the Peace of 1763.-Various Laws for promoting domeftic Improvements.-Satisfactory Proofs of our Commercial Profperity, at the Epoch of the Colonial Revolt.-Yet, were our Trade and Shipping popularly reprefented as much on the Decline. Page 134-153 CHAP. X. The Colonial Revolt.-The State of the Nation.- CHAP. XI. The Controverfy on the Populousness of Britain revived.-The Parties.-A Review of their Publications.-An Examination of the Argument-from Reasoning-from Facts-from Experience. -The augmented Populoufnefs of Ireland.The Increafe of People in Scotland.-The general Refult-as to England. Page 193-233 CHAP. CHAP. XII. A Review of the foregoing Documents propofed.-A fupplemental Proof from a Chronological Account of • Commerce.-A Commentary thereon.-The fucceffive Epochs from 1660 to 1793.—The Tonnage of Shipping.-The Value of exported Cargoes.-The Balance of Trade. The Nett Cuftoms. The Amount of the Coinage in that long Period.-The Conclufion of this Review, which reflects a flattering Profpect of our future Profperity. CHAP. XIII. -- Page 234-268 The Profperity of Great Britain from 1783 to 1793. -The Causes affigned.-The East India Trade.The Fisheries encouraged.-The New Navigation Act.-Foreign Treaties.-Manufactories promoted. -Agriculture encouraged.-A thousand Laws for local Improvements. - Revenue Acts.-Financial Operations.-Their falutary Confequences. CHAP. XIV. Page 269-282 Unprovoked Hoftilities produce a new War.-The Strength of Britain-from her Populousness - from from ber Trade-from the Numbers of her Ship- ping and Sailors from the Magnitude of the Royal Navy-from her Revenue.-The Conclu- ΑΝ General Obfervations upon the Caufes, phyfical and moral, which influence Population, in every Country.-The Populoufnefs, Commerce, and Power, of England, prior to the Demife of Edward III.-The Number of People, 1377.-Reflections. OF F the exifting numbers of mankind, in fucFethe ceffive ages of the world, various writers have given diffimilar accounts, because they did not always acknowledge the fame facts, nor often adopt the fame principles, in their moft ingenious difquifitions. The Lord Chief Juftice Hale* formerly, and Sir James Stuart †, and the Count de Buffon, lately In his Primitive Origination of Mankind Confidered. In his Political Occonemy. confidered men, as urged, like other animals, by natural instincts; as directed, like them, by the fame motives of propagation; and as subsisted afterwards, or deftroyed, by fimilar means. It is instinct, then, which, according to those illuftrious authors, is the cause of procreation; but it is food, that keeps population full, and accumulates numbers. The force of the firft principle, we behold in the multitudes, whether of the fish of the fea, the fowls of the air, or the beafts of the field, which are yearly produced: we perceive, however, the effential consequence of the last, from the vast numbers, that annually perifh for want. Experience indeed evinces, to what an immense extent domestic animals may be multiplied, by providing abundance of food. In the fame manner, mankind have been found to exift, and increase, in every condition, and in every age, according to the ftandard of their subsistence, and to the measure of their comforts. Hence Mr. Hume justly concludes*, that if we would bring to fome determination the queftion concerning the populoufnefs of ancient, and modern, times, it will be requifite to compare the domefiic and political fituations of the two periods, in order to judge of the facts by their moral caufes; because, if every thing elfe be equal, it seems reafonable to expect, that where there are the wifest In his Effays, Vol. I. Effay xi. On the Populoufness of Ancient Nations. .6 inftitu |