made of applying phosphorus to matches. A large number of children and young persons from the first were engaged. Little capital, comparatively, was required for the manufacture, and hence great irregularities occurred. Frequent night work. prevailed. Children were sent to the work so young, that they were deprived of all opportunities of education. It was not till 1845 that medical attention was distinctly called to a disease incident to the trade. That disease is "necrosis of the jaw," or "the phosphorous disease "-so painful, hideous, and loathsome, as to call for the utter extermination of the manufacture, or for such strict, thorough, and extensive regulation, under severe statutory penalties, as shall put down all but properly constructed works. Dr Henry Letheby says→ "All these are dangerous processes, on account of the children and young persons employed being exposed to an atmosphere charged with phosphorus. It caused irritation, cough, and in numerous instances it accelerated, if it did not produce phithisis (consumption). The irritation in the alimentary canal was characterised by purging, griping, and loss of appetite. The second class of effects followed on these; great prostration of vital power, loss of appetite, and general wasting. The third class manifested itself by pain in the jaw resembling toothache, afterwards inflamation of the jaw, with abscesses of the gums, and finally death of the jaw took place. There is a case of this kind in the London Hospital at It is that of a man whose jaw was removed a few days After the removal of the jaw he nearly died from secondary hæmorrhage." the present time. ago. There are about 1800 children, employed by the recognised firms in the trade, and even as to the largest and best conducted establishments, it is reported that circumstances and arrangements were observed, against which specific regulations enforced by law would be the only security. No parent who has the least affection for his offspring, will send his child to a Match Factory until that security is afforded. PRACTICAL PAPERS, No. 15. By Mr. G. M. MURPHY. STATISTICS. Statistics in general are usually voted not only " a bore," but like the bones in Ezekiel's vision, "very dry." Some go so far as to say that the subject is positively wicked, adducing for illustration the example of David; but such objectors forget that it was not merely for numbering the people that the king and his nation were punished, but for the impure motive which prompted the deed. In point of fact the numbering of Israel was not only commended but commanded, and rules laid down regulating the census. (Ex. xxx. 12; Num. i. 2,, &c. &c.) Figures, indicative of social or political progress, or retrogression, are of the utmost importance to the merchant and the statesman, nor are moral calculations one whit less valuable to the philanthropist and christiau reformer. It is true that the returns of the latter must, in the nature of the case, be incomplete and sometimes illusory, from the very fact that it has to do with mental and spiritual interests, whereas the former simply deals with what is material and tangible, and can therefore balance ledgers to a unit, a sovereign, or a pound. Nevertheless moral statistics cannot be, and must not be, despised or ignored. To temperance reformers statistics are especially valuable, and while, perhaps, they would be more admired by a meeting, if we could set them to music and sing them, yet, as this is impossible, we must bring them forward in the good old way. The propounder of statistics, should, however, be well aware of the foundation on which his figures rest, and divest them of formality as much as possible when introducing them into an address. Our present paper will comprise a few important statistics which may be used ad libitum by speakers, for the information of friends; but both time and space forbid extended comment on the facts. And here we would gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to Tweedie's Almanack, for its annual digest of parliamentary documents, containing the statistical information of most value to the teetotaller and Band of Hope advocate; these returns alone are worth more than the cost of the whole. The statistics of the census of 1861 give the following as the numerical state of the country : 393,220 Ireland (unrevised) 993,233 13,220 England and Wales 3,739,505 184,694 27,305 9,776,259 10,289,965 20,066,224 Scotland 1,309 3,224 1,449,848 1,612,446 3,062,294 3,047 2,804,961 2,059,582 5,764,543 170 66,140 77,307 143,447 5,148,970 239.207 33,746 14,097,208 14.939,300 29,036,508 Of the 29,036,508 persons in Great Britain nearly one-tenth, or 2,803,989, are to be found in the metropolitan district. If it be true, as is commonly supposed, that the money spent in intoxicating liquors, and the time lost in spending it, represents £100,000,000 per annum, this would be about £3. 10s. a head for each individual yearly. In the decade England and Wales have increased in inhabitants 2,138,615. In 1851, the quantity of spirits charged duty for the United Kingdom was 28,760,224 gallons; while in 1861 the quantity returned as for home consumption of British and Foreign spirits, is 24,668,098 gallons. If these Governmental returns are correct, we have a decreased consumption of spirits with an increase of population, which is an encouraging fact to the friends of Temperance. Another encouraging fact to the friends of the people must be the increasing consumption of the non-intoxicants; the importations of these show the following astounding figures: Tea. Coffee. Cocoa. Total. 1861-96,577,382 lbs. ... 83,532,525 lbs. ... 9,080,288 lbs.... 189,190,195 lbs. To sweeten the decoctions extracted from the foregoing, and other purposes, 1,164,880,160lbs. of raw sugar was introduced into the country. It may be safely affirmed, that notwithstanding the vast consumption of unintoxicating liquids to be inferred from these figures, the criminal returns are not swelled from their use; but who would dare assert this of the consumption of spirits, beer, and wines? The Birmingham Daily Post of August 20th, in an article on the judicial statistics for 1863, contains the following table in reference to the eleven largest cities and towns in England, and upon which we may remark how different might have been the moral condition of these centres of industry but for the drink! There are eleven places in England containing populations of more than 100,000). Arranged in order of population these are as follows:— The number of police officers in these districts are as follows, and it should be borne in mind that but for the drink the great majority might be much more advantageously employed: The city of London receives no aid from Government towards the cost of its police force. The moral state of these localities, as reported upon by the officers enumerated, is placed broadly before us; a gloomy catalogue indeed it is: A popular writer has said that "gaols are monuments of neglected duty;" and if this be correct, and I am hardly prepared to question it, what can be the fact with these poor wretches? Their hands against every man, and every man's hand against them. The account of their haunts is as follows: HOUSES OF BAD CHARACTER RESORTED TO BY THE CRIMINAL CLASSES. Public houses stand out alarmingly conspicuous here, notwithstanding the extreme respectability of "the trade," and no one who is at all cognisant of the facts but must be well aware that the above is an under-statement rather than an over. Mr. Alderman Wire, in his evidence before the parliamentary committee of 1854, acknowledged to 1000 out of the 6000 publicans of London being men of exceptional character; While Mr. Bishop, the beer-sellers' solicitor, said that 5000 out of the 6000 was nearer the mark, and on being re-called by the committee, both reiterated their statements.. It would be erring entirely on the side of charity to "split the difference between these "honourable" witnesses; the wickedness of licensing, approving of, and supporting such a traffic, must thus be painfully apparent. The next return shows the number of indictable offences, and cases that the magistrates dealt with summarily, during the year, towns being arranged according to their moral aspect. It would be interesting to have the correct number of public houses and beer-shops in each place, in order to show how the number of drinking places influence the criminal returns:— |