i116 REPORT— 1848. 
The maximum of births, deaths and marriages to the population falls in Finistére, 
and the maximum of children to each marriage in Morbihan (4°51). The average 
age of the first marriages of the men is 28 years and 4 months, and of the women 25 
years and 11 months. In Engiand and Wales, the average age of marriage in both 
sexes, even including second with first marriages in the same average, is decidedly 
less, being 27 years and 3 months for the men, and 25 years and 3 months for the 
women. ; 
The exceeding misery of the Breton peasant was noticed by Neckar in 1784, again 
by Arthur Young ten years later, and relatively to that of the population of the rest 
of France or of Great Britain, it is as conspicuous as ever. The interior of a Breton 
cabin in the most Breton departments, is described as a parallel to that of an Irish 
one ; buckwheat bread being the chief sustenance instead of potatoes. The peculi- 
arity of his language appears to be the greatest obstacle to the social advancement of 
the Breton, and the isolation in which it keeps him perpetuates his ignorance. The 
sacristans, beadles, and good sisters are still to a great extent, as they were formerly, 
the sole instructors of the people. Under the republic there were scarcely fifteen 
elementary schools in all the department, and little advancement was made until 
within this few years, under the competition of the government schools with those of 
the “‘ Fréres de la Doctrine’’ and the disciples of M. Lamennais, called the “ Petits 
Fréres.”’ M. Guerry reckons only 1 in 96 of the inhabitants to be under instruction ; 
and in the five years 1836-40, 78 per cent. of those arraigned before the criminal 
tribunals could neither read nor write. 
The Statistics of Civil Justice in Bengal in which the Government isa party. 
By Cotonet Syxes, V.P.R.S. 
The author shows that although the government of India is based upon its military 
authority, yet it provides that the meanest of its subjects in Bengal shall be able to 
sue the government, in forma pauperis or otherwise, in its own Courts ; and though 
every judge or cfficer of every Civil Court is appointed by the government, and re- 
movable at pleasure, yet the decision both by the native judges, as well as by the 
European judges, in a multitude of cases are against the government, and bear testi- 
mony to the independence and impartiality of the judicial authorities. The author 
gives numerous cases, illustrative of this fact ; showing also that the government is 
frequently compelled to appeal against the decisions of its lower court to its highest 
appellate court, and often ineffectually. 
The outstanding balances due to government under decrees of Court in 1845-46, 
were— 
Privy Council decrees ....+....... .. 233,404 Rs, 
Revenue decrees ...s........s0e0e5--- 151,904 ,, 
Salt and opium decrees .........+. oor SALT Ady lige 
Military department ...........0.. 7,196 4, 
PostsOMines,. shan csaceanepdscoesvesdesue' 1843 
864,415 ,, 
Pauper BIES. is ..cecscssasedeccesssavery, OSEORO. ay 
In 1846-47, the outstanding balances were— 
Revenue decrees ......... Si gzoe bere ws =191,631  ,, 
Salt and opium decrees .............-- 511,33] _ ,, 
Privy Council decrees.........000..0 155,123),.43 : 
Pauper suits’ decrees ......e0+0+- « 304,564 
A considerable proportion of these sums would be irrecoverable. 
