348 



Moral Statistics of France. 



cidence of sound views of utility and duty as guides to our social conduct : 

 but without going into the detail of facts which he has collected, exhibiting 

 the evils of profligacy in its different shapes, (a task both painful in itself 

 and here not suitable) it would be difficult to convey a sufficiently strong 

 impression of the support which his researches furnish to the vital truth, 

 that the rules of right and of utility are inseparable. The reporter justly 

 characterises M. G.'s reflections on this subject as " pleines de sagesse et 

 dc raison." 



We come next to consider the geographical distribution of Crimes in 

 France, by which we obtain a general idea of the comparative morality of 

 difierent districts of the country, and are led to inquire into the causes of 

 the diversities observed. The following table shows with reference both 

 to crimes against the person and against property, the proportion of crimes 

 to the population in each of the five regions, upon the average of six years, 

 from 1825 to 1830 inclusive. 



No. 6. Crime and Instruction. 



South , 



East 



North 



Centre 



West 



Mean of all France 



Accused of crimes against 

 Persons. Property. 



1 in 11,003 



.- 17,349 



.. 19,9()4 



.. 20,984 



. 22,168 



1 in 17.085 



Proportion of 



Scholars of male 



sex in 1829. 



1 in 7,945 

 .. 6,949 

 .. 3.924 



.. 8,285 

 .. 7,534 



1 in 43^ 

 .. 14 

 .. 16 



.. 48 

 .. 45 



1 in 6,031 1 in 38^ 



y-^ 



From this table it appears that great disparity exists between differ- 

 ent parts of the country, so far as their morality can be estimated by 

 the proportion of crimes in each. Of the five regions, the south is that in 

 which the greatest number of crimes against the person are committed 

 relatively to the population. Next comes the east, then the north, centre, 

 and ivest. In the two latter regions, these crimes are scarcely half so 

 frequent in proportion to the population, as in the south. On comparing 

 the departments individually, the difference is still greater j those of Cor- 

 sica and Creuse being at the two extremes of the scale. In the first, there 

 is one charge of crime against tlie person to every 2199 inhabitants; in 

 the latter (Creuse), only one in 37,014, or in a ratio fifteen times more 

 favourable than in Corsica. The mean for the whole of France is one 

 accused to 17,085 of the population. Thirty-one departments present an 

 average more favourable than this ; the remaining 55 in different degrees 

 exceed it. M. G. states in a table the numerical proportion for each 

 department. 



The relative position of the five regions, and of most of the departments 



J 



