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Front Page arrow Titles (by Subject) arrow CHAP. VIII.: How the Names, Bounds, Titles, and Values, of Lands may be settled and ascertained; with Remedy of the Miscarriages, which have happened in the 35 Years last past in the Disposures of them. - The Economic Writings of Sir William Petty, vol. 2

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CHAP. VIII.: How the Names, Bounds, Titles, and Values, of Lands may be settled and ascertained; with Remedy of the Miscarriages, which have happened in the 35 Years last past in the Disposures of them. - 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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CHAP. VIII.

How the Names, Bounds, Titles, and Values, of Lands may be settled and ascertained; with Remedy of the Miscarriages, which have happened in the 35 Years last past in the Disposures of them.

1. LEt the down-Survey be finished according to the Clause in the 73d. Page of the Explanatory Act, and a certain Number of Denominations be pitched upon to be onely used in Public Instruments and Conveyances; and let the Spellings of each be also ascertained and published, and withal to every Surround upon the Plotts and down-Survey be added an English Name.

2. Let all controverted Bounds, be perambulated by the Persons concern'd, and the Determination of them be described by the Chain and Needle.

3. Let all remaining Wrangles about the title be determined in England by indifferent Persons, without respect to Nation and Religion, and then well and clearly registred.

4. Let the Value of each Denomination be expressed by the Increase of Flesh producible from the same at a Medium of 7 Years, reducing all other Qualities into that onely.

5. Let the Number of Years Purchase be determined by the common Voice of both Nations, to be renewed every 7 Years.

6. And let there be a Registry of all these Matters and of all Alienations from Hand to Hand.

Memorandum. That it may, as an Objection, be asked, Why a Million of People might not rather be sent out of England into Ireland, to raise the Number in Ireland from 4 to 7, and reduce that of England from 7 to 6. I answer, No.

For the Value of Lands in England being 220 Millions, the Taking away one Million of it's 7 Millions of Inhabitants would lessen it's Value from 49 to 36, or from 4 to 3 to the Loss of 55 Millions. And the Value of the Lands of Ireland being but 12 Millions, the Increase of its Inhabitants would but raise it's Value from 16 to 49 or from 1 to 3, and make it rise from 12 to 36 Millions, to the Gain of 24 Millions for Ireland, & ye Loss of 55 from England.

Whereas the Transplantation of a Million into England gains 100 Millions in Common to England and Ireland, and 10 Millions in special to Ireland, besides many other Benefits to both Nations, which do not fall under the Computation of Numbers. From hence may be drawn a General Rule to compute the Profits or Loss of Sending People, out of England or Ireland, to the American Colonies, and indeed from any City or Countrey to another, whose Value and People are known.