STATISTICAL SOCIETY. 493 



tics of finance and of national expenditure, and of civil and 

 military establishments. 

 Medical Statistics, strictly so called, will require at least two 

 subdivisions ; and the great subject of population, although 

 it might be classed elsewhere, yet touches medical statistics 

 on so many points, that it would be placed most conveniently, 

 perhaps, in this division, and would constitute a third sub- 

 division. 

 Moral and Intellectual Statistics comprehend, 1st, the statistics 

 of literature ; 2ndly, of education ; Srdly, of religious instruc- 

 tion and ecclesiastical institutions ; 4thly, of crime. Although 

 fourteen subdivisions have now been enumerated, it is pro- 

 bable that more will be required. 



It will not of course be necessary to have a distinct Sub-com- 

 mittee of the Council for each of these subdivisions ; but a 

 convenient division of the Council, and an arrangement of the 

 individuals composing it, so as best to deal with all the different 

 portions of the common subject, will be a necessary preliminary 

 to any systematic course of inquiry. 



When these subdivisions are established, it will be for them, 

 subject to the approbation of the Council, to sketch the outline 

 of their own operations. A few observations on the more 

 general efforts and objects of the Society are all that need be 

 presented here. 



It will be desirable that the Society should, as soon as possi- 

 ble, endeavour to open a communication with the statistical de- 

 partment established by Government at the Board of Trade. 

 Without such a communication, constantly kept up, the Society 

 can never be assured that it is not doing unnecessarily what the 

 Government is doing at the same time and better. The result 

 of such a communication would probably be that the Society 

 would abandon to the care of the Government some part of this 

 very extensive field of inquiry altogether, and more of it par- 

 tially, which would still leave a very sufficient, though a less 

 overwhelming task to the Society. 



The Society, having its own work thus somewhat limited and 

 defined, may next proceed to consider the best means, 1st, of 

 collecting fresh statistical information ; and, 2ndly, of arranging, 

 condensing, and publishing much that already exists. Towards 

 collecting fresh statistical information, the first step in order, 

 both of time and importance, would be the arrangement of a 

 good set of interrogatories, to be drawn up under the superin- 

 tendence of the Sub-committees, and afterwards examined, 

 sanctioned, and circulated by the Council. The careful execu- 

 tion of this task is essential both to afford guidance and aid to 



