406 
creafe of population in the laft half of the 
century. 
Of che earlier part of the century, the 
want of ax accurate marriage-regiftry 
renders it impoflible to fpeak fo confi- 
dently ; as far as analogy is of weight, a 
fimilarity with the later period may be 
fuppofed ; and in the abftra& appears a 
further reafon for believing, that the cor- 
rectnefs of the recifers has been not une- 
qual throughout the lat century. 
In the firlt years which appear in the 
abfiraét, the amount of regiftered baptifms 
flands thus: in 1700, 152,000; iN 1710, 
139,000; iN 1720, 155,000. This fluc- 
tuation appears very different from 
what mult have happened if the deficien- 
cies of regilters were greater the further 
we go back in the examination. 
Tt is true, indeed, th.t in the years 1709 
and 1710, England was affliéted by a 
dearth which muft have lowered the pro- 
portion of births in 4710, as lately hap- 
pened in 1795 and 1800; but the nearly 
concurrent amounts of regiftered baprifms 
iN-1700 and 1720, andthe known caufe 
of diminution in 1710, muft be allowed 
prefumptive evidence of a probability, 
that tre deficiency caufed by incorreétnefs 
was not grea’er then, than it is at prefent:, 
Nor is it known that any material alteration 
in the number of Diffenters, or in the other 
caules of deficiency in the regifter of bap- 
tifms, has taken place. 
Having premiled thefe remarks on the 
authority of the regifer of baptifms for 
forming an eftimate of the increafe or 
diminution of the population, in the 
next place it is necefiary to determine at 
what number to take the exifting popu- 
Jation. 
The enumeration of 1801 amounts to 
8,372,980 perfons for England and Wales; 
and to this number an appropriate fhare 
of the foldiersand mariners is to be ad- 
ded. Thefe appear to have been 469,188; 
and if (exclufive of them) the total po- 
pulation of the Britifh iflesis 14,630,812*, 
about a thirtieth may be added to the in- 
habitants, to afcertain the population of 
any diffinét part. 
Therefo'e the exifing population of 
England and Wales is taken at 9,168,000 
in the followiag Table; and the popula- 
tion therein attributed to the orher years 
is obtained by the rule of preportion. 
Thus: if 255,426 bap ifms (the aver- 
age medium of the laft five years) were 
produced from a population of 9,168,000, 
from what population were 152,540 (ihe 
baptifms of 1700) produced ? * 
* 159100,000e=4.69,188== 14,630,812. 
The Population Ag. 
[ Dec. 1, 
Tae of PopuLaTion throughout the 
laft century. 
ENGLAND anp WALES. 
In the Year Population. 
LW ECS NG ae ier 5247 5,000 
PPS sa 5,240,000 
1720 . 5,565,000 
17 BO ei, maybe 5796,000 
P7406 =) = 6,064,000 
PZEO va ont 6,467,000 
1700 = =) = 6,736,000 
WHO). Met) es 7 14.28,000 
1780 = - = 739 53,000 
LZ Big = 8,016,000 
LT OG els) ene 8,67 5,000 
DOO iaea | a iat 9:055;000 
i801 - - = 9,168,000 
1. Itis evident that if the exifting pos 
pulation of 1801 is taken too low in the 
preceding Table, the popuiation of the - 
other years deduced from it, muft be in 
the fame proportion below the truth ; and 
the population, as ftated for 1801, certainly _ 
is taken fomewhat too low ; becaufe no 
addition has been made to it for returns 
wanting, and for omiffions in the returns 
made, the amount of which could not be 
politively afcertained. 
2. The dearth which prevailed in the 
years 1709 and 1710 caufed the average 
price of wheat in thofe years to rife to 62 
fhillings per quarter ; whereas the average 
Price of the ten preceding years was only 
30 fhillings per quarter. - The dearth of 
1800 caufed the average price of wheat to 
rife to r10 fhiliings per quarter : whereas 
the average price of the ten preceding 
years was no more than 545. per quarter. 
Therefore the feverity of the dearths of 
1710 and 1800 may be reckoned as 
equal, and the effect of both in diminifh- 
ing the births and baptizms may be af- 
fumed to have been alfo equal. In the 
year 1800 the baptifms were 247,000, 
though the five years average is above 
255,000. By applying a proportional 
increafe to the baptifms of 1710, the num- 
ber from whence the population of 1710 
was to be deduced, became 146,000 initead 
of 139,000. If the latter number had 
been ufed, the population of 1710 had ap- 
peared in the Table at no more than 
52003,000. 
3. For 1785 the average medium of 
the baptifms of that year and the four 
preceding years is taken. So for 179° 
ee and 
