The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-11-11 00:00:00

.I)OCTRINE OF POPULATION:

Mr. Godwin has just published a work on Popsla-
lion, in which it is his object to show, that the' doc-
trines advanced by Mr. Malthus on this subject are al-
together unfounded.
Mr. Malthus bad assumed, from some hypothetical;
calculations of Sit William Petty, on the number of
r il.lren which teeming women can bear,—some loose
antions in the writings of Dr. Ntyles, &r.—a calettla-!
Imo of Enler, %hewing the various periods of doubling,
a cording to the rate of excess of births over the
deaths, that the population of a country, if left on-
hecked, could double itself, by propagation alone,
crew 25 years. The Censnses of North America were
eentidently appealed to in support of this doctrine,
which has been received by all the political econo-
v.,:sts of Europe.
Many it silly declamation has been poured out
against 'lr. bialtlias, but no one before Mr. Beduin
thonght of examining the data on which Mr. Malthus's
stru-ture rests, to see whether they really bore him
o•u in bit conclusions.

Mr. tloolwin has been at some pains to ascertain the
ontent of female produetiveness. A variety of data on
Vein subject art. to he found in the work of the laborious
S.l•lsueulch, and the most arcurate Tables, containing
all the information which a philosopher would wish to
obtain respecting the progress of popula'ion in a coun-
try, have been kept in Sweden for more than half a
century. The lists from every part of. Europe, town
as well as country, give four children only to a near-
ri ire. Ise Sweden, in particular, as appears fr 't.
lists, al t every female, on attaining the mat tinge-
al.tle age, changes her condition. If this is the rate
of productiveness in Europe, what is it in North
A merira? The returns (Junior.' fr that cannery, as
might be expected, exhibit precisely the same result :
amt in America, as well as Europe, the muleteer of
children to a marriage is four.
The nest point to be ascertained Is, the law of enter-
Oily. This is pretty well known in Europe, hut we
p . few returns on this aubjeet from North America.
It is known, however, that the talitv is greater
there than in Europe. All nett ly settled c. 'entries
arc more unleealthy than old countries; end North
A nierica in particular, from all accounts, is much in re
unhealthy than any country in Europe.
In Suellen, which is a healthy runners% the excess of
1.: rtles over the deaths, is nearly that oleic!' Sosemelels Ls.
signs as the average for whole provinces in ordinary.,
p•;irs. namely, as twelve or thirteen to ten. Sweden
may be said to he cut off from the rest of Europe, send-
ing forth few ens:grants, ami receiving few emigrants.
Prone this eireemistance, it hag hero found possible to
compare the population as taken at a particular period,
With what it ought to he, by adding to the preceding
enuenera:iiin the births, and subtracting the deaths, .-1
the intervening period, in order to see whetlior the re.-1
stelt approximates. to the most enumeration, which it floes
to within a wonderful degree of nearness In 51 year.,
fruits 1751 to ISIIS, a period of internal transpeilit:,
the population increased from 2,229,611 to 3,320.617,
nearly one half.
flow happens it then, that with no more births than
those of Sweden, North .America, where thetleaths are
lure numerous in proportion to the births, has increased
its population between 1790 and I:s 111, from 3,929.326,
to 7,239.903, while Sweden, in 61 years, only in-
ere.:sed its population one half
Mr. Iloclwin, with the assistance of a friend. Mr.
David Booth, has analysed the North American l'en-
mese., and cleared tip this mystery.
The world believed too readily the assertion of Mr.
blolthns, that the American increase was not owing
to emigration. slr. llooth has prove-eh that it it
on ing almost entirely to emigration. Ily table hr has
.'own with what amaving rapidity population is in-
creased by theallllllllo influx lf a comparatively small
number of picked propagators. Ile then analyses the
Cettcuses, and thews, how materially they differ fr
those of a regular society. When enumerations ate
eaten every ten years, it is obvious, exclusive of im-
migration, that in any particular Census the persons'
living above 10 years of age must Lave all existed in
the Census immediately precetling. In that of • It4lo,
fJr instance, all above ten formed 'art of the poi illa-
tion of IMMO, and are in reality the same, except in-
a‘mneh as they are diminished by death. Now, the
a bite popnlation of !SOO was 4,305,971. These in
I,slo would, without immigration, leave been, by the
rmst favourable law& that have hitherto heel' observed
of human to rtality, diminished by n to fourth, leaving
3,200,000 alive. lint the actual Census above ten
y-ars of age watt 3;845,309, giving a snrplns of
6 1N,3c19. which can only be accounted for by Immi-
gration. 'f he (*pilaus of 1811/ contains also t,016,704
el:Hilt:en under ten years. Part of these, too, as pro-
ceeeing from itundgrants, shonlll hr added to the
; and. thetefore, of the 1,556,122 persons,
trl-leh the Census of 1,10 exhibits beyond that of
boll, it is clear that nearly one-half was melded by
direct immigration. In an indigenous society there
a I. yearly a fourth of its nuentr-rs above forty-the
'ears of age. Elvis the continued immigration into
America, the higher area bear uo proportion to the
rest. In none of the Lnited States is the number of
persons above forty-See more than from 16 to 17 per
cent. of the population, while in many of the newly
aet:led districts they do not etceed seven or eight.
Einelin;, therefore, that the number of children to
a marriage is the sante in America as in Europe, and
the the irortali:y is not leis in America than iu
Europe, tb it the increase in America is clearly di.-
e.lnsttated to have arisen chleilly from mulgrattoo,
we must exclude America front all reasonings ou
to: rate at which Wiakind can increase is uumber.
The population returns of this country are of little
use to th.' statistical inquirer. We into', that our
population has itiercused, but it certaialylas not in- .
creased at the rate of that of &mien- 11
tears of
1631 is eridentli inaccurate, mad thoogii.loom 110U1
to 1611, there' been an increase, that increase has
not been so great as stated iu gee retorts. If we
take the nuu.ber of houses for a guide, and suppose I
4e mine number of people to a house in 1690 as in
1611, the population at, the former period was up-
wards of. 1 millions, while at the Islam it was
19,4911.0011. Mr. Itiektnann's calculation from the
Ilogissernd flaptisuas is not to be tierethil on. as
Lary have evideutly beta very irregularly kept. The'
kiet.ea certainly fall far *Wort of the trimysaseber. For