TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 221 



Owing to the perpetual settlement of its land revenue and the absence of a link of 

 orticials between our civilians and the people, has always been statistically unsatis- 

 fiictory ; but we may depend on Mr. Campbell introducing the reform there also, so 

 far as possible. No countries in the world possess such rich statistical material, 

 which could be made easily available, as Madras and Bombay. But the Reports of 

 the latter are the worst in India. It is to bo hoped that the Government of India 

 will see that its orders are carried out so as to work these Provinces into the 

 uniform statistical system. That system is as follows in its main heads : — (A) 

 Statistics of Pliysical, Political, and Fiscal Geography. (B) Statistics of Protec- 

 tion. (C) Statistics of Production and Distribution. (D) Statistics of Instruc- 

 tion. (E) Statistics of Life. The tables are meant to include all the 153 Feu- 

 datory States ; but except in those cases where a minority has put the State under 

 direct British management, the Chiefs as a rule passively resist all attempts to 

 obtain statistical information regarding their estates and revenues. 



Still the reform thus wrought by the Calcutta Statistical Committee has been 

 immense. To say nothing of the elaborate periodical statistics of trade and finance, 

 there are published in India every year, about August, some ten volumes on the 

 ten Provinces of India, and seven of these volumes contain uniform scientific tables. 

 It has tlius been possible, dm-ing the last three years, to obtain an almost complete 

 picture of tlie progress and condition of the 212 millions of Hindoos, Mussulmans, 

 Boodhists, Christians, Non- Aryans, Parsees and Jews whom we rule, and for whom 

 England is responsible, in Southern Asia. 



The greatest statistical want of India is now a uniform census of the whole 

 population. Until recently, as still in the three gTeat Provinces of Bengal, Madras 

 and Bombay, the number of the population was arrived at by multiplying the 

 number of houses by five, and this duty was entrusted to an uneducated police. 

 But of late much more carefid enumerations of the people have been made, showing 

 tliat on the night of the 10th January, 1865, there were 30,006,068 in the Nortli- 

 Western Provinces ; tliat in 1866 there were 9,008,103 in the Central Provinces ; 

 that in 1868 there were 17,611,408 in the Punjab ; that in 1809 there were 

 11,232,368 in Oudh ; that in 1867 there were 2,220,074 in Berar ; and that in 1809 

 tliere were 2,395,988 in British Burma. Assuming the correctness of the Parlia- 

 mentary return of the population of non-feudatory India, England rules 212,671,621 

 people in ton Provinces, containing 221 districts or counties, and in 163 states, 

 covering an area of 1,577,698 square miles. The density ranges from 474 per 

 square mile in Oudh to 20 in British Bm-ma. Over aU India it is 135, in feudatory 

 India alone it is 80. 



Besides the Annual Administration Reports, the Government of India, the ten 

 Provincial Administrations, and the great Departments issue frequent Reports, some 

 of them of the liighest value. AU may be consulted in the garrets to whicli the 

 India Office in Westminster banishes its fine Library and Museum, as well as the 

 woekl}' reports on the nati^■e press, and a copy of every work published in India 

 and registered under the Literature Act. But the Government of India is most 

 liberal in distributing its reports. If any great Association or Library desires a copy of 

 each as it appears in India, an agent should be appointed for its reception in Calcutta. 

 Before the late ]Mr. Ilalkett's death the author had the satisfaction of obtaining 

 from Lord Mayo's Government a promise to present a copy of everj' Report to the 

 Advocates Library of Edinburgh. The Government of India has everything to gain 

 from the widest publicity. The Reports of its great Surveys and of the settlement 

 of the land revenue of every district out of Bengal, are mines of valuable infor- 

 mation regarding tlie country and the people. Much of this is being utilized in 

 the Gazetteers which are being prepared in every Province. 



A Director of Indian Statistics has recently been appointed by Lord Mayo, and a 

 Census of all India is about to be made. 



On ihe Scientific Asjjects of Children's Hospitals. By "William Stephenson, 

 M.B., F.B.C.S. Ed., Phi/s. to Roy. Hosj). for iSicJc Children, Edinburgh. 



A peculiarity of Medical Charities is that theyyoxist not only as benevolent iu- 



