Viri Illustrissimi—Societas Regia Edinensis commemorationem tercentenariam Universitatis Jacobi Sexti, Scotorum Regis, concelebrare et ornare vult. Etenim Societas Regia est filia Universitatis vestræ, cui suavissimo commercio et sanctissimâ necessitudine devincta est. Quam multi philosophi, Universitatis Senatores, pars magna sunt et fuerunt rerum a Societate gestarum.

In a paper read nearly three years ago to this Society, I have attempted

1. (1) To review the existing state of statistics ;

2. (2) To define the nature of the subject, and its relation to history and the sciences;

3. (3) Broadly to group and co-ordinate the whole body of existing and possible statistics, in relation to the respective statistical sciences ; and

4. (4) In accordance with the preliminary sciences to frame a classification embracing all existing and possible sociological statistics. Moreover,

5. (5) This was shown to involve, or rather actually to constitute, an aspect of the pressing problem of the systematisation of the literature of economics, of which

6. (6) The existing schools were briefly criticised ;

7. (7) The relation of the conceptions of scientific economics to practical economics was outlined ;

8. (8) As also their relation to ethics.