404 
appear upon our church register, —I leave it to others to deter- 
mine, for w"out such reason the proportion of y* increase of 
Dublin to its decrease must be mightily lessened, and would 
in a few years end in an utter desolation of the place. 
«¢ ¢ T generally observe y* in all great towns y* burialls doe 
exceed the births; possibly the closeness of living w™ the 
neighbourhood of soe many houses built in a narrow compass 
obliges y™ to, may in a great measure be y® occasion of it, 
nature seeming to require a habitation more at large, and de- 
lighting more in an open air y" such as are imprisoned w"'in 
close walls, and not onely the closeness of the walls, but the 
difference of employments may bear its share, for the country 
man who dwells in y* open fields is forct to endure in their 
turns the severity of winter storms and y* scorching heats of 
summer will, notwithstanding all these hardships, out live y* 
citizen who spends his days win his counter or by y* fireside ; 
and indeed most of the employments of y* commonalty and 
the recreations of the gentry, contrary to the practice of former 
ages, are removed from y* cpen air to within door, much to the 
prejudice of all those who live win citys and great towns. 
Add hereunto y* y° familys in great towns have usually more 
single persons in y™ y" those of the country, soe y* in conclu- 
sion noe great town could long subsist unless recruited from 
abroad. 
ss ¢ Dublin has of late years increast in its inhabitants, being 
supplyed out of England and by y* ffch [French] fugitives: 
the country was not able to furnish it, being under peopled, 
and not producing many tradesmen. The Irish are naturally 
lazy and content to feed hardly upon cheape food w™ is plen- 
tifull among y™ will therefore betake y™selves to noe industry, 
and consequently can contribute very little to y° increase of 
y° city. 
«<6, Of Males and Females. 
«¢¢ In my observation of the births and burialls of males 
and females I met w 2 instances y* differ from St W™ Petty, 
