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FOREIGN CRITICAL NOTICES OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 



Esai sur la statisque morale de la France, pr^cM^ d*un rapport a VAca- 

 d^mie des Sciences, par M. M. Lacroix, Silvestre et Girard ; par A. 

 M. Guerry, avocat a la cour Royale. Paris: Crochard, Rue et 

 Place de I'Ecole de Medicine. London : Halinbourg, Southamp- 

 ton-street. Folio, pp. 70. 



A curious and most elaborate analysis of crimes, their nature, fre- 

 quency, and geographical distribution, in France. The tables are drawn 

 up from the unquestionable authority of public records, &c. deposited in 

 the archives of the Prefecture of Police, and the writer's deductions are 

 filled with singular calculations, and no less singular opinions. A brief 

 abstract of the contents we present to the reader. After some prelimi- 

 nary remarks, M. Guerry commences by dividing France into five 

 regions (each composed of 17 neighbouring departments), these he dis- 

 tinguishes as north, south, east, west, and centre. He then adopts 

 two great divisions of crime, the 1st, comprehending offences against 

 the perso-n j the 2nd, those against property, the period of his investiga- 

 tion beginning at 1825, is brought down to 1830, In his first table 

 (p. 14) M. G. arranges according to their frequency the crimes yearly 

 committed in France; the total amount is 7,147, of which crimes of 

 the 1st class constitute one-fourth, there being, of these, 1,865, and 5,282 

 of the 2nd. The two following tables mark the proportion of crime in 

 the sexes ; by these we find that of 100 offences of the 1st class, 86 are 

 committed by men ; 14 only by women ; and of 100 of the 2nd class, 79 

 by the former, 21 by the latter. The 4th table shows the distribution 

 of crime according to the different periods of life from 21 to 70, and 

 upwards. From this it appears that crime is most prevalent between the 

 ages of 25 and 30 ; that the inclination to its commission is developed 

 sooner in men than in women, that it subsides earlier in the former, and 

 that from 50 to the conclusion of life, the tendency is on a par in both 

 sexes. The 5th table demonstrates the crimes peculiar to each age. 

 The sixth shows the presumed influence of the seasons over the evil pro- 

 pensities, but this visionary theory is in great measure destroyed by the 

 evidence that the variations are comparatively unimportant. According 

 to the table, it seems that the summer is most fertile in crime. In the 

 7th table M. G. has assembled the apparent motives of crime under 12 

 lieads ; hatred and revenge appear the principal, and to these hideous 

 incentives may be traced 26 out of every 100, or more than l-4th of the 

 crimes of poisoning, murder, and incendiarism ; a singular fact, jiea/oMjsy 

 stands the least injiuential in the scale. The 2nd portion of the 7th table, 

 marked B, presents the capital crimes arranged in the order of their 

 motives ; from this we learn, that out of 100 cases of poisoning, 35 are 

 the consequence of nuptial infidelity ; the 3rd portion C, exhibits the 

 crimes of poisoning, murder, assassination, and incendiarism, classed 

 under the 12 heads alluded to. The 8th and 9th tables display the pro- 

 portion of the same crimes originating in depravity of morals. M. 

 Guerry then proceeds to fix the relationship exi.sting in the five regions of 

 France, between the population and the number of crimes of the 1st 

 class. The amount of the accused compared with that of the inhabi- 

 tants, proves to be in the south, 1 in 11,003 ; in the east, 1 in 17,349; 

 in the north, I in 19,964 i in the west, 1 in 20,984 ; in the centre, 1 in 



