26^ Statistic Vieivs of the Mortality in 



The climate is peculiarly favourable to the prolongation of 

 human life when it is cold or even rigorous, or when the hu- 

 midity in^the environs of the sea is combined with a low tem- 

 perature. 



The smallest mortality in Europe, occurs in maritime coun- 

 tries which are in the vicinity of the polar circle, such as Swe- 

 den, Norway, and Iceland. This is also the case in countries 

 where, as in Russia, the influence of climate is not aided by 

 civihzation, and of itself is sufficient to assure long life to man- 

 kind. 



Countries where the heat is moderate, are not, as might be 

 supposed, among those which possess the advantage of a small 

 mortality ; to obtain it, they must acquire the benefits of a high 

 state of social order. 



The southern countries, the mild climate of which seems to 

 be so favourable to the human race, are, on the contrary, re- 

 gions where life is exposed to the greatest dangers. In the 

 smiling plains of Italy, the chances of dying are one-half greater 

 than those of cold and foggy Scotland ; and under the beauti- 

 ful skies of Greece, the certainty of life is one-half less than 

 among the ices of Iceland. 



The places of the torrid zone, the mortality of which has 

 been calculated, show the pernicious influence which is exercised 

 over the existence of mankind by a high temperature. 



Latitude. 



6° 10' Batavia, decrease of 1 in 26^ inhabitants. Burrow. 



10^ 10' Trinidad, 1 — 27 Official documents. 



13' 54' St Lucie, 1 — 27 Pugnet. 



14*44' Martinique, 1 — 28 M. de J. 



15" 59' Guadaloupe, 1 — 27 M. de J. 



18" 56' Bombay, 1 — 20 Transactions Acad. 



23" 11' Havannah, 1 — 33 Humboldt. 



The resistance of the vital principle in the tropics diff*ers ac- 

 cording to the races of men ; and its duration in some places is, 

 for the one, double or triple that for the others. The following 

 are examples of this variation : — 



Batavia, in 1805 — Europeans, 1 in 11 individuals ; Slaves, 1 in 13; Chi- 

 nese, 1 in 29 ; Javanese, 1 in 46. Bombay, in 1815 — Europeans, 1 in 18i ; 

 Mussulmen, 1 in 17^ : Parsees, 1 in 24. Guadaloupe, 1816 to 1824 — 

 Whites, 1 in 23^ ; Freedmen, 1 in 35. Martinique, in 1815— Whites, 1 in 24 ; 



Freedmen, 1 in 33. Grenada, 1811— Slaves, 1 in 22 St Lucia in 1 802— 



Slaves 1 in 20. 



