It thus becomes part of the business of government to apply all the means in its power in aid of statistics, not only for the administration of the affairs of state, but also for the improvement of political science. Abundance and accuracy must be the object of a government in collect ing statistical facts.
We would lay much stress upon the collection of facts by the supreme power, because the classes of facts most important in political inquiries can scarcely ever be searched out by other persons, who have not access to the offices of government, and who are without authority to demand information ; while the government has ample means at its disposal, and can, without diffioulty, and in the ordinary course of administration, obtain statis tical information of the highest value. In this and many other countries the respective governments are applying themselves earnestly to statistical invest' gations. In England a statistical depart ment has been established at the Board of Trade to collect and arrange all the documents of a statistical nature that can be obtained through any department or agency of government. The admirably organised departments of the French government have abundance of statistical materials systematically collected, which they never fail to arrange in a very lucid manner, and to analyse with much ability. Great credit is due to the Belgian govern ment for the diligence with which its several departments have engaged in statistics ; and in March, 1841, the king appointed a central statistical commission. "The object of this commission," said the minister of the interior, in his Report to the king, " will be to bring together in one common depository all the scattered in formation which is at present collected by the different departments of government; and it will propose models for the state ments and tables employed in collecting and classifying the elements of official publications." He adds, that "if the commission carries out satisfactorily the object proposed, the government, the legislative chambers, and the country, will find in the official statistical publica tions, authentic documents calculated to throw light on all matters of discussion, to encourage useful works, and to make known annually the situation, the strength, and the material and moral resources of the kingdom." The useful results of this
commission, it may be hoped, will not be confined to Belgium. The world at large is interested in the statistics of any coun try; and improved methods of conducting statistical inquiries must be generally applicable.
But while governments are thus en gaged. there is ample room for the la bours of individuals. Local statistics of all kinds are open to them. The books and records of public institutions, &Ws relating to particular trades, to the moral and social state of different classes of society, and other matters apparently of local interest only, often present results as important as those derived from in quiries on a more extended scale. Good service also may often be done by a ju dicious selection and comparison of mat ters not brought together in official state ments, with a view to the illustration of principles of science or experiments in legislation, and by suggestions and criti cism, which may direct the attention of government to particular branches of in quiry, to improvements in the mode of =Tying them on, or in the form in which they are published.
It would be useless to attempt an enu meration of the various matters that are included in the province of statistics, but for the more convenient consideration of the subject it may be divided into—I, Historical statistics, or facts illustrative of the former condition of a state ; 2, Statistics of population ; 3, of revenue ; 4, of trade, commerce, and navigation ; 5, of the moral, social, and physical condi tion of the people. Each of these divi sions will furnish ample materials for inquiry. The article Census will serve as an example of the use to which such materials may be applied, and the article INTERMENT.