Ch. xiii. preceding View of Society. 517 



And on account of the extreme cheapness of good 

 land, and a situation favourable to the exportation 

 of grain, a capital could not be more advantage- 

 ously employed than in agriculture ; which, at the 

 same time that it affords the greatest quantity of 

 healthy work, supplies the most valuable produce 

 to the society. 



The consequence of these favourable circum- 

 stances united, was a rapidity of increase almost 

 without parallel in history. Throughout all the 

 northern provinces the population was found to 

 double itself in 25 years. The original number 

 of persons which had settled in the four provinces 

 of New England in 1643, was 21,200. After- 

 wards it was calculated that more left them than 

 went to them. In the year 1760 they were in- 

 creased to half a million. They had, therefore, all 

 along doubled their number in 25 years. In New 

 Jersey the period of doubling appeared to be 22 

 years, and in Rhode Island still less. In the back 

 settlements, where the inhabitants applied them- 

 selves solely to agriculture, and luxury was not 

 known, they were supposed to double their num- 

 ber in fifteen years. Along the sea-coast, which 

 would naturally be first inhabited, the period of 

 doubling was about 35 years, and in some of the 

 maritime towns the population was absolutely at 

 a stand.* From the late census made in America, 



* Price's Observ. on Rcvers. Paym. vol. i. p. 282, 283, and vol. 

 ii. p. 2C0. 1 have lately had an opportunity of seeing some ex- 

 tracts from the sermon of Dr. Styles, from which Dr. Price has 



