MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
255 
“The numerous parliamentary inquiries into the 
condition of the population, agriculture, and commerce 
of England afford an important acknowledgment on the 
part of the legislature that statistical results are neces¬ 
sary for the right comprehension of the principles 
which should guide the proceedings of government, and 
the results of these investigations form a collection of 
statistical documenis which for extent and value have 
not been snqjassed in any country. 
44 The direct and incidental use which at present is 
made of statistical documents in scientific and philoso¬ 
phical writings on the most important moral and poli¬ 
tical questions, may also be adduced as indicating the 
prevalence of a sense of the indispensable necessity 
of constantly adveiting to the tabulated numerical 
results of systematic inquiries. Indeed, it has been 
trulysaid, that‘the spirit of die present age has an 
evident tendency to confront the figures of speech with 
the figures of arithmeticit being impossible not to 
observe a growing distrust of mere hypothetical theory, 
and a priori assumption, and the appearance of a 
general conviction that iu the business of social science, 
principles are valid for application only inasmuch as 
they are legitimate inductions from facts accurately 
observed and methodically classified, that all conven¬ 
tional rules in order to be permanently beneficial must 
have a strict conformity with the physical and moral 
laws of natu re, which are ascertainable only by observ¬ 
ing, collecting, and registering the positive facts of 
experience—that, in slioit, statistical data must consti¬ 
tute the raw* material of all true systems of economy 
and legislation. 
“Empirical treatment of symptoms without know¬ 
ledge derived from facts must boas vain in its effects 
upon the body politic as upon the human frame, for it 
has no guide but opinions, under which name may be 
couched the wildest or the most rational notions, the 
truth or fallacy of which is as yet equally unsuscep¬ 
tible of proof from scientific data. 
“ Hypothesis and conjecture are necessary to indivi¬ 
duals in their pursuit of any investigation ; but it is 
observation and experiment which much decide their 
truth and fulness, or demonstrate their fallacy and 
insufficiency. The value of hypothesis and conjecture 
is to point out the direction in which observation will 
be most probably fertile iu discovering truth, demon¬ 
strating error, or striking out new paths of investiga¬ 
tion ; and it is the results of observations thus guided 
that present ns with those facts calculated to illustrate 
the condition and prospects of society, and to direct 
governments in their endeavours to promote the welfare 
of mankind. 
44 Of all statistical inquiries, the census of the people 
is among the most important which a government can 
undertake, as its results must form the basis for admi¬ 
nistrative and economical measures of the highest 
consequence, and supply the elements of almost every 
statistical investigation. 
“ In England, the United States, Sardinia, Norway, 
and the Netherlands, the census is collected decen¬ 
nially ; in France every five years ; in the German 
States trienniallv, and in Belgium at variable periods. 
Great variety exists also in the items of information 
collected, and on the principles on which the censuses 
are based; this want of uniformity and unit)" in the 
collecting of the census in different countries was made 
the subject of discussion at a statistical congress held at 
Brussels in the year IS53, at which the governments 
and scientific societies of all the European countries 
were represented, and after much careful consideration 
a uniform system was agreed upon, and recommended 
by the congress to the different governments. 
“ Taking instruction from the recommendation thus 
adopted by the statistical congress at Brussels, the 
advantages of a similar uniformity in the time and 
method of ascertaining the state of the population in 
the Australian colonies, cannot be too strongly im¬ 
pressed upon their respective governments ; we should 
thus have a basis of comparison which would illustrate 
severally and unitedly their social condition and pro¬ 
gress, and facilitate the means by which they may be 
beneficial to one another. 
“ As an important adjunct to the census to complete 
and strengthen the foundation upon which all other 
statistical operations are to be conducted, as well as to 
give security to the principles ot' inheritance, and to 
the legal succession to property, the civil registry of 
births, deaths, and marriages, has always been consi¬ 
dered of importance. Mr. Porter, in his work on tho 
‘Progress of the Nation, 5 says, ‘ the establisliing of a 
department for the systematic registration of births, 
marriages, and deaths, in England and Wales, has 
been of great use in the examination of questions de* 
pending upon various contingencies connected with 
linrnan life’—adding, ‘it is greatly to be regretted that 
the system was not at once made to embrace Scotland 
and Ireland.* The system has, however, since that 
work was written, been extended to those parts of tho 
kingdom, and has won its way to very general favour 
throughout Europe. It has been lor some time esta¬ 
blished in most of the colonial dependencies of the 
British Crown, and it is somewhat remarkable that New 
South Wales, the oldest of the Australian colonies, 
should have been the last to adopt it. 
“ The s-uccess of the .marriage and registration laws 
of last year must, therefore, be regarded with consider¬ 
able interest, as being calculated to confer great benefits 
upon society, even in the present generation, and to 
become still more important to generations yet unborn. 
44 There can be no doubt that a scries of statistical 
returns prepared uuder these Acts, relating to a large 
population, and to a period of years, and embracing 
every variety of physical and social condition, will 
affoid materials from which several important laws 
(general as to this country) mav be satisfactorily 
deduced, whilst the laws special to particular lo¬ 
calities, will be brought out in the working of the 
problem : the varying rate of mortality in the different 
months of the year and in different localities, is also of 
importance, since by it we learn what, for the several 
seasons, is the tendency to death generally, the ten¬ 
dency to epidemics and endemies, and the tendency 
to these in connexion with the ages of the deceased, 
“ This knowledge is highly valuable to the in¬ 
habitants of tho locality concerned, irrespectively of 
any other; but when compared with the results 
obtained from various places and countries ; when their 
higher or lower mortality is displayed on a largo and 
convincing scale ; when the causes of these differences 
are ascertained topographically ; the advantage will bo 
duly appreciated, and the remedies for evil will bo 
readily inferred, whilst the treatment of disease will 
gain greatly in precision* 
“To medical science accurate observations carefully 
registered as to the causes of mortality must be very 
valuable; but it is clear that only from the records of a 
long period of time on the one harnl, and from those 
derived from localities in various circumstances and 
conditions on the other, can accurate inferences be 
deduced, and therefore every year enhances the value 
of facts collected bearing upon the vital statistics of a 
country. 
44 But amongst the advantages to be derived from 
these , measures an authentic and an nr question able 
legal record of births, deaths, and marriages, certificates 
winch may be obtained at any time without delay, ex¬ 
pense, or trouble, is perhaps of chief importance. 
Upon tho introduction into Parliament of the Regis¬ 
tration Bill for England iu the year 1836, it was 
allowed by the leading men of all parties to be a 
measure of the highest importance. Lord John Russell, 
who introduced the bill, stated it to be 44 important for 
the security and succession of property; important to 
ascertain the state and condition of individuals in 
various cases, and important to enable the Government 
to acquire a general knowledge of the state of the 
population of the country. ” 
“ Sir Robert Peel also spoke strongly in favour of the 
measure, remarking particularly upon the necessity for 
a civil registry, to afford the means of securing legal 
