In

And here I cannot help remarking, by the bye, how well founded your diftinction is between the increase of mankind in old and newsettled countries in general, and more particularly, in the cafe of families of condition. In America, where their Expences are more confined to neceffaries, and thofe neceffaries are cheap, it is common to fee above one hundred perfons defcended from one living old man. England it frequently happens, where a man has feven, eight, or more children, there has not been a descendant in the next generation; occafioned by the difficulties the number of children has brought on the family, in a luxurious dear country, and which have prevented their marrying. That this is more owing to luxury than mere want, appears from what I have faid of Scotland, and more plainly from parts of England remote from London; in most of which the neceffaries of life are nearly as dear, in fome dearer than in London; yet the people of all ranks marry and breed up children.

Again; among the lower ranks of life, none produce fo few children as fervants. This is, in fome measure, to be attributed to their fituation, which hinders marriage; but is also to be attributed to their luxury, and corruption of manners, which are greater than among any other set of people in England, and is the confequence of a nearer view of the lives and perfons of a fuperior rank, than any inferior rank, without a proper education, ought to have.

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The quantity of fubfiftence in England has unqueftionably become greater for many ages; and yet if the inhabitants are more numerous, they certainly are not fo in proportion to our improvement of the means of fupport. I am apt to think there are few parts of this kingdom that have not been at fome former time more populous than at prefent. I have feveral cogent reafons for thinking fo of great part of the counties I am most intimately acquainted with; but as they were probably not all moft populous at the fame time, and as fome of our towns are vifibly and vaftly grown in bulk, I dare not fuppofe, as judicious men have done, that England is lefs peopled than heretofore. This growth of our towns is the effect of a change of manners, and improvement of arts, common to all Europe; and though it is not imagined that it has leffened the country growth of neceffaries; it has evidently, by introducing a greater confumption of them, (an infallible confequence of a nation's dwelling in towns) counteracted the effects of our prodigious advances in the arts. But however frugality may fupply the place, or prodigality counteract the effects, of the natural or acquired fubsistence of a country; induftry is, beyond doubt, a more efficacious caufe of plenty, than any natural advantage of extent or fertility. I have mentioned inftances of frugality and industry, united with extent and fertility; in Spain and Afia Minor, we fee frugality joined to extent and fertility, without industry; in Ireland we once faw the

fame;

fame; Scotland had then none of them but frugality. The change in these two countries is obvious to every one, and it is owing to industry, not yet very widely diffused in either.-The effects of industry and frugality in England are furprifing; both the rent and the value of the inheritance of land depend on them greatly more than on nature; and this, though there is no confiderable difference in the prices of our markets. Land of equal goodness lets for double the rent of other land lying in the fame county; and there are many years purchase difference between different counties, where rents are equally well paid and fecure. Thus Manners operate upon the number of inhabitants: but of their filent effects upon a civil conftitution, history and even our own experience, yields us abundance of proofs, though they are not uncommonly attributed to external caufes: Their fupport of a government against external force is fo great, that it is a common maxim among the advocates of liberty, that no free government was ever diffolved, or overcome, before the manners of its fubjects were corrupted.

The fuperiority of Greece over Perfia was fingly owing to their difference of manners; and that, though all natural advantages were on the fide of the latter-to which I might add the civil ones; for though the greatest of all civil advantages, Liberty, was on the fide of Greece, yet that added no political ftrength to her [otherwife] than as it operated on her manners; and, when they were corrupted,

D

corrupted, the restoration of their liberty by the Romans, overturned the remains of their

power. Whether the manners of Ancient Rome were, at any period, calculated to promote the happiness of individuals, it is not my defign to examine: But that their manners, and the effects of those manners on their government and public conduct, founded, enlarged, and fupported, and afterwards overthrew their empire, is beyond all doubt. One of the effects of their conqueft furnishes us with a strong proof how prevalent manners are even beyond quantity of fubfiftence; for, when the custom of beftowing on the citizens of Rome corn enough to fupport themselves and families, was become established, and Egypt and Sicily produced the grain that fed the inhabitants of Italy; this became lefs populous every day; and the Jus trium liberorum was but an expedient that could not balance the want of industry and frugality. But corruption of manners did not only thin the inhabitants of the Roman Empire; it rendered the remainder incapable of defence, lang before its fall, perhaps before the diffolution of the republic; fo that without standing difciplined armies compofed of men, whofe moral habits principally, and mechanical habits fecondarily, made them different from the body of the people, the Roman empire had been a prey to the barbarians many ages before it was.-By the mechanical habits of the foldiery, I mean their discipline, and the art of war: And that this is but a fecondary quality, appears from the inequality that has in all

ages

ages been between raw, though well-difciplined armies, and veterans, and more from the irrefiftible force a fingle moral habit, Religion, has conferred on troops frequently neither difciplined nor experienced.

The military manners of the Nobleffe in France, compofe the chief force of that kingdom; and the enterprifing manners, and restless dispofitions of the inhabitants of Canada have enabled a handful of men to harafs our populous, and, generally, lefs martial colonies: Yet neither are of the value they feem at firft fight, becaufe, overbalanced by the defect they occafion of other habits that would produce more eligible political good: And military manners in a people are not neceffary in an age and country where fuch manners may be occafionally formed and preferved among men enough to defend the state; and fuch a country is Great Britain, where, though the lower clafs of people are by no means of a military caft, yet they make better foldiers than even the Nobleffe of France.

The inhabitants of this country [England,] a few ages back, were to the populous and rich provinces of France, what Canada is now to the British colonies. It is true, there was lefs difproportion between their natural strength; but I mean that the riches of France were a real weakness, opposed to the military manners founded upon poverty and a rugged difpofition, then the character of the English.-But it must be remembered, that at this time the manners of a people were D 2

not