The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-01 00:00:00

.---"Yesterday the first annual meeting of the shareholders
of this cmpany was held at their offices, 118, ;
Lord Viscount Ranelagh in the chair.
The meeting having been opened in the usual manner,
The SECRETARY (Mr. Urquhart) read the report of the
directors, which was to the following effect :--
" In meeting the shareholders of the St-George Assurance
Company, at the close of the first actual business year of
~
its existence, the directors had high satisfaction in being
able to congratulate both the proprietors and the assured
upon the results accomplished, and the position attained by
the company, which were such as to leave no doubt of its
establishment on a sound and secure basis, and of its pros-
perity and development for the future.
" Originated at a period of unusual depression and diffi-
culty, when the breaking out of the present war, and the
prolpect of increased taxation, had added, greatly to the
obstacles which the competition amongst assurance com-
panies offered to the establishment of a new. office, *the St.
George Assurance Company had achieved' an amount of
success (at a moderate outlay) inferior to none of its con-
temporaries, and greatly surpassing that obtained during
the first year by most of the offices established within the
last ten years. •
" From the commencement of business on the 10th of
May, 1854, to the present time, 548 proposals for assuring
sums amounting to 150,2601. had been received by the di-
rectors. Some of these (being dependent on loans, which
it was not. thought advisable to grant) ha,d`not been carried
out, whilst others had been declined or abandoned on va-
rious grounds • but it was highly satisfactory- to state that
331 policies had been actually completed and issued, as-
suring sums amounting to 6.7,5351, and producing an an-
nual income of 2,095/. 14s. 4d. ; whilst assurances to the
amount of 5,900/., and producing premiums to the amount
of 185/. 6s. 9d. per annum, were in course of completion,
thus making up the present annual income of the company
from premiums to the sum of 2,8811.19. 1(1.
" Nearly the whole of the policies issued were on the
participating scale, and on young lives ; and the directors
believed (from the caution they had exercised in carrying
out the recommendations of their medical officers) that
nearly the whole of the assured might be considered as
among the class of 'select lives,' or such as would secure-
to the company a more than average immunity from losses
by death....

" The directors desired' especially to call attention to the
fact that the company had beeq entirely unfettered by the
burden of large preliminary. expenses, in the shape of pay-
ments, by shares or otherwise, to promoters, solicitors, &c.
Not one single free share had been' issued ; nor had any
sha)El3 been introduced into the market ; and only such an
amount of capital bad been called up as was sufficient to
meet the expenses of establishing and conducting the unr-
rent business of the company. -
--
"The attention of the board had been anxiously directed
to the organisation of the staff of really respectable and
working agents, whose exertions, they trusted, would be
successful in extending the knowledge of the company both
at hems and abroad ; and they had reason to hope that
the next and future years would show the beneficial re-
sults of their exertions in that respect—
"ln conclusion, the directors earnestly invited the co-
operation of the proprietors and the assured, both indi-
vidually and collectively, in their endeavours to extend the
business, and promote generally the objects of the com-
pany." _ _

- The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
remarked that it was unlike the first report of any
similar company, inasmuch as it was very short, and very
much to the point ; and he hoped that it was also satis-
factory. The directors had in that document laid before
the shareholders a brief account of the operations of the
company for the past year, and it was, he conceived, un-
necessary for him to enter into a more lengthened detail
of them. In fact, his speech should be lice the report
itself—brief. In taking a review of their past proceed.
ings he found that there existed no great necessity for'
eulogium to heighten their value and importance. In-
deed, he knew of no office the preliminary and working
expenses of which had been so low, for very little of
their money had been so appropriated. Of the 4,7501.
subscribed they had still on hand the sum of 3,9911. as"
available capital. As mentioned in the report, and:
confirmed by the figures in the statement of their ac-
counts, which were after all the best possible test of
the management of the office, free shares had not
been given to anybody, nor had they been thrown on
the market. Their capital bad not as yet been all
called up, and he hoped that they bad now a busi-
ness large enough to make a call on the shareholders un-
necessary. Referring to the expenses, he found that
they had been as small as it was possible for them to
expect them to be. They had paid 2541. for advertise-
ments, and 6371. for travelling expenses in the establish.
ment of agencies throughout the country. These iteres
constituted the principal preliminary expenses to which
they had been put, and which were not by any means E o
heavy as ihose under which other new offices groaned.
They had at present, it was true, some agents of whom
they would be glad to get rid, but other offices were
similarly situated. The different assurance offices would
do well if they met together and compared notes as re-
girded their agents, as he could not but think that the
result of their conference would be the saving of a large
sum of money for each. As regarded their working ex-
penses, they too were small, and were kept down to the
lowest possible amount convenient with efficient
management. The figures of the balance-sheet showed
that the directors were in every way careful of
the money of the shareholders, and that was a course
of economy which it was their determination to pur-
sue. It was true that the rent of their premises was
nominally high, being 5301. per annum ; but at present
they were in reality only under 1201. yearly rent. The
next poiat to which he wished to refer was the character
of the lives they hal assured, and that they owed a deep
debt to their medical men for the care and skill which
they exercised in selecting as good lives as they pos-
sibly could. There was another feature worthy of con-
sideration with respect to the parties they had assured,
and that was that they were all men likely to keep up
their policies. He might remark that a sum of 4501.
llitirbVni*eti ap.re' as thirrereirnektioit of titer-dtreitbry,.
but they had not 'used half of, it, having only drawn
2121. Haying expressed his 'readiness to answer alt
questions relating to the affairs of
,the company, the
noble lord concluded his address by moving the adop-
tion of the report:

Mr. MALINS briefly seconded the motion, which was
at once agreed to.

The out-going directors—namely, Lord Ranelagh,
Mr. H. Powna.l, Mr. H. Haine', and Mr. W. H.
Larnmin—were, on the motion of Mr. John Buckmaster,
seconded by Mr. George Buckmasiiror, re-elected.
Mr. STACE, the retiring auditor, was also re-elected,
and returned thanks for the honour, and for the vote of
301., as the remuneration of himself and colleagues.
o the motion of Dr. DODSWORTH, seconded by Mr.
COLLINGRIDGE, the directors received the thanks of the
company for their services during the past year.
A similar vote was, on the motion of the Chairman,
awarded to the secretary, Mr. Urquhart, and the other
officers of the company.

Mr. 11. PowNAd then moved a vote of thanks to Lord
Ranelagh, for his conduct in the chair—a nobleman,
who, he observed, not only brought the weight of bis
title to the company, but also great energy and inde-
pendence of spirit, enlarged views, anc: urbanity of
manners.

Mr. HAINES seconded the proposition, and, in doing
so, took occasion to mention the fair prospect of success
with which the Liverpool agency had been established ;
and his lordship having briefly acknowledged the com-
pliment, the proceedings terminated.

A triumphal arch is being erected in front of the ter-
minus of the Strasbourg railway, in preparation for
the visit of Queen Victoria.

DETERMINED SUICIDF.—The family of Dr. Murphy,
residing in Henrietta-street, Cavendish-square, have
been thrown into a state of much painful excitement,
through the death of the doctor's youngest son, Mr.
William Murphy, under most distressing circumstances.
The unfortunate deceased had absented himself from
home for a lengthened period, and nothing was heard
respecting his whereabouts until within a few days
since, when his brother hearing that he was lodging at
a public house situated at Thames Haven Dock, in Es-
sex, went there in search of him. He found the mis-
guided youth at the public house in question, and up-
braided him for his conduct, and entreated him to return
to his father's home without delay. The youth left the
house, and proceeding a few yards from the door, placed
a loaded pistol to his heart and shot himself dead on the
spot. The anguish of the deceased's parents, upon
hearing of the lamentable catastrophe, is not to be de-
scribed.

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF POISONING NEAR DAR-
LINGTON.—The inquest on the body of Mrs. Wooler, the
wife of Mr. Joseph Snaith Wooler, a gentleman of inde-
pendent means, residing at Great Burdon, having re-
sulted in an " open verdict," the brother of the deceased
lady, Mr. W. A. Brecknell, of Gateshead, obtained a
warrant from Colonel Colling, one of the county magis-
trates, and Mr. Wooler, who was from home, was ap-
prehended at Durham at a late hour on Friday night by
Superintendent Robson, of the Durham county consta-
bulary force. The prisoner was conveyed to Darlington,
so
oDamviusocnh
and was brought before the magistrates on Monday,
when Mr. Davison, barrister-at-law, appeared as counsel
for the prosecution, and the prisoner was defended
stated he hi!.
evidence only on that occasion as would justify a re-
wJo.
uAldlarsiahyall,befoofreD
gicrliceithetyhaotbtsheervdeed.
uthrheamiencMhr.
mane], when further evidence wouHld.
Jackson, surgeon
The
witnesses examined were Mr. T. surgeon ;
aeduethnde- larms.inNoVmosolwerhamuch in the same
Dr. Haslewood, and Mr. Henzell, assistant to Mr. Jack-
so
whenn.
called They
before the coroner. They
way as di
ne ttitoi 1
Vraq sufferin fr
ceased lady . . g om the effectsof
irritant poison, administered in small dosed, some
confirmed by an analysis of the oses, and this
was .. urine, the vomits,
and the other evacuations. The
under the advice of Professor Christison, they did
They gave antidotes, but,
not disclose their suspicions
of the family. After
the death to the prisoner or any
moment examination was of Mrs. Wooler a post
arsenic was discovered made, and the presence of
and Mr. Henzell both upon analysis. Dr. Haslewood
stated that the poison must have
been administered b
the nature and by a person who was acquainted with
not have properties of arsenic, otherwise it would
been given in such a slow and cautions mode.
A. quantity'
of bottles, containing various poisons (Fow-
ler s solutionth of arsenic among the rest), were seen on
e premises by the medicalanda basketof
men,
was produced before the magistrates, but the solution of
arsenic was not among them, neither was it produced at
the coroner's inquest, and Mr. Wooler on that occasion
denied that he had ever had such an article. The ex-
amination of the medical witnesses occupied the bench
about five hours, at the close of which the prisoner was
remanded until Monday next. Mr. Marshall applied to
the Bench for an order for the exhumation of the body
of Mrs. Wooler, in order that the portion of the liver
and intestines remaining may be sent for analysis to some
eminent analytical chemist. He said he had applied to
the Secretary of State, who replied that he bad no power.
He bad also applied to the rector of the parish. Mr.
Davison said he could not oppose the application, and
it was understood that, so far as the Bench had the
power, they would make the order. -