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.
