Page:William Petty - Economic Writings (1899) vol 1.djvu/278

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180
The Political Anatomy

assur'd[1] by whom, and for what ends, and by what means every such Valuations and Inquisitions were respectively made, had rather attempt some Rule in nature, whereby to value and proportionate the Lands of Ireland: The first whereof I propose to be; That how many Men, Women and Children live in any Countrey Parish, that the Rent of that Land is near about so many times 15s.[2] be the quantity |63| and quality of the Land what it will. 2. That in the meanest of the 160M. Cabbins, one with another are five Souls, in the 24,000 six Souls[3]. In all the other Houses Ten a piece, one with another.


The TABLE.[4]

BUT to make nearer approaches to the perfection of this Work, 'twould be expedient to know the Content of Acres of every Parish, and withal, what quantity of Butter, Cheese, Corn, and Wooll, was raised out of it for three years consequent; for thence the natural Value of the Land may be known, and by the number of People living within a Market-days Journey, and the Value of their housing, which shews the Quality and Expence of the said People; I would hope to come to the knowledg of the Value of the said Commodities, and consequently the Value of the Land, by

  1. S, 'well assur'd.'
  2. Cox, 'The computaċion of ye value of land p 15s for every inhabitant is very strange and can have noe certainty nor pbability—for Example Typerary has not more people in it twice than the Barony of Carbury, but it is 40 times yt value p ann. & is for ye most pte kept under sheep, & therefore thinly inhabited.'

  3. In the margin of S,
    '160 16000
    5 10
    —— ——
    800 M. 24
    144 6
    160
    —— 144 .'
    1,104000
  4. The Table was probably omitted from the original MS. and the copyist of S left no space for it.