Retrofpect of Domeftie Literature.— Political Economy. 
confiderations do certainly: prevent a 
great number of perfons in all civilized 
nations from purfuing the ‘didtates of 
nature in early attachment to one wo- 
man. The confequence of this reftraint 
is At leaft a certain degree of temporary 
unhappinefs : it very generally pro- 
duces vice; becaufe it produces that 
promifcuous intercourfe of the fexes 
which again produces a corruption of 
morals, and of courfe introduces the 
diverfified catalogue of human crimes. 
‘6 The pofitive checks to population 
are extremely various, and include 
every caufe, whether arifing from vice 
or mifery, which in any degree contri- 
butes to fhorten the natural duration 
ef human life. Under this head, there- 
fore, may be enumerated all unwhole- 
fome ‘occupations, fevere labour, and 
expofure to the feafons, extreme po- 
verty, bad nurfing of children, great 
towns, exceffes of all kinds, the whole 
train of common difeafes and epide- 
mics, wars, peftilence, plague, and fa- 
mine. On‘examining thefe obftacles 
to the increafe of population, which 
are here clafied under the heads of pre- 
ventive and pofitive checks, it will ap- 
peay that they are refolvable into mo- 
ral reftraint, vice, and mifery. 
«© Of ‘the preventive checks, that 
whichis not followed by irregular gra- 
ea Puce may properly .be termed 7o- 
rat reftraint. 
‘© Promifcuous intercourfe, unnatu- 
ral paffions, violations of the marriage- 
bed, and improper arts to conceal the 
confequences of irregular connections, 
clearly come under the head of wice. 
«© Oftthe pofitive checks, thofe which 
appear to arife unavoidably from the 
laws of nature may be called exclu- 
fively mifery ;.and thofe which we ob- 
vioufly bring upon ourfelves, fuch as 
wars, excefles, and many others which it 
would be in our power toavoid, are of a 
mixed najure. They are brought upon 
us by vice, and their confequences are 
wnifery. ay 
“© In every country fome of thefe 
checks are with more or lefs force in 
conftant operation ; yet notwithftand- 
ing their general prevalence, there are 
few ftates in which there is not a con- 
‘ftant effortin the population to increafe 
‘beyond the means of fubfiftence. -This 
conftant effort as-conftantly tends to 
fubjeét the lower claffes of fociety to 
diftrefs, and to prevent any great per- 
manent amelioration of their condi- 
tions.” © Dis r 
This confli& between the uniform 
MontTHly Maa. Nog. 110 | 
Obl 
tendency to increafe population on the 
one hand, and the checks which reftrain 
it on the other, produces an ofcillation 
in the ftate of fociety—an alternation 
of retrogade and progreflive move- 
ments dependent.on the degree of com- 
forts or mifery, vice or morality, which 
prevails. Wuthout attempting to elta- 
blifh in all cafes thefe progreflive or re- 
trogade movements in different,coun- 
tries, Mr. Malthus contents himfelf 
with proving the following propoh-. 
tions. 3. That population is necefla- 
rily limited by the means of fubfiftence. 
2. That population invariably increafes 
when the means of fubfiftence increafe, 
unlefs prevented by fome very power- 
ful and obvious checks; and (3) that 
thefe checks, and the checks which re- 
prefs the fuperior power of population, 
and keep its effets on a jevel with the 
means of fubfiftence, are all refoivable 
into moral reftraint, vice, and mifery. 
’ The firit of thefe propofitions is ob- 
vious; the fecond and third are efta- 
blithed by a review of the pait and pre- 
fent ftate, of fociety. .He, begins by 
confidering the checks to population 
which; operated in the lefs civilized. 
parts of the world, and in palit times, 
and devotes feparate chapters to an in- 
veftigation of the checks among the 
American Indians, the South Sea 
Iflanders, the ancient inhabitants of 
the north of Europe, modern paftoral 
nations, different, parts of Africa, Si- 
beria, northern and fouthern; the 
Turkifth dominions and Pertia; Indo- 
{tan and Tibet; China and Japan.; the 
Greeks and the Romans. 
Mr. Malthus proceeds, in the fecond 
book, to confider the checks to popu- 
lation in the different ftates gf modern 
Europe—Norway, Sweden, Ruffia, the 
middle parts of Europe, $witzerland,. 
France, England, Scotland, and. Ire- 
land ; and from this extenfive view of 
fociety draws fome general deductions, 
illuftrating the truth of his three pro- 
- pofitions. 
The third book treats of the different 
fyftems or expedients which have been. 
propofed or have prevailed in fociety, 
as they affect the evils arifing trom the 
principle of population... The fyftems 
which come firft under difcuffion are 
thofe of M. Condorcet and Mr. God- 
win. In thefe flattering vifions.of beati- 
tude and equality, their refpective au- 
thors appear to be fenfible that when. 
all the obstructions. to popylation, or, 
as Mr. Malthus would: denominate 
them, the preventiveand pefitive checks, 
4K ale 
