Ch. vi. in England. 417 



cient formerly than at present.* But a change of 

 this nature, in the appearance of the registers, 

 might arise from causes totally unconnected with 

 deficiencies. If from the acknowledged greater 

 healthiness of the latter part of the century, com- 

 pared with the middle of it, a greater number of 

 children survived the age of infancy, a greater 

 proportion of the born would of course live to 

 marry, and this circumstance would produce a 

 greater present proportion of marriages compared 

 with the births. On the other hand, if the mar- 

 riages were rather more prolific formerly than at 

 present, owing to their being contracted at an 

 earlier age, the effect would be a greater propor- 

 tion of births compared with the marriages. The 

 operation of either or both of these causes would 

 produce exactly the effect observed in the regis- 

 ters : and consequently from the existence of such 

 an effect no inference can justly be drawn against 

 the supposed increasing accuracy of the registers. 

 The influence of the two causes just mentioned on 

 the proportions of annual births to marriages will 

 be explained in a subsequent chapter. 



With regard to the general question, whether 

 we have just grounds for supposing that the regis- 

 try of births and deaths was more deficient in the 

 former part of the century than in the latter part ; 

 I should say, that the late returns tend to confirm 

 the suspicion of former inaccuracy, and to shew 

 that the registers of the earlier part of the century, 



* Observ. on the Results of the Population Act, p. 8. 

 VOL. I. E E 



