Ch. xi. On the Fruitfuhiess of Marriages. 479 



the births, after a proper allowance has been 

 made for second and third marriages, can never 

 represent the true proportion of the born living 

 to marry, unless when the population is abso- 

 lutely stationary ; but although the population be 

 increasing or decreasing, the average age of mar- 

 riage may still be equal to the average of death ; 

 and in this case the marriages in the registers 

 compared with the contemporary deaths, (alter the 

 correction for second or third marriages,; will nearly 

 represent the true proportion of the born living to 

 marry.* Generally, however, when an increase 



the encouragement to marriage remaining the iarne) both the annual 

 births and burials would increase in proportion to the annual wed- 

 dings. That the proportion of annual births would increase is 

 certainly true ; and I here acknowledge my error in differing from 

 Dr. Price on this point in my last edition ; but I still think that 

 the proportion of burials to weddings would not necessarily increase- 

 under the circumstances here supposed. 



The reason why the proportion of births to weddings increases 

 is, that the births occurring in the order of nature considerably 

 prior to the marriages which result from them, their increase will 

 affect the register of births much more than the contemporary 

 register of marriages. But the same reason by no means holds 

 with regard to the deaths, the average age of which is generally 

 later than the age of marriage. And in this case, after the first 

 interval between birth and marriage, the permanent effect would 

 be, that the register of marriages would be more affected by the; 

 increase of births than the contemporary register of deaths ; and 

 consequently the proportion of the burials to the weddings would 

 be rather decreased than increased. From not attending to the 

 circumstance that the average age of marriage may often be con- 

 siderably earlier than the mean age of death, the general conclusion 

 also which Dr. Price draws in this note does not appear to be 

 strictly correct. 



* The reader will be aware that, as all the born must die, deaths 



