1804.} On Dr. Franklin's Objervations on American Population, $2. 
the number of marriages, and that is 
greater in proportion to the eafe and con- 
venience of fupporting a family. When 
families can be eafily fupported, more 
perfons marry, and earlier in life. 
‘¢ In cities, where all trades, occupa- 
tions, and efiices are full, many delay un- 
till they can fee how to bear the-charges 
of a family; which charges are greater in 
‘cities, as luxury is more common ; many 
live fingle during life, and continue fer- 
vants to families, journeymen to trades, 
&c. hence cities do’not by natural gene- 
ration fupply themfelves with inhabitants; 
the deaths are more than the births. 
‘© TIn, countries full fettled, the cafe 
muft be nearly the fame; all lands being 
occupied and improved to. the height, 
thofe who cannot get land muftjabour for 
thofe' who have it;:when labourers are 
plenty their wages will be low; by low 
wages, a family is fupported with diff- 
culty; this difficulty deters. many from 
marriage, who therefore long continue 
fervants, and fingle.. Only as cities take 
fupplies of people from the country, and 
thereby make a little more room in the 
country, marriage is a little more encou- 
raged there, and the births exceed the 
deaths. ‘s 
<‘ Great part of Europe is full fettled 
with hufbandmen, manufacturers, &c. and 
therefore cannot now much increafe in 
people. Land being plenty in America, 
and fo cheap, as that a labouring.man, 
who underftands hufbandry, can in a fhort 
time fave money enough te purchafe a 
piece of new land fafficient for a planta- 
tion, whereon he may fubilt a family, 
fuch are not afraid to marry ; for even if 
they look far enough forward to confider 
how their children, when grown, are to be 
provided for, they fee that more land is to 
be had at rates, equaliy eafy, ail circum~ 
ftances confidered. 
‘« Flence marriages in America are more 
geneial, and more generally early than in 
Europe. And if it is reckoned there, 
that there is but one marriage per annum 
among 100 perfons, perhaps we may here 
reckon two; and if in Europe they have 
but four births to a marriage (many of 
their marriages being late) we may here 
reckon eight ; of which, if one half grow 
up, and our marriages are made, reckon- 
ing one with another, at twenty years of 
age, our people muff be doubled at leaf 
every tiventy years. 
<« But notwithfanding this increafe, fo 
vaft is the territory of North America, 
that it will require many ages to fettle it 
fully ; and, until it is fully fettled, labour 
will never: be cheap here, where no man 
continues Jong a labourer for others, but 
gets a plantation of his own;.no man 
continues long a journeymen. to a trade, 
but goes among thofe new fetilers, and 
fets up for himfelf, &c. Hence labour 
is no cheaper now (1755) in Pennfylva- 
nia, than it was thirty years ago, though 
fo many thoufand labouring people have 
been imported from Germany and Ire- 
landii: 
«* In proportion to the increafe of the: 
colonies, a valt demand is growing for 
Britith manufactures, a glorious market 
wholly in the power of Britain, in which 
foreigners cannot interfere, which will 
increale in a fhort, time even beyond her 
power of fupplying, though her-whole 
tvade fhould be to her colonies *” 
Thefe are the DoSor’s {peculative ideas 
on. American population, and they may 
be now brought to the moft unequivocal 
teft-—that of an enumeration taken by 
Aét of Congrefs during ten years of un. 
interrupted. tranquillity, and all the other 
advantages, which the Doétor has repre- 
fented America as enjoying for an iacreafe 
of population; yet it will appear that he 
has confiderably over-rated it, for, accord- 
ing to his calculation, the population of 
America, amounting in 1791 to 3,929,326 
fouls, fhould have increafed in 1301 to 
5,893,989, exclufive of emigrants ; where, 
as it was only 5,305,638, or 5%8,35¢ 
fhort of the Doégtor’s calculation, includ- 
ing emigrants of every defcription, and 
their progeny. , Nor can it be prefumed 
that the next ten years can make up the 
deficiency; becaufe compound increafe 
cannot be computed within twenty years, 
at which age the Doétor calculated that 
American marriages were made; and he 
has therefore very jultly limited his cal- 
culation upon the increafe of any given 
number of fouls to the period at which, 
upon a fair average, the increafe become 
marriageable, and begin to form the pa- 
rent ftock of anew generation. Bur, 
taking the increafe for the lak ten years 
to be in the fame ratio as the foregoing, 
(although, by a decreafe of the advan- 
t:ges in favour of natural generation, up- 
on which the Doctor calculated,> it. will 
decreafe in proportion) the population of 
America, at the ead of twenty. years in 
1311, will be 6,631,950 fouls, including 
emigrants from the old world. Thefe 
form a confiderable, though it is impoffible 
to fay whac, part of American increafe, 
becaufe the Americans publith no litt of 
them ; but if they and their iflue, during 
twenty years, are computed, communibus 
Anns, 
