PRINCIPLES

or

POLITICAL ECONOMY.

PART THE THIRD:

or

THE CAUSES WHICH RETARD

INCREASE IN THE NUMBERS OF MANKIND.

PRINCIPLES

ОР

POLITICAL ECONOMY.

PART THE THIRD.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE LAW OF POPULATION.

THE desire of improving his condition prompts man to apply himself to the production of those commodities which constitute wealth, and to take a wife to share with him his labours and his enjoyments. The necessary consequence is, an increase of population. We have now to inquire into the laws of that increase.

The following table shows what would be the product of a single couple in 250 years, under the most favourable circumstances. In constructing it, we have supposed the average product of a marriage to be 5 children, of whom 4 live to marry at 23 years, and die at the age of 55. One-fourth of the children are thus supposed to die before attaining maturity, and of course to exercise no influence on the growth of population. They are therefore rejected entirely. The proportions throughout are precisely the same as if we had commenced with 2 persons, and had inserted all the children, productive and unproductive. By rejecting the in the first instance, and subsequently rejecting all unproductive children, the calculation is greatly simplified.