of the Weftminfter General Difpenfary. 367 
I have placed thefe two tables together, that we might have 
an opportunity of obferving how exceedingly fertile the women 
of the poorer claffes in this country are ; and at the fame time 
how unable to rear any confiderable number of children ; for, 
although 521 of the women had borne fix children and up- 
wards each, and were all again pregnant, 19 only of them 
had been able to rear fix or more children ; and, although 102 
of the women had borne nine children and upwards each, only 
one of them had been able to preferve that number living. 
I am inclined to believe, that this great mortality amongft 
the children does not arife from any natural imbecillity or a 
conftitution vitiated from the birth, many of thofe victims 
being born with all the appearances of health and vigour ; but 
that we ought rather to fearch for the caufeof it in the poverty 
of the parents, which prevents their taking the neceflary care 
of, or even affording fufficient cloathing and nourifhment to 
their offspring. Whether this great check to population is in 
its nature irremediable ; and whether an abatement in the 
parifh rates and taxes, but particularly the former, to perfons 
rearing more than a certain number of children, or any other 
mode of relief and encouragement, would contribute to reftrain 
fo melancholy an evil, are inquiries well deferving the atten- 
tion of government. In order to determine how well my con- 
jectures on this fubjeCt are founded, it might be ufeful, per- 
haps, to learn what the proportion of deaths is in more 
opulent families, where the caufe juft now mentioned can 
have but little influence. But this muft be the refult of the 
united obfervations of different practitioners. 
I fhall now from thefe tables attempt to collect what the 
chance of life is at different periods, from infancy to twenty- 
fix years of age ; but, that I may be underftood, it will be 
C c c 2 neceflary 
