172 REPORT—1857. 
16. That popular education, as a means of diminishing the tendency to crime, 
although most useful in so far as both sexes are concerned, has yet much greater effect 
among females than among males; and that is emphatically the case in regard to 
four classes of crime, “ Offences against the person ;” ‘‘ Offences against property, com- 
mitted without violence ;” Malicious offences against property;” and “General 
offences,” class No. 6. 
17. That ignorance among the masses operates injuriously among the educated and 
half-educated classes; and that, therefore, to educate the ignorant will tend not only 
to lessen crime among them, but also among the better classes thus influenced. 
18, That were intoxicating drinks less freely used, education as a means of reducing 
crime, would become more powerful. 
19. That the average tendency to the class of crime ‘‘ Offences against property 
committed without violence,” is rather more than one-half the average tendency to 
crime generally. 
20. That, as without doubt, a large proportion of the serious crimes are committed 
by those who in early life may be said to have served an apprenticeship to theft; and 
that as this (No. 3) class of offences, at the period of life sixteen and above twelve 
among males, amounts to three-fourths of the whole male crime, and among females 
to five-sixths of the whole female crime, it follows that by getting reduced at this 
period of life such offences, the more serious crimes at later stages of life will also 
necessarily be diminished. 
21, That increasing efforts should be made to educate all classes of the youth of 
both sexes; and that instructors ought not to rest satisfied with merely teaching to 
read and write; but that in all our schools industrious habits should be constantly 
taught, cleanliness and morality daily enforced, and the danger of indulging to excess 
in the use of intoxicating drinks frequently pointed out. 
On Deferred Annuities. By CApvoGAn WILLIAMS. 
On Annuities on Lives. By Cuarves M. WILtIcu. 
On a Formula for ascertaining the Expectation of Life. 
By CuarxeEs M. WILLIcH. 
On the Application of the Decimal Scale in the Construction of Maps. 
By James Yates, M.A., F.RS. 
Since the commencement of the present century the various continental nations 
have to a great extent adopted the principle of constructing their maps upon a decimal 
scale. 1 will briefly notice some of the most remarkable examples that have come to 
my knowledge. 
In France, the adoption of this principle is an obvious and even necessary result of 
the introduction of the metre as the unit of length. Millimetres, centimetres and deci- 
metres are, as a matter of course, made to correspond in maps to kilometres, or other 
decimal multiples of themselves, on the surface of the earth. 
Hence one of the results of the annexation of Algeria to France has been the pro- 
duction of excellent plans of cities and maps of the whole country, all decimally pro- 
jected, and consequently either identical in their scale, or related to one another by 
clear and simple proportions*. 
In Belgium this important task has been taken out of the hands of the Government — 
and admirably executed by M. Van der Maelen, proprietor of the celebrated Geo- 
graphical Institute. He has published a general map of Belgium, the scale of which _ 
is 1 to 200,000; and another, the scale of which is 1 to 20,000 (Brussels, 1846), con= 
sequently ten times the dimensions of the preceding. ; 
Sardinia is most honourably prominent in labours of this class. Its Government _ 
* Carte de la Province d’Alger,’ 1838. Scale 1 to 400,000. ‘ Environs de Blida,’ 1838, 
Scale 1 to 20,000. ‘Plan d’Alger et de ses Environs,’ 1832. Scale 1 to 2500. io 
et 
