C 434 ] 
inhabitants in the moft vigorous periods of life; yet one 
child in four lefs is born in the town than in the coun- 
try. This is a remarkable circumltance, and the reafons 
of it muft be the two following. Firft, the town inhabi- 
tants being lefs healthy, and dying fafter, have not the 
fame flrength of conftitution with the country inhabi- 
tants. Secondly, in the town a fmaller proportion of the 
adult inhabitants marry; and they marry later than in 
the country. The furvey fully proves this; for it ap- 
pears, that though the number of inhabitants at the moft 
common marrying ages, compared with the whole num- 
ber of the living above the age of 1 4, is fmaller in the 
country than the town; yet the proportion of the mar- 
ried to the living above 1 4, is very nearly the fame in 
both fttuations. And there are more widows and wi- 
dowers in the town than in the country in the propor- 
tion of near 16 to 1 1. We learn from hence, I think, 
-clearly in what manner towns operate in checking po- 
pulation, and preventing the increafe of mankind. 
Dr. PERCi VAL informs us, that the reverend and learned 
Dr. TUCKER has been led, by fome obfervations he has 
made at Briftol, to doubt whether the common opinion 
is right, with refpe6t to the difproportion between the 
number of male and female births ; and that he, there- 
fore, wiflies a farther inquiry may be made into this fub- 
jecft. This has induced me to collect the following facts, 
which, I think, will abundantly fettle this point. 
In 
