Page:William Petty - Economic Writings (1899) vol 1.djvu/348

250 upon their Backs; and in a Boat, or upon Ice, as Twenty : So that I say again, this first point of this general Position, needs little or no proof. But the second and more material part of this Conclusion is, that this difference in Land and People, arises principally from their Situation, Trade, and Policy.|[3]|

To clear this, I shall compare Holland and Zealand, with the Kingdom of ''France, viz. Holland and Zealand do not contain above one Million of English Acres, whereas the Kingdom of France'' contains above 80.

Now the Original and Primitive difference holds proportion as Land to Land, for it is hard to say, that when these places were first planted, whether an Acre in France was better than the like quantity in Holland and Zealand nor is there any reason to suppose, but that therefore upon the first Plantation, the number of Planters was in Proportion to the quantity of Land; wherefore, if the People are not in the same proportion as the Land, the same must be attributed to the Scituation of the Land, and to the Trade and Policy of the People superstructed thereupon.

The next thing to be shewn is, that Holland and Zealand at this day, is not only an eightieth part as rich and strong as France, but that it hath advanced to one third or thereabouts, which I think will appear upon the Ballance of the following particulars, viz. |[4]|

As to the Wealth of France, a certain Map of that That the Kingdom, set forth Anno 1647. represents it to be fifteen Millions, whereof six did belong to the Church, the Author thereof (as I suppose) meaning the Rents of the Lands only: And the Author of a most Judicious discourse of Husbandry (supposed to be Sir Richard Weston ,) doth from reason and experience shew, that Lands in the Netherlands, by bearing