STATISTICAL CONGRESS. 



STEWART, ALEXANDER T. 735 



measurements, the quantity of water issuing 

 from the sprmga, the manner of using the 

 waters, the apparatus and furnishing of the cu- 

 rative institutes attached to them, the annual 

 attendance of guests seeking to be healed, and 

 the proportion, reckoned at least approximate- 

 ly, of those who derived benefit from them, were 

 recommended as suitable subjects for inquiry. 



The fourth section discussed the statistics of 

 agriculture and forestry. The discussions were 

 chiefly confined to principles, and did not enter 

 largely into details. The suggestion was ap- 

 proved that each Government should monthly 

 (from the 1st of June to the 30th of Novem- 

 ber, weekly) publish reports of the average 

 market-price of agricultural products, and the 

 ;rn mat sold; a report of the yield of the har- 

 vest to the end of September, and, with respect 

 to certain crops, to the end of November ; and 

 yearly reports of the prices of transportation 

 by railway, highways, and water. The sec- 

 tion also recommended accurate inquiry into 

 the harm done by insects. Resolutions were 

 adopted regarding the organization of an inter- 

 national system of statistics of forestry, similar 

 to the plan laid down by Meitzen, of Prussia. 

 The subject of agricultural meteorology was 

 considered with reference to the establishment 

 of meteorological stations, and the organiza- 

 tion of a system of meteorological reports in 

 the interest of agriculture. The section re- 

 solved to transmit its conclusions to the Mete- 

 orological Congress to meet in Rome in 1877. 



To the fifth section was referred the sub- 

 ject of industrial statistics. Undar this head 

 ware discussed the statistics of joint-stock com- 

 panies, of household industries, and of accidents 

 to the laboring-classes. On the second subject, 

 a distinction was marked in the forms of in- 

 q liry between the old national home-indus- 

 tries and the more modern industries, such as 

 work done at homa on account of manufactur- 

 ing enterprises. The third subject was pre- 

 santad by Engal in a paper considering it in 

 three aspects : in reference to the statistics of 

 disease, invalidity, and mortality of the labor- 

 ing-classes ; of the accidents to which they are 

 subject from their occupation; and of insurance 

 against such accidents, and against invalidity 

 originating in internal or external diseases. 

 Another paper was read by Mayrs, on " Institu- 

 tions for the improvement of the condition of 

 laborers, as connected with industrial estab- 

 lishments." 



Com-narcial statistics formed the subject 

 of the discussions of the sixth section. The 

 section suggested that improvements were 

 naeded in the commercial exhibits of several 

 States on many points, some of which are as 

 follows : The universal acceptance of the solar 

 year as the statistical year ; the separate ex- 

 hibit of the traffic by sea, on rivers and canals, 

 by railroads and by other roads; the ascertain- 

 ment of the point of shipment and the destina- 

 tion of all goods, both in the domestic trade 

 and in commerce by sea ; the separate exhibit 



of transactions in bullion, or in gold and *il- 

 ver coin ; the adoption of the nomenclature 

 recommended at St. Petersburg, as revised by 

 Nessmann, for one hundred and five articles, 

 the trade in which should be separately stated ; 

 the distinction of that traffic which is carried 

 on by means of entrepots from the general 

 trade, etc. The necessity of a legal definition 

 to guarantee the accuracy of the customs-in- 

 voices, especially in reference to free goods, 

 with the addition of a penal sanction, was gen- 

 erally agreed in, since commercial statistics are 

 dependent on the correctness of these state- 

 ments. Five special papers were introduced 

 on the statistics of railroads. The difficulties 

 of arranging an international system of statis- 

 tics on this subject were discussed, but not 

 solved. It was decided to form an Interna- 

 tional Commission of fifteen specialists, to co- 

 operate with the Permanent Commission of 

 the Congress, to arrange a plan for such a sys- 

 tem of statistics to be laid before the next Con- 

 gress. The section selected as members of this 

 Commission : Giffen, Brachelli, Keleti, and the 

 directors Schuler and Ivanka, for Austro-Hun- 

 gary ; Becker and Jenke for the German Em- 

 pire, Calyvaer for Belgium, Kjar for the Scan- 

 dinavian kingdoms, Perl and Wendrich for Rus- 

 sia, Bodio for Italy. Appointments for France 

 and the non-European countries were reserved. 

 Brachelli was chosen president of the Commis- 

 sion, and Perl and Bodio vice-presidents. 



General sessions were held for the discussion 

 of subjects of general interest. At one held 

 on the 6th of September, notice was taken of 

 the death of the Hungarian statistician Alexi- 

 us V. F6nyes. At the general meeting of the 

 7th of September, a telegram of greeting was 

 received from the Emperor Francis Joseph, to 

 which Minister Trefort, president for the day, 

 sent an appropriate reply. A few subjects, 

 not included in the programme of the Con- 

 gress were referred to the Permanent Com- 

 mission. Among them, the statistics of the 

 press were taken specially in charge by Wenzel, 

 of Berlin, and the statistics of the quantity of 

 the precious metals by Neumann, of Vienna. 

 Invitations were received for the next session 

 of the Congress from Rome, Bern, and the 

 United States. 



STEWART, ALEXANDER TURNBY, died in 

 New York, April 10, 1876. He was born near 

 Belfast, Ireland, October 12, 1803. He studied 

 at Trinity College, Dublin, but did not gradu- 

 ate; emigrated to New York in 1823, and en- 

 gaged in teaching. In 1825 he began, at 283 

 Broadway, a dry-goods business, which has 

 gradually expanded into one of the largest in 

 the world. About 1848 he built the extensive 

 store at the corner of Chambers Street and 

 Broadway, which in recent years has been 

 devoted to the wholesale branch of his busi- 

 ness. A few years aero he erected on the 

 block bounded by Ninth and Tenth Streets, 

 Fourth Avenue, and Broadway, the five-story 

 iron building used for his retail business. This 



