Notes on the Observations of the Rev. John Hodgson, M.A., on the Mortality of the Clergy of England and Wales, with Remarks on the Tables deduced therefrom by Mr. Samuel Brown. By WILFRED ARTHUR BOWSER, Actuary and Secretary of the London and County Provident Institution.

IN the year 1865, the late Rev. John Hodgson published a

pamphlet entitled "Observations in reference to the Duration of Life amongst the Clergy of England and Wales;" to which is added, in the form of a supplement, a letter from Mr. Samuel Brown, containing various tables, having the observations of Mr. Hodgson for their basis, applicable to questions connected with Life Assurance, and the Valuation of Next Presentations to Livings and Advowsons.

The original observations embrace 5088 entrants, being mostly incumbents of livings, upwards of 100,000 years of life, and 3122 deaths. The extent of the experience, combined with the fact that it extends over a century, and the careful manner in which the statistics were compiled, impart confidence to the observations considered as an index of the value of clergy life.

Mr. Brown has incidentally touched upon the comparative mortality amongst the total entrants and the entrants during this century only, but has not given comparisons between entrants this and last century. Mr. Hodgson's Table No. 3, however, enables us to extract these particulars, as it shows, in quinquennial divisions, the number of entrants, the number under observation, and the number of deaths, both in respect of entrants this century and of the combined data. By subtracting the former from the latter the data for the entrants last century may be obtained; I therefore give the comparisons in the following table:

Mortality amongst the Clergy of England and Wales from 1760 to 1860, distinguishing Entrants this Century from Entrants last Century.

There is a marked diminution in the mortality among entrants during this century, at all ages, but chiefly noticeable at the prime of life, viz., between ages 45 and 60, where the diminution amounts to about 32 percent.

Mr. Hodgson's "numbers rated to be under observation" are arrived at in a different manner to that usually adopted, and are such that, if divided into the number of deaths, the "force of mortality," and not the "probability of dying," will be (approximately) obtained. In constructing the accompanying tables from Mr. Hodgson's original observations, I have therefore disregarded his "numbers rated to be under observation," and have obtained the required number at each age by adding to the continuants from the preceding age half the entrants, and subtracting half the discontinuants otherwise than by death. For the purpose of comparison and verification, Mr. Hodgson's Table No. 1 is here reprinted in full, the last column having been added by me to show the numbers subject to mortality when calculated in the ordinary way.

Incorrectly given as 1.700, 1.655, 7.525, 16.770 respectively in Mr. Hodgson's tables. Several other percentages are slightly incorrect in the last decimal place.