1800.] 
difficult to afcertain the precife point of 
view in which it is confidered by them. 
Tt were to be wifhed that all fetis en er- 
tained more accurate ideas ref{pecting the 
fubjects of their belief—it would certainly 
cut off one principal branch of their con- 
tention, Love is the great badge of our 
religion, and it is much io be regretted, 
that differences of fentiment fhould have 
ever operated to the diminution of it. I 
remain, Sir, 
Your's refpeétfully, 
Foxton Square, Joun Evans. 
November 9, 1799. 
—— ER 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
EE the following account of the progrefs 
of the population of LonpDoNn, previ- 
ous to the time from which the biils of 
mortality commence, is thought deferv- 
ing a plice in your Magazine, it fhall be 
coniinved to the prelent time at fome fu- 
ture O-portunity, 
| The time cf the foundation of London 
is naturaly involved in cbfcurity. It 
mott probably mutt look for its origin to. 
afew milerable huts of the firft inhabi- 
tants of the iflind, whom the advantages 
of the fituation drew together, and who 
little thought, when they reared their rude 
habitations, that the infant village would 
in time become the metropolis of Eng- 
land, and one cf the moit confiderable ci- 
ties of the world. It it exifted ar all at 
the time of the irvafion under Julius 
Czfar, it was too infignificant to attract 
his notice; but withn a century from 
that time it became a place of fome confe- 
quence, and probably of confiderable ex- 
tent; forio the year 62, Suetonius found 
his army, which is taid to have confitted 
of 10,000 men, inlufficient to defend it, 
and was obliged to ab.ndon the city to 
Boadicea, by »hom it was reduced to 
afhes, and all the inhabitants maffacred. 
The local advantages which had in- 
duced the firit inhab‘tants to make choice 
of this fpot, had the (ome effc¢ét upon 
others, and the new (etile:s continued gra- 
dually to increa‘e fo much, that after the 
fettlement of the Ea Saxcns it became 
the chief town of their kingdom. In the 
year 798, London, with many of its inha- 
bitants, was deftroyed by fire; and in the 
next century it fufi_red much from tne de- 
predations of the Danes, till the year 386, 
about which time it was repaired by Al- 
fred, who afterwards made it the capiial 
of all England. Under the care of this 
menarch, it was in 895 fo far recovered 
from the devaiations of the Danes, as to 
be capable of fending out forces againft 
them. In 982, the city was again deliroyed 
Proegreffive Pepulation of London. 
955 
by fire ; but in eleven years after this ca- 
lamity it was able to fend out a fleet 
againit the Danes, and to defend itfelf ef- 
feStually when befieged by them. From 
this period to the time of the Norman in- 
vation, it was frequently attacked by the 
Danes, but without fuecefs ; and as this 
cauled the people of the neighbouring vil- 
lages io confider it as a place of fecurity, 
it mult have contributed to increafe the 
number of its inhabitants ; the growth of 
the city was, however, frequently checked 
_by the ravages of fire, particularly in 
1077, 1087,.and 1092, when it fuffercd 
feverely from this calamity; to which, 
like all large cities conffting of ill-con- 
ftru&ed wooden houfes, it was in continual . 
danger of becoming a prey. 
About the year 11q40, according to Pe. 
ter of Blois, Lendon contained 40,000 
inhabitants. If the accounts of W. Fitz- 
Stephen were to be depended, on, the po- 
polation muft have been much greater; 
but as he appears to have paid little atten- 
tion to correétnefs in other particulars, hie 
affertions in this refpe&t may be juftly 
doubted. Confidering the number jult 
mentioned as the neareft to the truth that 
can be now alcertained, it will appear, 
that in the courfe of the next two hundred 
years, notwithftanding fome fevere calami- 
ties, the population muft have increafedvery 
confiderably, otherwife the lofs of more 
than 50,000 inhabitants, who were carried 
off by the plague, which broke out to 
wards the end cf the year 1348, would 
have intirely depopulated the city. The 
privileges granted by Henry III. and {e- 
veral of: bis fucceflars, probably allured 
great numbers from the country, and 
from foreign parts, to fettle in London ; 
and had it not been continually fubjec& te 
peftilential difeafes, the increafe of inha- 
bitants mult have been very rapid. 
In 1407, about 30,000 perfons are faid 
to have died of the plague in Londen, 
and nearly as many in 1478, bythe fame 
diforder, In 1485, the epidemic difeafe 
called the fweating ficknefs raged with 
mvch violence; and in 1499, the plague 
again fwept away about 30,000 perfons. 
The frequent returns of this terrible 
fcourge icem to warrant a fufpicion, that 
in fome inftances it was engendered by 
the filthy and confined ftate, of the me- 
tropolis, which at Jeaft muft have confider- 
ably increafed its malignity, and prolong. 
ed its continuance.- At length fome tteps 
were taken for putiing a few of the prin- 
cipal ftreets into a better conditions in 
1533, an act was pafled for paving the 
high ftreet from .Holbern-bridge to Hol- 
born bars; the ftreets of Southwark weie 
by the fame Matute alfo direcled to he 
6D2 paved 
