This City of Breslaw is the Capital City of the Province of Silesia; or, as the Germans call it, Schlesia, and is situated on the Western Bank of the River Oder, anciently call'd Viadrus, near the Confines of Germany and Poland, and very nigh the Latitude of London. It is very far from the Sea, and as much a Mediterranean Place as can be desired, whence the Confluence of Strangers is but small, and the Manufacture of Linnen employs chiefly the poor People of the Place, as well as of the Country round about; whence comes that sort of Linnen we usually call your Sclesiæ Linnen; which is the chief, if not the only Merchandize of the Place. For these Reasons, the People of this City seem most proper for a Standard; and the rather, for that the Births do a small matter exceed the Funerals. The only thing wanting, is the Number of the whole People, which in some measure I have endeavour'd to supply, by the comparison of the Mortality of the People of all Ages, which I shall from the said Bills trace out with all the Accuracy possible.
It appears that in the Five Years mentioned, viz. from 87 to 91 inclusive, there were born 6193 Persons, and buried 5869; that is, born per Annum 1238, and buried 1174; whence an Increase of the People may be argued of 64 per Annum, or of about a 20th part, which may perhaps be balanc'd by the Levies for the Emperor's Service in his Wars. But this being contingent, and the Births certain, I will suppose the People of Breslaw to be increased by 1238 Births annually. Of these it appears by the same Tables, that 348 do die yearly in the first Year of their Age, and that but 890 do arrive at a full Year's Age; and likewise, that 198 do die in the Five Years between 1 and 6 compleat, taken at a Medium; so that but 692 of the Persons born do survive Six whole Years. From this Age the Infants being arrived at some degree of Firmness, grow less and less Mortal; and it appears, that of the whole People of Breslaw there die yearly, as in the following Table, wherein the upper Line shews the Age, and the next under it, the Number of Persons of that Age dying yearly.
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 27 | 28 | 35 | |||||
| 11 | 11 | 6 | 5½ | 2 | 3½ | 5 | 6 | 4½ | 6½ | 9 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| 36 | 42 | 45 | 49 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 63 | 70 | |||||
| 8 | 9½ | 8 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 9½ | 14 |
| 71 | 72 | 77 | 81 | 84 | 90 | 91 | 98 | 99 | 100 | ||||
| 9 | 11 | 9½ | 6 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ⅕ | ⅗ |
And where no Figure is placed over, it is to be understood of those that die between the Ages of the precedent and consequent Column.
From this Table it is evident, that from the Age of 9 to about 25, there does not die above 6 per Annum of each Age, which is much about 1 per Cent. of those that are of those Ages: And whereas in the 14, 15, 16, 17 Years, there appear to die much fewer, as 2 and 3½; yet that seems rather to be attributed to Chance, as are the other Irregularities in the Series of Ages, which would rectifie themselves, were the number of Years much more considerable, as 20 instead of 5. And by our own Experience in Christ-Church Hospital, I am inform'd there die of the Young Lads, much about 1 per Cent. per Annum, they being of the aforesaid Ages. From 25 to 50, there seem to die from 7 to 8 and 9 per Annum of each Age; and after that to 70, they growing more crasie, though the number be much diminished, yet the Mortality increases, and there are found to die 10 or 11 of each Age per Annum: From thence the number of the Living being grown very small, they gradually decline till there be none left to die; as may be seen at one View in the Table.
From these Considerations I have form'd the adjoined Table, whose Uses are manifold, and give a more just Idea of the State and Condition of Mankind, than any thing yet extant that I know of. It exhibits the Number of People in the City of Breslaw of all Ages, from the Birth to extreme Old Age, and thereby shews the Chances of Mortality at all Ages, and likewise how to make a certain Estimate of the Value of Annuities for Lives, which hitherto has been only done by an imaginary Valuation: Also the Chances that there are that a Person of any Age proposed does live to any other Age given; with many more, as I shall hereafter shew. This Table does shew the Number of Persons that are living in the Age current annexed thereto, as follows:
| Age. Curt. | Persons. | Age. Curt. | Persons. | Age. Curt. | Persons. | Age. Curt. | Persons. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1000 | 8 | 680 | 15 | 628 | 22 | 586 |
| 2 | 855 | 9 | 670 | 16 | 622 | 23 | 579 |
| 3 | 798 | 10 | 661 | 17 | 616 | 24 | 573 |
| 4 | 760 | 11 | 653 | 18 | 610 | 25 | 567 |
| 5 | 732 | 12 | 646 | 19 | 604 | 26 | 560 |
| 6 | 710 | 13 | 640 | 20 | 598 | 27 | 553 |
| 7 | 692 | 14 | 634 | 21 | 592 | 28 | 546 |
| 29 | 539 | 36 | 481 | 43 | 417 | 50 | 346 |
| 30 | 531 | 37 | 472 | 44 | 407 | 51 | 335 |
| 31 | 523 | 38 | 463 | 45 | 397 | 52 | 324 |
| 32 | 515 | 39 | 454 | 46 | 387 | 53 | 313 |
| 33 | 507 | 40 | 445 | 47 | 377 | 54 | 302 |
| 34 | 499 | 41 | 436 | 48 | 367 | 55 | 292 |
| 35 | 490 | 42 | 427 | 49 | 357 | 56 | 282 |
| 57 | 272 | 64 | 202 | 71 | 131 | 78 | 58 |
| 58 | 262 | 65 | 192 | 72 | 120 | 79 | 49 |
| 59 | 252 | 66 | 182 | 73 | 109 | 80 | 41 |
| 60 | 242 | 67 | 172 | 74 | 98 | 81 | 34 |
| 61 | 232 | 68 | 162 | 75 | 88 | 82 | 28 |
| 62 | 222 | 69 | 152 | 76 | 78 | 83 | 23 |
| 63 | 212 | 79 | 142 | 77 | 68 | 84 | 20 |
| Age. | Persons. |
|---|---|
| 7 | 5547 |
| 14 | 4584 |
| 21 | 4270 |
| 28 | 3964 |
| 35 | 3604 |
| 42 | 3708 |
| 49 | 2709 |
| 56 | 2194 |
| 63 | 1694 |
| 70 | 1204 |
| 77 | 692 |
| 84 | 253 |
| 100 | 107 |
| 34000 | |
| Sum Total. | |