may promise ourselves a clearer insight into the internal structure of human fociety from the progress of these inquiries. But the science may be faid yet to be in its infancy, and many of the objects, on which it would be defirable to have information, have been either omitted or not ftated with fufficient accuracy. Among these perhaps may be reckoned, the proportion of the number of adults to the number of marriages; the extent to which vicious customs have prevailed in confequence of the restraints upon lected in that part of the island, do him the highest honour; and these accounts will ever remain an extraordinary monument of the learning, good fenfe, and general information of the clergy of Scotland. It is to be regretted that the adjoining parishes are not put together in the work, which would have affifted the memory both in attaining and recollecting the state of particular districts. The repetitions and contradictory opinions which occur are not in my opinion so objectionable, as, to the refult of such teftimony, more faith may be given than we could poffibly give to the testimony of any individval. Even were this refult drawn for us by some master hand, though much valuable time would undoubtedly be faved, the information would not be fo fatisfactory. If with a few fubordinate improvements, this work had contained accurate and complete registers for the last 150 years, it would have been ineftimable, and would have exhibited a better picture of the internal state of a country, than has yet been prefented to the world. But this last most effential improvement no diligence could have affected. matrimony; matrimony; the comparative mortality among the children of the moft diftreffed part of the community, and of thofe who live rather more at their eafe; the variations in the real price of labour; the obfervable differences in the state of the lower claffes of fociety with refpect to cafe and happiness, at different times during a certain period; and very accurate registers of births, deaths, and marriages, which are of the utmost importance in this fubject. A faithful history, including fuch particulars, would tend greatly to elucidate the manner in which the conftant check upon population acts; and would probably prove the existence of the retrograde and progreffive movements that have been mentioned; though the times. of their vibration muft neceffarily be rendered irregular from the operation of many interrupting caufes; fuch as, the introduction of or failure of certain manufactures, a greater or lefs prevalent spirit of agricultural enterprise; years of plenty, or years of scarcity; wars, fickly feafons, poor laws, emigration, and other caufes of a fimilar nature. any A circumstance which has perhaps more than other contributed to conceal this ofcillation from from common view is, the difference between the nominal and real price of labour. It very rarely happens that the nominal price of labour univerfally falls; but we well know that it frequently remains the fame, while the nominal price of provifions has been gradually rifing. This is, in effect, a real fall in the price of labour; and, during this period, the condition of the lower claffes of the community must be gradually growing worfe. But the farmers and capitalists are growing rich from the real cheapnefs of labour. Their increafing capitals enable them to employ a greater number of men; and, as the population had probably fuffered fome check from the greater difficulty of fupporting a family, the demand for labour, after a certain period, would be great in proportion to the fupply, and its price would of courfe rife, if left to find its natural level; and thus the wages of labour, and confequently the condition of the lower claffes of fociety, might have progreffive and retrograde movements, though the price of labour might never nominally fall. In favage life, where there is no regular price of labour, it is little to be doubted that fimilar ofcillations take place. When population has increased nearly to the utmost limits of the food, food, all the preventive and the positive checks will naturally operate with increased force. Vicious habits with refpect to the sex will be more general, the expofing of children more frequent, and both the probability and fatality of wars and epidemics will be confiderably greater; and thefe caufes will probably continue their operation till the population is funk below the level of the food; and then the return to comparative plenty will again produce an increase, and, after a certain period, its further progrefs will again be checked by the fame causes. A But without attempting to establish these progreffive and retrograde movements in different countries, which would evidently require more minute hiftories than we poffefs, and which the progress of civilization naturally tends to counteract, the following propofitions are intended to be proved: 1. Population is neceffarily limited by the means of fubfiftence. Sir James Steuart very juftly compares the generative faculty to a spring loaded with a variable weight, (Polit. Econ. vol. i. b. i. c. 4. p. 20.) which would of course produce exactly that kind of ofcillation which has been mentioned. In the first book of his political Economy, he has explained many parts of the fubject of population very ably. 2. Population 2. Population invariably increases, where the means of subsistence increase, unless prevented by fome very powerful and obvious checks". 3. These checks, and the checks which reprefs the fuperior power of population, and keep its effects on a level with the means of subsistence, are all refolvable into moral reftraint, vice, and mifery. The first of these propofitions fcarcely needs illuftration. The fecond and third will be fufficiently established by a review of the immediate checks to population in the past and prefent state of society. This review will be the subject of the following chapters. I have expreffed myself in this cautious manner, because I believe there are a very few inftances, such as the negroes in the Weft Indies, and one or two others, where population does not keep up to the level of the means of subsistence. But these are extreme cafes; and generally speaking it might be faid, that, 2. Population always increases where the means of fubfiftence increase. 3. The checks which reprefs the fuperior power of population, and keep its effects on a level with the means of fub fiftence, are all refolvable into moral restraint, vice, and mifery. СНАР. |