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have meddled with any more ; but as I feem to be 
called upon, to defend what I have formerly wrote, 
I hope I fhall be excufed if I briefly attempt it. Your 
Lordlhip, I know, and our illuftrious Body only 
defire a fair reprefentation of fads, which is the 
ground of all philofophical inquiries ; and therefore 
I Shall endeavour to do this, as far as I can, without 
regarding any hypothefis. 
My defign, when I firft entered on this fubjed, 
was to difcover whether our people were in an increa- 
fing or decreasing State, with regard to their numbers; 
which I thought of great importance to be known, 
becaufe of its influence on the affairs of Government, 
in determining our Strength, in fettling of taxes, and 
direding us in the ceconomy and impioyment of our 
people. Now, in order to proceed in this inquiry, 
it was evident to me, that if the number of houfes 
were exadly known, the number of people would 
be nearlv ascertained. And therefore I attended to 
this, to find out the number of houfes, as the only 
thing that could with any certainty help us to judge 
of this matter. And accordingly, being refolved to 
depend only upon the moff lure, and general. obser- 
vations, I applied to a public office, where I thought 
1 might pofiibly get at their number. And I there 
found, that from the laft Survey that- was made, fince 
the year 1750, there were 65)0,700 houfes in En- 
gland and Wales that paid the window-tax, and the 
two-flfilling duty on houfes ; befides cottages that paid 
nothing. By cottages are understood thole who nei- 
ther pay to church or poor, and are, by a6t of par- 
liament in 1747, in confideration of the poverty of 
the people, declared to be exempted both from the 
tax 
