The work of °taunt and the political essays of Sir William Petty preceded, and probably stimulated the attempt of Halley to construct (in 16921 a table from the bills of mortality at Breslau, which was published in 1693. In 1699 came Dr. Davenant's ' Essay,' &c., con. la ning extracts from seine tables by Gregory King (afterwards pub fished entire), which Mr. Milne states to represent tables since made with great accuracy. Kerseboom's tables of lives (constructel from Dutch registers of annuitants) appeared in 1738, 1740. and 1742. De Moivre's • Treatise on Annuities,' containing his celebrated hypothesis, was published in 1724; and Thomas Simpson 's work on the b.1111e subject, containing a table deduced from London observations, in 1742. Deparcieux, in 1746. published his Trintise on Annuities,' containing his tables deduced from the lives of French aenuitants, as well as from monks and nuns. These were the first tables in which male and female life were distinguished from each other.
The works of Price, Bally, Milne, fic., contain altogether a large number of tables, which we shall here no further notice than to give refereuces to the works in which they may be Lund, with other matters connected with the same subject.
' Observations on Reversionary Payments,' by Richard Price, D.D., seventh edition, edited by ‘Villiam Morgan, London, Cadell and Davies, 1812.
The Doctrine of Annuities and Assurances; by Francis Bally, Loudon, Richardson, 1816. This work, now out of print, has been translated into French, under the title ' Thdorio des Annuita Viags)res,' tmdnit de 1'Anglais per Alfred de Courcy, Paris, Bachelier, 1886. There is also a spurious edition, issued ten or twelve years ago, which is im imitation of the type, &c, of the original.
'A Treatise on the Valuation of Annuities and .Aesumucte; Joshua Milne. London, Longman & Co., 1815.
On the Natural and Mathematical Laws concerning Population, Vitality, and Mortality,' by Francis Corbaux, London, 1833. This work contains a large number of tables.
Reports (two in number) of Select Committees of the Houses of Commons on the Laws respecting Friendly Societies. Ordered to be printed, July 5, 1825, and June 29, 1827.
Report of John Finlaison, actuary of the national debt, on the evidence and elementary facts on which the tables of life annuities arc founded.' Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, March 31, 1829.
' Library of Useful Knowledge,' treatise On Probability.' This anonymous work is by Sir John Lubbock and Mr. Drink water (Bethune), but by some mistake many copies were issued with Mr. De Morgan's name on the binding.
Treatise on Friendly Societies,' by Charles Ansell, &c., Loudon, Baldwin & Cradock, 1835.
' Tables showing the total number of persons insured in the Equitable Society from 1762 to 1829; &c., by Arthur Morgan. London, 1631.
Mr. Rickman's various Reports on the Population Census contain tables deduced from them.
' Recherches sur la Reproduction et la Mortality; &c.. par MM. Quetelet ct Smits, Bruxelles, 1832 ; and ' Sur l'Homme, &c., ou Essai de Physique Sociale; 2 vols., par A. Quetelet, Paris, Bachelier, 1835. These works exhibit for Belgium what we could wish to see imitated in England.
' Tables of Mortality, deduced from the experience of the Amicable Society during 33 years, ending 1341: Published in 1841.
Law of Mortality, deduced from the combined experience of 17 offices, embracing 83,905 policies, of which 40,616 are distinguished by denoting the sex of the 1.vee assured, and by classing them into town, country, and Irish assurances.' Privately printed for the offices in 1843. This table was constructed on policies, not on lire:: a person insured in two or more of the seventeen offices counted as two or more persons, all of whom were bound to die at the same moment. Perhaps this would make little difference in the general results, though it would be unsafe to assume as much. Again, though seventeen offices were combined, yet the Equitable and the Amicable put together make up far the largest pert of the whole. The distinctions pointed out between male and female life (that is, assured Ife), are no doubt correct, and are very remarkable. Female life, though better than male life, appears worse among assured females than among assured males. But the female difference and the difference are probably to be explained by reasons which more concern the offices than the student of the physical law of mortality.
The publications of the registmr.gencral commenced in 1839. It would be-impossible to give any account of this valuable and ever growing mass of materials in any space which we could afford. And there would be little satisfaction to the reader of a few years hence hi the perusal of what he would know must be then very imperfect. We hope that the registrar-general himself will soon feel It his duty to give the public a digest of results, with the proper references, and a com plete list of his publications. And when, speaking with due modal propriety, we mention the registrar-general, all who are conversant with the sub ect will know that we mean Dr. Farr, who is as much the guiding spirit of the Registry Office as Sir Rowland 11111 is of the Post Office.