Statistics of the Attendance in Schools for Children of the Poorer Classes. By JOSEPH FLETCHER, ESQ.

[Read before the Statistical Section of the British Association at Ipswich, July, 1851.] THIS was an elaborate abstract of the attendance, ages, and instruction of the children, in about 160 schools, two-thirds British, and one-third Wesleyan, inspected with reference to the apprenticeship of pupil teachers, in the course of the year 1850. Their experience is that of the best class of town schools for the poorer classes; those which are merely infant schools being excluded from the abstract, while the attendance of those included in it is chiefly from the families of skilled artizans and small shopkeepers. The number entered upon the books within the twelve months preceding the date of inspection, was, in 139 schools, 13,728, and the number erased from them 10,989; shewing a decided tendency to increase with the increasing power of instruction supplied by the pupil teachers, but a lamentable amount of fluctuation; the new admissions amounting to 84 per cent., and the withdrawals to 64 per cent. upon the number in ordinary attendance. Abstract of the Fluctuations in the School Population.

The excessive fluctuation indicated by this table, affects chiefly the lower half of each school, where the inferior quality of the instruction which has heretofore prevailed has almost justified the indifference of the parents which this irregularity of attendance indicates.

Abstract of the Ages of the Children in 142 Schools, exclusive of Infant Schools, and containing 20,399 Children.

116 Attendance in Schools for Children of the Poorer Classes. [June,

Thus, one-third of the children in the schools which are not reckoned as infant schools, are of the infantile ages, not exceeding 7 ; while only 4.8 per cent. are upwards of 13, and only 9.9 per cent., including these, upwards of 12 years of age. This latter, therefore, may be considered to be the age at which the children of artizans generally cease to attend any day-school, a large proportion of those above that age being the children of parents of rather superior means. The relative excess of boys at the younger, and girls at the more advanced ages, is referable to the earlier usefulness of the latter at home; and the fact that a larger proportion of a somewhat higher class are generally to be found protracting their stay in the girls' than in the boys' schools. The children of the unskilled labourers being seldom allowed to attend school to ages ranging so late as those returned in the preceding table, it is obvious that there is no opportunity for the over-education of the people by the day-schools, let them be made ever so vigorous; while the following table of the school occupations of the above 20,399 children, enjoying the best advantages of any in their station of life, will further evince how fallacious is any apprehension of such a result.

Thus, in this highest class of schools for the children of the poorer classes, there is only about 8 per cent. whose occupation, in writing abstracts or compositions, and in learning the rules of proportion and practice, indicate their advancement beyond the merest elements of reading, writing, and counting; while only 5.3 per cent. work in fractions, 1.9 per cent. are making the first steps in geometry, and 1·4 per cent. in algebra. A large proportion of these more advanced scholars are of the middle classes, to whose children this amount of instruction has heretofore been almost entirely restricted; and the greater part of that which is designated as grammar, geography, and history, in the accompanying table, is really of a character to invalidate the figures which describe the proportions receiving instruction in these branches.

1852.] Attendance in Schools for Children of the Poorer Classes. 117

Abstract of the Per-centage Proportions of the preceding 20,399 Children, returned as receiving Instruction in each of the following subjects, in 161 Schools.

On the Vital and Medical Statistics of Chittagong. By J. R. BEDFORD, Civil Assistant-Surgeon.

[Read before the Statistical Society of London, 19th April, 1852.] Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, in Chittagong, from

May 1, 1848, to March 31, 1849.

THIS registration was effected through the kind and zealous co-operation of the then acting magistrate, Mr. Buckland. It was strictly limited to the well-defined boundaries of the town mohullas, and obtained through the agency of the chokeydars, who were directed to appear every morning, upon the termination of their watch, before an officer appointed for the purpose, and to inform him of any birth, death, or marriage, which had occurred within their jurisdiction during the preceding twenty-four hours. Whilst directed to gain all possible information upon these points, they were strictly prohibited from exercising any inquisitorial powers. As fifty houses constitute the limit of each man's charge, there was no great difficulty in acquiring a knowledge of all such important domestic events as formed our subject of inquiry. The intelligence thus afforded, and which

likewise comprehended the nature of fatal cases, (for the classification adopted, it was quite sufficient to obtain the broad distinctions of disease such as are well understood amongst natives of Bengal,) as well as the age and sex of their subjects, was immediately recorded. This document was forwarded every week to the town dispensary, scrutinized by myself and Baboo Buddoo nath Brimo, the sub-assistant surgeon, to whose intelligence and activity in the work the greatest praise is due; and on the termination of each month, tabulated into English, according to the model of the reports issued by the RegistrarGeneral of England. Constantly in the habit of driving through all portions of the native town, and visiting such of the sick as desired my presence, I had sufficient opportunity of checking the chokeydars'

statements.

I have, therefore, every reason to believe that the following tables approximate very closely to the truth, not only numerically, but also in the classification of disease. Before, however, we can rightly estimate their bearing, it is necessary to say a few words regarding the population and physical aspect of Chittagong.

A census of the town mohullas, recorded in the magistrate's office, gives 17,152 as the number of the population. Another in the Bengal and Agra Gazetteer, going somewhat more into detail, states it to be 24,490. In both, the sexes are not distinguished. Under this discrepancy, I have assumed the population to be 20,000, being not far from the mean of the two statements, and a simple number.

The town comprehended within the registration limits, stretches for about two miles along the right bank of the Kurimfulee River, which forms its southern boundary, and has a tidal rise and fall of about thirteen feet, averaging a width of half a mile. The sea is distant, in a straight line, about four miles. On its eastern and northern sides, it is encircled by a succession of picturesque hills, averaging eighty feet in height, covered with grass and low jungle. To the west, between it and the sea, there is an uninterrupted stretch of small villages, rice-grounds, and fruit-tree jungle. The total area of the Sudder station and town amounts to 3,274 acres, divided as follows:

but of the 602 acres, under the head "jungle," 278 form the cantonments, and should rather be entered "waste land."

The "cultivation" consists chiefly of rice.

The 251 acres occupied in tanks, which are no less than 522 in number, constitute a surface of stagnant water, presenting one mass of green vegetable matter. To these unhealthy looking pools, the receptacle of all the neighbouring filth, the inhabitants, on account o their proximity, almost constantly resort for drinking and cooking pur

poses, in preference to the many limpid springs which exist in the neighbourhood of the hills.

Besides the elevations forming the eastern and northern boundaries of the town, there is a ridge running parallel with, and about a quarter of a mile from the river. Along the intermediate strip, is found by far the larger proportion of native houses. Upon the summits of the ridge are situated the residences of the Europeans, commanding purity of air and picturesqueness of view.

Pucka houses are very few in number; the town chiefly consisting of the ordinary Bengal huts, raised generally about a foot above the surface, by a mud flooring. It is difficult to estimate the exact amount of evil exercised upon the health of a Bengal peasant, by the peculiar nature of his dwelling, but I apprehend he is more favourably situated than the poorest class of residents in English cities.

The soil is universally sandy, excepting immediately upon the river, and retains moisture a very short time. Several small tidal nullahs, of an exceedingly filthy character, traverse the town; but they are so flanked by houses, that effectual cleansing is almost impossible.

Drainage there is none, except of a natural character. Fruit and other trees abound in all directions, so much so, indeed, that in ascending any distant height, not a house can be seen, but the whole town bears the appearance of one wide expanse of jungle. The average force of the wind is so considerable, that these trees offer little obstruction to ventilation; their leaves, however, collecting numerously in the capacious ditches, and decomposing in their humidity, doubtless cause a very large proportion of the fevers to which the inhabitants become martyrs in the autumn quarter of the year. This would seem to have been illustrated by the fever which attacked almost every one, after the hurricane of April, 1849, in which trees were thrown down in all directions, and the town became one mass of vegetable débris. So thoroughly impregnated did the atmosphere become on this occasion, that its fatal influence reached the summits of the hills, affecting many of the European officers. Another pregnant source of disease, is the vicious custom which prevails amongst Mussulmans, of every corpse being buried within the family compound, thus constituting the town a large grave-yard.

Provisions are cheap in Chittagong, salt is universally consumed, and every man may be said to have a sufficiency. The clothing of the great majority consists of cotton cloth, and perchance a blanket in the cold season.

It would thus appear that as regards soil, dwellings, food, clothing, and ventilation, the inhabitants of Chittagong are favourably situated, whilst on the other hand the large vegeto-aqueous surface, impure water, and surrounding vegetable decomposition, are likely to exercise a most injurious influence upon them.