An estimate of the comparative strength of Britain during the present and four preceding reigns; and of the losses of her trade from every war since the Revolution ... To which is added an essay on population / by the Lord Chief Justice Hale.
- George Chalmers
- Date:
- 1782
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An estimate of the comparative strength of Britain during the present and four preceding reigns; and of the losses of her trade from every war since the Revolution ... To which is added an essay on population / by the Lord Chief Justice Hale. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![[ 12/ ] How much,*' fays that laborious writer, ** this bounty has con- tributed to the improvement of huibandry, is too obvious to be difputed and accordingly, the year 1699 has been noticed as the epoch of the laft great dearth of corn in England.” A flou- riOiing agriculture mull: have neceffarily promoted populoufnefs in two refpedts ; by offering encouragement to labour j by furnifhing a fupply of provifions at once conftant and cheap, which were both extremely irregular in former times. The adt of toleration, which was at the fame time palTed, by ** giving eafe to fcrupulous confciences,” neceffarily tended to promote our induftry and traffic, and Gonfequently the progrefs of population : for, we may learn from Sir Jofiah Child how many people had been driven out of England, from the rife of the Puritans in the reign of Elizabeth, to the bleffcd aera of toleration. On the other hand, it has been already fhewn how much the eight-years war which grew out of the Revolution diftrefled the foreign trade of England. As King William employed chiefly the troops of other nations ; as the profligate and the idle prin- cipally recruited the army ; as humanity now foftened the rigours of war; it may be juftly doubted if we loft a greater number by the miferies of the camp, than were compenfated by the arrival of refugees, who fought fecurity in England. And of this opi- nion was Dr. Davenant'', who was no unconcerned fpedtator of thofe eventful times. Yet, it is a known fadl, that the taxes- which were fucceffively impofed, did not produce in proportion to their augmentations. Were we to attribute this unfavourable circutnftance to the inability and preffures of the people, more than to the novelty of contributions, to the enmity of many againft the new government, and to the diforders of the coin, we ought undoubtedly to infer, that the impofition of additional burdens neceffarily ftopped the augmentation of numbers.. Never- thelefs, internal traffic flouriihed in the mean time. In 1689, the manufactures of copper and brafs were revived, rather than in- troduced. The Sword-blade company, which fettled in Yorklhire, brought * over foreign workmen.” The French refugees im*^](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28757671_0141.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
