and the Cattle Census. 397 



from the farmers, and the returns are published under the super- 

 vision of the Registrar-General of Ireland, 



In the same year (1847) which saw the inauguration of Pro- 

 duce Statistics in the sister island, the Vice-President of the Board 

 of Trade (Mr. Milner Gibson) introduced a Bill into the House 

 of Commons, entitled ' A Bill to make provision for the collec- 

 tion of Agricultural Statistics in England and Wales :' it was 

 proposed that the machinery of the Registrar-General's Depart- 

 ment should be employed, and forms were to be sent to all the 

 occupiers of land exceeding 3 acres on or before the 1st of June 

 in each year, the returns being classified and the results published 

 by the Registrar-General for the use of the Board of Trade. 

 Penalties were to be imposed for neglect or refusal to supply 

 information. This Bill did not get to a second reading ; the 

 importance of the subject was admitted by different speakers, 

 but the Government were not satisfied that sufficient interest 

 was excited to enable them to pass the measure, and it was 

 therefore abandoned. 



The Highland Society had previously been in communication 

 with the Board of Trade as to the best means of procedure for 

 Scotland, and it was understood that a measure similar to the 

 English Bill would have been proposed had that Bill not fallen 

 through. 



In 1849 Scotland was again in the field. The East Berwick- 

 shire Farmers' Club obtained the produce statistics of their 

 county by means of the rural police : " nearly every parish gave 

 the information sought for ; and the total expense incurred was 

 not more than bl* 



In 1852 the Highland Society again pressed the subject of 

 Agricultural Statistics on the notice of the Board of Trade, and 

 an authority was granted to them by the Government, in 1853, 

 to work a scheme which had been prepared by Mr. Hall Max- 

 well t for collecting statistics in the three counties of Roxburgh, 

 Haddington, and Sutherland, at an estimated cost of 900^., the 

 actual outlay being 667Z. A similar experiment was conducted 

 in England at the same time — in Norfolk and Hants — at a cost 

 of 850^. ; and it is stated that, " under all the circumstances, the 

 success attained was very remarkable, especially in the case of 

 Norfolk, where, under the able management of Sir John 

 Walsham, the failures were only 2| per cent." 



* Report of Select Committee on Agricultural Statistics (1855), p. 4. 



t Since this paper was written, the demise of Mr. Hall Maxwell has occurred ; 

 and in dealing with a subject for which that lamented gentleman felt the strongest 

 interest and laboured so strenuously, it would be unbecoming to omit a tribute of 

 regret for his loss, and of admiration for his life's work. Those who differed from 

 Mr. Maxwell as to the means by which he sought the accomplishment of his design, 

 can have no possible doubt that he had always in view the promotion of the best 

 interests of agriculture. 



