Essays on Mankind and Political ArithmeticPetty, William, Sir
History
Essays on Mankind and Political Arithmetic
Petty, William, Sir
London (England) -- Population; Population
First, as to practicable, we say, that although our said extravagant
proposals are both in nature possible, yet it is not obvious to every man
to conceive how London, now seven times bigger than in the beginning of
Queen Elizabeth’s reign, should be seven times bigger than now it is, and
forty-nine times bigger than A.D. 1560. To which I say, 1. That the
present city of London stands upon less than 2,500 acres of ground,
wherefore a city seven times as large may stand upon 10,500 acres, which
is about equivalent to a circle of four miles and a half in diameter, and
less than fifteen miles in circumference. 2. That a circle of ground of
thirty-five miles semidiameter will bear corn, garden-stuff, fruits, hay,
and timber, for the 4,690,000 inhabitants of the said city and circle, so
as nothing of that kind need be brought from above thirty-five miles
distance from the said city; for the number of acres within the said
circle, reckoning two acres sufficient to furnish bread and drink-corn
for every head, and two acres will furnish hay for every necessary horse;
and that the trees which may grow in the hedgerows of the fields within
the said circle may furnish timber for 600,000 houses. 3. That all live
cattle and great animals can bring themselves to the said city; and that
fish can be brought from the Land’s End and Berwick as easily as now. 4.
Of coals there is no doubt: and for water, 20s. per family (or £600,000
per annum in the whole) will serve this city, especially with the help of
the New River. But if by practicable be understood that the present
state may be suddenly changed into either of the two above-mentioned
proposals, I think it is not practicable. Wherefore the true question
is, unto or towards which of the said two extravagant states it is best
to bend the present state by degrees, viz., Whether it be best to lessen
or enlarge the present city? In order whereunto, we inquire (as to the
first question) which state is most defensible against foreign powers,
saying, that if the above-mentioned housing, and a border of ground, of
three-quarters of a mile broad, were encompassed with a wall and ditch of
twenty miles about (as strong as any in Europe, which would cost but a
million, or about a penny in the shilling of the house-rent for one year)
what foreign prince could bring an army from beyond seas, able to beat—1.
Our sea-forces, and next with horse harassed at sea, to resist all the
fresh horse that England could make, and then conquer above a million of
men, well united, disciplined, and guarded within such a wall, distant
everywhere three-quarters of a mile from the housing, to elude the
granadoes and great shot of the enemy? 2. As to intestine parties and
factions, I suppose that 4,690,000 people united within this great city
could easily govern half the said number scattered without it, and that a
few men in arms within the said city and wall could also easily govern
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