I 



Births of the^ two sexes. 87 



gleet diseussing the arguments which he has advanced, but 

 that I do it from the behef that it is of more interest as well 

 as more useful to the public, to endeavour to collect additional 

 facts, which may furnish a securer basis for future reasonings. 



You are aware of the singular fact stated in the Annu- 

 aire, * relative to the population of France, that the prepon- 

 derance of male above female births was less amongst the iZ- 

 legitimate than amongst the legitimate population. That is, 

 for every ten thousand legitimate females, 10,657 males were 

 born ;> whilst for the same number of illegitimate females only 

 10,484 males were produced. This fact, resting on a very ex- 

 tensive enumeration, comprehending above half a million of 

 illegitimate births, deserved considerable confidence, and it 

 appeared to me desirable to examine whether in other countries 

 differently circumstanced the same fact existed. 



It is to be regretted that enumerations sufficiently precise 

 are not made in all countries, and that it does not always hap- 

 pen that, when made, the results are published^ or are even 

 accessible to the public. In the kingdom of Naples, a volume 

 of statistical details was published for the year 1824, contain- 

 ing a great variety of most valuable matter, and it is much to 

 be regretted that such a work should not be continued annu- 

 ally. For my information relative to that country, I am in- 

 debted partly to the work alluded to and partly to the assist- 

 ance of a most zealous and learned gentleman who has de- 

 voted a large portion of his time to these subjects. 



In the kingdom of Naples, (excluding Sicily,) the number 

 of births are stated in Table I. and it appears that in five years 

 the births were as follows : — 



Legitimate. Illegitimate. 



Reduced to 10,000 femaks. Reduced to 10,000 feraaks. 



Femaks. Males. Femaks. Maks. 



1819, 10,000 10,433 10,000 10,752 



1820, 10,000 10,579 10,000 10,131 



1821, 10,000 10,341 10,000 10,197 



1822, 10,000 10,451 10,000 10,343 

 1824, 10,000 10,450 10,000 10,407 



Average dedu- 

 ced from all 



the births, 10,000 10,452 10,000 10,367 



* Annuaire presente au Roi par k Bureau des Longitudes* 



