666 REPORT— 1880. 



Section F.— ECONOMIC SCIENCE AND STATISTICS. 

 President of the Section— George Woodyatt Hastings, M.P. 



THUBSDAY, AUGUST 26. 



The following Reports aud Papers were read : — 



1. Report of the Committee appointed for the purpose of reporting ivhether 



it is important that H.M. Inspectors of Elementary Schools should he 

 appointed with reference to their ahilitij for examining in the Scientific 

 Specific Subjects of the Code in addition to other matters. See Reports, 

 p. 219. 



2. Report of the Committee for inquiring into the present appropriation of 



Wages and Sources of Income, and considering how far it is consonant 

 with the Economic Progress of the People of the United Kingdom. See 

 Reports, p. 318. 



3. Vital and other Statistics applicahle to Musicians. By P. M. Tait, 



F.S.S., F.R.G.S., Sfc. 



The memoir commences with a rapid sketch of the origm and history of 

 music, musicians, and musical instruments. Mahalaleel, the fom-th in descent 

 from Adam, was the first vocalist, and Tiibal-caiu, fifth Uneal descendant from 

 Cain, the first instrumentalist. Reference is also made to previous inquiries- 

 into the mortality of musicians, and notice is taken of a paper by Dr. William 

 Augustus Guy, F.R.S., read to the Statistical Society in 1859, when actors, 

 vocalists, and musicians were incidentally brought fur the first time under obser- 

 vation. The data covered by the present paper are obtained more immediately 

 fi'om Messrs. Cocks & Co.'s * Dictionary of Musicians ' corrected by the more 

 elaborate work of Dr. Grove, and other records. The records include 736 persons, 

 of whom G97 are males, and 39 females, 458 being dead aud 278 alive at the present 

 time. The data thus comprise an aggregate of 32,025'5 years of life. The 

 mortality disclosed is apparently considerably more favourable than that which 

 obtains amongst other classes. There is a table comparing the mortality of musicians 

 with that which obtains amongst the males of England and Wales, the peerage, 

 government annuitants, and certain other classes. The deaths amongst musicians 

 at ages from 15 to 45 are apparently considerably less than those which occm* 

 amongst any other class of society. There is no sufficient reason to account for this 

 disparity so vastly in favour of musicians ; and it can ouh' be explained by supposing 

 that in the Dictionary a number of musicians do not come imder observation at the 

 earlier ages ; the deaths in fact having happened early, they do not come under 

 review at all. From ages 46 to 50 the results are still in favour of musicians, and 

 also from 51 to 55. From 56 to 60 the deaths are very much the same as those 



