to Civil Servants in Bengal. 285 



computation of the risk of life in India. The basis of calculation for each 

 period there taken is the following. The number of appointments 

 made between 1790 and 1819, (I take this year at random,) is stated at 

 603. By the end of 1828, the last year's servants will have been 10 

 years in India, or at least on the register ; and computing the results of 

 all these appointments for 10 years, it is found that there were 39 re- 

 tirements and 77 deaths amongst them in that period. It is hence as- 

 sumed, that in 10 years 77 deaths take place in 603, minus 39, or 564 

 cases of persons resident in India between the ages of 20 and 30, leaving 

 487 survivors. But how can this be a true ratio, when the risk of life 

 upon the 39 cases of retirement, while they remainedin India, is lost to 

 the calculation. This number should not have been deducted from 

 the 603 appointments as consisting of cases taken out of the life risk alto- 

 gether ; but if any correction were attempted, it should have been made 

 by deducting only half the number, on the principle that the country had 

 the risk of their life while they staid in it, which may be computed 

 on the average at a half risk. The number of deaths would then per- 

 haps have borne a pretty correct proportion to the appointments, but the 

 number of surviving residents would have needed a like correction. 

 The omission to note this makes but little difference, perhaps in the earlier 

 years, wherein there are comparatively few retirements, but it has won- 

 derful effect on the ratios of the later. Take for instance the 25th year, 

 of which the data are as follows : appointments from 1790 to 1804, 341 ; 

 resignations out of these in 25 years, 93 ; deaths, 105. Now, it makes 

 a very material difference whether these 105 deaths are to be taken as 

 105 out of 341, minus 93, i. e. out of 248, giving 143 survivors, as in 

 table the second, page 274, or 105 out of 341 minus \ 3 or 46 being 295, 

 leaving 190 survivors. The number of survivors in India is however 

 the actual number found in the registers that cannot be changed,, 

 and the calculations of the Gleanings' article are made on this number* 

 The question therefore is presented in a different shape, and if this 

 number be made the basis of any estimate or calculation, there must 

 be corrections applied to settle out of how many these are the 

 remnant from the effect of mortality only. .For the fact, that many 

 servants, afcer abiding the risk of life for 20 years, have at last with- 

 drawn themselves while still living from both the survivors' list and 

 from the original number, must leave the deaths upon the remaining 

 appointments to bear a much higher ratio than they ought to do. 

 Suppose, lor instance, out of 100 arriving in a given year, 40 die in 

 the course of 25 years, and 40 more having give^ the ris^s of their lives 



