On the subject of population we have had warm disputes,whilst some have lamented that our numbers are decreasing,andothers with confidence have boasted that our population has rapidly advanced;all seeming to be agreed,that the wealth ofa country consists in the number of its inhabitants.When industry and frugality keep pace with population,or rather whenpopulation is only the consequence of these,the strength and riches of a nation will bear proportion to the number of itscitizens:but when the increase of people is unnatural and forced,when it arises only from a community of goods,it tendsto poverty and weakness.In respect to population,some countries will reach their ne plus ultra sooner,and some later,according as they surmount the obstacles which impede their progress.This period can be retarded by improvements inagriculture,by living harder or by working more,by extensive conquests or by increasing commerce.
The cultivation of rice in China enabled them to feed some millions of people,more than could have been maintained byany other grain;whereas in the highlands of Scotland,where neither rice nor yet wheat will grow,the inhabitants soonbecame a burthen to the soil.Their chief dependance for supporting the present population is on frugality,and constant,steady,unremitted labour,without any hope of being able to advance their numbers.Oatmeal and water,with a litfie milk,is their common food,and to procure this they work as long as they can see.They till the soil;they watch their cattle;and,at their leisure hours,they spin all the linen and the woollen which their families consume.
The Romans,even when they had lost their domestic industry and habits of economy,were able to feed their increasingcitizens by tribute from the distant provinces,as the Spaniards do by purchasing provisions with the gold and silver of Peru.
The Dutch have no other refuge but in good government,industry,and commerce,for which their situation is mostfavourable.Their pastures are rich,but not sufficient to maintain half the number of their inhabitants,who are employedand fed by every nation upon earth,but reside in Holland for the convenience of the water-carriage,the security of theirpersons,and the protection of their property.
