ADDRESS. 
lxiii 
desirable result, than by discussing the carefully collected facts hi a scientific 
spirit, on an arena within which no party passion is excited, no party alle¬ 
giance is acknowledged, no party victory has to he lost or won, and when 
men are at liberty to convince and he convinced without risking a charge of 
treachery or a change of ministry as the consequence ? But, in (act, these 
Studies could not fairly have been excluded from our peripatetic university 
u( science. Who shall separate Political altogether from the influences of Phy¬ 
sical Geography, or Ethnology from Physiology, or the destinies of man upon 
tins globe from the study of his physical nature ? By its employment. .f the 
doctrine of probabilities, one branch of statistics is brought into immediate 
contact with the higher mathematics, and the actuary is thus enabh d to 
extract certainty iu the gross out of uncertainty in the detail, and to provide 
man with the means of securing himself against some of the wont contin¬ 
gencies to which Jits life and property are exposed. In fact, statistics them- 
selves are the introduction of the principle of induction into the Investigation 
ut the affairs of human life ;—an operation which requires the c.xmrbc «>f 
at least the same philosophical qualities as other sciences. It is not eunuch 
m anv case merely to collect facts and reduce them into a tubular form. 
Jhey must be analysed as well as compared; the accompanying circum¬ 
stances must be studied (winch is more difficult in moral than in material 
investigations), that we may he sure that we are calling the same things 
i y m i t; San,e ( Dame9; *’ 'i n - ali, . v fmating of the same facts under the 
amt circumstances; and all disturbing influences must be carefully eli¬ 
minated before any such pure experiment can be got at as can fairly be eon- 
SwieMhsn h. V< It?*** ^i Cd a Sati , sfaCt0ry cw,c, u«on. In some cases .bis is 
SL? fi therS ; . 1,1 pe 8* rd \° the probabilities of life or health, for 
tance, there are, at least, no passions or prejudices, no private iriten-st* at 
work to in ter fcr« with the faithful accumulation of the facts, and if tin v be 
umerous enough, it might be supposed that their number would he a 
caTtinn t0 f 10n a - g ? U1St effect of any partial disturbances. But even here 
are dirtuJwnt P iA ** WeU **, pxte,,rivtt » knowledge arc required. Them 
aic disturbing influences even here,-habits of life, nature of cuiployment 
lminigration or emigration, ignorance or misstatement of age, local . ,..«L.ic<’ 
an SSlifS d ; f,re more a,,d 111 ore carefully watched against 
fifS? f 7J h Z "' 0K wd "‘° re ° f <*«"•; h gra«; 
tofi of A fyf mt 0mlt 10 .”■>«<» the valuable service, of 
in our Statistical Section °T| U,, ^rr g ° €s ^ d * s hed, and who are represented 
of ST“ a 1 s u “ tiow 
ranee in all its branches ami’uitii 1 !? ° ,r - C ® JS c o nst antly extvntlnigu-su- 
Jation, mortality, and sickness- th^nSh^S interrs,s ’ t, .' c la ** P«P«- 
the greatest importance in o.i-’ y transactions, and what i> of 
they hold any branch of inductive science, 
are doing for the contingei^^h® *‘ th I .£ re,8, | P0Untri . es '. ,n facf ’ ^‘7 
as uncertain, something like whnt a P d . f( ! r material* apparently 
waves. ° meteorology is doing for the winds and 
charity, at once and tr ^ei\proeaUvThc f e«-' °f ® ducation ’ of P«u|*ri*n». of 
attention to the conditio!! of the neonh^ ' Ct “'l 1 '. thc f ase o{ .increasing 
•the present ace'- 1 Who cun tv , w *|cli so favourably distinguishes 
rc-ntl, bc,JTg’uJ ", ° h f ^ SuHm 0f >»"»ra- 
Wlhing oflhSirZS ^I,™ '? 1?"'" !,nd "<* l» l 
of day some of the ni,* , 0 " 0 athe ,noral drag, and to bring to the light 
1 some of the phenomena, U, e monstrous forms of misery and vice 
