The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-15 00:00:00

This closed the business of the ordinary meeting.

The CHAIRMAN then requested the Secretary— to
read the quinquennial report, which was as follows :
" The first quinquennial period of the company hav-
ing terminated at the end of last year, your directors
have now another important duty to perform, that of
laying before the meeting, agreeably to the provisions of
the deed of settlement, the result of an investigation of
the society's affairs for the five years ending December
31, 1850, and cf declaring a bonus out of the profits
which have accrued during that period. The number of
policies issued during the last five years was 1,006, of
which 749 remain in force, producing an annual income of
8,4411. 17s. 6d. The average age of the lives assured
is 35, and the average amount of policies 3891. The
claims on the society since its formation, arising from
death in eleven cases, have amonnted to 5,2981. The
premiums received by the society on policies which have
lapsed by death or otherwise amount to 4,1951. Os. 7d.
The actuary has been engaged in a careful investiga-
tion of every risk and liability to which the society is
subject, and in a valuation of all the assets.
The present amount of risk on each policy has been
estimated, and the present value of the accruing pre-
miums on each life has been ascertained, and your direc-
tors have much satisfaction in making known the result.
The estimated value of the assets, including the present
value of future premiums, is 156,441/. Os. 2d., and the
amount of the liabilities, including the present value of
the risks on subsisting assurances, is 140,033/. 1 is. 7d.
The above statement exhibits a balance in favour of the
society of 16,407/. Bs. 7d., but it is your directors' duty to
remind you, that of this balance the sum of 9,6921. is not
capable of present division, without anticipating. the
profits to arise in future years from the present business
of the soci.-ty ; this practice your directors are aware
has been pursued by some offices, but they deprecate the
principle so strongly that they cannot recommend it for
adoption by this society. The directors feel, however,
that they can with propriety, and with a due regard
to the necessary reserves for future contingencies, de-
clare a bonus of 5 per cent. to the shareholders ou
their paid-up capital, to be added to the shares, and
a rever.-ionary bonus to the policy-holders entitled
to participate in the present division, which will
average 35. per cent. on the amount of premiums paid.
This reversionary bonus will be added to the sum as-
sured, or may be converted into ar equivalent abate-
ment of future premiums at the optio❑ of the assured.
Your directors, in conclusion, cannot refrain from con-
gratulating the proprietors upon the sound and healthy
slate of this institution; they consider that the society
has succesfully emerged from the period of infancy, and
that nothing is now required to its permament prosperity
but a continuance of those individual exertions of all
persons interested in its progress which have placed it
in the present position."
This report gave rise to some discussion as to the
power of the directors to add the bonus to the paid-
up capita], with a view of its carrying interest; but
ultimately it was agreed that the matter should be
left in the hands of the directors to be disposed of in
committee.

On the motion of the CHAIRMAN the report was
then adopted, and ordered to be entered on the
minutes.

Cordial votes of thanks were then passed to the
Chairman and directors, and-the meeting terminated.

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' AsyLum.—Yesterday the
twenty-third anniversary festival in aid of the funds of the
Licensed Victualler? Society was held at. the Highbury Barn
Tavern, Highbury. The company numbered shoat four
hundred of the members and friends of the society. Mr. S.
C. Whitbread occupied the chair. The report which was
submitted on behalf of the board of management stated that
during the last year ten additional houses had been added to
the ladies' wing of the asylum, that a chapel had been
erected for the use of the inmates and subscribers, that a
new board room had been provided, and that a chaplain's
house was in course of erection. A large increase had taken
place during the past year in the number of life members.
The total amount of subscriptions received had been
7,750/. 103., being a larger sum than had been
obtained for any single year during the existence
of the institution. In proposing the chief toast of the
evening—" Prosperity to the Licensed Victuallers' Asylum
and success to its endowment funds"—the chairman said he
had that day visited the asylum, and could testify to the
excellent system of management which prevailed within its
walls, and to the comfort of its inmates and their high satis-
faction with all the arrangements made to promote their
welfare. Amongst the other toasts were, " The chairman,"
" The brewers, distillers, and wine merchants, supporters of
the institution," " The press," " The ladies, subscribers to
the institution," " The board of management," &c. During
the course of the evening a large number of handsome do-
nations and subscriptions to the funds were announced.
UNIVERSITIES OF SCOTLAND.—A Bill has been
prepared and brought in by Mr. Cowan, Mr. Edward
Eliice, Captain Fordyce, and Mr. Alexander 'lssue, by
which it is proposed to do away wit the existing law
by which professors and others in the Scotttinhshfe
rch
universi-
ties are required to subscribe the Confession
ihutha nodf
practice, and conform to the worship in use in
Scotland, and submit themselves to its discipline* The Act
will not extend to the chaits of divinity, theology, or church
history.
Mr. w. Parker Hammond had an inte vi
yes-
terday with
Viscount Palmerston at the Foreignr 4:;ffivice, eWive to the extension of British commerce inEasternAsr-
ia

FOREIGN 'FRESH MEAT.—The steamer Cesaria,
from Ilamburgh, has brought several packages. of freshkilled butcher's meat as a portion cf her cargo consigned to
order. This descriptid of foreign provision ia on irDPerta"
trita of duty.

4 el
—l5,

1851.

LITERATURE.
MEMOIRS OF GONZALO HERNANDEZ
DE CORDOVA, styled Me Great Captain.
Translated from Me Spanish of Don Manuel 'Jose
Quintana. By Joseph Russell.
Although the name of "The Great Captain" is
familiar to most persons, comparatively few are aware
of the exploits by which he earned that title, or of the
period at which he flourished. Gonzalo de Cordova
was born in 1453, and after distinguishing himself in
the war between Castile and Portugal, served in the
glorious campaign by which Ferdinand and Isabella
finally expelled the Moors from the kingdom of
Granada, being present at all the actions of anv note
which took place in the course of that war. But his
appellation of the " Great Captain" was earned by.the
series of brilliant victories he obtained over the forces
of Charles VIII. of France, when that monarch seized
upon the kingd.im of Sicily and invaded Italy. He
atterwards put down a revolt of the Moors, in the
course of which his brother, the famous Don Alonzo
de Aguilar, was slain, and on the breaking out of
fresh hostilities with the French, then governed by
Louis XII., who, aided by Pope Alexander, the
Florentines, and Venetians, endeavoured to wrest
the kingdom of Naples from Frederic 111, the then
King of Italy, put himself at the head of a large
army, and, in 1500, again proceeded to Messina.
The united forces of Venice and Spain, under Gon-
zalo, from thence went to Cephalonia, which they
took from the Turks afterain obstinate resistance, and
then returned to Sicily and took possession of it in
the names of Ferdinand and Louis,, driving out the
King, whom they had supposed they were to defend.
The Duke de Nemours, the French general, and the
Great Captain, not being able to agree as to the
division of the territory they had thus acquired, de-
termined to settle their disputes by arms. The cam-
paign that ensued was remarkable for the many deeds
of valour and chivalry performed by both armies, the
celebrated Bayar4 serving with the French ; but
Gonzalo's good fortune always prevailed, and the
battles of Cerinola and Garellano, at the last of which
the French lost eight thousand men and all their
baggage and artillery, compelled them to abandon all
hopes of conquering Italy. At this period Queen
Isabella, Gonzalo's patroness, died, and King Ferdi-
nand listened readily to those who, envious of the
Great Captain, accused him of harbouring designs
against his sovereign. Although his noble conduct
upon that occasion obliged Ferdinand to receive him
into favour, and to honour him as much as his adversary
Louis XII., the King's displeasure subsequently
became more and
_more apparent until the death of
the Great Captain, at Leza, in 1515, at the age,of
sixty-two. Ferdinand and his Court then paid
every respect to his memory, and the King wrote to
his widow, condoling with her at the lose of so great
and distinguished a servant, who had rendered such
signal service to him. Don Manuel Jose Quintana's
memoir gives a detailed and impartial account of all
the actions of the celebrated Spanish hero, and inde-
pendently of its value as an historical record of the
events of an important era in European history, it is
most interesting as a narrative of the remarkable
career of one of the most remarkable men that ever
lived. The translator has performed his task with
great cars and fidelity, preserving as nearly as pos-
sible the phraseology of the original Spanish when
not inconsistent with its adaptation into elegant
English. In the preface he tells us that " the present
biography (should it meet with a favourable recep-
tion) is intended to be the first of a series of transla-
tions from some of the best Spanish authors hitherto
untranslated into the English language." We trust
that the present volume may meet with such success
as may induce the translator to carry out the inten-
tion he has expressed.

TIIE GREAT EXHIBITION; its Palace and
its Principal Contents : with Notices of the Public
Buildings of the Metropolis, Places of Amusement,
4-c. By Roberts Stephenson. G. Routledge and Co.
Tnis work is of the same sizß, and is published at
the same price as Routledge's "Railway Library," and
is actually what it asserts itself to be, a" Hand-Book"
to the Great Exhibition and to the sights of London.
It is seldom that we have seen so much information
compressed into so small a compass, and its arrange-
ment is admirable; the illustrations are excellent.
We may, in speaking of this Guide-book, quote the
old adage, and say with truth, "it contains every-
thing essential, and nothing superfluous."