46 PLEASANT WAYS IN SCIENCE. 



out the percentage of losses posted each year upon the 

 number of registered vessels for the same year, and also 

 the percentage of losses posted in each of the eleven years 

 of the two cycles upon the total posted in each complete 

 cycle, thus obtaining two bases of comparison independent 

 of each other." 



The results may be thus presented : 



Taking the four years of each cycle when sun-spots were 

 least in number, Mr. Jeula found the mean percentage of 

 losses in registered vessels of the United Kingdom and 

 Channel Islands to be ii'i3, and the mean percentage of 

 losses in the total posted in the entire cycle of eleven years 

 to be 8-64. 



In the four years when sun-spots were intermediate in 

 number, that is in two years following the minimum and in 

 two years preceding the minimum, the respective percentages 

 were 11*91 and 9^2 1. 



Lastly, in the three years when sun-spots were most 

 numerous, these percentages were, respectively, 12-49 ^d 



9'53- 



That the reader may more clearly understand what is 

 meant here by percentages, I explain that while the numbers 

 11*13, Il '9 l > an d 1 2 '49 simply indicate the average number 

 of wrecks (per hundred of all the ships registered) which 

 occurred in the several years of the eleven-years cycle, the 

 other numbers, 8*64, 19*21, and 9 '53, indicate the average 

 number of wrecks (per hundred of wrecks recorded) during 

 eleven successive years, which occurred in the several years 

 of the cycle. The latter numbers seem more directly to the 

 purpose ; and as the two sets agree pretty closely, we may 

 limit our attention to them. 



Now I would in the first place point out that it would 

 have been well if the actual number or percentage had been 

 indicated for each year of the cycle, instead of for periods of 

 four years, four years, and three years. Two eleven-year 

 cycles give in any case but meagre evidence, and it would 

 have been well if the evidence had been given as fully as 



