The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-26 00:00:00

SECTION F.-STATISTICS.

THE PROGRESS AND DIRECTION OF BRITISH EXPORTS, AND
THE INFLUENCE THEREON OF FREE TRADE AND GOLD.
Mr. VALPY read a paper upon this subject, in which,
referring to the annual " Statistical Abstract" recently
published, for the first time, by the Government, ho
sketched the increase of the exports of home, produce
from this country from 1840 to 1853, and showed that
their total value was 877,299,000/. ; that they rose from
51,406,000/. in 1840 to 98,933,0001. in 1553, or nearly
93 per cent. Those to foreign countries rose from
34,431,0001. to 57,950,0001. in the same period ; and
those to British possessions abroad from 16,974,0001. to
22,756,000/. Further, in 1840, the proportion sent to
European countries was 57 per cent., and in 1853 only
42 per cent. of the whole ; while North America, which
took 20 per cent. of the whole in 1840, took in 1853 no
less than 33 per gent. To the United States alone our
exports were, on a❑ average of the years 1842-1845,
only 23,623,000/. ; and in the years 1850-53, not less
than 69,481,000/. The general conclusions suggested by
the author may be stated thus :—That the average in-
crease, during the period referred to in the paper, has
been larger to foreign countries than to British pos-
sessions ; that our exports have averaged the propor-
tions of about two-thirds to foreign countries and one-
third to British possessions ; that with foreign coun-
tries, in different parts of the world, the order of in-
crease has been to North America, South Arnerien..
and Europe ; while of Northern, Central, and Southern
Europe the rate of increase has been highest in. Ow.
southern division; that with respect to British possessions
the order of increase has been—first, Australia ; second,
Cape of Good Hope ; third, North American colonies ;
and fourth, the East Indies ; and, finally to the United
States and other corn-growing countries, excepting only
Russia, our exports have increased with our imports of
corn.
THE EFFECTS OF GOOD AND BAD TIRES UPON CON-
AfITTALS TO PRISON. _

A paper "On the Effects of Good and Bad Times on
the Committals to Prison" was read by the Rev. JOHN
CLAY, chaplain to the Preston House of Correction. The
object of this paper was to show, by facts and calcula-
tions, that many of the opinions respecting the connec-
tion between "hard times" and crime were erroneous.
SECTION D.—ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY.

THE MEDICINAL LEECH AND ITS REPRODUCTION.
Mr. RICHARDSON offered some remarks in this section
" On the Medicinal Leech, and its Method of Reproduc-
tion." Mr. Richardson said that only two works had
been written relative to the mode in which the leech was
reproduced, and in both the facts had not been cor-:
rectly statel. The egg of the leech was peculiar, and
dissimilar to anything known in physiology. The egg
appeared as large as the leech itself. The ovum was
first surrounded with viscous matter, and then with a
vegetable substance, giving it the appearance of a silk-
worm's cocoon. From this strange egg the young
leeches issued in the form of threads ; but it was not
necessary that the parent mother should assist at their
incubation. He himself had hatched some:dozens of
leeches without the aid of the parent leech, -by merely
following the necessary laws of nature. Thp leeches.