Des causes de la dépopulation et des moyens d'y remédier.

A Londres, et se trouve à Paris, Chez Dessain junior, 1767. (2), xii, 298 pp. 12mo. Contemporary marbled calf, spine gilt in compartments, label with gilt lettering, red edges, some light scratches, small repair to joint of rear cover, a fine copy. Kress 6453; Goldsmiths 10298; Einaudi 3048; INED 2349; Higgs 4197; Conlon 67:953; not in Mattioli. First (and only?) edition. The abbé Pierre Jaubert's opinions were more varied than those of Danguel and Plombaine, but similar in character. He accepted the opinion of Montesquieu, Forbonnais, and the agrarian writers that population tended to grow when men were assured the fruits of their labor and some comfort; and that failure to cultivate all available land, coupled with the great and inequitable tax burden was depressing agricultural production and retarding population growth. Therefore he advocated stimulation of the agricultural arts: protection of agriculturalists against their creditors; a redistribution of the tax burden; the use of idle urban workeers to perform the corvées; and restrictions upon the crop-destroying wild game which were raised and protected for the benefit of the nobility. He furthermore proposed that monasteries and nunneries be stripped of tax exemption and other privileges, he was critical, as were many writers, of the French hospital and penal system, he advocated an improved urban water supply, enlargement and frequent cleaning of the streets, daily filth removal, and the location of certain establishments (cemetries, tanneries, etc.) outside cities. Spengler considers his suggestions for the curtailment of celebacy and the counterbalancing of its effects, as most important. With his emphasis on agricultural arts he was in line with the Physiocrats (for a detailed analysis see: Spengler, French predecessors of Malthus, pp. 90-94). A very nice copy of a scarce and important work.