Ch. vi. in France. 369 



vation of morals, yet it would certainly contribute 

 to increase the number of births ; and as the female 

 peasants in France were enabled to earn more than 

 usual during the revolution, on account of the 

 scarcity of hands, it is probable that a consider- 

 able portion of these children would survive. 



Under all these circumstances, it cannot appear 

 impossible, and scarcely even improbable, that 

 the population of France should remain undimi- 

 nished, in spite of all the causes of destruction 

 which have operated upon it during the course of 

 the revolution, provided the agriculture of the 

 country has been such as to continue the means 

 of subsistence unimpaired. And it seems now to 

 be generally acknowledged that, however severely 

 the manufactures of France may have suffered, her 

 agriculture has rather increased than diminished. 

 At no period of the war can we suppose that the 

 number of embodied troops exceeded the number 

 of men employed before the revolution in manu- 

 factures. Those who were thrown out of work 

 by the destruction of these manufactures, and 

 who did not go to the armies, would of course 

 betake themselves to the labours of agriculture ; 

 and it was always the custom in France for the 

 women to work much in the fields, which custom 

 was probably increased during the revolution. 

 At the same time, the absence of a large portion 

 of the best and most vigorous hands would raise 

 the price of labour ; and as, from the new land 

 brought into cultivation, and the absence of a con- 



vol. i. b u 



