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Cover of Malthus and the Population Controversy 1803-1830

Malthus and the Population Controversy 1803-1830

  • Published: 1994
  • DOI: 10.4324/9780415105033
  • Set ISBN: 9780415105033

Set Contents

An Inquiry Concerning the Population of Nations Containing A Refutation of Mr Malthus’s Essay on Population

‘These contradictions and repugnances of Mr Malthus I here mention to justify for the present a passing observation on his defects… Finding on consideration that his original doctrine was narrow and false and hideous – for what could be more false and monstrous than that population was only controlled by vice and misery? – he attempted to restore its credit by adding moral restraint to the insolvent firm of his philosophy. And in order to keep these partners in tolerable society, he laboured to reconcile antipathies and harmonize discord. Thus his contradictions have increased with every new edition;…’

George Ensor

Volume Contents

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    Front Matter
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    Introduction By Chuhei Sugiyama; Andrew Pyle
  • An Inquiry Concerning the Populatíon of Natíons: Containing a Refutation of Mr. Malthus’s Essay on Population.
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      Prelims
    • Part I
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        I
        Introduction—Populousness encouraged and enforced by Athenian, Lacedemonian, Roman, Jewish, Persian, Mahometan, Chinese, Hindoo, Gaulish legislators.
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        II
        Philosophers favored populousness.
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        III
        Legislators and authors unfriendly to population.
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        IV
        Contradictions of states and writers respecting population.—Spain, England.—Mr. Malthus, &c.
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        V
        Contradictions and exaggerations of writers principally in consequence of ignorance of facts.—Ancient estimates of different countries and people.
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        VI
        Attempts of authors, from want of facts, to ascertain the population of states by hearths, families, taxation, houses, marriages, baptisms, births, burials; by fuel consumed; by food eaten; by churches, by cobwebs.
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        VII
        Actual census at Rome—at Athens. Ignorance and errors of Mr. Milford in consequence of his hatred of Republics, exposed. Errors of Mr. Hume respecting the Athenian census.
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        VIII
        Confusion and contradictions from want of census in European nations, particularly in England and Ireland.—Census of 1801 and 1811.—Domesday book a model.—Though census have been made for wasteful or ambitious purposes, necessary;—should be frequent and elaborate, including land, in tillage, &c.—Guesses of writers concerning territorial extent of Great Britain, the cultivated land, horses, their consumption, &c.
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        IX
        Opposition to Mr. Mai thus—do not oppose him on the grounds of other writers. Mr. Malthus, though not superstitious, dogmatizes on Nature—Nature’s mighty feast, according to Mr. Malthus— his abuse of the people—iniquitous governments and the truly idle, silently or openly supported by him.—The true cause of the distress of the people. Origin of the doctrines of Mr. Malthus— his confusion respecting checks, and the great deficiency of those mentioned by him might have added the natural check—the celestial, or religious—the precocious, or fiscal—the philosophical—the magnanimous—the athletic—the proprietary check— his direct contradictions on this particular—his argument for the increase of the Jews in Egypt miraculous, and contradicts his own theory— his geometrical and arithmetical ratios exposed. That population presses against food, disproved;—the cause of the mistake explained by the situation of Sweden, by the situation of the British.—The poor man’s labour far more surcharged than the rich man’s property by taxes. Plenty in Britain, but iniquitously divided—given to idle dogs, horses, &c. Mr. Malthus’s tendency to increase beyond food, false.—The argument and examples of Mr. Malthus for the pressure of population against subsistence—from war, in the savage state—his eat a village ridiculed:—he supposes want of subsistence is an inducement to war—disproved by all great events ancient and modern.—Emigration, not from want of food and room, proved by various facts and arguments, and from his own reasoning and assertions—his monstrous contradictions—his contradictions concerning population following the natural order, Mr. Malthus subjects the seasons to man’s disposition to inordinate breeding—considers plague, pestilence, famine, as corrective of redundant population. Mans happiness, according to Mr. Malthus, depends on the abundance of his food.—His false and unpopular remarks respecting Siberians and Russia—respecting food, &c.—abuses the people.—People will not breed if fed—even the rich and prerogative orders perish.
    • Part II
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        I
        Means adopted, to increase the people—promiscuous intercourse—polygamy—fining bachelors—compulsory measures—parish marriages. Mr. Malthus—bounties—exemptions—lying-in and foundling hospitals. Mr. Malthus. Hospitals for health, England deficient in some respects—greatly improved in others. Mr. Malthus supposes that inoculation has not increased population, and that all remedies against plagues, &c. have also been ineffectual.—On the contrary, health promotes population; and every life saved is so much stock saved—the people riches.
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        II
        Further means that have been adopted to increase the people by tributes of men and women—by total transfers of people. Catharine of Russia’s ruinous projects—Mr. Malthus’s projects—Sir John Sinclair’s, &c.—Agriculture—pasture—manufactures—colonial policy as means of increasing population. Spence’s—Southey’s—Preston’s,—to feed the people with fish. Count Rumford’s cookery.—Mr. Gray proposes eating-houses, &c.
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        III
        Modes of checking or destroying population—emasculation—absolute celibacy. Mr. Malthus—Tibet—celibacy of priests, &c.—protracted celibacy by law—custom. Mr. Malthus and Swiss political peasant. Mr. Malthus advises late marriages—praise of the Norwegians, that they are better off than the English, exposed—his sermon on marrying, &c. Polyandry. Abstinence of married people from cohabiting—total separation—protracting the time of suckling children—abortion—infanticide—exposing children—infants employed in manufactures—selling children—Spartan Cryptia. Persecutions—depopulation by Highland proprietors unparalleled—monopolies tend to depopulate—bad government—civil war—foreign war—conquests. Slavery injurious—destroyed the population at Rome—Servile wars. Mistake of Mom. Say respecting the cheapness of slaves’ work. Mr. Malthus supposes in all countries, except West Indies, slaves will support their population—False—by different examples—as slavery destroys, liberty restores population.
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        IV
        Some writers superciliously indifferent respecting the possibility of increasing population.—Dr. Jarrold’s mind-check.—Surgeon Birch.—Mr. Malthus.—Mr. Weyland.
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        V
        Dissertation on Population in Ireland.—Mr. Malthus’s—Mr. Weyland’s—Mr. Ricardo’s—Mr. Grahame’s opinions, &c. exposed.— The poverty and populousness of Ireland truly explained.
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        VI
        No free nation distressed by excess of people.—Ill-governed nations distressed, whether having few or many people.—Population declining and misery increasing with the viciousness of the government;—and the reverse—population increasing and comfort with liberty.—Examples—Egypt—Crete—Rhodes—Cyprus—Sparta —Athens—Italy.
    • Part III
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        I
        Various considerations respecting what should determine the meaning of Populousness—or the contrary—as different states of society—situation—climate—soil—unhealthiness—salubrity—aridity—commodities—customary food—habits—intemperance—abstemiousness—luxury—government.
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        II
        The considerations in the preceding chapter considered by a review of the population in China—perhaps no sufficient reasons for disbelieving its immense imputed population.—The Chinese never advanced beyond the second or middle state.
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        III
        On populous cities.
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        IV
        Population neither forced nor defrauded not alarming—papulation to be encouraged—how — natives and foreigners admitted absolute liberty of entry and egress,—Iniquitous conduct of the English government.—Error of Gibbon on the policy of some ancient states, Roman, Athenian, &c. respecting their increasing their population from abroad.—All not criminals to have the same right to labour, and trade, and sojourn—foreigners not to possess civil authority, except in extraordinary cases.
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        V
        No cause of fearing over-populousness.—Should people exceed, why not migrate?—Mr. Malthus.— Colonizing.—India,— the effects of that country on the commerce and opulence of Great Britain. —The British in India, and on their return.—The monstrous and confused government of British India.—Its ruinous effects in India. —The remedy suggested, to convert the Hindoos to Christianity.— The government despotic; yet considered, particularly by Sir W. Jones, as necessary, and appointed by Providence.—The vices of the Asiatics referable to their governments.—The Asiatics equal to the Europeans proved, by examples from ancient and modern times.—The Hindoos no way peculiar—yet they must le treated as no other people ever were;—exemplified—No colonization; no community of interest, language, —What should be done in respect to India.— I no advocate for colonizing.—Colonies seldom succeed.—Losses by West Indian colonies to Great Britain.— If colonies be planted, to be treated with the utmost liberality.— Ancient opinions on that subject.
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        VI
        Corn Laws.—Bounties.—Prohibition to import foreign corn, &c.
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        VII
        Principal causes of poverty in England—the expense of the monarchy—namely, many courts, the nobility, the ecclesiastical establishment, the House of Commons, the national debt, subsidies, wars, military establishments, pensioners, sinecurists,—which are contrary to custom and precedents, to common sense and common honesty. The circumstances of England and America contrasted—Reform.
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        VIII
        Conclusion—Summary view.