Page:An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798).djvu/80

54 no doubt in the mind of any thinking man, that the population of the principal countries of Europe, France, England, Germany, Russia, Poland, Sweden, and Denmark, is much greater than ever it was in former times. The obvious reason of these exaggerations, is, the formidable aspect that even a thinly peopled nation must have, when collected together, and moving all at once in search of fresh seats. If to this tremendous appearance be added a succession at certain intervals of similar emigrations, we shall not be much surprised that the fears of the timid nations of the South, represented the North as a region absolutely swarming with human beings. A nearer and juster view of the subject at present, enables us to see, that the inference was as absurd, as if a man in this country, who was continually meeting on the