Ch. xii. Births, Deaths, and Marriages. 511 



diately succeeded by a more than usual propor- 

 tion of marriages, and in a few years by an 

 increased proportion of births. The greatest 

 number of marriages in the whole table occurs 

 in the year 1751, after an epidemic in the year 

 1750, in which the deaths had exceeded the births 

 above one third, and the four or five following 

 years contain the largest proportion of births. 

 The extremes of the proportions of births to mar- 

 riages are 42 to 10 and 34 to 10; the mean of 

 the 68 years 38 to 10. 



The remaining tables contain similar results ; 

 but these will be sufficient to shew the variations 

 which are continually occurring in the proportions 

 of the births and marriages, as well as of the 

 deaths, to the whole population. 



It will be observed that the least variable of 

 the proportions is that which the births and mar- 

 riages bear to each other ; and the obvious reason 

 is, that this proportion is principally influenced 

 by the prolifickness of marriages, which will not 

 of course be subject to great changes. We can 

 hardly indeed suppose, that the prolifickness of 

 marriages should vary so much as the different 

 proportions of births to marriages in the tables. 

 Nor is it necessary that it should, as another 

 cause will contribute to produce the same effect. 

 The births which are contemporary with the mar- 

 riages of any particular year, belong principally 

 to marriages which had taken place some years 

 before ; and therefore, if for four or five years a 

 large proportion of marriages were to take place, 



