A Statistical and Historical Inquiry Into the Progress and Magnitude of the Population of Ireland

A Statistical And Historical Inquiry Into The Progress And Magnitude Of The Population Of Ireland by Thomas Newenham. This early 19th?century analytic treatise examines how the population of Ireland has grown and by what means. Newenham surveys climate, food supply (notably potatoes), marriage patterns, and government policy, arguing that Ireland historically enjoyed advantages for population growth—plenty of food, a salubrious climate, and a relatively free, if imperfect, polity—yet suffered depopulation through wars, pestilences, oppressive laws and mismanaged hearth?money. Through a synthesis of contemporary authorities, parliamentary returns, and accounts of emigration, trade, and taxation, he estimates populations at various dates, assesses the effect of tillage vs pasture, and argues that Ireland could sustain a population much larger than it then did. He analyzes Catholics vs Protestants, absentee landowners, and the economy of Ireland, concluding that internal tranquillity and improved institutions would enable Ireland to rival other great nations in wealth and population.