his toil. It is not at all uncommon to find hostile writers, who have never ventured upon the labour of examining his proofs, talking of "Mr. Sadler's gratuitous assumptions." Yet not more absurd would it be to talk of the "gratuitous assumptions" of Euclid or of Sir Isaac Newton. The fact is, that Mr. Sadler's work is one of the most extraordinary collections of facts, all of which are relevant, and bearing irresistibly on the question, that ever the industry of any one man brought together.

In it he proves,-(and this entitles it to the rank of a system,)— what had before been only surmised,—that the increase of population does not proceed, as Mr. Malthus had asserted, in a fixed and settled ratio, doubling numbers again and again at certain periods, -but in a varying and diminishing ratio, ever becoming less and less as the density of the population increases.

And in this way his system becomes a fresh feature in natural theology; establishing, in a new instance, the fact of the everpresent operation of Divine Providence, in the regulation of this world's affairs.

For instance, take the case of England, and observe the proportion of births to marriages in the different counties of it.

396

By a most careful and laborious examination of the census, Mr. S. found, that for each 100 marriages the births were— In the counties having from 50 to 100 to the square mile 420 In the counties having from 100 to 150 In the counties having from 150 to 200 In the counties having from 200 to 250 In the counties having from 250 to 300 In the counties having from 300 to 350 In the counties having from 500 to 600 In the county having 4000

390

388

378

353

331

246

Now, to form 100 marriages, it is necessary to have 200 persons. Then, of their offspring, nearly one-half die before attaining the age of manhood. It becomes clear, then, that the births in Middlesex, and the thickly-peopled counties, would not keep up their population. In Middlesex, 200 married persons having only 246 children, and at least 100 of these dying in childhood and youth, there would be, in the next generation, only about 70 couples proceeding from the first 100.

And so of Lancashire, Staffordshire, &c. It is only by migration from the more thinly-peopled districts that their populations are kept up. And how wonderful the balance, which keeps the tide of human life so gradually and gently advancing, feeding the barren districts by the overplus of the more fruitful ones, and

thus gently yielding the means, if we were but wise enough to avail ourselves of it, of constant improvement !

To return, then, to the question, of the respective merits, or demerits, of these two authors:

Mr. Malthus's fame and character must stand or fall by his far-famed ratios. If this one point, the distinguishing feature of his system,-be established or admitted; then his practical conclusions become inevitable, and it will be unjust to blame him for giving counsel which is cruel and wicked if, but only if, his primary doctrine be false.

Mr. Sadler's rank also must be determined by his success, in establishing his own peculiar system. The distinguishing feature of his theory, is, the assertion of the fact, that the increase of human beings is not in a fixed and regular ratio; but one perpetually varying; and that that increase is always greater in thinly-peopled districts, and less in densely-peopled ones. Against this great fact, many subsequent writers have railed and scoffed, and talked of " gratuitous assumptions," and the like; but no one has yet been found to make even an attempt at disproving or disturbing the enormous mass of facts which Mr. Sadler has accumulated in support of his theory.

And now, a word in conclusion, on the practical application of these two systems.

Some men feel disposed to favour Mr. Malthus's system, because they imagine that it favours individual forethought and prudence. It is true that Mr. Malthus does introduce into his work some precepts of this kind; but they have no necessary or natural connection with his theory. The true deductions from his theory are not addressed to individuals, but to legislators; and concern the question, not of how these legislators shall contract marriage; but of how they shall repress population. Mr. Malthus, in inculcating forethought, did only what hundreds had done before him, and deserved no peculiar praise or blame. But Mr. Malthus, in teaching legislators to repress population, did what was new, and peculiar to himself; and what deserved and has received, very general reprobation.

In like manner of Mr. Sadler: The supposition, so generally entertained, that because he opposes Mr. Malthus's false facts and cruel inferences, therefore he is in favour of rash and improvident marriages, is as unfounded as any supposition can be. Never once have I seen a single line or sentence of his published writings, adduced in support of such a charge. His main object, like Mr. Malthus, is to teach legislators, not individuals.

Hence I object to the reviewer's remark, as applied to Mr. Sadler's system, that "To turn marriage into a mere problem of mercenary calculation is bad: but to assign it no law or limit but mere physical instinct, is, in our judgment, no better." If this, indeed, were his view of the two systems, respectively, then I can quite understand his general decision, that "both of these theories are almost equally deceptive and insufficient." But what I wish to press upon the Reviewer's attention is this,-that neither Mr. Malthus or Mr. Sadler ever undertook to treat of marriage, considered as an individual action; but that both of these writers dealt with a totally different question,-namely, whether it was a ruler's duty, looking not at individuals, but at the nation,-to encourage, or to repress, marriage.

Mr. Malthus asserts, and maintains it his peculiar and fundamental principle, that if men and women were generally to marry at the marriageable age, the consequence must be a famine,-inasmuch as their power of increase would be greater than the power of increase found in the fruits of the earth. His conclusion, therefore, is, that rulers ought to repress and discountenance marriage, in order to postpone or prevent the arrival of that sad but fast-approaching day, when population shall decidedly have overpassed the growth of food, and when the pressure of scarcity shall begin to be felt.

Mr. Sadler, on the other hand, utterly repudiates Mr. Malthus's imaginary ratios, and overthrows all his statements of fact. His theory is, that the increase of population slackens and diminishes, as the density of numbers in any place increases. He thus asserts a varying and self-adjusting principle, which, if true, must form a distinct chapter in natural theology. And that it is true, he renders at least probable by the adduction of a prodigious mass of evidence.

Such are the two systems; and believing, as I do, that Mr. Sadler has established his case, I cannot be entirely satisfied with being told, that his theory is "equally deceptive" with that of Mr. Malthus, unless facts or reasonings shall be adduced, which shall fairly invalidate all his proofs.

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