ESSAY, &c.

BOOK II.

OF THE CHECKS TO POPULATION IN THE DIF FERENT STATES OF MODERN EUROPE.

CHAP. I.

Of the Checks to Population in Norway.

In reviewing the states of modern Europe, we fhall be affifted in our inquiries by registers of births, deaths, and marriages, which, when they are complete and correct, point out to us with fome degree of precision, whether the prevailing checks to population are of the positive or of the preventive kind. The habits of moft European nations are of course much alike, owing to the fimilarity of the circumstances in which they are placed; and it is to be expected, therefore, that their regifters fhould fometimes give the same results. Relying, however, too

VOL. I.

much

much upon

this occafional coincidence, political calculators have been led into the error of fuppofing, that there is, generally speaking, an invariable order of mortality in all countries: but it appears, on the contrary, that this order is extremely variable; that it is very different in different places of the fame country, and within certain limits depends upon circumftances, which it is in the power of man to alter.

Norway, during nearly the whole of the laft century, was in a peculiar degree exempt from the drains of people by war. The climate is remarkably free from epidemic ficknesses, and, in common years, the mortality is less than in any other country in Europe, the registers of which are known to be correct." The proportion of the annual deaths to the whole population, on an average throughout the whole country, is only as 1 to 48. Yet the population of Norway never feems to have increafed with great rapidity. It has made a ftart within the laft ten or fifteen years, but till that period its progrefs must have been very flow, as we know

a The regifters for Ruffia give a finaller mortality; but it is fuppofed that they are defective.

P. 4.

Thaarup's Statistik der Danifchen Monarchie, vol. ii,

that

that the country was peopled in very early ages, and in 1769 its population was only 723,141.a

Before we enter upon an examination of its internal economy, we must feel affured, that, as the positive checks to its population have been fo fmall, the preventive checks must have been proportionably great; and we accordingly find from the registers, that the proportion of yearly marriages to the whole population is as I to 130, which is a smaller proportion of marriages than appears in the registers of any other country, except Switzerland.

a

P. 5.

Thaarup's Statistik der Danifchen Monarchie, Table ii,

b Id. vol. ii, p. 4. The proportion of yearly marriages to the whole population is one of the most obvious criterions of the operation of the preventive check, though not quite a correct one. Generally fpeaking, the preventive check is greater than might be inferred from this criterion; because in the healthy countries of Europe, where a finall proportion of marriages takes place, the greater number of old people living at the time of their marriages will be more than counterbalanced by the fmaller proportion of perfons under the age of puberty. In fuch a country as Norway, the perfons from 20 to 50, that is, of the moft likely age to marry, bear a greater proportion to the whole population than in most of the other countries of Europe; and confequently the actual proportion of marriages in Norway, compared with that of others, will not exprefs the full extent in which the preventive check operates.

younger.

One cause of this fmall number of marriages is the mode, in which the enrolments for the army have been conducted till within very few years. Every man in Denmark and Norway born of a farmer or labourer is a foldier. For merly the commanding officer of the district might take these peasants at any age he pleased, and he in general preferred thofe that were from twenty-five to thirty, to fuch as were After being taken into the service, a man could not marry without producing a certificate figned by the minifter of the parish, that he had substance enough to fupport a wife and family; and even then it was further neceffary for him to obtain the permiffion of the officer. The difficulty, and fometimes the expenfe of obtaining this certificate and permiffion, generally deterred those who were not in very good circumftances from thinking of marriage, till their fervice of ten years was expired; and as they might be enrolled at any age under thirty-fix, and the officers were apt to take the oldest first, it would often be late in life, before they could feel themselves at liberty to fettle.

The few particulars, which I fhall mention relating to Norway, were collected during a fummer excursion in that country during the year 1799.

Though

Though the minifter of the parish had no legal power to prevent a man from marrying, who was not enrolled for fervice; yet it appears, that custom had in fome degree fanctioned a difcretionary power of this kind, and the priest often refused to join a couple together, when the parties had no probable means of fupporting à family.

Every obftacle, however, of this nature, whether arifing from law or custom, has now been entirely removed. A full liberty is given to marry at any age, without leave either of the officer or priest; and in the enrolments for the army, all those of the age of twenty are taken firft, then all thofe of twenty-two, and fo `on, till the necessary number is completed.

The officers in general difapprove of this change. They fay, that a young Norwegian has not arrived at his full ftrength, and does not make a good foldier at twenty. And many are of opinion, that the peasants will now marry too young, and that more children will be born, than the country can fupport.

But independently of any regulations refpecting the military enrolments, the peculiar ftate of Norway throws very ftrong obftacles in the way of early marriages. There are no large