346 



Moral Statistics of France. 



6-100; of those committed by men, it is only 1-100 part. Infanticide 

 constitutes 2-5 of the crimes against the person committed by women ; 

 and no crime demonstrates more vividly than this the sad perversion of the 

 natural affections, and the intensity of emotion to which women are fre- 

 quently subject.* 



M. Guerry's tables illustrating the influence of age on the commission 

 of crime, are very elaborate and minute ; but we can only find room for 

 the following table, which represents the proportions in which crimes 

 (combining together those against person and property) are committed at 

 different periods of life by the two sexes. We should observe, however, 

 that without knowing the comparative number of persons of each sex and 

 age living at the same time in France, (an element of the calculation which 

 M. G, does not give us) we cannot take these numbers as accurately indi- 

 cating the law of tendency towards criminal actions at different periods of 

 life. 



No. 4. Proportion of Crime at different Ages. 



AGK OF THE CRIMINALS. 



Below 16 years 



From 1(5 to 21 



21 to 25 



25 to 30 



30 to 35 



35 to 40 



40 to 45 



45 to 50 , 



50 to 70 



M. G. states that his general conclusions on this head agree perfectly 

 with the results published by M. Qu^telet in his recent Essay, " Recherches 

 sur le penchant au Crime aux differens ages," and which may be thus 



* Strange as it appears, M. G. notices it as an unquestionable fact, that maternal 

 tenderness and apprehensions of their children's future troubles, sometimes lead wo- 

 men to commit this most unnatural crime. At the same time, nothing in their pre- 

 vious conduct may create tiie suspicion of insanity : the crime is regarded as an act 

 of devotedness — is long dwelt upon — and at length is committed without compunc- 

 tion. In most cases however the unhappy mother immediately after completes the 

 tragedy by self-destruction ; leaving it scarcely doubtful that the evil propensity was 

 the result of mental hallucination, though at the same time yielding testimony to the 

 poet's aphorism : 



" Every crime 

 Has, in the moment of its perpetration, 

 Its own avenging angel— darft misgiving, 

 An ominous sinking at tlie inmost heart !" 



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