The Express.
London, England, 1848-03-30 00:00:00

office of the Board of Trade. The oommiesimutre present
were the Earl of Blienborough, Admiral Bir. E. Codnagton,
boardW. Clay, ht.P., Mr. -Look, and Mr. Enderby. llse
set two hours.
Mr. J. Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an in-
teriew with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday.
Mr. Lfigham, Secretary and Comptroller.Generel to the
Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt, had
also an interview yesterday with the right hon. baronet at
pis official residence, in Downing-street.
Mr. Spackman, Mr. Russell, and Mr. Wapshere,
had an interview with the Commissioners of Railways yea-
urday at their office, in the Board of Trade, Whitehall, on
the necessity of amending Lord Dalho,isie's act.
Despatches were received yesterday. at the Colonial-
offire, from the Governors of the Mauritius, Gambia, and
Sierra Leone

DEATH OF SIR W. 0. PARKER, BART., R.N.—This
officer died on the 24th, at Plymouth, in the 62ad year of
his site. lle was eon of the first bart by the eldest
daughter of E. Collingwood, Esq., of Greenwich. He suc-
ceeded his father in 1800, arid married shortly afterwards
the daughter of J. C. 1f Pill, Esq. He became • lieutenant
to the navy in 1810,
1814. and wWhenas advalieutenant nced to the
on ran
board the
of cape
-
in in the navy in
La Renommee he cut oat a schooner from under the bat-
tery of Torre de Veit' and in the boats of the same ship
boarded the Tartan, of four guns, and on the following day
captured two guns from the harbour of Colon. He had the
honour of bring gazetted three times. The first baronet
was also in the navy, and held the rank of rear-admiral of
the

PROFESSIONAL LIFE ASSURANCE
COMPANY.
The first annual meeting of this company was held
yesterday, at the offices in Cleeapside. Col. Cameron in the
chair.
The ACTUARY read the following report:
Although a period of lens than twelve months bas elalpsed
commence-
slime the
complete registration of this corpo nth availing them-
ration and the nata
ment of basins*, the directors have much please
selves of this opportunity to meet the shareholders, end submit to
theca • ststement of the mamma and inmspecta of the scaapthy. The
amounts approved and credited, and this day laid before you, are
necerearily confined to the transactions of the company teem April,
periodthe date of ins commencement, to the 31Int of December last—a
er of only eight month, In reviewing, however, the akin of
the office from the date of iis commencement to the present time,
the directors are gratified to ennounce that, notwithstanding
the e.truoefliforeY general deprooton of trade and corcumme,
degree of success boa attended the company, which promises well
for its ultimate usefulness and etability. From the date of the issuing
of the first pokey on the 23rd of April last to the preterit time, a term
of ecateely eleven months, 101 policies have been effected, producing
an income of 1,0151. Os. 3d. • result they cannot, under tbe ember-
riming cithumetancee of the times, but conaider highly a
te oes byactory
end enccsiraging, although they regret to report that one
death, involving a claim of 4001., has during the inte-thl occurred and
been liquidated. The directors have the satisfaction to inform the
ehareholders that the capital of the company already subscribed fur,
and dietributed among a highly respectable proprtetary, places its
affairs upon a safe and responsible haslet Out of 2110,0001. consti-
tuting its entire capital, derived from 29,000 charm of IN. Ina each,
the sum of 92,562/. 10s. has, up to the prevent time, b en appropri-
ated and eulascribed for. 'Die number of shares for winch the
deed -has been actually signed, is 7,403, of which 609 only remain
unpaid upon, leaving a balance of 3001. due to the company. With
reelect to the unappropriated 'Mares, the directors are desirous to ap-
portion Went he small numbers among parties able and disposed to
uest the
promote the interests of the corporation, and earnestly req
assist/aloe of the shareholders in effecting that object. With this view
they will at all Omen be willing to receive, and ready to comply4,6th.
the recofnmendations of the tharebolders in a prudent dis tribution of
a portion of the remaining share With regard to the interest due
upon the p.id-up capital of the company, the directors considering it
just and right that the eltareholders should remove an adequate rerms of
eturn
for their several instalmenta, propose, in accordance with
the prospectus and deed of settlement, that a dividend, after the rate
of live per cent. per annum, to the 31st Dec. last, be paid to the re-
spective shareholders. The directors refer with peculiar pleasure
to the respectability and influence of their numerous agents, and
medical referees, from whose valuabl
es co-operation and assistance,
cordially given and earnestly exerted, best and and
permanent
results are promised and anticipated. Theliberal principles identified
wall every branch and operation of the company, the principle of eon-
netting as intimately. as practicable the waneof the liring with the
interests of the survivors, of decuritm annuities at moderate ratth to
all who may desire, as well to the professional man as to any and
every other member e f the community, to protect himself against the
disastrous consequences contingent upon blindness, insanity, or upon
any other affliction, bodily or mental ; of rendering every polity
Issued by this company indisputable under every circumstance ex-
cept that of personation, of allowing the assured to go to and
reside in distant parts without payment of additimal premium
these and other advantages, originating with and peculiar to
this offioe, added to its safe and moderate rates co! premium,
have sec.red for the corporation a wide and valuable con-
nexion, accompanied with the best general wishes or
hostits smooth
The directors utnnot conclude this their first report wit ,mein
reminding the shareholder. that the company, was established at a
time when the money market woo most inauspicious—time the shares
were advertised during the prevalence of a panic, sufficient to impede
the success of any company, however powerfully Introduced to the
public; and although the dithstrous state of the money market still
exists in incoosed degree, yet the appreciation by the public of the
benefits embodied in the institution, in truly gratifying and acceptable
to the director*, and the ensured and the prom ietary may rely that no
ended.* or means will be wanting on their porta to realise the sanguine
anticipations entertained of the company's succeed; to twig in ac-
tempi-oiling which they respectfully Invite and confidently depend
upon the influence and co-operation of the eharebolders, individually
and collectively.
The report wu adopted unanimously, and ordered to be
printed and circulated. The retiring directors and auditors
were then re-elected, and,
Mr. BAYLIdS, the actuary, in speaking of the claims of
the Professional Assurance Company observed, that no one
connected with the association could come to want, for there
was a fund specially set apart to provide for destitution in
old age, and for the widows and children of such of the mem-
bers who had assured for life and paid up five annual pre-
miums. Over this fund, thanks to the exertions of the soli-
citor (Mr. Elderton), the directors had no power, and it
could not be withdrawn except at the instance of the share-
holders themselves. Looking at the amount subscribed for,
the stability of the subscribits; arid the confidence the com-
pany had already inspired, he had no doubt but that it !
would become one of the greatest concerns of the kind in the
kingdom. He was happy to add, that all parties in the ma-
nment-were in complete action, and all that was
wan to insure success was thexertions of the proprietors
themselves.
Thanks were then voted to Mr. Bayliss, Mr. Elderton, the
solicitor, the directors, and the chairman, which having
been duly acknowledged, and a resolution confirming the
dividend carried, the meeting adjourned.

- -
Scorrisx lIOBPITAL.—A quarterly general court
of governors was held yesterday, in the ball of the Scottish
corporation, Crane-court, Fleet-street The Duke of Mont-
rose presided. The minutes of the last court, of the special
meetings since that period, arid of the meetings of the relief
committee, having been confirmed, the meeting proceeded
to consider the propriety of accepting the bequest of the late
Mr. William ROM, of Belmour House, Sutherlandshire.
The question had been deferred from the last court, in con.
sequence of the bequest (1,0001.) being accompanied by so
many provisions and encumbrances tint it was considered
doultful whether any real buy fit would be derived from it.
The secretary read a let:er from the Rev. Mr. Ross, the
executor of the testator, who expressed his hope that the
society would accept the bequest ; and, also, the report of
Mr. Thomas, the solicitor, who had been appointed to give
his opinion upon the subject. His recommendation,
upon consideration of all the circumstances, was
that the corporation should not at present come to any deci-
sion with regard to the acceptance of the trust, as there
would be sufficient time to do so when tt ey should he in-
formed of the death of the widow of the testatu, until ten
years after which event the amount of the bequest would not
be completed. Dr. Webster moved the adoption of the re-
port and the rem nmendation which it contained. He con-
sidered many of the provisions of the bequest extremely vex-
ations, particularly those which compelled them to erect
boards recording the grant in several parts of Scotland—to
distribute the relief afforded by it only to persons named
Ross, residents in Ross and Sutherlandsbire—to keep in re-
pair the family vault in which the remains of the testator
were deposited, and also the iron railing around it—all of
which expenses were to be supplied out of the general funds
of the corporation, and not from the amount of the bequest.
Mrs. Row, the widow of the testator, was now 73 years of
an, arid would probably live several years longer,
which rendered the c atingency still more remote and un-
certain. He, therefore, while supp. rting the recommenda-
tion contained in the report, considered that the hequest
might be rejected without any loss to the socie y. The re-
solution was carried uaanimously.—Mr. Hamilton then
brought forward a motion, of which be had given notice,
in which he wished to make an alteration. Atter some
discussion the resolution assumed the following form :
" That the portion of the 11th bylaw, by which the cor
poration are bound not, under any circumstances, to allow
their vested capital to be reduced below the sum of 40,0001
be rescinded." Mr. Hamilton made some observations, de-
prtesting the principle of hoarding up large sums
of money by charitable institutions, as if, he said,
it was thought that posterity could not be quite
as liberal in their contvibutions as the present public.
He considered that such funds were better expended in the
relief of existing distress than in providing for remote enn-
tingencies.—The resolution was carried after some little
oppuition.—Another conversation then arose as to the pro-
priety of increasing the number of the medical officers of the
nstitutioa to four, but, several gentlemen considering the
measure to be unnecessary, the puposal was withdrawn, and
the business of the court concluded.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF CHEMISTRY.—Dr. Hofmann
delivered a lecture yesterday evening to a crowded meeting
of the members of this college, at their rooms, Hanover-
square, on the composition of coal gas and its combustion.
The learned gentlemen's enunciation as a foreigner ren-
dered it difficult, at least for those not intimately acquainted
with the science, to fellow him satisfactorily through his
lengthened but interesting discourse. He however stated
some facts, and made some experiments, which obviously
proved that even in the matter of gas there is much that
concerns health, although his lecture, which was purely
scientific, had no ostensible bearing upon the sanitary quo,-
lion. Amongst his statistical remarks was this, that the coal
annually consumed in Landon was 500,000 toes, and that of
that 12.5,000 tons were consumed in gas, which gas amounted
to several millions of cubic feet, and necessarily impregnated
the atmosphere with its unhealthy compounds, such as
sulphuretted hydrogen. He stated that Mr. Faraday had
found that a dog died in air containing caly 1-S )oth part..of
sulphuretted hydrogen; and he bad himself seen pe a
faint when that gas was evolved in no greater quantify.
Hence the necessity of purifying coal gas, to which the
learned doctor next directed the attention of the meeting, in
a series of successful chemical experiments, describing, as he
proceeded, the character of the several constituents forming
toll gas, and showing how, by sew combinations, it might
be deprived of its deleterious intlisenoe, and even rendered
more brilliant, pointing, as an example, to the gas by which
the rooms of the society wore lighted, and which he said *as
totally free from sulphuretted hydrogen.
INQUEST, YESTERDAY.—WRESTLING.—LOSS OP
Twu LlvES.—lly Mt. Bedford, at St. George s Hospital, on