(not of poor rates, nor of the principle of population, but) of a greatly increased demand for labour, combined with the two elements necessary to form an effective encouragement to a rapid increase of population!" Further, “these two necessary elements are the power of production in agriculture and manufactures,❞— not the power of employing labour to put the manufacturing and agricultural powers of production in motion, and, thereby, to obtain or increase their productions, but merely the power of production; and the reverend author proceeds to predict, that there is but too much reason to fear the failure of one of these powers, (that of agriculture, we presume,) at present, (1817.) Weep, and howl, oh, ye farmers and agricultural labourers, and all and all ye other labourers, who live on the produce of the soil of England! ye are not liable to any distress from being forced to pay your share of the enormous national taxation, nor from your obligation to pay your war-rents in a sound metallic currency of 25 to 35 per cent. more value than the depreciated paper-money, in which you originally covenanted to pay them, nor from the burden of twenty-five millions of artificial rent annually payable to the landholders, and of ten per cent. on all your titheable subsistence to the state clergy-No, but you are exposed to ruin and starvation, solely by a failure in the productive

power of agriculture! whether the Deity will effect this by smiting the ground with the curse of barrenness, or by placing wintry frosts in the lap of June or July, the prophet hath not, however, as yet revealed.

The next item in Mr. M.'s budget of knowledge is, that "what has already taken place is a striking illustration,"-of what? of the evils resulting from the principle of population? or of the poor laws? Nay, nay,-it is merely a "striking illustration" of the power of procreation, which, in a country that ranks the third in Europe in point of health, has enabled its inhabitants, aided by the stimulus above described, to "add one seventy-ninth to their numbers every year!"

Respecting the evils resulting from the power of procreation in England, albeit their existence and greatness are most nobly and courageously assumed in the title-page; yet, in this chapter, wherein we look for their full description and proof, not a single instance is adduced. -We begin to suppose, that Mr. M. imagines that all his readers, as well as himself and his brother-pastors of the state church, have received the Holy Ghost; and, consequently, that they can find out these things by inspiration; but he should have recollected, that we, poor Scots, having thrown the " pearl of prelacy" to the swine, are not likely to be favoured

with those divine gifts, which can only be derived through the laying on of a bishop's hand, to whom the stream has flowed direct from the reservoir at Rome; and, therefore, we trust that, in pity to our darkness and ignorance, Mr. M. will condescend to point out these evils and miseries in his next edition; and who knows but, that although we are at present too poor and self-conceited, yet, when we get rich enough, and humble enough, we may, in time, be induced to accept the so-often proffered blessings of church-of-Englandism.

CHAPTER VIII.

"OF SCOTLAND AND IRELAND."

NOTWITHSTANDING the greatness of our poverty, both in temporal and spiritual things, as acknowledged in the last chapter, yet, for the sake of Ireland, we heartily wish that her condition in all respects so nearly resembled ours, as that both countries, and the condition of their population, could be fairly classed under one head, when pursuing investigations of this nature.

In this chapter Mr. M. asserts, that "an examination, in detail, of the statistical accounts of Scotland would furnish numerous illustrations of the principle of population, but that he has already extended this part of the work so much, as to be fearful of tiring the patience of his readers; and, therefore, shall confine his remarks in the present instance, to a few circumstances which have happened to strike him." If, by numerous illustrations of the principles of population, he means numerous illus

trations of the power of procreation, then he has, indeed, good and sufficient cause for his fear, since those who are not already convinced that mankind possess the power of increasing their numbers, under such circumstances as admit of and encourage its exertion, would not be convinced though one rose from the dead and declared it to them; but, if he means-numerous illustrations of the evils resulting from the power of procreation, then we conjure him, by his love of fame, to enter on the "examination in detail," without loss of time; and, we hope, that he will also consider the great assistance which he may from thence derive, in the book-making line, as it will help to swell the next edition to four or five volumes, and furnish an additional quantity of dust to throw in the eyes of those who come under his lee.

In the meanwhile, we must examine into those few circumstances which have happened to strike the reverend author. "I should naturally have thought, from the statistical accounts, that the tendency to marriage in Scotland was, upon the whole, greater than in England; but if it be true, that the births and

*Why Mr. Malthus should, on any account, have allowed himself to admit such a thought, after he had ascertained, that the poor laws of England are a system expressly calculated to produce frequency of improvident marriages, and that they have been in operation for nearly three centuries, we cannot divine, but must leave its explanation to himself.