454 Of the Checks to Population Bk. ii. 



" many men of every description remain single ? 

 " and how many young women of every rank are 

 " never married, who in the beginning of this cen- 

 " tury, or even so late as 1745, would have been 

 " the parents of a numerous and healthy pro- 

 " geny 3" 



In those parts of the country where the popu- 

 lation has been rather diminished by the introduc- 

 tion of grazing, or an improved system of hus- 

 bandry which requires fewer hands, this effect 

 has chiefly taken place ; and I have little doubt 

 that in estimating the decrease of the population 

 since the end of the last, or the beginning of the 

 present century, by the proportion of births at the 

 different periods, they have fallen into the error 

 which has been particularly noticed with regard 

 to Switzerland and France, and have in conse- 

 quence made the difference greater than it really 

 is.* 



The general inference on this subject which I 

 should draw from the different accounts is, that 

 the marriages are rather later than formerly. 

 There are however some decided exceptions. In 

 those parishes where manufactures have been in- 

 troduced, which afford employment to children as 

 soon as they have reached their 6th or 7th year, 



* One writer takes notice of this circumstance, and observes, 

 that formerly the births seem to have borne a greater proportion 

 to the whole population than at present. Probably, he says, 

 more were born, and there was a greater mortality. Parish of 

 Montquitter, vol. vi. p. 121. 



