From which hypothesis it will follow by an orderly series of increase—
That when the Romans invaded England fifty-three years before Christ’s time, the kingdom might have about 360,000 people, and at Christ’s birth about 400,000.
That at the Norman Conquest, A.D. 1066, the kingdom might contain somewhat above 2,000,000.
That A.D. 1260, or about 200 years after the Norman Conquest, it might contain about 2,750,000 people, or half the present number: so that the people of England may have doubled in about 435 years last past.
That in all probability the next doubling will be in about 600 years to come, viz., by the year 2300, at which time it may have about 11,000,000 people, and the kingdom containing about 39,000,000 of acres, there will be then about three acres and a half per head.
That the increase of the kingdom for every hundred years of the last preceding term of doubling, and the subsequent term of doubling, may have been and in all probability may be, according to the following scheme:—
| Anno Domini. | Number of people. | Increase every hundred years. |
| 1300 | 2,800,000 | |
| 1400 | 3,300,000 | 440,000. |
| 1500 | 3,840,000 | 540,000. |
| 1600 | 4,620,000 | 780,000. |
| 1700 | 5,500,000 | 880,000. |
| 1800 | 6,420,000 | 920,000. |
| 1900 | 7,350,000 | 930,000. |
| 2000 | 8,280,000 | 930,000. |
| 2100 | 9,205,000 | 925,000. |
| 2200 | 10,115,000 | 910,000. |
| 2300 | 11,000,000 | 885,000. |
Whereby it may appear that the increase of the kingdom being 880,000 people in the last hundred years, and 920,000 in the next succeeding hundred years, the annual increase at this time may be about 9,000 souls per annum.
But whereas the yearly births of the kingdomare about 1 in 28.95, or | 190,000 souls. | ||
And the yearly burials 1 in 32.35 or | 170,000 souls. | ||
Whereby the yearly increase would be | 20,000 souls. | ||
It is to be noted— | Per ann. |
| |
1. | That the allowance for plagues and great mortalities maycome to at a medium | 4,000 |
|
2. | Foreign or civil wars at a medium | 3,500 |
|
3. | The sea constantly employing about 40,000, may precipitatethe death of about | 2,500 |
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4. | The plantations (over and above the accession offoreigners) may carry away | 1,000 |
|
| 11,000 per annum. | ||
Whereby the net annual increase may be but | 9,000 souls. | ||
That of these 20,000 souls, which would be the annual increase of the kingdom by procreation, were it not for the before-mentioned abatements.