Senate the same day, and was signed by Timothy Dwight as president. These memorials are exceedingly interesting and show the demand for information which should constitute a vital contribution to social science. The memorialists informed Congress that they considered the census as offering an occasion of great value, and not otherwise to be obtained, of ascertaining sundry facts highly important to society. They considered it as important to determine the effect of the soil and climate of the United States on the inhabitants as simply to ascertain their number, and they urged that in the coming census a most important division of life into certain epochs be made, so that one could ascertain the existing numbers within each epoch, from whence might be calculated the ordinary duration of life, the changes of life for every epoch, the ratio of the increase of population, etc. The memorialists also urged, for the purpose of more exactly distinguishing the increase of population by birth and immigration, that facts be collected showing the respective numbers of native citizens, citizens of foreign birth, and aliens; and, in order to ascertain more completely the causes which influence life and health, and to furnish a curious and useful document relating to the distribution of society and the conditions and vocations of the people, they urged that facts be collected specifying the number of free male inhabitants, of all ages, engaged in business of various kinds. They thought that truth would result very satisfactorily to our citizens from such data; that under the joint influence of soil, climate and occupation the duration of human life would be found at least equal to what it was in any other climate or country, and that the population of the United States increased with a rapidity unequaled in any other land. They not only sought these things, but also the number of married and unmarried persons and the number of widows and widowers. In general, the memorialists had in contemplation the collection of materials for a complete view of the natural history of man and society in this country, and they urged the aid of legislation to secure the data on which such history could be based.
