214 EEPORT 1871. 



determined than that of destitution, and on that point there was the greatest 

 diversity of opinion amongst all classes. The chief advantage to be gained from the 

 expedient of a poor-house was, that it enabled a local board to administer the rates 

 more satisfactorily to themselves and to tlie public, by checking in a rough kind of 

 way attempts to impose, and more economically in cases where lodging, nursing, and 

 clothing were required. After givmg some statistics and results relating to the cost 

 of pauperism and to illegitimacy, the author referred to the education of pauper 

 children, and said whether local boards could do more for the education of such 

 children than they did, by making attendance at school a condition of relief to the 

 parent, was deserving of consideration ; but the supineness of pauper parents as 

 to the education of their children was well known, and it must oe borne in mind 

 that the elder children were frequently material aids in the family struggle for 

 existence. Having made reference to the improved condition of the paupers com- 

 pared with that of fifty years ago, and to the provision for medical aid, costing 

 each parish on an average £40 per annum, he gave some information as to Shetland. 

 In Scotland outdoor relief was the rule ; for twelve who received relief at their 

 own homes, only one would be relieved at the poor-house. He concluded by stat- 

 ing that it was an advantage of the Scotch system of Poor-Law administration 

 that every recipient of relief was personally known to and visited by local respon- 

 sible officers, controlled by 885 separate boards, representing all interests ; and 

 that it was of the utmost importance to all that these local boards should be cou- 

 Btituted so as to secure an impartial, intelligent, and humane administration. 



On the Illegitimacy of Banffshire. By Geoege Seton, Advocate, M.A. Oxon., 

 Secretary in the General Registry Offke of Births, 6fC. (Scotland). 



Prefatory Note. — " Since I undertook to read the following paper, which relates 

 to the four years ending 1861, I have not had time to examine in detail the Banfl- 

 shire Birth Registers applicable to a later period ; but I have made such an inves- 

 tigation as to satisfy myself that a colLatiou of the books pertaining to the four 

 years ending 1869 ("the latest available records) would establish strikingly similar 

 results. This will appear from the tabular statements contained in a supplemen- 

 tary appendix, to which I shall afterwards refer." 



This paper gave elaborate details regarding the illegitimacy of Banfishire during 

 the four years ending 1861, and embraced a supplementary appendix relative to the 

 fom' years ending 1869. 



It showed, inter alia — 



(1) That the number of illegitimate births recorded in the 8 divisions, 33 

 counties, and 1020 registration districts of Scotland has been published in the 

 quarterly retui-ns of the Registrar-General since the ye.ar 1857. 



(2j That during the four years ending 1861, the north-eastern division of the 

 country, embracing the counties of Nairn, Elgin, Bans', Aberdeen, and Kincardine, 

 furnished the largest proportion of illegitimate births ; while the northern division, 

 embracing the counties of Shetland, Orknej', Caithness, and Sutherland, exhibited 

 the smallest proportion, the maximum average being 14-7, and the minimum 5"3 

 per cent. 



(3) That of the counties, during the fom- years in question, Banfi" took the 

 highest, or rather the lowest place in respect of illegitimacy, showing an average 

 of very nearly 16 per cent., the ratio for Scotland generally feeing 9 per cent., while 

 that of certain other northern counties was onfy 3| per cent.* 



The county of Banfi' embraces twenty-six registration districts, with a popula- 

 tion of 56,020 at the Census of 1861, during which and the three preceding years, 

 7517 births were registered, of which 1189 were illegitimate ; in other words, 

 about one in every six of the children recorded was born out of wedlock. "|In the 

 case of 380 of these illegitimate children, or nearly a third of the whole, the pa- 

 ternity was acknowledged at registration (17 & 18 Vict. c. 80, § 35) ; in sixty-four 



* In 1808 Kirkcaidbright was slightly above Banff in respect to illegitimacy, showing 

 17-5 against 17'3 per cent. ; while in 1867, Wigtown was 17'9, Kirkcudbright i5'7, Aber- 

 deen and Kincardine each 14-9, and Dumfries and Banff each 14-5 per cent. 



