The choice between shooting and hanging may be accounted for on the same grounds. A young man, in a fit of frantic passion, from disappointed love, or losses at play, will probably, on his return home, seize a pistol and blow out his brains; whereas hanging needs reflection and some preparation and precaution, which would alone suffice to bring a reflective creature to a proper sense of his folly, unless predetermined to destroy himself by "philosophic suicide." It appears in these accounts that suicide in France has greatly increased since the revolution. The average number during the last forty-two years being 409-5/6, the number in Paris being 1639 annually. Dr. Schlegel informs us that there exists a society in Paris called, "Society of the Friends of Suicide." It consists of twelve members, and a lot is cast annually to decide which of them is to destroy himself in the presence of the others. Certain qualifications and testimonials were required before a candidate could be admitted into this amiable club: 1. He must prove himself a man of honour. 2. He must have experienced the injustice of mankind, been injured by a dear friend, or betrayed by a mistress or a wife. 3. He must have experienced, for some considerable time, a miserable vacuity of soul, and a discontent with every thing in the world. This association reminds me of a ball that was established in Paris after the reign of terror, called _Le Bal des Victimes_, to which no person could be admitted unless they had had a near relation guillotined. Dr. Schlegel has also given the following statistical table of the proportion of suicides to various populations--both as regarding counties and principal cities: _Countries._ _Proportion of suicides to population._ Sweden 1 in 92,375 The Milanais 1 ... 72,570 Russia, 1819-1820 1 ... 36,860 ---- 1824-1827 1 ... 34,246 Prussia 1 ... 14,224 Saxony 1 ... 8,446 St. Petersburg 1 ... 416 London, 18th century 1 ... 10,572 ---- 19th century 1 ... 21,491 Paris 1 ... 2,215 Geneva 1 ... 3,714 Berlin, 1788-1797 1 ... 23,066 ---- 1798-1807 1 ... 12,917 ---- 1813-1822 1 ... 3,312 Hamburg 1 ... 4,800 Leipzig 1 ... 3,143 Milan 1 ... 1,821 Naples 1 ... 27,230 New York 1 ... 9,474 Baltimore 1 ... 15,696 Philadelphia 1 ... 20,000