the Lac dc Joilv, yet saw them clearly enough 

 as affecting their own individual interests ; and 

 were perfectly aware of the evils which they 

 should probably bring upon themselves by mar- 

 rying before they could have a tolerable prospect 

 of being able to maintain a family. From the 

 general ideas which I have found to prevail on 

 these subjects, I should by no means say that it 

 would be a difficult task to make the common 

 people comprehend the principle of population, 

 and its effect in producing low wages and po- 

 verty. 



Though there is no absolute provision for the 

 poor in Switzerland, yet each parish generally 

 possesses some seignioral rights and property in 

 land for the public use, and is expected to main- 

 tain its own poor. These funds, however, being 

 limited, will of course often be totally insufficient; 

 and occasionally voluntary collections are made 

 for this purpose. But the whole of the supply 

 being comparatively scanty and uncertain, it has 



