The following problem was suggested by certain remarks in Mr. Buckle's introductory chapter to his History of Civilisation. In that chapter Mr. Buckle remarks upon the striking uniformity usually exhibited by classes of phenomena—such as not only births, deaths, marriages, but such things as those apparently depending upon mere caprice—such as the number of letters annually sent without directions through the Post-office, or those which appear likely to depend on the most capricious and irregular causes, such as murders and suicides; and he proceeds to draw certain moral conclusions from the fact of this uniformity, namely, the existence of certain moral laws, by which a section of the community, definite in number, is always impelled to such acts. But before entering upon a discussion of the legitimacy of such results, there appears to me always a previous question to be solved, namely, whether the observed degree of uniformity is remarkable or not. For supposing the observed uniformity to be not more than that which might be expected from events, the occurrence of which to individuals was conceived of as perfectly fortuitous, the whole argument would resolve itself into a pure metaphysical question, from which it would be hopeless to expect any practical issue.