The Sun.
London, England, 1826-10-27 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

'7 '4,

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All modern weiterfronWlNiinifr of population
have agreed in opinionAhat the amber of human
beings in the world is still increasing, and hence. they
have taken occasion to render it a maxim with a prudent
Government to check this tendency to superabundant
population as far as possible. The wise man said ',lt In
the multitude of people is the King's, honour, but in
want of people is the destruction of the Prince,;", and
it might therefore,- out of respect to this great autho-
rity, he considered at least questionable whether the
doctrine thus propounded was sound, and whether in-
deed even emigratiOn and banishment were not fir
more prejudicial to the state, adopting these 'lans,
than advantageous. It is not a little singular that in
all the discussions raised on this highly interesting
subject, no enquiry has hitherto been made into the
truth of the assertion that the number of human beings
is increasing, and no comparison instituted.: between
the amount ofpopulation at this day, and the amount
at any former given period, say the time of Julius etosar.
Whatever might be the result of the former enquiry as
compared with modern times, little doubt could exist
that the number of human' beings on the face of the
globe
in the .clays of Julius Ciesar, far very far es--
ceeded the number now alive ; and if this fact could
be established, all fears that the population of - the
world will becOme redundant may be laid aside, and
we may safely rely upon the proverb, that the multitude
of the people is the King's honour. But even on the
other ground there is but too Just reason to conclude
that the number °limn* beings in the world is so far
from increasing, that it is positively diminishing, and
the world actually tending towards a state of depopu-
lation. A very slight acquaintance with ancient his-
tory will serve to shew the truth of this remark, and
how false has been the conclusion drawn from the
fact that the population of England and America have
been on the increase.
When the Israelites departed from Fgypt, they
went out we are told 600,000 fighting men, and if
we add a like number for old men and women, and
half the number for children, it will be seen that, no
less than one million five hundred thousand ,souls were
abstracted from the country by that event. The stand-
ing army of King David amounted to 280,000, and
when he numbered the people there were 1,900,000
fighting men. Jehosaphat, who was King of Judah
only, scarcely a third part of the dominions of David,
had an army of 1,160,000 men, besides the garrisons'
of the fortresses. The riches of the temple of Solo-
man surpassed by one-half the amount of our national
debt, and their immense treasure timid not have been
collected from a country which was not very, densely
peopled. The city of .Thebes, in Egypt, furnished
from its own inhabitants alone an army.of .700,000,
and in the veer of. Rome 188, Servitts.Tullies found
he had 80,500 citizens capable of bearing arms ; and
litany years afterwards, between the first and second
Fume war, when Rome Witil threatened with invasion
'by the Gaols, they furnished an army of nearly one
Agrtgentum, now called Girgenti, a city Of
Sicily, when destroyed by the Carthaginians, pOsiess-
ed nearly two Millions of inhabitants ; and Sparta,
Athens, Corieth, anti Xgina, may be estimat-
ed, together, as containing 3,120,000
tante. Incontrovertible as these facts may ap-
pear there is yet • another, if possible, still stronger ill
tie inferencei. According to Appian and Diodorus
Siculus, Gaul, that is all the country from the sea on
the west to the Alva on the east, and the Rhine on
the north, and the Pyrenees and Mediterranean on
the sonth, contained 400 nations ; the largest of
which,consisted,of 200,000 men, and the smallest of
50,000 men, besides women and children. Calculat-
ing, thereforemedium,
at a this tract of land must
have Coinaine44 •vary nearly two hundred stallions of
inhabitants: the present population is under,thirty-
' five millions -ft is hardly necessary to extend this
very melancholy list, which but too clearly establishes the terrible filet, that the population of the world is 'declining, Montesquieu, iniiis Esprit des Loie, has
made 'a finv observations on these facts, and the Abbe
Fleury, citing them, conehules by saying, that if these
data are admitted, we shall find that there is scarcely
the fiftieth pail of men upon the earth now ash' the time
of Julius Caesar. The late Dr. Adam Clarke, in his
edition of the Abbg's work on the manners and eus-
toms of the ancient Israelites, seems to confirm
this opinion. The truth of these facts enlist Of
course rest upon the credit which is due to the
authors of the work from whence they were ex-
!Meted, but only giving them credit for, a, desire
to relate the truth alone, the result is still the earr.se.
Ilia the difference between the present population of
Gaul, and its amount When the foregoing calculation
was made, is too great to allow us to suppose any ..
thing but a wilful Luis-statement could lesee caused
Another very tiircible Argument- is to 'de derived from
this consideration, viz. that if the 'population of the
world was never beyond what its present amount may
he, the peopling ofthe globe, calculating from the de-
loge to the present day, must have proceeded by very
slow and very imperceptible degrees ; and at an ave., •
rage very far helow that in which the population of the
United States has been found to increase since the:
dixlaration of their Independence. Row far finch
a concluaion could be consistent with the designs of
Providence, when'the earth contained only Noah and
his family, we shall leave to those to account for who
are sceptical in the point under observation, a point
indeed which becomes Clearer and clearer the more it
is considered. if the deluge shall be taken i
jetsruasalaiebrorii-
cated story, it is 'only to earry the calculation back to
the creation, alit! this, fez from weakeningthe argu-
merit, only, serve* to supillioubrto,itn:Nvitillilerle,edho,ubled force.
If we are to conclude that the present , population of
the Globe is now at its _highest, we must also infer
'ctlialt.e,tlSleideo4iiie,saonfdeantultitude of others of as great
note, wotilil scarcely haVe had a
.population between
tltetti equal to the alleged amount of the smallest of Which would go well nigh to eonßy
-
tirhaeitimiieLtellieieeae,4lgicitielltkallitthtohleyY, and howevereisd terrible tliO
we have in truth but too good reason to believe that
by lyl :1 1 insensiblysietefs.g49fn at it 11E sadlYoe
siiare
r cenioeloislbg,
ens
fitn:rtil li,iwndeloVklerilYeeleivers a'marey
Are aware that
us. \`'teethes: this result is in pur-
ttB(ll.lll:olllleeirel:°:llatli49.eettsliitelrostillgei
tion nr whether it is simply ilia
effect of the wickedness and d
ance to every soul slicer. we shall leave for the Church to discuss; muflieient it is
for to point their attention to the fact, and draw
them to consider a subject of such immense. import-
such 'sely governed, thing as a
been properly
cc--aild not have happened: lea_
suttee which :have
redundant pprr;i- ing its most flourishing period, ••
lestine ""w74 urnicii dation of, the -United Kin
more thins trice,74 -'e e , 7 .
was scarcely equal to that ot
England alone.
ciom, am! its! extent