Since the establishment of the Statistical Society of London, so great an impetus has been given in this country to the study of statistics, that probably in no branch of knowledge have more important results been produced in the same time. This arises in a great measure from the very nature of statistics, and from the universality of their application. Every science, the facts of which can be expressed in a tabular form, comes within their range; and the great object of those who desire to elevate the character of statistics in the mind of the philosopher or the man of science is, to show how, by a correct and methodical classification of facts of every kind, the boundaries of knowledge are enlarged, new laws developed, and new theories suggested.
