512% 
female who has been thus irregularly mar- 
ried, ufually caufe the evil to be repaired 
by an indifloluble marriage in the church 
of England. : 
The marriages of diffenters of every 
denomination are folemnized in the efta- 
blithed church ; excepting thofe among 
Quakers, who are permitted to intermarry 
in their own congregation. To thefe 
may be added the Jews, who marry ac- 
cording to their own peculiar ceremonial ; 
but neither of thefe religious fets are nu- 
merous, 
With thefe exceptions the marriage re- 
giftry of England and Wales may be 
deemed complete and unéxceptionable. 
Confequently the returns made, pur- 
fwant to the Population A&, ought to 
have comprehended almoft the total num- 
ber of marriages ; but. from about 280 
places, returns could not be procured ; 
and this deficiency, added to that occa- 
fioned by the aforefaid religious fects, 
The Population AG, 
[Nov. 1; 
cannot be eftimated at lefs than 1000 
Marriages per annum. 
A great variation in the annual amounts 
of marriages is caufed by the circum- 
ftances of the times, and efpecially by the 
price of provifions ; fo that no fafe infe- 
rence concerning the increafe or diminu- 
tion of population can be drawn from the — 
comparifon of any fingle years with each’ 
other; but the average amount of the 
marriages for’ five years together, or for 
a longer period, is the-veft ‘of evidence on 
the fubje&t, becaufe the regifter of 
marriages may be deemed perfectly cor- 
rect. 
The following Table exhibits the 
average amount of every five and ten 
years fince the marriage act has been 
tally 7 in force. Jt will appear in the fe- 
quel of thefe obfervation, that refults 
drawn from this Table would be very fi- 
milar to the refults drawn from the regil= 
tered baptifms. 
IN THE YEAR 31755 THE NUMBER. OF MARRIAGES WAS 48,400. 
From thence to 1760, inclufive, - 
Ditto = =’ = 42764, ditto -- \- 
Ditto -*-- - 1770, ditto - - 
Ditto - =. = 1975, ditto = = 
Ditto -: = =: 17%9,-ditto,.-- - 
Ditto - »~ - 1785, ditto -~-. - 
Ditto - - - 1790, ditto “- - 
Ditto - = = 1795, ditto - - 
Ditto! = </ FBO OIe | va) = 
- | 51,600 
Medium Average|Medium Average 
of Five Years. | of Ten Years. 
58,000 t 54. 800 
3,000 
Aeoe t 58,500 
- 62,000 
z 65,000 t 63,500 
- "63,000 6 
- 71,000 i 92500 
72,000 
Concerning the Regifiry of Burials. 
The regiftry of burials may be fuppofed 
to be deficient on the following confidera- 
tions. 
1. Many congregations of Diffenters, in- 
habiting towns, have their own, peculiar 
burying-¢ grounds ; ashave the Jews, and 
the Roman Catholics, who refide in Lon- 
don. 
2. That fome perfons, from motives 
of poverty or convenience, interr their 
dead without any religious ceremony ; 
this is known to happen in the metropo- 
lis, in Briftol, and Newcaftie-upon Tyne, 
and may ha;pen in a few other large 
towns. 
3. Children who die before baptifin 
are interred without any religious ce- 
remony, and confequently are not regil- 
tered. 
4. Negligence may be fuppofed to. 
Ps 
caufe fome omiffions in the regifiers, 
efpecially in thofe of {mail benefices, 
where the ofticiating minifter is not re. 
fident. 
s. The returns which could not, be 
procured are eftimated at fix burials each 
per annum; this deficiency may be rec. 
koned at about 1,700 in England and 
Wales. 4 
_6. Many perfons employed in the 
army aud in navigation die abroad, and © 
conféequently their burials remain unre- 
giftered. . 
Whatever may be the total number of © 
deaths and burials not brought to acs. 
count, it has been computed that about 
5,000 of them may be attributed to the 
metropolis, and a large portion of the reft 
may be afcribed to the other great towns, 
and to Wales, where the regifiers are lefs . 
carefully kept than in England. Beart: 
The 
