ON PROBABILITY, 53 
ion Tables ‘“ wastes in all its different stages, both among males and females. Concern 
try; fee “ing these tables it is necessary I should make the following observations, 
ex “The table for females must be considered as particularly correct, because 
3 ‘“ the number of females born and buried in Chester are very nearly equal. 
y * On the contrary, the number of males born being about an eighth greater 
““ than the number buried, it follows that, in the table of decrements for males 
“ the number of the living, and, consequently, the probabilities of living at 
“ every age for the last 10 or 15 of the first years of life, must be given too 
’ “low.” 
j 89. Dr. Price characterises Dr. Haygarth as an able and ingenious physi- 
cian, and it appears that he made a survey of the ten parishes of Chester 
with great care in 1774, at which time the population consisted of 6697 
males and 8016 females. 
The table of mortality formed by Dr. Haygarth, from the observations af 
Chester, is given at length in Dr. Price’s Treatise on Reversionary Payments, 
vol. ii. It distinguishes the sexes, which the Northampton Table does 
not; it contains 4006 observations, while Carlisle only furnished to Mr. A. 
Milne 1840, a number too small to admit of subdivision. The Chester obser- 
vations were, probably, communicated to Dr. Price after those at Northamp= 
ton, which may have been the reason why he made more use of the latter, 
probably also as they were rather the more favourable of the two, he wished to 
keep on the safe side. Dr. Haygarth has given different tables of observa- 
_ tions in the Transactions of the Royal Society, in which the deaths are classed 
Nervations for from 5 years to 5 years, and the diseases by which they were occasioned are 
madihties and also stated. As Dr. Haygarth was a physician practising in Chester at the 
fed this not, time he collected these observations, he had great opportunities of obtain- 
pe made this ing exact information. Dr. Haygarth states distinctly, that all the num- 
eet fey bers dying at ‘every age were taken just as the register gave them, except 
dered ate in the case of 22 females above the age of 80, of whom the age was not 
te Oil for 46 closely specified. 
tween 20 and It is much to be regretted that no registry of births, marriages, and 
since wih deaths exists in this country, which would furnish very valuable statistical 
ed, ming 0 information. The act of the 52 Geo. III, for the better regulating and 
qual between preserving parish and other registers of births, baptisms, marriages, and 
en 20 and 40 burials in England, has, indeed, a clause by which any person making false 
y the totals entries, or false copies of entries, is to be adjudged guilty of felony, and 
proportions of transported for fourteen years. Another clause which follows immediately 
ory quartet o after, directs that one half of the penalties levied in pursuance of this act 
early that the shall go to the informer and the remainder to the poor of the parish. The 
returns of the weekly burials, which are made by the clerks within the bills 
| which were of mortality, do not appear to be sent regularly to the parish clerk’s office, 
dix 11650; so that it is difficult to ascertain the effect of the seasons or the weather in 
not been able producing deaths. In these returns the number of marriages is not stated, 
it method be nor are the burials of males and females discriminated. 
ary ten yeas 90. We have before alluded to the error which arises in a table of mortality 
considered as furnishing the probabilities of life, from the supposition that 
oll now quote the population has been stationary during the century previous to the obser- 
vation, and we have explained the method which should be adopted in order 
births had for to get rid of this when we know the actual increase. The accuracy of the 
hich [ref Chester observations is such as to make it desirable to take into account 
ye Hagar this circumstance. The births in all England in the year 1700, according 
[of to the Parliamentary Reports, were 138,979, and in 1780, 201,310, making 
over the mean annual rate of increase 1.0046 ; in the county of Chester, taken by 
ble itself, in 1700, they were 2650, and in 1780, 4592, making the mean