668 EEroRT— 1880. 



4. Agricultural Statistics and the Land Question. By Wii. Botly. M.B.A.8. 



This paper was a continuation of the Agricultui-al Statistics to the present time, 

 in a tahular form, strongly advising then- continuance and early publication. 



In the second part it gaAe the imports of cereals, cattle, sheep, and swine, 

 meat, &c. ; then- prices and amount in value 



Thirdly, the number of owners of land in Great Britain; also, separately, that of 

 Ireland, in a table of from one acre up to 100,000 acres, with the respective rentals. 



The concluding portion of the paper argued for some considerable alterations 

 in our Land Laws, supporting this view of the question by extracts from the 

 opinions of the present and late Lord Gliancellors, as well as other eminent states- 

 men ; and finally, that to improve agriculture and to bring men of greater capital, 

 skm, and enterprise into the business of farming, there must be security of tenure 

 and compensation for all unexhausted unprovements. 



It was shown that in the past year our imports of wheat and various other 

 cereals, with meat, amounted in the aggregate to 140,000,000 cwts., exclusive of 

 butter, cheese, eggs, &c., &c. 



FItlDA Y, A UGUST 27. 



The following Reports and Papers were read : — 



1. Report of the Committee on the German and other Systems of Teaching 

 the Deaf to Speak. — See Reports, p. 216. 



On the recent Revival in Trade. By Stethkn Boukne, F.S.S. 

 See Reports, p. 436. 



3. On Admiralty Monies and Accounts. By Frank P. Fellows, F.S.S., 



F.8.A. 



This was the continuation of a paper read at the Statistical Society, London, 

 ' On our National Parliamentary Accounts, &c.' 



In that paper it was shown that — ' the average yearly expenditure for ten years 

 previous to 1869, was 11,587,041/., and for the five years, 1869-70 to 1873-4 

 (taking the estunates for the last year) was only 0,785,915/., and that " these great 

 results had been brought about by a variety of means, not the least efficient being 

 the check our improved accounts have given us over expenditure, or what is still 

 more unportant, over the final results of expenditure." ' 



The latter point the present paper illustrated more in detail. 



In 1861, a Royal Commission was appointed to inquire and report upon the 

 management and control of H.M.'s Dock;\'ards. 



They examined seventy witnesses, all of whom were, or had been, officials, except 

 two — amongst them. Sir James Graham, who stated as follows: 'It is quite com- 

 petent to frame a form of accounts, and that the evil would be remedied in six 

 months. The accounts wiU be imperfect unless every kind of charge a shipowner 

 would bring to book is carried to account. An account misrepresenting values is 

 infinitely more dangerous than no account at all. An imperfect accoimt, in my 

 humble judgment, is mfinitely worse than none.' 



Sir John Pakington before the same Commission said : ' If the accounts were 

 kept so as to show the exact cost of ships, a competition in economy would be 



