The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-11 00:00:00

EXAMPLES.

Perma- ' the
.d Annual !Policy Bonus in\ vent Re- Assured
tge.l IA; Pre- taken addition Bonus in ,itietion el ma bor-
- mium. r out in to Sum Cash. Annual row on
!Assured. Premium. Policy.
X a. 4. £ a d. a. d. £ a. d.
1837 276 14 3 128 14 3 21 7 2 593 G 8
1838 251 18 10 115 14 8 18 12 8 543 17 9
1839 226 6 0 102 15 1 16 2 1, 194 8 10
60 1000 74 a 4 i 1840 178 0 82 14 21214 11 145 0 0
1841 174 0 0 78 3 4 12 3 C 195 11 I
I. 1812 147 4 2 65 15 10 10 2 4 146 2 3
i 1843 97 18 4, 44 8 4 6 15 11,:96 13 4
I 1844 62 6 8; 27 13 4 4 4 C !47 4 5
" The business to be transacted at the present
meeting, is the election of four Directors, in lieu of,

John Elliotson' M.D., F.R.S., Edmond Sheppard
Symes, Esq., Clement Tabor, Esq., and Joseph
Thompson, Feiq , whose period of office expires, but
who are eligible to be re-elected, and offer them
selves accordingly ; and for the confirmation of the
election, by the Court of Directors, of Augustus
Vigne, Esq., as a director.
" Also for the election of an auditor, in place of
Professor Wheatstone, F.R.S., whose period of office
also expires, but who is eligible to be re-elected, and
offers himself accordingly.
"By order of the Court of Directors,
" T. LAMIE MußaAr, Chairman.

" May 9, 1849."
In answer to a question, the CHAIRMAN said that
the accounts were always open for inspection by the
proprietors at the office.
The CHAIRMAN then said that it became his duty to
move that the report be received, adopted, and printed
for circulation among the proprietors. In doing so
he believed that he might say that, notwithstanding
the serious losses which the society had sustained by
the extraordinary mortality of the last two years,
their affairs were very satisfactory.—(Hear, hear.)
He for one was far from thinking that these
losses would in the end be injurious to life as-
surance offices—(Hear, hear)—on the contrary, he
believed they were calculated in the long run to be of
advantage to them. He had made a calculation, but
of course there was great difficulty in obtaining the
data to do so, from which it appeared that a sum of
no less than 3,000,0001. had been distributed among
the public by assurance offices in 1848. That sum
might be said to be a premium on providence.—(llear,
hear.) He thought that circumstance must strike
most forcibly those parties who had any regard
for their families, or who depended upon the lives
of others, to induce them to assure, when they
saw the families of those who would otherwise
have been in indigence, through the heads of those
families being cut off in their prime, provided for by
the means of life assurance. In the accounts then
brought before them everything was written off to
the end of last year. In those accounts the expenses
appeared heavier than usual owing to the fact that
they had never hitherto been able to tell what was
the exact cost of their establishment in America.—
(Hear, hear.) They now, however, found that
the expense of that establishment had not been less
than 15,000/. or 16,0001. since 1844 ' • but
the business they were doing in America
was most extraordinary, and the expense which had
been incurred by the direction, in New York and
other parts of America, which was of the best descrip-
tion, would be fully justified.—(Hear.) As an in-
stance of the business they were now doing, he might
state that at one board meeting they had no less than
108 proposals for assurance. before them at one time.
—(Hear, hear.) He believed that that was the
largest number that had ever been brought before
the board of any assurance company, six or seven
proposals at the weekly meetings being considered a
fair average, and therefore to have 108 at one time
was,indeed, rather startling.—(Hear.) As regarded
the expenses, they might appear rather heavy, but it
had been thought better by the board to bring them
all.up into a net sum at once, though, as he had ex-
plained, some of them extended over the last four
years. At the same time he thought it necessary to
explain that their American expenses were being re-
duced ; and from a correspondence that had been
going on between the American and English boards,
he had no doubt but that in future they would be
brought down so as to bear but a very small pro-
portion to the business transacted.—(Hear, hear.)
He could not pass over that part of their busi-
ness without paying a fair meed of praise to the
Honourable Mr. Starr, their general agent in
America, who seemed to take extraordinary interest
in, and, indeed, he might say, devoted his whole life
to, the promotion of life assurance.—(Hear, hear.)
The commission of that gentleman already amounted
to nearly 1,0001. a year; and as life assurance ap
peered to have become a fashion in America, he had
no doubt that it would be much better in the next
year than in the last.—(Hear, hear.) As regarded
the mortality of this year as compared with former
years, he might mention that they had paid for claims
since the Ist of December last, a period of five
months, 2,1501, and they had further claims
amounting to 4,8741, so that they calcu-
lated that, instead of having to pay as last 3 ear
26,000/., they would not have to pay more than
10,000/.—(Hear, hear)—their average calculation

1849.

being 20,000/.—(Hear, hear). Reference had been
made in the report to the rapid extension of their
business in England. On that point he might state
that they had
.had applications for nearly sixty
new agencies since the time when they last met,
and there was a better understanding between the
board and the old agents. Indeed, he had been
lately stirring them up, and the business had
consequently greatly increased—(Hear, hear)—
there being a greater increase on the business of the
last than on any former year.—(Hear, hear.)
In the accounts and report read to the meeting
there was one point which he ought not to omit to
mention, .viz., that, in addition to the bonuses al-
ready declared, there was a aura of 51,0001. carried
to the account of future profits.—(Cheers.) He be-
lieved that he had now stated all that was useful, and
he therefore begged to mcve the adoption and circu
lation of the report.
Mr. THOMPSON seconded the motion.

In answer to questions,
The CHAIRMAN stated that the policies granted in
1847 were 617 ; the largest number ever granted in
one year was in 1845, when they amounted to
704, and in the present year they had already
reached 405. They were now doing a larger busi-
ness in America than any English office was doing in
England itself.—(clear.) The American and English
accounts were kept separate, in which fork: they
could at any time be seen by the proprietors, though.
it was not thought convenient to produce them in
detail at the general meetings. That company had
been the first to admit the principle of p.►ying the
amount of policies to the families of parties commit-
ting suicide. They at present required that such
parties should have been insured seven years. It
might possibly be practicable to reduce that period to
five years, as it could not be supposed that parties
would contemplate suicide, and go to the expense of
assuring their lives during that period with the view
of money being obtained from an assurance office,
though there could be no doubt that if the money
was payable immediately on assurance many parties
would be found to sacrifice their own lives for the
benefit of their families.

A short conversation took place on points of detail,
in which the greatest confidence was expressed in the
management and position of the company • and on
the motion for the adoption of the report being put,
it was carried unanimously.
The retiring directors and auditors having been
re-elected,

Mr. JAMESON, as the representative of a large
number of shareholders in Scotland, begged to ex-
press his gratification at the satisfactory nature of the
report presented to them, and also at the great
interest, as evinced by their questions, which
the shareholders appeared to take in the affair,
of the company. At the end of three such
tremendous years as those which had just passed,
it was most gratifying to find that their corpo-
ration, unlike other corporations which had been
presided over by kings and emperors, had not only
been able to get on steadily, but to meet and sur-
mount the severe crisis of the times through which
they had passed.—(Cheers and laughter.) He had
great satisfaction in observing, both on public and
private grounds, that their business was progressing
so " slick" with their cousins on the other side of the
Atlantic—(Cheers)—and he believed that, without
the aid of Cobden or peace associations, nothing would
do more to prevent the Americans wishing to go a-
gunning with the Britishers than being bound up
with them in life assurance— (Laughter)—Mr. Wool-
house not yet having prepared any tables for war
risks.—(Cheers and laughter.) lie regretted the
absence from among them of their former secretary,
Mr. Camroux ; but he knew, that since the Chairman
had taken the whip into his own hands, he had hid
it soundly about the shoulders of the agents—him-
self (Mr. Jameson) among the number—and made
them feel that they had indeed the master hand at
the helm.—(Cheers.) He was sure, that from all he
saw and heard of the company, that everything wa,
conspiring to promote its best interests, and he there-
fore hoped the proprietors present would cordially
join with him in giving a vote of thanks to the
Chairman, directors, and office-bearers of the corn.
pany.—(Cheers ) _ _ .

11Ir. JO' ITN SYM- ES seconded the motion with great
.edeasure. He thought it ought to be made generally
known that the directors of that company were dis
anguished by the rareness with which they disputed
claims made upon it.—(llear.) It was a fact that they
had never disputed one claim which they had takes;
into court in which they had not been successful, while
in many others, where they had reason to doubt the
fairness of the claim, they had given the benefit of the
doubt to those making the claim.—(llear.) Such
conduct as that, he was sure, must tend to raise the cha-
racter of the office in the estimation of the public.—
(Cheers.) He agreed with the Chairman that their
ksses by the mortality of the lat two years were
likely to prove ultimately beneficial to the company,
as when parties saw their friends cut off in apparent
strength and health, and their families, who would
otherwise be destitute, provided for through the
benefits of life assurance, they would, if they had
any respect for their own families, at once secure to
themselves the same advantages.—(Cheers.)
The resolution having been carried by acclamation,
The CHAIRMAN said that he could assure the gen-
tlemen present most unfeignedly that at no period
since he had the honour to fig the position he then
held had ho received with greater pleasure the vote of
confidence of the shareholders. The past year, like
the preceding, had been one of considerable anxiety,
but he thought that he saw a bright and pleasant
prospect before them.—(Cheers.) Ile considered
the opening of the present year most satisfactory,
and it gave him great pleasure to see himself sur-
rounded by, and receive the approbation of, many
of the first members of the society—his old and
valued friends.—(Cheers.) He had always endea-
voured to discharge his duty with efficiency,
though he regretted the absence of his friend Mr.
Catnroux, who, he hoped, had provided himself with
a better place—(Laughter)—he meant for himself—
(Laughter)—he trusted that now that he had himself
been compelled to put on the harness daily that the
society would lose nothing, but that it would continue
to increase in prosperity.—(Cheers.) He had used
all the influence he could bring to bear in promoting
the interests of the company, and he believed,
without taking any merit to himself for it, that
through that influence the agents had done
their work well.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") He
might here observe, that though his time had
been lately almost solely occupied with the affairs of
the society, ha had, at the solicitation of several of
its friends, taken into consideration the propriety of
adding a fire office to the society, as likely to be of
great advantage in promoting the life assurance.—
(Hear, hear.) In every village were to be found
agents for fire assurance, and if they could add
that branch to their office it would diminish their
expenses, while it would increase their con-
nexion.—(Hear, hear.) Therefore, notwithstand
log the labour he had already had to perform, he
had serious thoughts of adding to it by the
establishment of a fire office.—(Hear, hear.) The
fire-office, however, he wished it to be distinctly
understood, would be established with separate capital
and separate directors, and might be brought out as
soon as there was a sufficient number of shares sub-
scribed for to give the requisite guarantee capital.—
(Hear, hear.) He begged, before sitting down,
to express the obligations he was under to the
way in which the directors had co-ope-
rated with him in carrying on the affairs of the
society—one or more attending at the office
every day—and to assure the shareholders that he
had not the slightest influence over them beyond
that which might be necessarily supposed to apper-
tain to .a man who gave his best attention to the
affairs of any society.—(clear, hear.) In conclusion,
he begged once more to express his heartfelt thanks
for the honour conferred upon him and his brother
directors, and to express a hope that at the next
meeting a more satisfactory report than even that of
that day would be presented to them.—(Cheers.)
The meeting then separated.

CONSUMPTION.—At the eighth anniversary festival
recently celebrated in aid of the funds of that in-
stitution, the Brox:optima Hospital, the following interest-
ing statistics relative to pulmonary disease was described
in the appendix to a report prepared by the medical
officers :
" The tendency of particular employments to induce a
liability to certain diseases is a subject of great interest,
and with a view to its illustration, a comparison has been
instituted between the list of phihisical patients, attend-
ing this institution, and non-plithisical patients of a
general hospital. By way of illustration, it may be men-
tioned that the liability of tailors to consumption, as
contrasted with their liability to all other diseases, ap-
pears
from this comparison to bo in the proportion
of
...
...
... ... ... . . 19 to 15
Of bakers ..• •.. ..• as 45 to 23
Of in-door servants ... ... as 24 to 12
Of printers and compositors as 100 to 27
Of clerks and shopmen ... as 314 to 78
~ Am•3no• 1,294 fenrzle patients attending a generalt
thehos-
pita!, 169" were milliners and dressmakers; but
number of females so occupied out of 1,679 consem tiv
patients attending the hospital for Consumptionwaes
312; the proportion of excess being as 312 to D
Much of the liability to this diseale among tailors and
others may be attributed to thee pernicious custom of
large bodies of workmen beingNoingregated in imper-
fcc ly venti'ated work-rooms.
cw Messrs. Nicoll, the
greatestet ot m makers, wholesale and retail
of heamndpsloiyn itiiii
itsh eel;
any other country,
trade perhaps thenumber ers,
it having been computed that in
London only—that is to
in Regent-street and Co rs na say,
;I 1 from
their t es a br t.hnien's
th ey give employment to
mirel than twelve hundred persons, amongst whom a
much less susceptibility to this awful disease than
is
exists
is described in the above report; this is supposed to occur
through the arrangement of the workmen in small
parties, and their b • '
•
being distributed in various parts of
London and its suburbs.—Morning Post.
Dispatches were sent off yesterday evening from the
Col •
ontal. office for the Governor of V D' an temen' 3 Lind.

--
NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
MALTA, MAY 2.—Malta is at present full, even to
overfl 'wing of Sicilians. The arrival hero on Sunday of
her Majesty's steam-frigate Bulldog announces the un-
conditional surrender of Palermo. Many persona of
note are here, and among the most distinguished we
may note the live President of the Republic, Ruggiero
Settlino—a fine old veteran; the Duke of Verdure, the
Chevalier Carmel(' Ascenso di Santa Rosalie, the Baron
Martinez, Prince San Giuseppe, the Baron Corcelli, &c.
Her Majesty's steamer Tartarus arrived here on the
09th ult. She had been sent by Sir S. Canning
i to ex-
plore the nests of pirates in'esting the Greek islands,
and that she was accompanied by the French steamer
Averne, and a Turkish cutter, charged with a similar
mission.

The Tartarus and Averne, on quitting Smyrna,
minutely explored every bay, creek, and harbour from
Vorulah and Cape Carabournou to Egri Liman, and
then rejoined the French steamer at the Spaltnadores.
That vessel had visited Fokies and the passages, even to
Aletelin. Before anchoring at the Spal.nadores, Sir G.
Webster sent his boats to the north of the islands, with
a view of vititieg a certain number of boats there, and
then landed a boat's crew, who thoroughly searched the
island, ithout, however, meeting with any suspicious
characters.

Oa the morning of the 9th the Tartarus visited the
,last part of Seio from Cape Kamaniki to Castro. The
Averne coasted along Carabournou and the isle of Goni,
and rejoined the Tartarus at noon. The two Com-
manders landed at Castro, and visited the Mossa Safti
Pasha, the new Governor-General of the Ottoman Ar-
ehiptlago, to whom they announced the object of their
mission. his Excellency received them with groat
politeness, and expressed his thanks for their prompti-
tude in acting; at the same time he gave them full
powers to explore all suspected places, where there
was no Ottoman authority, to examine all boats, and
act entirely as they might think proper under the cir-
cumstances.

On the 10th, very early, the two steamers explored
the coast from Cape Blank to Cape ICavala. Without
the last cape the Tartarus fell in with a boat, having
seven men, and laden with soap. Her papers marked
five men only. Besides this they had three muskets and
4 large blunderbuss, with four yataghans, which were
not mentioned in her papers. Under these suspicious
circumstances the boat was taken possession of by Sir
Godfrey, and towed into Scala Nuova.
At 3. p.m. the Tartarus entered Kavaki, whilst the
Avcrne proceeded to Vromo. Each commandant landed
25 men, who met at the top of Cape Koraka, examining
everything en route. They found nothinc, beyond some
embers abandoned, as if the pirates had had notice of
their approach.
On the 11th, the two steamers visited Ypsaila, and
late in the evening arrived at Scala Nuova, where Sir G.
Webster gave up to the authorities his capture of the
preceding day.
The Bull-dog goes to-day to Palermo and Civits
Vecchia.

The outward India mail, by the Ripon, arrived here
yesterday morning, and procecded to Alexandria last
night, ou the arrival of the Medina from Marseilles.
Another importation of Sicilians, in number 270, has
arrived to-day, making a sum total of 3,770. No
Lodgings can now be procured.
PORTSMOUTH, MAY 10.—The quarterly meeting of
the Portsmouth Royal Naval Club was herd to-day.
After the despatch of business the dinner took place at
the Portland Hotel, Southsea; Admiral the Hon. Sir
Bladen Capel, 1i.C.8., Commander-in-Chief, presided,
,upported by Lord George Lennox, Admiral Sir John
A. Ommanney, K.C.8., Rear-Admiral Prescott, C. 8.,
Capt. Harrison, Capt. Turner, Capt. Lawrence, R.N.,
Captain 'l'. R. Sulivan, Captain Blackwood, of the
Victory, Captain Chads, C. 8., of the Excellent, Captain
11. Chads, Captain Matson, Captain Ommanney, Cap-
tain Crispin, Colonel Willes, RN., Colonel Gibson,
R.M.A., Major Dawes, R.M., Mr. Richard Haig, R.N.,
Flag-Lieutenant Aplin, Mr. Vinter, Mr. Halliday, Mr.
r. 1). Grant. Dr. Morgan, Mr. Edwards, &c.
The Coi.fisnce steam-tug arrived this morning from
:he eastward, and sailed again for Devonport, about two
hours al terwards.

The Sylf h to❑der, with supernumeraries from Ply-
mouth, arrived to day.
The Hecate steam-sloop, Commander W. C. Aldham
(acting), sailed this forenoon for the Downs.

The Sphynx steam-sloop, Commander R. S. Hewlett,
of the Excellent (acting), which was commissioned yes-
,erday eveuirg and immediately left the harbour, remains
still at Spithead.
_ _ _

The _Apo!line freight-ship, with troops for Halifax,
iailed from Cowcs last evening, as did the Constantine
from Spithead for the Mauritius.
___.

The ship basin having beescleared; and the atone
-*acing fresh pointed, was filled again yesterday, and the
Cormorant steam-sloop brought round from the
steam-basin to bo masted. The wasting was completed
co-day, and she is now to be rigged as an advanced
steamer.

The Scourge steam-bomb vessel has been brought to
the sheers to get out her mortar, and will, it is under-
,tood, remain there to he paid off.
Wind S.W. Light breezes and thick hazy weather.
l'irAmouTu, MAY 9.—Her Majesty's frigate Alarm,
26, Captain Granville G. Loch, hove in sight to the
westward this afternoon at four o'clock under topgallant
sails, royals, and all studdiegsails, and entered the Sound
with a steady bre, from south-west. Inside the break-
water she lowered her fore-royal, signalled the telegraph
tt, Mount Vise, saluted the flag of Port Admiral Sir
William Hall Gage, G.C.11., and then moored a little to
he westward of the Camber. She left her Majesty's
ship Itnaum, 72, Commodore T. Bennett, and the Tiin-
cumalee, 26, Captain Warren, at Jamaica on the 26th of
March, arrived at Havannah on the sth of April, and'
sailed therefrom on the Bth. Off Scilly, on Sunday
evening, the 6th inst., she spoke her Majesty's steam-
i'rigate Arrogant, 36, Captain Robert Fitzroy; the
Alarm has thus been three days beating from Scilly to
Plymouth. She is to go to liamoazi to-morrow to be
paid off.
Her Majesty's packet-brig Seagull, 6, Lieutenant-
Commander James Smail, sailed for Falmouth on the Bth.
Her Majesty's steam-vessel: Spiteful, 6, and Avon, 3.
are to be commissioned.

The barque Somersetshire, Captain Portier, arrived
from Sierra Leone this afternoon with timber for the
dockyard.
The merchant brig Zsmpa, Captain Groot, from La-
guna, on the Spanish Main, landed on the 7th instant a
box of silver bullion (dollars), weighing 3 cwt., which was
the same day forwarded by the South Devon Railway to
London.
9 P.M.—Wind northerly, variable.