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would be for the public welfare. In anfwer to which 
kind admonition I muft fay, that I have often con- 
fiderd the thing, as far as I can ; and I think this may 
be eafily fhewn againft any political writer, That it is 
the intereft of a government, when they have power- 
ful and dangerous neighbours, to increafe their people 
by all reafonable means, even to the inviting of 
foreigners, fo far as the natural produce of the 
country can luftain them ; and that it is the fault 
or weaknefs of an adminiftration not to be able to 
employ them. And in Britain, where they can have 
the afhftance of the produce of fo many large and 
fruitful countries of their own in America, I will 
venture to fay, that it is an error in their policy, not 
to endeavour to increafe their people ; by which they 
might be more formidable, and perhaps ftronger than 
their grand Enemy. The prefent King of Pruffia has 
fhewn the utility of this within his dominions; by 
which he has been enabled to make fuch a figure in 
Europe. 
The J'econd thing he admonifhes me to recon- 
fider is, That I have fuppofed our commerce to be 
one caufe of the lofs of our fencible men. And 
who in the world doubts of it, but himfelf ! Do drip- 
wrecks, the difafters and inclemency of the fea, the 
fcurvy, &c. beget people ? But he will fay, without 
thefe we could not have trade, which employs great 
numbers of our people ; and therefore, what we 
lofe, we may gain another way. And juft fo he may 
fay of our wars, that occafion the deftrudtion of fo 
many of our people, that they are no lofs to us ; 
for we gain by them in their confequences, in fe- 
curing of our liberties and property, and by which 
our 
