ABSTRACT
The fundamental cause of the low state of population in Turkey, compared with its extent of territory, is undoubtedly the nature of the government. To complete the ruin of agriculture, a maximum is in many cases established, and the peasants are obliged to furnish the towns with corn at a fixed price. It is a maxim of Turkish policy, originating in the feebleness of the government and the fear of popular tumults, to keep the price of corn low in all the considerable towns. There is certainly a considerable difference in the healthiness of different countries, arising partly from the soil and situation, and partly from the habits and employment of the people. But the English North-American colonies, now the powerful people of the United States of America, far outstripped all the others in the progress of their population. The political institutions which prevailed were favourable to the alienation and division of property.
