A Statistical Account of the British Empire
Exhibiting its Extent, Physical Capacities, Population, Industry, and Civil and Religious Institutions

This pioneering survey, published in 1837, contains invaluable historical data on British and Irish agriculture, industry, society and institutions.

J. R. McCulloch (Author)

9781108036368, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 15 December 2011

704 pages
21.6 x 14 x 3.9 cm, 0.88 kg

John Ramsay McCulloch (1789–1864) wrote numerous articles, pamphlets and books about the emerging field of political economy. This two-volume work, published in 1837, focuses on 'the British Empire, exclusive of its foreign dependencies', in other words, Great Britain and Ireland. McCulloch drew information from the 1821 and 1831 census returns and commissioned contributions from experts including William Jackson Hooker, who provided the article on botany. His book was the first such overview to be compiled in more than a century and is an indispensable contemporary source on life in Great Britain and Ireland at the close of the Georgian era. Volume 2 examines industry, commerce and foreign trade, beginning with coal production and consumption. Later chapters address social institutions including parliament and local government, the courts, the established church and other religions, and topics such as education, taxation, defence spending, health and life expectancy, and the poor laws.

Part III continued: Industry of the British Empire continued: 2. Mines and minerals
3. Fisheries
4. Manufactures
5. Commerce
Part IV. Constitution and Government, Civil and Religious, of the British Empire: 1. General outline of the English government, with a sketch of its history
2. Parliament, its constitution, procedure, etc.
3. Of the executive
4. Courts of justice, procedure therein, etc.
5. Municipal corporation
6. Constitution, courts, etc. of Scotland
7. Constitution, courts, etc. of Ireland
8. Religious establishments of Great Britain and Ireland
Part V. Miscellaneous Particulars: 1. Establishments for public education
2. Revenue and expenditure
3. Defence
4. Vital statistics
or, the statistics of health, sickness, diseases, and death
5. Provision for the poor
Index.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural history [HBTB]