The Express.
London, England, 1860-06-18 00:00:00

SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST ANNUITY
SOCIETIES.

Several persons applied to Mr. Selfe at the
Thames Police-court on Saturday, for advice and assistance
bow to act in obtaining payment of annuities purchased
for them of the United Kingdom Mutual Annuity Society,
an offshoot of the United Kingdom Benevolent Annuity
Fund. The magistrate has been engaged for • fortnight in
an extra judicial investigation relating to the affairs of the
twosocieties, with &view of obtaining payment of the arrears
due to the sunuitantir, and to secure to them the future:
payment of the annuities. The United Kingdom Sanyo-
lent Annuity Fad was established in the year 1866 for
the pmporre, as stated in the prospectus, of " giriag pennfri
neat relief by allowing annuities fromlol. to 301. to indigent '
persons of all dames and of either sex." It professed to
be under the pa of Lord Shaftesbury and the Bishop
of Oxford, and publ ed • long list of noble and titled
ladies es patronises'. The committee consisted of
seventeen persons, and among them were nine clergy-
men. Large sums were subscribed by the benevolent,
and ultimately thirty annuities of 101. each were granted to
aged parsons elected by the subscribers. lady Charlotte
Proby gave 100 guineas to the fund to secure the election
of a poor woman named Johnston., of the Commercial-
road, Lambeth, in whom her ladyship took • warm interest.
The friends of • Mrs. Phipps subscribed 1101. to secure
her election. It was stated that the annuities have been
'topped in some cues for three, and in others for two years;
that. the .time, No. 38, Moorgate-street, has been for
some time closed, and • vast amount of misery ha. been in-
dicted on • number of individuals who depended on the
punctual payment of the annuities. Mr. Salle called upon
the persons who established the society for explanations,
and thre•teeed to expose them =len the enure were paid
to the poor people, and arrangements made to pay the
annuities regularly in future. The parties implicated
entered into a correspondence with Mr. Selfe.
Others waited upon Mr. Selfe, and promised that
satisfactory disownment. should be made if the threatened
exposure war deferred far • few days. Mr. Self. subse-
quently announced that • gentleman would wait upon him
on Thursday, and he hoped that everything would be then
settled to the satisfaction of all parties. On Thursday Mr.
Tucker, solicitor, of the firm of Tucker, Greville, and
Tucker, No. 28, St. Swithisesdane, who are Gamed on the
psrtof the leading promoters of the United Kingdom Benevo-
lent Annuity Fund, waited upon Mr. Salle, and was asked
by the magistrate if his clients were ready to abide by any
award to be made by a professional gentleman of high
attainments, who was to be appointed by him (the
trate). Mr. Tucker could mot promise on the part
clients that they would act on the award of the arbitrator
to be appointed. He would recommend his client. to do
what was right, and to act justly to all parties.
On Saturday Mr. Sella announced that Mr. Tucker had
paid 801. to some of the annuitants sines Thursday, and to
the following proposition, written by him (Mr. Selfe)—
" Mr. Tucker undertakes on behalf of his clients that all
shall be done for the annuitant. to which Mr. shall
say theyare in honour and good faith entitled,"—the follow-
ing answer had been sent :
" United Kingdom, &c., 23, St. Swithin's-lane, London,
Saturday, June 16, 1860.
" Deer Sir,—As my clients decline authoriniag me to sign
the memorandum drawn up by you on Thursday, it is use-
lees for me to attend before you to-day ; but, as an act of
courtesy, I think it due to you to state this decision, and to
repeat that I am still willing to communicate with Mr. --,
or any other person, with a view to an adjustment of the
matter in a fair and honourable manner.—l am, your obe-
dient meet, "JOHN TUCKER.

" EN." _ _
his. Beard, so annuitant, said 37/. 10s. was due to her,
sad asked what she was to do!

Mr. Bell.—You are the fifth person who has applied to
me this day. Take this letter to Mr. Tucker.
Yrs. Beard—l hops this will get me my money. lam in
great distress MT friends bought the annuity for me.
Mr. Selfe—l bop it will. lam doing all I can to obtain
justice for the annuitants. If you name your arrears, give
a receipt only, and take care what you do sign. Do not
sign your rights away.
Mr. A. J. Baker, of No. 42, Holywell-street,
mid he and his wife were entitled to • bought annuity of
251. per annum from the United Kingdom Mutual Annuity
Society, and it had not been paid for two yearn. His wife s
sister was also entitled to an annuity of the some amount,
but her arrears ware to a greater extent, in consequence of
her being In Amitralis. She had only that at present to de-
pend upon, mad a family of five children to support. The
tier. F. Pearce Pocock, of Bow, and chaplain to the City
'of London Union, who wall a member of the committee,
and chaplain to the society formerly, held the annuities,
and he had been applied to for payment of the arrears times
out of number, and he (Mr. Baker) had been put off with
the most paltry excuses. The annuities were purchased of
the United Kingdom Mutual Annuity Society in 1853.
' Mr. Selfe said he was only Investigating those cases where
annuities were purchased of the society for poor persons by
the benevolent, who subscribed their money for that pur-
pose. Mr. Baker's case was a very hard one, but it did not
come exactly within the description of cases he had spoken
' of. He must refer Mr. Baker to his solicitor. He would
take this opportunity of saying that the United Kingdom
Benevolent Annuity Society and the United Kingdom
Mutual Annuity Society had no connexion with the United
Kingdom Life Insurance Society, Waterloo-place, Pall-
mall, which was a most respectable and solid concern, con-
ducted by men of integrity.
Mr. Self. was pursuing the investigation up to a late hour
on Saturday eventing in his private room.

THE CASE 01 PBOSRLYTISM IN NORFOLK.
NORWICH, Jolla 16.

This care was to have come on tor further hearing
ca Monday next. but earriday afternoon Mr. Atkinson, the
solicitor engsged by Mr. Vansittart, applied to the maga.
touter to order a furths remand to the 25th inst., on the
pound that the police Red not jet been able to arrest the
other catholic priest mentioned in the evidence of Master
Vansittart.

TletiXa or sinprested that it might possibly be sufficient
to eemaed the case till Wedess, as a charge would
otherwise be hanging over the persona now on bail
Mr. Blake, one of the magistrates, said he should have
no hesitation in granting the remand applied for, or any
farther postponement which the prosecutor might weeder
necessary. There was quite suflkieot plinth facie evidence
to Justify • remand.
Xr. Browne, another magistrate, mid the case became
more suspicion, as it proceeded
The Mayor observed that if the proceedings could be
brought to a close in lees than a week, each a result would
be desirable, beemee the are bed evoked • great deal of
excitement in the pill aid, eel the iodiridwia at pre-
sent under acesatiw weeii no beat prefer to have the
isatteir brought to ea Wm as sow's.. hie. If therefore
• shark" remand we be ellobei,bo thought it would be
pilferable.
Yr. Needham, wbe apis appeared far ethos Allem mei
the other parties adealleil is boil, stated. le reply to gem
Nome, that so far as he suss cemened he bed se fear to
the matter ; but the memsd prepth III" ei hi
eammerNy allele the image et those whew he wpm
mead. beemes they moil remit Jut sum gape huge
weir aalmpelelleawhise might, er might me, be selatam.
MIAS&

TM Nadi el Ones Dalton, who admitted that in ao-
C= likriter Vansittart to the asp cd the Babas
assedinaly wrong, tau& ea he bed boa
badly dealt by, sad intended to Maim. esumel dead-
alma to repremat him at the seat beak.
Mr. Browne Ward Mr. Atkins tritellase ha bed ay
grerad or wawa; that ia the weal el lire sue brag re.
maidf Is blesilmy week tie am Waits pia weedd by
eat linebas bees
Ha Mama a id=lllst ramstima be bed ressived Ise
was la ts dim ova • esaskeless. It Nr. Sharing, the
mamisleadest et the Na irisk Naha had bum firkmate
mere to have tubas the saki priest he eked bare
ban prepared to go as with the one on Ikedar ad.
&ay amsaaed. He woad set ask for a further BMW
Ilia= OM wan 10114/Nalle reads for doing
The ressmd applied fir was mated. It is vadendood
at Berjeant film will appear at the next hearing for
Claes Dells&