in 1720, 5,565,000; in 1730, 5,796,000; in 1740, 6,064,000; in 1750, 6,467,000; 1760, 6,736,000; in 1770, 7,428,000; in 1780, 7,953,000; in 1785, 8,016,000; in 1790, 8,675,000; in 1795, 9,055,000; in 1801, 9,168,000; in 1805-6, 9,828,000; ' 1811, 10,488,000*. * A. D. 1804, in Consequence of an ACT passed, "for procuring Returns, relative to the Expence and Maintenance of the POOR in ENGLAND," it appeared, that the Number of Persons, receiving Relief, from the Poors Rate, was as under. FIRST. Persons relieved permanently, OUT of 336,199 any House of Industry, Work House, &c. In any House of Industry, Work House, &c. SECOND. Children of Persons relieved permanently, OUT of the House, and other Children, maintained oUT of the House. 83,468 120,236 Under Five This Multitude is Exclusive of 194,052 Persons, who were not PARISHIONERS, the greater Part of whom, are supposed to have been Vagrants. The total Sum expended on Account of the Poor, in the Year ending, EASTER, 1803, was Four Millions, Two The PROGRESS of the POPULATION of the WORLD, and its present total Amount, cannot be fixed with exact Precision, as there are no sufficient Grounds, on which such a'Computation can be formed, till within a very late Period, and that only in a few Countries. Sir WILLIAM PETTY, A. D. 1682, declared his Opinion, at Three Hundred and twenty MILLIONS. Some Writers have advanced it, to about, Seven Hundred and Thirty. Others, to upwards of Nine Hundred. Mr. WALLACE, of Edinburgh, conjectured it might rise to One Thousand MILLIONS, and this Hundred Sixty-seven Thousand, Nine Hundred Sixty-five Pounds Nine Shillings and Twopence. The Average Rate in the Pound, of the POORS RATE, A. D. 1803, was in all ENGLAND, Five Shillings and Fourpence halfpenny. In WALES, Seven Shillings and Three Halfpence. Since the above Period, the Number of Objects, and the Fund for their Maintenance, have largely accumulated. N. B. By the Return made to PARLIAMENT, of the Money raised for Maintenance of the POOR, from Easter, 1775, to Easter, 1776. In ENGLAND, 1,678,915 14 4 Total, £1,7.9,029 15 4 Number, has since been generally allowed by those, who have noticed the Subject. It is a Point, on which Accuracy cannot be expected, but a strong Presumption that the Inhabitants of the EARTH, now, considerably exceed a Thousand Millions, arises from the Circumstance, that in almost Every Country, where the People have been numbered, the Quantum has been found evidently greater, than it had been previously imagined. In GREAT BRITAIN, the most correct ESTIMATES did not make the POPULATION more, than Seven or Eight, whereas the ENUMERATION, Swelled the Amount, to near Eleven MILLIONS. In the Northern Parts of AMERICA, where the Means of Subsistence have been more ample, the Manners of the People, more pure, and the Checks to early Marriages, fewer, than in any of the Modern States of EUROPE, the Population doubled itself, for some successive Periods, Every Twenty-five Years. Sir W. PETTY supposed a Doubling possible in Ten Years, but to be sure of being within the Truth, Mr. MALTHUS takes the slowest of these Rates, and then assumes, that Population, when unchecked, goes on doubling itself every Twenty-five Years, or multiplies in a Geometrical Ratio. The Por tion of Increase which the Productions of the Earth afford, is not so easily determined, yet it is certain, that when Acre is added to Acre, till all the fertile Land is occupied, the Yearly Augmentation of Food, must depend on the Amelioration of the Land, already cultivated. This is a Stream, which, from the Nature of all Soils, instead of enlarging, must be gradually diminishing, but POPULATION, could it be supplied with Aliment, would go on with unlimited Vigour, and the Increase of one Era, would furnish the Power of a greater in the next, without any Limit. To illustrate this Point, let it be allowed that by the best possible Policy, and most extensive Encouragement to AGRICULTURE, the Annual Produce of GREAT BRITAIN, could be doubled in the first Twenty-five Years, in the next Twenty-five, it is impossible to conclude, that the Produce could be Quadrupled, it would be contrary to all knowledge of the Properties of Land. Let it then be supposed, that the Yearly Additions, which might be made to the former Average Product, instead of decreasing, (which they would do) were to remain the same, and that the Growth of this Country, might be bettered every Twenty-five Years, by a Quantity equal to its present Produce, and the most Enthusiastic SPECULATOR, cannot extend his Ideas of Increase beyond this. For a few Centuries, it would render every Acre in the ISLAND, like a Garden. If this Supposition is applied to the whole EARTH, it will be Evident that the Means of Subsistence, under Circumstances the most favourable to Human Industry, could not possibly be made to yield faster, than in an Arithmetical Ratio. Mr. MALTHUS shews, the necessary Effects of these two different Rates of Increase, and taking the collective Mass of MANKIND at a Thousand Millions, the HUMAN SPECIES Would proceed, as the Numbers, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, and SUBSISTENCE as, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. In two Centuries, the Population would be to Subsistence, as 256 to 9. In three Centuries, as Five Thousand Ninety-six to Thirteen, and in Two Thousand Years, the Difference would be almost incalculable. Here no Restrictions whatever, are placed upon the Product of the EARTH, it may proceed for Ever, and raise itself beyond any assignable Quantity; still the Power of POPULATION, being in every Period so much superiour, the Increase of the HUMAN SPECIES, can only be kept down to the Level of |