The Express.
London, England, 1856-03-28 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, ACIRCH 28.

No serious apprehension is entertained that the
Conferences at Paris can prove abortive. Nobody,
howev, r, will venture to say that peace is concluded,
until he sets it affirmed in black and white. All the
world are waiting to be assured of a tact which in
their hearts they most potently believe. Men gather
into group% and whisper conjectures about the delay
in the announcement of peace, and cannot settle to
huskies. until it is published. The stockbroker
pauses in his speculations; merchants hesitate to'
give orders to the manufacturers; the very
Gas Company of Paris postpones its arrange.
=tots for en illumination. Nobody wits move till the
members of the Conferences set the example. The
Plenipotentiaries carriages stop the way." There is
nothing to alarm men in this state of affairs, but it is
excessively tiresome. If the Plenipotentiaries would
but let pool le know what they have resolved upon,
the world's bu4incsa would resume its wonted course.

Peer bee again proved stranger then fiction. The
inventive gimins even of a DICKENS has been dis-
tanced by the sober realities just brought to light in
a Court ot Justice. The famous Anglo-Bengalee
Company is beaten hollow by a society calling itself
the Protestant Fire and Life Insurance, end headiog
its policies by the pious emblem of an open Bible.
Air. Montayue Tegy, our readers will remember,
was a sumptuJus gentleman, got up wholly regard.
less ot expense, sporting his cab, his tiger, and his
mourache, rejoicing in waistcoats of fabulous splen-
dour, continuations of the most undeniable cut, and
boots of mitchlisi brilliancy. Mr. 2igg, however,
flourished in days of comparative insocence. He
bad not our advantages. Humility in his time
had not grown religions. The " white choker
and Prayer book" school of swindling was in
its nonage. Sir JOHN DEAN PACE had not
yet fon-rlid his chapel, subscribed to his cha.
rities, sod crushed the widow and the or•
phan under the ruins of his fraud. We knew
better cow. We have learned that professions of
piety are the safest cloak for peculation, and are
therefore perfectly prepared to doubt the integrity of
a trading company which adopts the Bible ea its em-
blem and Pro.estant u its name.

But to our story. The Protestant Fire and Life
Insurance Company mans to have been first launched
en a gullible world in the year 1834. In the autumn
of that year, at all events, we Bad it duly established,
with all the requisite 'maintop for acting on the
public mind—prospectuses, " Bible " policies, an
office, a Chairman and Treunrer (the reel Co.), in
the person of Mr. G. BAIN, and a Secretary (the
Aaglo- Si agates ales bad cos) of the name of ELDEN.'
TON. They soon commenced takiag premiums and
greeting policies against loss by fire; and amongst
others t ffec•ed an insurance on certain premises at
Hull, belonging to a Mr. MIDDLETON, the destruction
of which ultimately led to the proceedings as which
we are about to comment. Now, taking premiums
is pleasant pinion enough—Mr. Nonfarm Tiff
used to find it so; and, as we all know, kept up a
hall porter and champagne luncheons for many
months sport these friendly contributions of a con-
fiding public. But paying for losses is a lees agree-
able operation, and ma fires will occasionally happen,
even in the best-conducted establishments, it became
desirable for the Protestant Company to protect
themselves against a contiogeory unpleasant in all
cases, but especially so to a society which, "sot to
put too fine a point on it," had bat a slender account
at its bankers'. Re-insurance, though sot unknown
to the practice, is prohibited by the law, of this
country. The Protestant Company, however, could
not afford to be squeamish about such a trifle as ille-
gality, and they sought therefore, by an orange-
sent with Mr. Bitatritowr, the manager of the
County Lie Insurance, to get that office to re-insure
the diffiaent fire-risks they had taken. Under this
engagement the " Bible • policies of the Pro-
testant Office were transferred to the County Life.
This was in November, 1864. No premiums of re-
Insurance were thee paid by the Protestant to the
County Offiee, and from that time, though applies-
dna were over and over again mad* by the latter
goaspany, and threats of legal proceedings repeatedly
resorted to, yet not a single farthing could ever be ex-
tracted from the Protestant Ofilos until the 2lst Decem-
ber, 1855, on which day suddenly, without any recent
application, or any additional pressure, a cheque for
the fall amount of the premiums was slut in ea behalf
of the Protestant Society. Why was this! The rem,-
son is very simple. Os the 19th of December the
managers of this Protestant and Bible Company heard
that the Hall premises were burnt down, and that they
were consequently liable to pay the whole amount
dos co their own policies, while, not having paid the
premiums of re-smarsees, they could themselves
make no claim on the County Life. On the 21st
they paid is their cheque ; bat it wee not till the
14th that they informed the officers of the County
Life that a loss had this actually bins Isearred on
the Hall policies.

Mr. MIDDLETON, the OWDET of the Hall premises,
broakht his arnica at the York Aseime against the
Protestant Company. He might, of coarse, as well
have sued the Antlaßengalee. The pious Office,
amongst other defeeces, pleaded—and of the truth of
tide plea, at all events, there can be no tanner of
doubt—that they had no mosey is hand to pay the
plaintiff. Their defames failed, sad Una verdict west
against duns. They had yet me ghost of a abases
left. They might soe the County Firs Oleo an their
agreement to re-imere. They did ea The trial some
on at Hiogstoo on Tuesday last. Emu Mr. 13. BAIN
will probably not soon forget the =peeve
and the defeat that mooed. Very few wit-
Domes ham mad* a lees enviable Agars ia a mart
of estic* then did this gentleman under the search-
ing erase-examination of the meet powerful Nisi Prim
,demists at the English bar. When present by Mr.
JAYNE as to the eireemstanses under which the
cheque of the 21st of Dew:labs, wee seat, be at fiat
declare, that be does not know whether it was after
or before the Are at Hall, afterwards admits that he
thinks he had then heard the Are talked of, bat per-
sists in declaring that the cheque was not meat in
ocean:nee* of the An—a point is which be is dis-
tinctly contradicted net only by common emee, bat
also by hie own secretary. With regard to the foods
of the oompany at this time the following ganglia's
aid enswers are taken verbatim from the report:
Mr. ei SIMI —As yea were the treasurer, perhaps yea sea
give u sores idea what snout et !hada the ampeey pm.
owed et this time ?
Witassa—Ne ; I elitist, indeed. I bane set get the
hooka

1 Mr. Jame.—Surely you sea eve OM SOON UM tl"
moult tie turapaty bad at their Waken' ?

Witntos—No; I cut sot.

Mr. Janes—Had they 491.7
W tnwa—Ye., I will swear they had 401. ; bat I menet
my hew mush mere.
He is afterwards asked whether a claim for 121.
arising out of a firs at Plymouth has not sinos been
made span the office, and whether the offios has not
proved unable to meet the claim. He cannot say ;
he is not certain about it. He admi•s that when
MIDDLETON brought his action against the Company
at York they pleaded they had no money to pay him
with ; and he is in the next breath forced to admit
that since this plea was put on the record,
and within the last few days, several fresh policies
have actually been issued to the public by the
Protestant Office, though he will not swear that
the Company has beyond 601. or 1001. at their bea-
ten'. Here Mr. Baron ALDERSON interfered with
the remark that the " examination was verging to-
wards a criminal charge," and that he thought it de-
sirable to caution the witness that he need not give
answers which might be afterwards used against him
SS proofs of guilt. We have no wish to parses fur-
ther the details of the trial; suffice it to say that this
Impudent attempt failed, as it deserved to do, and
that the Protestant Office was left helplessly to meet
as it may the ruin it has so richly earned. What do
our readers think of the case P Was Mr. JAMS
wrong or right when he denounced this Protestant
Company as neither more nor less then "a public
swindle P" or have we, in commenting upon it, in any
degree exceeded that duty which ss journalists we
owe to the community, in giving the utmost promi-
nence in our power to this fresh instance of an above
the extent and prevalence of which are but too little
suspected, and whose deplorable results it is hardly
possible to exaggerate P

We learn from a reliable mires that there is not a
shadow of foundation for the median that the pro-
ceedings of the Board of General Officers are post-
poned cute die. It was not till the evening of Fri-
day last that Lnd Seaton's final di clinature to act
on the Board, on account of the infirm state of his
health, was received. Sir Alexander Woodford, who
has been fixed upon to replace Lord Seaton, only ar-
rived from Paris on Monday. Sir Alexander has
since been employed in making himsell fully ac-
quainted with the detailed objects of the inquiry, and
the manner in which it is to be followed out.