An Extract of the Register of the Parish of Great Shefford, Near Lamborne, in Berkshire, for Ten Years: With Observations on the Same: In a Letter to Tho. Birch, D. D. Secret. R. S. from the Rev. Mr. Richard Forster, Rector of Great Shefford

and neglected too long, have been followed by very direful circumstances. I have known a young gentleman to have great hard swellings about his head, and become epileptic, losing his senses as he advanced in years, from a blow with the back of a book given him by a master. I am, with due respect, The Society's Sept. 18. 1757. Most obedient Servant, James Parsons. XLIII. An Extract of the Register of the Parish of Great Shefford, near Lamborne, in Berkshire, for Ten Years: With Observations on the same: In a Letter to Tho. Birch, D.D. Secret. R.S. from the Rev. Mr. Richard Forster, Rector of Great Shefford. Great Shefford, near Lamborne, Berks, July 8. 1757. Rev. Sir, WHEN I settled in the country, abundant leisure enabled me to keep an exact parish-register. I have now finished ten years, I trust, with sufficient care, having examined every thing accurately myself. The sight of three letters, lately published in the Transactions, upon the subject of political arithmetic, put me upon over- overlooking and methodizing my own account; which I here send you, to make what use you think proper of it. From Lady-day 1747. to D°. 1757. Baptized - \{Males — 73\} — — — 148 Buried -- \{Males — 44\} — — — 83 Increase — 65 Buried \{ Under 2 years of age — 25 Between 2 &c 5 ———— 4 5 — 10 ———— 3 10 — 20 ———— 4 20 — 30 ———— 5 30 — 40 ———— 9 40 — 50 ———— 4 50 — 60 ———— 4 60 — 70 ———— 9 70 — 80 ———— 11 80 — 87 ———— 5 \} And but one alive above 87, who is 91. The Number of People 425. The Number of Houses 90. The Number of Acres 2245. whereof \( \frac{1}{6} \) is waste. I do not offer such trifling numbers as these, as a fit subject to build a canon of life upon; but only as they may furnish us with a few particulars, which may throw some small light upon a subject hitherto very little cultivated: and as what has been advanced this way has been always taken from great cities, a little from the country perhaps may not be disagreeable. The first observable in my numbers is, that the two infancies of human life are exactly equal; i.e. as many die above 60 as under 2 years of age; and that these two periods of life are by much the most sickly, five eighths of the whole, nearly, dying in these two stages, which renders the intermediate numbers very small. This will give us some reason to suspect, that capital cities are very improper to estimate the probabilities of life from. The continual flux of people from the circumjacent country, to seek for employment, makes the decrements of life seem much larger than they really are. London is very remarkable upon this account; and Breslaw must receive pretty large accessions, as a very considerable manufacture is carried on there. The second thing I would observe from my table is, that it confirms what Dr. Brackenridge observes of the Isle of Wight; viz. that the births are to the burials as 2 to 1 almost; ours being as 15 to 8 nearly. Now if this is the case of all the country places in England, it will give us a strong presumption, that the increase of mankind is much quicker than Dr. Derham's proportion of 1 to 12; especially if we consider, Thirdly, That of the living not 1 in 50 dies yearly; and this in a village not very healthy. We are situated upon the celebrated Lamborne stream, which which dries up generally in August, and leaves a stagnated water, and stinking mud, at a critical season of the year, which bring on a putrid fever, and make our place sometimes very sickly. In the year 1751 we buried 17, and in 1756. 11: and therefore we may presume, that in the healthiest parts of the nation, the proportion is still greater, perhaps not one in 60. In order to clear up this, it were to be wished, that the actual number of the people was known, where-ever the bills of mortality are exhibited. All reasoning without this preliminary is really not much better than groping in the dark. A fourth thing observable from my numbers is, that the quantity of people allotted to a house is too big in all former calculations: for if we divide 425, the number of people, by 90, the number of houses, it gives but 4.72, which is not quite $4\frac{3}{4}$ to a house; and therefore 5 to a house, I believe, is as much as ought to be allowed, taking the nation all together. Now if the number of houses, taken in Queen Anne's time, be any thing near the right, with one fourth more allowed for cottages, according to Dr. Brackenridge's computation, we shall make the people in England, allowing 5 to a house, to be only 4,556,550. which appears, at first sight, to be too small a number. However, of Shefford I would beg leave to observe, (and it is far from being the poorest of villages) that more than two thirds of all the houses are downright cottages, and must be excluded, one as much as another, from any proposed assessment. Upon this foundation we must grant, that at least half the houses in England, take towns and all together, must be cottages, and plead an exemption from taxation all all alike. And thus the number of houses will be 1,458,096, which, multiplied by 5, will give us the number of people, 7,290,480. If to this we add the proposed increase, 789,558, we shall have 8,080,038 for the number of people now alive in England. The fifth and last thing I would observe from my numbers is, that we may hence guess at the number of people in the whole kingdom: for if 1871, the good acres in Shefford, demand 425 persons for their cultivation, then will 25,300,000 good acres in England require 5,704,168 for the cultivation of the land only. Now supposing one third part of the people only to live in towns, above what is necessary for the cultivation of the land belonging to such towns, then we must add 2,852,084 to the above sum, which gives us 8,556,252 for the number of people in England. It may probably here be said, that this is but little better than reckoning at random. Indeed I allow it is so. But then I must beg leave to observe, that it has full as good a foundation to stand upon, as any calculation, that I have seen hitherto advanced. It has one datum, viz. a certain number of persons to a certain number of acres. It ought to be noted at the same time, that we are an inland place, have no sort of manufacture carried on, and consequently no accession of strangers. If we examine the calculation arising from the consumption of wheat, we shall see some reason to suspect, that the number of inhabitants in England is not short of eight millions. I am persuaded I do not exaggerate, when I affirm, that three fourths of the people north of Trent, and in Wales, do not eat eat wheat: and as this is near a third part of England, it will follow, that one fourth of the whole is left out of the calculation, and that we must add near two millions to it to make it complete. Again, I compute, that in my parish there are killed annually 160 fat hogs, viz. above one to three persons; and that this humour of pig-killing prevails over half of England at least, and is in some measure indulged in all parts. Now we will suppose, that there are but six millions of people in the nation, and that what is killed in the northern half makes up for what is deficient by reason of towns in the southern half; we must from hence conclude, that a million of fat hogs are killed in England every year. Now one hog with another takes two quarters of corn, sometimes barley, sometimes pease: if we put half barley, we shall be under the truth. And here we shall have a million quarters of barley, not only to balance the exportation of wheat, but also to be equivalent to, as much bread-corn as will maintain a full million of people. Farther, it is well known, that the greatest part of the corn-trade is, of late years, got into the hands of millers: and it has been whispered about for a considerable time, and, I think, now the millers do not deny it, that some whiting is carried to all the great mills. The excuse alleged for it is, that it makes the flour wet, and consequently bake, the better. I am rather inclined to be of opinion, that it is to give a colour to something that wants colour. And indeed, whoever tastes the common bakers bread against a piece of genuine wheat-bread, will have some reason to suspect, that all is not gold, that glitters. Every body knows, knows, that the millers buy large quantities of barley and pease, they say, to fat hogs: but then they have pollard, middlings, &c. to fat them with; and so may possibly mix the barley and pease with wheat to grind. But as this is all surmise, I would have no more weight laid upon it than it deserves. The next article is of the same nature; I mean, something of a mystery in trade; and therefore to be touched very gently. What I would hint is, that it is the opinion of many very intelligent persons, that a good deal of malt is made, which does not pay the excise. I do not pretend to ascertain the quantity: perhaps one eighth may not be an extravagant supposition. And if this be the case, we shall find as much barley, as will weigh against bread for half a million of people. But here, in all probability, you will object, that if all these articles be admitted, we shall make the number of people near eleven millions; which is undoubtedly too much. I am ready to grant it. And here, if I might take the liberty to speak my mind, I think, that the allowance of one quarter of wheat to three persons is too scanty, and must quite starve the poor, whose chief provision is bread: and therefore, two persons to a quarter may be pretty near the truth. And then the numbers will stand thus: | Article | Quantity | |----------------------------------|----------------| | Such as eat wheat, by supposition | 4,500,000 | | In the North, and in Wales | 1,500,000 | | Against the fattening article | 1,000,000 | | Against the two last articles | 1,000,000 | 8,000,000 I can- I cannot conclude this long scroll without recommending it strongly to the members of the Royal Society, who have many of them seats in parliament, and most of them interest in those that have, to get an Act passed for perfecting registers. The trouble is trifling; the expense nothing. It would be of great service likewise to number the people: and this might be done with great ease. I was not three hours in finishing mine on foot; tho' it is, perhaps, as extensive, for the number of people, as most in England, being near five miles in length. I am, Reverend Sir, Your affectionate Brother, and very humble Servant, Richard Forster, Rector. XLIV. A remarkable Case of an Aneurism, or Disease of the principal Artery of the Thigh, occasioned by a Fall. To which is prefixed a short Account of the Uncertainty of the distinguishing Symptoms of this Disease. By Jos. Warner, F.R.S. and Surgeon to Guy's Hospital. Read Nov. 17, 1757. WHEN the coats of an artery become by any means praeternaturally distended, when they become wounded, or when they become ruptured in such a manner as to