General Considerations. 



343 



ou des impots, dans les diverses parties du royaume, ne saurait 6tre dvalu^ 

 d'avance avec plus de precision, de certitude que le nombre des vols, des 

 meurtres, et des assassinats." 



Sex. — Of every 100 persons charged aunually with theft tlirougliout 

 France, the proportions of delinquents according to sex, are as follow. 



No. 2. A. Sex of those accused of Theft. 

 Years 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 Mean 



Men 79. . 



Women ..21.. 



79. 

 ,21. 



78. 

 ,22. 



77.... 78.. 

 23 22 . 



100 100 100 100 100 



22 



100 



Thus the proportion of thefts committed by criminals of different sexes 

 is constant within 2-100. 



Age. — Of every 100 Persons accused of theft, the criminals classified 

 by their age stand thus : 



B. y^ge of those accused of Theft. 



Of 100 criminals 



1826 J827 1828 1829 1830 



Age from 1 6 to 25 years.. 37 35 38 37 37.. 



25 to 35 years.. 31 32 30 31 32.. 



35 and upwards .32 33 32 32 31.. 



100 100 100 100 



100 



Mean 



..37 

 ..31 

 ..32 



100 



Here the greatest difference between any one year taken separately, and 

 the average of five years, does not exceed 2-100, and is for the most part 

 only 1-100. 



Seasons. — The influence of the seasons in relation to some particular 

 crimes, is shown to be equally constant and regular, the difference in any 

 one season not exceeding by more than 2-100 the mean of four correspond- 

 ing seasons. 



When we reflect on the infinite variety of circumstances which may in- 

 fluence the production of crime, and the external or purely personal causes 

 that may determine its character, it is not easy to conceive how things 

 should concur to bring about such uniform results ; and that voluntary 

 actions, when viewed in masses, should be developed in a fixed order and 

 be included within such precise limits. The fact illustrates the distinction 

 which an ingenious writer has alluded to (but in another sense) between 

 man and wliat we term mankind. The individual, as the subject of moral 

 responsibility, is a free agent, and his life is a constant series of pheno- 

 mena, more or less voluntary ; but when a number of these series are 

 compared together, the terms, if we may so speak, correspond or differ in 

 such regular order, that what was most uncertain in the individual becomes 



