believing it to be altogether inconsistent with facts which we shall notice immediately.

Another explanation has been given by M. Giron de Buzareignes, in his communication to the Academy of Sciences of Paris. He divides society into three classes-the first composed of individuals whose occupations tend to develop their physical qualities, the second of those whose occupations tend to weaken these powers, and the third of those whose occupations are mixed. According to his view, the proportion of male births in the first class will exceed that of France in general, in the second class it will be the reverse, and in the third class the two will be equal. Thus, agricultural pursuits should favour the production of males, manufactures and commerce should do the reverse. This agrees sufficiently with the results already quoted, but when applied to the different countries of Europe does not hold good.

The hypothesis of M. Bickes, who combats the doctrine of M. Giron de Buzareignes, is novel, but inadmissible. He assures us that the cause is to be found in the blood (constitutions) of populations which differ from each other in this respect. According to him, political and civil institutions, customs, occupations, modes of life, riches, poverty, &c. have no influence whatever on the proportion in which the two sexes come into the world. The difference of this proportion in legitimate and illegitimate children, he does not believe it possible to explain.

The investigations of Professor Hofacker in Germany have led him to conclude, that the true explanation will be found in the relative ages of the parents. The following table exhibits the results of his inquiries:

From the table above given, it would appear that in general, when the mother is older than the father, or both parents are of the same age, fewer sons are produced than daughters. The older the father is than the mother, the greater is the proportion of sons.

Mr. Sadler's observations are next quoted by M. Quetelet, with which, from their being of easy access in this country, it is unnecessary to detain the reader further than to remark that they completely corroborate Professor Hofacker's views.

propor

It is easy to explain on this hypothesis the difference in the tion of sexes at birth, for the husband, being generally older than the wife, male infants must predominate. To place the matter, however, beyond all doubt, it would be necessary to ascertain in a given district of considerable extent and population, the ages when marriages are made,

and then compare the proportion of the sexes according to this law which should be born, with the proportion actually produced.

M. Quetelet next examines the influence which age exercises on the fecundity of marriages. The facts which he brings forward are quoted from Dr. Granville, Mr. Sadler, and Mr. Finlaison, and as they will no doubt be familiar to our readers, we shall give only the author's inductions.

1. Precocious marriages entail sterility, or, if fruitful, the probability of the children's lives is less.

2. A marriage if not sterile produces the same number of births, at whatever age it may be contracted, provided it be under 33 in the male, and 26 in the female. After these ages the numbers may be diminished.

3. From this and the consideration of the probabilities of life, it may be concluded that the greatest fecundity occurs before the age of 33 in man, and 26 in woman.

4. Looking to the respective ages of the parents, it will be found that, cæteris paribus, the most productive marriages are those in which the man is at least as old as the woman or older, provided the difference be not carried to an extreme.

M. Quetelet next inquires whether the course of nature be followed in marriages, and finds that in Belgium the greatest number occurs between the age of 26 and 30, both in men and women, the maximum being towards 29 in the former, and after 27 in the latter. After 35, the number of marriages sensibly diminishes. Allowing twelve months to elapse before the first child is born, which is about the average in fertile marriages, he concludes from various data, that men will have their first born about 30, and women about 28, which will give the duration of a generation in Belgium, and this is found to be about the duration of the average life.

It is a remarkable fact, that marriages do not become frequent till man has passed the age when his passions are strongest, and his propensity to crime greatest, and reached that at which the development of his physical powers is completed, and his intellect becomes more energetic.

According to M. Friedlander, the greatest number of deliveries in Sweden and Finland, takes place among women about 30 years of age, as shown in the following table :

M. Quetelet next considers the influence of climate on fecundity, and notices the information on this subject contained in the works of Rickman, Bisset Hawkins, D'Ivernois, Benoiston de Chateauneuf, Sadler, &c. From the deficiency of data, however, and from those which we possess being so modified by accessary causes, as to render it almost impossible to separate them from elements foreign to the question, and to come to

VOL. I.-NO. II,

L

any conclusions worthy of confidence, we can form no conclusion whether the north or the south is most favourable to fecundity.

: It would appear from some facts stated by the author, that Mr. Sad ler's opinions on the connexion of the fecundity of marriage with some other circumstances are fully borne out. The opinions to which we allude are, 1st, that those places in which the greatest number of marriages annually takes place, fecundity is least; and 2nd, that such places are dis. tinguished by the greatest mortality. M. Quetelet, however, distinguishes between the fecundity of marriage and the fecundity of population, which Mr. Sadler seems to have confounded. It has been said that deaths make room for marriages, and Mr. Sadler's facts prove this. But it has been farther stated that mortality increases fecundity, and Mr. Sadler offers in contradiction the results which he has obtained. Now M. Quetelet shows that the fallacy arises from the application of the term fecundity, Mr. Sadler applying it to each marriage, and his opponents to the increase in the population. In a country where the mortality should happen to be very great, especially among adults, second and third marriages may be more numerous, and each marriage thus produce fewer children, though in fact the fecundity of the population be very great. A woman, for instance, may have by one marriage five children. If the mortality should happen to be greater, and she be married twice instead of once, she might have the same number of children or even more, and yet the fecundity of each marriage would be only a half, while the fecundity of the individual was in reality the same or even greater. Thus, though the laws above given, as stated by Mr. Sadler, be according to one interpretation, though not that which he affixes to them, correct, to avoid ambiguity, and reconcile them to the real state of the case, they ought to be thus expressed: Cæteris paribus, in any country where the mortality is increased, the number of marriages will be increased, and the fecundity of each marriage lessened.

M. Quetelet next shows the influence of particular years on the number of marriages, and their fecundity. From the researches of Sussmilch, Rickman, and Sadler, he concludes that the fecundity of marriages does not sensibly vary in any one country in the course of a century, when periods of calculation are taken of a length sufficiently long to remove the accidental causes produced by more or less fortunate years.

In particular years, epidemics, famine, and great plagues influence, ina sensible manner, not only the number of deaths, but that of marriages and births. It certainly does not always follow that when the necessaries of life are dear one year, that fewer births and marriages should be the result, because this influence may be masked by some other. But when the increase of price is considerable, it is more than probable that the register will show a falling off in the number both of marriages and births, as well as an increase in that of deaths.

The influence exerted by the different seasons next engages the attention of the author. 1n 1824, M. Quetelet published the results of some inquiries into this subject in Brussels, which were afterwards confirmed by the publication of Professor Vanswinden's researches, and others more extensive, which he himself instituted both in the principal cities, and also in the rural districts of the low countries. The following table shows the inequality in the number of births at various seasons. The first column exhibits the average number of births for twelve years, both in towns and in the country. In the last column, the average of the whole num

ber is taken as unity, for the purpose of showing the variations more clearly:

From the table just given, it appears that the influence of season is more decided in the country than in towns, which is what we should have expected, since the inequalities of temperature are more felt in the former than in the latter. The greatest number of births occurs in February, and the smallest in July; and hence it follows, that most conceptions take place in May, and fewest in October. We shall come to the same result, whether we take the numbers by quarters or half years. Most conceptions take place during summer. M. Quetelet asks whether we may not conclude from the above, that the climates most favourable to fecundity are those which enjoy a mild temperature, and that excessive heat or cold injures propagation. Whatever may be thought of this suggestion, our readers will have little difficulty in agreeing with M. Villermé, quoted by the author, that the influence, direct or indirect, of the annual revolution of the earth round the sun, of the great variations of temperature produced by this revolution, and of certain meteorological states, on conception, and, consequently, on the number of births, is evident. Although, however, this may be considered as proved, in respect to the northern hemisphere, by the inquiries instituted into the subject by dif ferent statisticians, it would be at least satisfactory to ascertain, whether the same takes place in the southern hemisphere, because if this should be found to be the case, the most sceptical will be satisfied. Now, M. Villermé has been able to procure returns only from one place, the republic of Buenos Ayres, and according to these, those months in which the greatest number of births takes place are July, August, and September, that is in winter, those in which the least, January and May, that is in summer. Thus it appears that in the southern as well as in the northern hemisphere, most conceptions occur in the summer months, and most births in the winter.

Curiosity led M. Quetelet to inquire whether there was any connexion between the different hours of the day, and the number of births. Dr. Guiette, attached to the Lying-in Hospital of Brussels, furnished him with results for eleven years, from 1811 to 1822, and M. Villermé found them agree with those which he obtained from the Lying-in Hospital at Paris. The following table exhibits Dr. Guiette's observations, both for the eleven years alluded to, and also for two additional years, 1827-8:

.....

....2680

218

531

From these numbers it would appear that the proportion of children born during the night to those born during the day is very nearly as 5 to 4.

Dr. Buek of Hamburgh also made several observations, the result of which will be found in the following table, the numbers being ruduced to proportions of 1000:-.

Winter. Spring. Summer. Autumn. Average.

Birth.

After midnight

..325

320

291

312

312

....

Before mid-day.

After mid-day

292 264 247

256

Before midnight...... 215

Proportion of the night to the day 1.31 to 1.

The influences already considered are those which M. Quetelet reckons natural. We now come to the disturbing influences of profession, morality, religious and political institutions, which we must reserve for the next number.

COMMERCE OF PARIS.

We have received from a correspondent in Paris a copy of the address of M. Aubé, the late President of the Tribunal of Commerce, of the department of the Seine, delivered on the 30th of August, on the occasion of the installation of his successor, M. Michel. Some of the statements made by this gentleman will not, we think, be uninteresting to our readers. It appears to be his notion that commercial crises are subject to a sort of periodical recurrence; and that no prudence can be expected always to guard against them. Their existence is made manifest by an increased number of law-suits arising out of commercial transactions, and by the amount and importance of the declared bankruptcies. In support of this opinion, M. Aubé appeals to the events of the years 1826 and 1831; and assuming it to be well-founded, enters into an analysis of the proceedings brought under the cognizance of the Tribunal of Commerce during the present year, when a convulsion, commencing in the continent of America, afterwards extended throughout the commercial world; with the view of forming a just appreciation of the manner in which the commerce of Paris was affected by the general embarrassment, and of avoiding those exaggerated notions which always result from ignorance of the facts. In the first year of M. Aubé's presidency (ending on the 30th of August, 1836), 26,545 suits were disposed of. In the year ending in August, 1837, the number of suits brought before the Tribunal, was 32,508; being an increase of 5963 suits, or between a fourth and a fifth. In 1831, the number was as high as 40,000. With regard to these suits there are two facts worthy of observation:-1st, that the augmentation of the number was owing to an increased number of small bills not being met