1 1 6 Literary and Philosophical Society, 



contain the number of houses, families, males, females, &c. 

 The result of this inquiry, which was instituted with a view 

 to the opinion, at that time propagated, of the general 

 decline of population in the kingdom, proved that instead 

 of being diminished, as was supposed to be the case with 

 the inhabitants of London, the number of persons residing 

 in Manchester and Salford was greatly increased ; that 

 the number of tenanted houses was 4,268, of families 6,416, 

 and of inhabitants 27,246, or 6\ to a house. But in this 

 account, the number of inhabitants residing in the town- 

 ships, almost the whole of which were then nearly contigu- 

 ous with the towns, and now form a part of them, was not 

 included. These districts contained at that time 311 

 houses, 361 families, and 1,905 individuals. This number 

 added to the former, makes that of the inhabitants amount 

 to 29,151.^ 



* Soon after the period at which this survey was taken, a 

 very considerable increase of inhabitants took place. The 

 spirit and ingenuity of our manufacturers made extra- 

 ordinary and rapid improvements in our fabrics ; and the 

 introduction of machinery, instead of lessening the number 

 of hands, found employment for many additional people. 

 The town extended on every side, and such was the influx 

 of inhabitants, that though a great number of new houses 

 were built, they were occupied even before they were 

 finished. 



*The progress of the trade and population, though 

 certainly checked, was not wholly restrained by the unfor- 

 tunate and ever to be lamented war which was waged, 

 during a period of almost nine years, with our American 

 colonies, supported by the immense and united forces of 



' Dr. Percival's Essays, vol. iii. 



