THE 
SECOND EDITION. 

THE 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE, 
OR 
BRITISH REGISTER 

No. Il—For MARCH, 1796. 



ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
le able letter inferted in your Firft 
Number, concerning the population 
of Great Britain, may, I prefume, be 
confidered as a fair ivitation to the dif- 
cuffion of that important fubjeét, which, 
certainly, ought to be fully and freely 
inveftigated, however mortifying the re- 
fult may prove to a lover of his country. 
But I am willing to flatter myfelf that 
the cafe is not fo bad as that writer re- 
prefents—on the contrary, I think good 
arguments may be brought to evince, 
that population is, and has long heen, 
confiderably on the increafe in all the 
three kingdoms of this empire. 
I do not dwell much on the obvious 
acceffion to the buildings in this metro- 
a and in other large towns; well 
Knowing that a great part of this, at 
leaft, may be attributed to different modes 
of living; and that the central diftriéts 
have been difburthened of a crowded 
population, which has been thrown out 
on the circumference, Yet the vaft in- 
creafe of all our trading towns has been 
abundantly fhewn by actual enumerations 
and by comparifons:of their bills of mor- 
tality at dirdntipeNods; of which am- 
_ ple {pecimens may be found in the valu- 
able account of Manchefter and its envi- 
rons, lately publifhed by Mr. Stockdale, 
under the dire€tion of Dr. Aikin, Nor, 
in the manufaéturing diftriéts of Lanca._ 
thire, Yorkthire, Staffordfhire, &c. have 
the towns increafed at the expence of the 
country, but the villages have had their 
Monvury Mage. No. II, 
full proportion in this augmentation. 
Now, if it be confidered, that the num- 
ber of hands accumulated in manuface 
tures is prodigioufly greater in a given 
{pot than could be maintained by the em- 
ployments of agriculture, and that the 
{pace at prefent occupied by the manu- 
faéturers in Great Britain is very exten- 
five, furely it will appear probable that 
the diminution of people in thofe counties 
where the growth of grain has been 
abandoned for pafturage (almoft the only 
cafe of probable depopulation) muft be 
amply compenfated. One way of judg 
ing of the number of a people. is to con- 
fider the effeéts refulting from it—that 
is, the work done by them. But while 
there is no proof, that I know of, that 
the agricultural products of this ifland 
are leffened in’ quantity (I have feen 
quite the contrary ftated, from good au. 
thority) it is undoubted, that all the 
products of trade and manufactures, the 
fhipping, &c. are, beyond meafure, in- 
creafed ; fo that if the number of people 
were greater at any remote period, they 
muft have had, comparatively, nothing to 
do. But no political axiom is better 
founded, than that demand will produce 
fupply, and this, as well of men as of 
commodities, What is it that caufes the 
rapid increafe of people in America, but 
demand for hands? and why fhould not 
the fame caufe produce the fame effe& 
in Great Britain ? 
The great argument of fad? adduced by 
your correfpondent, to prove a depopulae 
tion, is the diminution of houfes, as ap- 
parent ca the returns of the furveyors 
ag 
