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OBSERVATIONS UPON THE CITIES OF LONDON AND ROME. - Sir William Petty, The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, vol. 2 [1681]

Edition used:

The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, together with The Observations upon Bills of Mortality, more probably by Captain John Graunt, ed. Charles Henry Hull (Cambridge University Press, 1899), 2 vols.

Part of: The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, 2 vols.

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OBSERVATIONS
UPON THE
CITIES
OF
LONDON
AND
ROME.

By Sir WILLIAM PETTY, Fellow of the Royal Society.

LONDON, Printed for Henry Mortlocke, at the Phœnix, in St. Paul's Church-Yard, and F. Lloyd, in the middle Exchange next Salisbury-House in the Strand. 1687.

OBSERVATIONS
UPON THE
CITIES
OF
LONDON and ROME.

1. THAT before the year 1630, the Christnings at London exceeded the Burials of the same1 , but about the year 1655 they were scarce half; and now about two thirds2 . ‖

2. Before the Restauration of Monarchy in England, Anno 1660, the People of Paris were more than those of London and Dublin put together, whereas now, the People of London are more than those of Paris and Rome, or of Paris and Rouen3 .

3. Anno 1665 one fifth part of the then People of London, or 97 thousand died of the Plague1 , and in the next year 1666, 13 thousand Houses or one fifth part of all the Housing of London were burnt also.

4. At the Birth of Christ, old Rome was the greatest City of the World, and London the greatest ‖ at the Coronation of King James the Second, and near 6 times as great as the present Rome, wherein are 119 thousand Souls besides Jews2 .

5. In the years of King Charles the Second his death, and King James the Second his Coronation (which were neither of them remarkable for extraordinary Sickliness or Healthfulness) the Burials did wonderfully agree, viz. Anno 1684, they were 23202, and Anno 1685 they were 23222, the Medium whereof is 23212. And the Christnings did very wonderfully agree also, having been Anno 1684, 14702, and Anno 1685, 14732, the Medium whereof is 147163 , which consistence was ‖ never seen before, the said number of 23212 Burials making the People of London to be 696360, at the rate of one Dying per annum out of 30.

6. Since the great Fire of London, Anno 1666 about 7 parts of 15 of the present vast City hath been new built, and is with its People increased near one half, and become equal to Paris and Rome put together, the one being the Seat of the great French Monarchy, and the other of the Papacy.

FINIS.

WHITE-HALL,

Feb. 18th, 168 image . Let this be printed.

Sunderland P.

[1]According to Graunt's table (pp. 407–8), which was probably Petty's source of information, this assertion is far from correct. In the twenty-five years from 1604 to 1630 the burials exceeded the christenings in sixteen instances, or including the plague burials in nineteen instances.

[2]

Year.Burials.Christenings.
168320,58714,735
168423,20214,702
168523,22214,730

[3]As late as 1672 Graunt thought Paris more than one-fifth, but less than one-fourth larger than London (pp. 424). Petty, however, includes parishes which Graunt excluded (pp. 423, 457), and this may account for his transference to 1660 of the time when Paris exceeded London.

[1]In 1665 97,306 died, but only 68,596 were returned of the plague.

[2]“A Rome il meurt plus de 3000 personnes par an parce qu'il y a plus de cent mil ames. l'année passée il y en avoit 119825 sans les Juifs qui sont pres de trent milles. On meurt moins a Rome parce qu'il n'y a pas d'enfants a proportion des autres Villes, et bien des gens y vienent demurer ayant passé le temps auquel on meurt d'advantage. la sobriete et le soin qu'on a de la sante fait qu'on y meurt moins qu'en une Ville ou on est debauché.”…… Extract from a letter of II. Justel to the Royal Society, read 27 October, 1686; Royal Society's Letter Book, vol. x., p. 26.

[3]14716 should be 14717.