274 
POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
all ages: one by Dr. Price, in 1782, called the Northampton 
table, framed, from the ages at death of persons buried at North- 
ampton, during forty-six years (1735-80). The Carlisle — a less 
accurate table — was compiled by Dr. Milne, from the mortality 
deduced from persons at Carlisle. More recently, a table was 
constructed from the ages at death of persons actually assured 
in several offices ; this is called the “ Experience table.” All of 
these, and one by Mr. Finlaison, calculated from 22,000 govern- 
ment annuitants, represent the expectation of life in persons of 
the higher and middle grades of society. Lastly, an English 
Life table was calculated, under the auspices of Dr. Farr, soon 
after the census of 1841, from a population of 16,000,000 per- 
sons, and the ages of death in 2 ^ millions of persons. This may 
fairly be considered to represent, for all practical purposes, the 
mortality in the higher classes, professional persons, tradesmen, 
artizans, clerks, and servants. A further set of observations are 
said to be forthcoming; but they will not materially modify the 
character of the English Life table. 
The most valuable and recent contribution to statistical 
science, however, is the supplementary volume of the Regis- 
trar Greneral on the mortality of England during the last ten 
years, for which w r e are also indebted to Dr. W. Farr. This 
forms a most worthy complement to his former labours, in 
elaborating a perfect English life-table. These returns show 
the annual rate of mortality per 1,000, in a very extensive 
series of tables, from the age of five to eighty-five years and 
upwards, as well as the causes of death. These records enable 
us to observe the diversity and duration of life, in towns and 
country, in densely and scattered populations, amongst rich 
and poor, in agricultural, manufacturing, marine, and inland 
districts ; gives us the opportunity of comparing and classi- 
fying these with each other, and of observing the differences 
effected by soil, climate, and occupation. 
It is evident, from the perusal of this work, that there are 
certain districts and occupations where the mortality far exceeds 
the healthy standard, at ages when the majority of proposals are 
made for life assurance, viz. from twenty-five to forty-five. 
In some localities lung diseases, for instance, range from two 
and a half to eight times the normal average of healthy dis- 
tricts. 
The following tables serve to illustrate : — 
