HV ^ Sltithtical III ifenlu/adom ^ 423 



r III IH'.n a Demogitipliic CongreHs was to meet in London and Galton 

 sujr^cHtt'd tliat 11 memoir sliotild bt' read l)efor(! the Congress, if ; 



uiidiT Miss Nightingale's name, urging tlie more Hystematic collt'ci: i 



utiHsation of demographic statistics, with a view to applying them to the 

 solution of social problems. It is not clear from the remaining letters 

 whether Florence Nightingale, while approving of this scheme, was un- 

 willing that her name should be associated with it; still she wax very 

 desirous that her three or four problems should be especially mentioned, and 

 remained willing to sulwcribe towanls honoraria for tlie proposed essjiys. On 

 April 21 Galton sent another letter, enclosing a memorandum, which wiis 

 to be circulated to "half a dozen or so eminent authorities" tisking about 

 precise subjects and persons. This memorandum runs : 



Tt is desired to pronioto Statifttical Inquiry into the efficiency of legislative acta, intended 

 to promote the welM>t>ing of liir^v cliiases. 



With tliis object in view it is proposed during the prestint yt-ar to offer X50 to £7t> in 

 roiiiuncration for eai'h of two or three essays, stwenilly referring to 8elect<xl branches of any 

 of the following subjects: (i) Efeiird School P^lucation, (ii) Treatment of the Criminal Classes, 

 espx;ially of iKjy-offenders, (iii) Kffect of Poor-Law and Workhouses, whether depauperising 

 or not. 



A statement or discussion is desired in each essay of the nature and value of the statistical 

 information now accessible, and of such other information as exists in an unpublished form, and 

 again of such as has not yet been collecte<i but which might apparently tx; procured without 

 serious difficulty. It is then expecte<l that the writer would discuss the ways in which these 

 data should be treated so as to lead to sound and practically important conclusions with the 

 minimum of difficulty. 



Should the n'sults of this first attempt be encouraging, it is proposed to follow it up by 

 further action in future yeai-s, perhaps of a wider character. 



Galton's letter appears to have remained a month unanswered. The 

 original proposal' had shrunk to comparative insignificance, and it is little 

 wonder that there wa.s no enthusiasm for it in its final form. On May 23, 

 1891, Florence Nightingale wrote apologising for her delay — "I can only 

 sum up my apologies in: how good you have been and how bad I." She 

 returned Galton's memorandum initialed and asked him to send it to the 

 eminent authorities he might select. F'ive days later Galton replied that to 

 his sorrow he must say that the season was too far advanced for him to 

 attempt to carry through the preliminaries with hope of success : 



"You would neces-sjirily and naturally have to be consulted at each important stage, tinancial 

 arrangements would have to be made and there is not now time for doing all this Ixifore the 

 vacation l)egins and people, especially those of the Universities, scatter. I therefore ani'obliged 

 to desist for the present at least — The more I think of it the more convinced I am that the 

 assurance in some form of a continuation of these awards or other form of endowment would 

 bo an importnnt element of suoces.s." 



' As drawn up by Francis Galton and corrected by Florence Nightingale evidently at their 

 first interview this ran : 



is desirous of founding a profes.sorahip of statistics, to be called by the name of 



the Professorship of Statistics, for promoting by means of lectures or otherwise the 



cultivation and improvement of statistical science, and especially its practical application to 

 social problems. 



