The Industrial Revolution

Bibliographic data

Monograph

Identifikator:: 1027928145

URN:: urn:nbn:de:zbw-retromon-159926

Document type:: Monograph

Author:: Cunningham, William http://d-nb.info/gnd/128907487

Title:: The Industrial Revolution

Place of publication:: Cambridge

Publisher:: The University Press

Year of publication:: 1922

Scope:: xxii S., S. 404-886

Digitisation:: 2021

Collection:: Economics Books

Usage license:: Get license information via the feedback formular.

THE DEMAND FOR FOOD AND HIGHER FARMING 705 made to meet these requirements’, by facilitating the import- AD me ation of food, opportunity was given for a further growth of ’ numbers. It was obvious that population was increasing on of the every side; and the anxiety, which had been felt in regard to facturing the alleged decrease in the number of the people and inability 22% to maintain our naval and military position?, was seen to be groundless. According to Chalmers’ Estimate®, there was an addition to the population of 2,830,000 in the years between 1689 and 1801; and this would, on the ordinary reckoning, necessitate an additional annual supply of nearly three million quarters of grain. But it was held that the demands of the public had increased more rapidly than the numbers, as it was believed that habits of luxury and wastefulness®, which had come into vogue, made still larger quantities requisite. During the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars there Lhe were was no serious alarm about the numbers of men, but the very supplies gravest anxiety was felt as to the supply of food. England oer was far better provided, than ever before, with the means of rictualling her navy; the development of stock-breeding, on arose from the late immense increase of manufacturers and shopkeepers, the orod:gious extent of our commerce, the number of people employed by Government a8 soldiers, sailors, collectors of revenue, &c., &e., and also the prodigious number of people who live upon the interests of the funds; also the great increase of the :apital, the manufacturing and seaport owns; that the surplus which we used to sroduce was about 1-36th part of the whole growth; and that anyone might consider, whether the number of people he had mentioned were not more than one 36th of the whole people; and that therefore the real fact was, we had no longer 3s surplus.” Parl. Hist. Xvir. p. 476. ! The severe distress which was experienced in the winter of 1782-3 was -eferred to in the King’s Speech as requiring the “instant interposition” of Parliament (Parl. Hist. xxim1. 209). A Committee was appointed which heard a considerable amount of evidence, and recommended modifications in the arrange- ments for the external trade in corn. Reports, 1x. 27, 34. See below, p. 726. 2 Dr Richard Price, in his Essay on the Population of England (1780), argned that population was decreasing, and adduced interesting statistical arguments in support of his view; but the Rev. J. Howlett showed (dn Ezamination of Dr Price’s Essay (1781), p. 80) that his reasoning was illusory. Cf. also W. Wales, Inquiry (1781), pp. 35, 67. At the same time, the opinion that there was a serious danger to the country from an insufficient population, was commonly held and found frequent expression; as in the speeches of Chatham or Shelburne, on the anxiety about defence at home caused by the loss of men in the American War {Parl. Hist. x1. 559; xx1. 1036). The success achieved by Malthus, in investi- gating the doctrine of population, is most easily measured, when we read such speeches; they were impossible after the Kssay on Population had made its mark. + Chalmers’ Estimate (1804), p. 221. 1b. 315. & Ib. 316.

Access restriction

Copyright

fullscreen: The Industrial Revolution

Monograph

Table of contents

Download

Monograph

This page

Image fragment

Citation links

Citation recommendation