Confidering then the whole furface o f the Chinefe dominions
within the great wall to contain 1,297,999 fquare miles, or
8 j ° j7 i 9>3^0 Engliih acres, and the population to amount to
333>000)000) every fquare mile will be found to contain two
hundred and fitty-fix perfons, and every individual might
poifefs two acres and a half o f land. Great Britain is fuppofed
to average about one hundred and twenty perfons on one fquare
mile, and that to each inhabitant there might be aligned a
portion o f five acres, or to each family five-and-twenty acres.
The population of China, therefore, is to that o f Great Britain
as 256 to 120, or in a proportion fomewhat greater than two
to one; and the quantity o f land that each individual in Great
Britain might poifefs is juft twice as much as could be allowed
to each individual o f China. Wc have only then to enquire if
Britain, under the fame circumftances as China, be capable o f
fupporting twice its prefent population, or which is the fame
thing, i f twelve and an half acres o f land be fufficient for the
maintenance o f a family o f five perfons ? Tw o acres o f choice
land fown with wheat, under good tillage, may be reckoned to
average, after deduding the feed, 60 bulhels or 3600 pounds,
which every baker knows would yield 5400 pounds o f bread, or
three pounds a-day to every member o f the family for the whole
year. H a lf an acre is a great allowance for a kitchen-garden
and potatoe bed. There would ftill remain ten acres, which
mull be very bad land if, befides paying the rent and taxes, it
did not keep three or four cow s ; and an induftrious and managing
family would find no difficulty in rearing as many pigs and
as much poultry as would be neceflary for home confumption,
and
and for the purchafe o f clothing and other indifpénfable
neceflaries. I f then the country was pretty equally partitioned
out in this manner; if the land was applied iole-
ly to produce food for m an ; i f no horfes nor fuperfluous
animals were kept for pleafure, and few only for labour; if
the country was not drained o f its belt hands in foreign trade
and in large manufadtories ; if the carriage o f goods for exchanging
with other goods was performed by canals and rivers and
lakes, all abounding with filh ; if the catching o f thefe filh gave
employment to a very confiderable portion o f the inhabitants ;
i f the bulk o f the people Were fatisfied to abftain almoft wholly
from animal food, except fuch as is moft eafily procured, that
o f pigs and ducks and filh'; if only a very fmall part o f the
grain raifed was employed in the diftilleries, but was ufed as
the ftaff o f life fo r man; and i f this grain was o f fuch a nature
as to yield twice, and even three times, the produce that
wheat will give on the fame fpace o f ground ; if, moreover, the
climate was fo favourable asto allow two fuch crops every year—
if, under all thefe circumftances, twelve and a half acres o f
land wotild not fupport 'a family o f five perfons ; the fault
could bnly be afcribed to idlenefs or bad management.
Let us then, for a, moment, confider that thefe or fimi.lar advantages
operate iniGhiná; that .every product o f the ground is
appropriated folely for the food and clothing o f man ; that a
Angle acre o f land, fown with rice, will yield a fufficient quantity
for the confumption o f five people for a whole year, allowing
tp each perfon two pounds a-day, provided the returns of
his crop are from twenty to twenty-five .for one, which are con-
fidered as extremely moderate, being frequently more than
4 e twice