1800. ] 
It is the number of Inhabitants that a 
country maintains that gives the Jand it- 
felf the chief part of its value, of which 
we have many proofs inthe former and 
prefent ftate of different parts of Lurope, 
and in the rife of the value of the land with 
the increafe of popvlation in our own 
ifland. That great Britain is now more 
fully inhabited than in the early periods of 
its hiftory, few perfons will doubt, what. 
ever may be their opinion refpecting its 
advance or decline in this refpect of late 
years: At the time of the Norman Con- 
queft, the people of England are fuppofed 
to have been fomewhat above 2,000,000 5 
and from their deprefied condition, the 
frequency of foreign and domeftic wars, 
and of peftilential diftempers, their in- 
creafe during many ofthe fucceeding reigns 
may be reafonably doubted, though there 
are no means of afcertaining, with any 
precifion, the real ftate of the population 
at that period. From an account of the 
produce of a poll-tax, an eftimate has been 
formed by Mr. Chaimers of the number 
of inhabitants in 1377, and as the addi- 
tions which he has made to the number in 
the return certainly do not appear too 
{mall,~ the total, which amounis to 
25353203, cannot be lefs than the whole 
number of the people of England and 
Wales at that time, if the account on 
which it is founded is to be depended on. 
Tt muf be confefled that there are few par- 
ticulars relating to this country of which 
fo little is known with certainty, as its po- 
pulation, both with refpe&t to the actual 
number of inhabitants at particular pe- 
tiods, and their increafe or diminution of 
late: its progrefs during the three lsit 
centuries, however, feems to be generally” 
acknowledged ; for even thofe who main- 
tain, that the population has of late been 
declining, admit that it had_ increafed 
greatly about the period of the Revolution, 
fome yeats previous to which it was efti-~ 
tnated at 6,000,000.* From that time to 
the prefent, it appears from the returns 
made to the T’ax-office, that the number 
* Dr. Davenant ftated the whole number of 
the people in 1690s high as fewen millions : 
and by the account publifhed by him it ap- 
pears, that the number of houfes at that time 
was 1,319,215, of which about 500,c00 are 
faid to have been cottages, having only one 
chimney 3 but as the number of hearths by 
the fame account was 25563,527, or not quite 
two to each houfe, it ieems probable that the 
number of {mall houfes was much more con- 
fiderable, and therefore that the rate of fix 
perfons to a houfe, which he adopts, was too 
high. 
Montury Mac. No. 62. 
Wr. Greilier on the National Weaith. 
25 
of houfes has been cgnfiderably lefs than’ 
it appeared to be by the hearth-money ac- 
counts: theie returns fhew a confiderable 
flu€tuation, both in the number of houfes 
charged to the houfe and window duties, 
and of thofe excufed on account of poverty, 
and give the numbers at different periods as 
follows :—~ bia 
Charged and Excufed for 

‘ Chargeable.  pov<rty- Total. 
TSO O72 OpOAS es ne 
1759 + 704,053 » 232,429 . 986,482 
1761 « 704,543 -275:149 . 980,692 
BJs OLA 73+ 2525201 9255734 
1781 » 721,351 - 284,459 « 1,005,810 
According to thefe accounts it appears, 
that fince the Revolution the population of. 
England, fo far trom having increafed, has 
béen le{s than it is generally admitted to 
have been atthat period. ‘The obvious great 
acceflion of buildings to London and moft 
of the principal towns, however, excites 
a doubt with relpect to the fufficiency of 
this evidence; for though it is certain that 
fome towns have fallen into decay, and 
many villages, formerly confiderable, are 
now almoft annihilated, the increafe of 
others appears morethanfuficient to coun- 
terbalance thefe inftances of depopulation 
and, on a general view, it will be difficult 
to believe that there has been any diminu- 
tion of the whcle number of houfes, if, 
indeed, there has not been of late years a 
confiderable increafe*. It muft, however, 
Daa a TT 
* he increafe of the hereditary and teme 
porary excife fhews an increafed confumption 
of beer, ale, &c. from which it may be pre- 
fumed, that the number of confumers is in- 
creafed. The produce of thefe duties from 
the year 1776, exclufive of 7oj;oool. per 
ana. purfuant to 9 Geo. 2. and 7,0021. 14s. 
a 
3d. per ann. purfuant to 30 Geo, 2. has 
been as follows:— £. s. ad. 
1977—271,119 4 It 
1778 —230,927 18 22 
1779—311,224 oO 6% 
1780——313,0338 12 3% 
1781—301,743 9 8% 
1782—344,826 2 8 
4783—270,701 11 5 
1784—-321,319 7 4 
£785—328,483 14 3 
1786—296,900 6 84 
1727-360, 760 17 17 
17838 222,936 6 gi 
1789-33707 16 7 
1790O-=-372,027 12.5 
1791—353,350 14 74 
1792—384,345 9 8% 
1793-—330,7382 6 4 
1794-—338,069 8 62 
1795—346,225 1 4} 
1796-—~306,247 13. 62 
1797—404,446 19 © 
798—420,557 8 Of 
er 
ve ) 
