The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-08 00:00:00

much larger possible loss. The one purposely increases
the hazards of life, the other purposely diminishes them.
Now, if it be, as I believe it is, indisputable that a sense
of security is one of the very first requisites, both for
material improvement and mental development, whatever
creates or strengthens that sense of security is an impor-
tant element of human progress, and when a proprietor
has guaranteed himself, according to the nature of his pro-
perty, against fire, against shipwreck, against loss of stock
by disease, or of crops by storms; still more when the man
who lives by his industry has secured himself, not indeed
against premature death, but against that to which such per-
sons having families is the sharpest sting of premature death,
the dread of leaving unprovided for those whose existence
is bound up with his own, it is difficult to estimate by any
test any results that can be shown on paper the amount of
good which is practically effected, for that again must be
measured, not by the number of persons actually saved from
distress, but by the infinitely greater number saved from
the apprehension of distress, the fear being often as bad as
the thing feared. (Hear, hear.) It is not easy to over-
rate the benefit which the practice of insurance has con-
ferred, and will confer, on mankind. And why, in open-
ing this statistical section, do I refer to it ? Because it is
a practice founded in its very nature on statistical inquiries
and which, without such inquiries, could not have existed.
(Hear, hear.) It remains only to speak of a few desiderata,
a few things wanted to be done. In England our chief
defect is the absence of agricultural statistics. (Hear, hear.)
That is a question whh has been long before Parliament,
the difficulty of collecting such facts as are really wanted
does not seem to me great, but, between prejudices on both
sides, statisticians asking too much and farmers invariably
jealous of giving any information, the thing has always
fallen through. I hope, in that respect, the now Parlia-
ment may be more fortunate than its predecessors. I ought
also to note as inconvenient in the highest degree the ex-
cessive complication of our English weights and measures.
(Hear, hear.) They are, probably, by far the worst in
Europe in that respect. But I note the fault in no very
sanguine spirit as to a remedy being applied. Our national
peculiarities—a great indifference to simplicity and con-
formity, dislike to change anything to which we have be-
come accustomed, and the total absence of any strong in-
terest in the subject, except among a few individuals,place
reform on this matter wholly beyond my expectations.
Parliament, no doubt, has legalized the use of the metric sys-
tem, a step which is very well as far as it goes, but which
really for all practical purposes leaves matters where they
were ; compulsion is not to be thought of, and, on the
whole, I strongly suspect the next generation will do ex-
actly what I am doing now,—admit the inconvenience and
say it can't be helped. (A laugh.) Even with regard to
the decimalisation of coinage, which is a matter really in
the power of the Government, I do not think we are likely
soon to see anything done ; and it is obvious that weights
and measures cannot be changed without a general feeling
of willingness among the people to give up those existing
and adopt the substitutes. It is more satisfactory to look
to the operations of the Board of Trade. Their little yearly
volume called the Statistical Abstract is full of useful in-

formation, packed into the smallest compass, and arranged
with a careful rejection of trifling or unimportant details.
I should be glad to see the scope of the publication ex-
tended, and references added showing where fuller details
on the subject dealt with might be found. I think it is
also worth considering, since every European Government
now takes a decennial census, whether some understanding
may not be come to among the leading States to frame their
inquiries as nearly as may be in the same way, and to pub-
lish them in the same order and form, so that for purposes
of comparison they may be at once and easily available.
(Hear, hear.) For, notwithstanding local and national
divisions, differences of language, of institutions, and of
race, Europe inclines more and more to become in its gene-
ral habits of thought and action one community, and
Napoleon's phrase that a war in Europo is a civil war, like
most sayings of great men, becomes more and more appli-
cable, and not less so by the progress of time. (Hear.) I do
not know that it would serve any useful purpose if I were
now to anticipate the contents of the papers that may be
read in this section. They will be many, various, I hope-
interesting, and ought to lead to useful discussions. Let me
only offer to those who take part in our discussions one or
two suggestions. Tho first is, time runs fast. You can say
all you have got to say in very few words, if you will think
it over beforehand. It is not abundance of matter, it is want
of preparation, want of exact thought, that makes diffusive-
ness. A man goes round and round his meaning when ho
is not perfectly clear. (Hear, and a laugh.) Again, we
don't want preamble or perorations. We are not a school
of rhetoric ; and in addressing an educated audience a good
deal may be taken for granted. Lastly, wo only wish to
get at the truth of things. All ideas aro welcome ; but
mere verbal criticism is of no value to us. Some of the
topics with which we shall deal may, perhaps, have a poli-
tical bearing, and in that case I hope and expect that they
will be dealt with in a strictly impartial and scientific
spirit. (Cheers.)
A vote of thanks having been passed to the noble lord
for his address, the reading of papers commenced and was
proceeding when the section rose.