Postscript. (2)

“Russia being mentioned as likely to become a great empire by the rapid increase of population:—Johnson. Why sir, I see no prospect of their propagating more. They can have no more children than, they can get. I know of no way to make them breed more than they do. Boswell. But have not nations been more populous at one period than another? Johnson. Yes, sir; but that has been owing to the people being less thinned at one time than another, whether by emigrations, war, or pestilence, not to their being more or less prolific. Births at all times bear the same proportion to the same number of people.”