The Sun.
London, England, 1867-02-07 00:00:00

FRANCE.

BOURSE, Feb. 6.—Two o'clock.—The market
continues firm. Three per Cents. are at 69fr. 45c.,
sc. higher. Credit Mobilier shares have advanced
6f. 25c.—to 528 f. 75c. Comptoir d'Escompte are
quoted at 762 f. 50c., ex coupon of 32f. Credit
Foncier are at 1,485. Railway shares are again
very firm. Lyons have advanced If. 25c., and
Lombard 2f. 50c.

Three o'clock.—Greater buoyancy has been dis-
played towards the close, which has taken place at
the following higher quotations
per Cents —
Do. end month
3 per Carts. —
Do. end month C9 571
Credit hiobilier
Do. end month
Credit Foncier —
Do. end month 1490

Bank Shares —
Italian Loan —
Do. end month 54 70
31,sxiegn Loan 2l 50
Do. Bonds ll5
Spanish Threes
Home Debt
Deferred

LYE.

For Account.
Orleans
Northern l2OO
Lyons and Mediterranean 920
Southern 570
Western 583 75
Eastern
Sardinian . —
Austrian 4lO
Lombard 407 50
North of Spain llB 75
SaragosE a
Ditto to Barcelona —
Roman, 95

The Provident Clerks' Mutual Life As-

surance Association.

The 26th annual meeting of the members of this
association was held last evening at the London
Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, for the purpose of re-
ceiving the report of the directors and the balance-
sheet for the past year, and the transaction of the
general business of the association. The proceed-
ings were presided over by Mr. Richard Henry
Jones, the chairman of the board of directors.
Mr. LINFORD, the secretary, read the directors'
annual report, which was as follows :

The Board of Directors have the pleasure to lay•before
the members their 26th annual report, and beg to congra-
tulate them on the continued prosperity of the association.
The new proposals received during the year 1866 wore,
1,387 for £309,200, of which were completed and policies
issued 1,139 for £242,750, the remainder being deferred,
declined, or now under consideration. The now annual
income arising from assurances completed during the year
is £7,010 10s. The total income from premiums, &c., is
£68,667 3s. 31., of which £33,147 ls. sd. has been added
to capital account. The sum of £2,415 9s. has also been
received is purchase of annuities. The funds of the asso-
ciation amounted on the 31st December last to £317,695
7s. 7d. 135 policies, assuring with bonuses £23,905 6s. 11d.,
have become claims by death. The following directors re-
tire by rotation, but being eligible offer themselves for re-
election :—Mr. Edward Coleman, Mr. Sancton Wood, Mr.
Henry Rogers. The following gentlemen, duly qualified,
are proposed as auditors for the ensuing year:-1r• J. R.
Lloyd, Mr. F. F. Toole, Mr. C. Woolley. Tho satisfac-
tory nature of the above report will, it is hoped, operate as
an additional inducement to the members of the association
to continue their exertions in extending more and more
widely its sphere of usefulness.

The CHAIRMAN said it gave him great pleasure in
meeting, for the twenty-sixth time, so many friends
as he did on the occasion. Since they had last met
an eventful year had passed, one entailing sorrow
and misery on many who might have become mem-
bers of that association, some of whom at least he
knew personally who had been swept away by the
panic. Notwithstanding this melancholy circum-
stance, the directors had the pleasure of informing
the meeting that their association had expe-
rienced that prosperity they had always enjoyed.
Through the unfortunate state of things that
had existed they had not perhaps done
as much as they otherwise would, but he had
the greatest satisfaction in informing the meet-
ing that their success bad exceeded all former years,
and for that be thought they ought to be thankful.
He told them last year that their watchword was
" progress," but he feared that had led him to be
covetous, for he wished it now was " excel." This
might easily be achieved; in fact it would be a very
easy thing to bring about if every one of their
members only made up his mind to do something.
It was a very simple thing to do, as surely all bad
at least one friend they could ask and urge to be-
come a member. Some of their friends had done
good service to the cause, and to those he, on the
part of the directors, begged to offer their acknow-
ledgments and thanks. He hoped they would not
let this hint of his pass by as valueless, because if
they determined to act upon it it would increase
the scope of their association in a very
large degree, and at the same time it would
be doing an act of good to the families of every
one who was induced to become a member.
In taking that chair that evening he became sen-
sible to the fact that another year of his life bad
passed away, and this thought made him exceedingly
anxious to carry out to the fullest extent that which
had always been his great desire, namely, its pros-
perity and welfare. (Hear, hear.) It was his
privilege and pleasure to preside over them that
evening, and he always wished to do the best he
could to further the interests of the Society; and
he became doubly anxious, because that might be
the last year he would be amongst them, and he was
exceedingly anxious to quit with a good character.
He therefore heartily wished they would set about
doing that request which he had made to them ;
there was nothing like doing things at once, because
postponement was dangerous. The report and
balance-sheet which they had beard read, though
short, showed a satisfactory state of progress ; and
he, perhaps, might let them pass without
further comment, but there were one or two
items which he could not refrain fro m
alluding to. In the balance-sheet for the
year 1865 showed the total income to be £62,800
whilst that for the present year gave it as
£68,600, showing an increase of nearly £6,000.
The expense of management in the year 1865
was £9 6s. Od. per cent, whilst the per tentage for
1866 was £8 9s. 6d. (Hear, hear.) The rate of
interest on all their fixed investments up to Dec.,
1866, was £4 17s. 6d.—(hear, hear)—which he
bad no doubt would be looked upon as highly
favourable ; and it was a striking fact, that in the
issue of the eleven thousand and thirty-nine new
policies, it had not caused any increase in their ex-
penditure. They had punctually met all their claims,
paid all their bills, provided for all expenses, and
having done all this, they had carried over a very
handsome balance. There was one thing, he thought,
he ought to tell them, and that was that they held
£3,000 of debentures in the London, Chatham,
and Dover Railway Company. They all knew the
position of that company, and therefore he need not
further refer to it, but he hoped for the best. His
only reason in reQerring to the matter at all was
that they had no secrets from their members. (Hear,
hear.) All these transactions were open and above
board; and it was that fact alone that made him
mention the subject. The gradual increase of
business, year by year, he thought was brought
about by three causes, viz., the exertions of
the directors, the sal of their secretary, and
the aotivity of the excellent staff, (Hear,

hear.) They each and all worked for one common
end, and the meeting would at once see the result. I
With such an end in view no society could go
wrong, especially where all worked together har-
moniously for the welfare of the association. He
had, on former occasions, alluded to the pleasurable
fact of their all working so well together, and he
had heard them called in the room the happy family.
All he could say was, that he hoped that would
continue to be their appellation. (Hear, hear.)
They had each of them received their usual circu-
lar on the opening of the New Year, and he had only
to ask them to aid the directors in their exertions,
which they could do very easily, by attend-
ing to the little request that the send-
ing of the document implied. He had only
now to thank them for the patience with which they
had listened to his remarks, and to formally move the
resolution for the reception and adoption of the re-
port and balance-sheet. He need hardly say the
directors would have the greatest pleasure in ex-
plaining any item or answering any question that
might be put to them by any of the members now
present. (Cheers.)
The motion having been seconded, and the
chairman having waited some considerable time, he
was about to put the question to the meeting as no
person seemed disposed to rise, when
Mr. WaitwicK said he thought it would be
scArcely respectful to the directors, who had pre-
sented such a very favourable statement of affairs,
if some in the meeting did not express to them the
satisfaction their exertions hal produced. He had
had differences with them on former occasions, but
notwithstanding that he could not refrain from
saying that they had carried out all their transac-
tions in the most honourable manner. Caution and
prudence were invariably exercised in all the transac-
tions of the directors, and they were headed by a
chairman, to whom he felt the association owed a
debt it could never reply. (Loud cheers.) It was
very gratifying to find so large an amount of
funds to meet all their claims, because it
placed the association on the soundest foundation.
The directors were unceasing in their endeavours to
further the prosperity of the association ; things
were managed well, and he felt he but spoke
the sentiments of the meeting by saying such a state
of things produced unqualified approbation. He
had on a former occasion brought under the atten-
tion of the meeting some matters connected with
a lapsed policy ; and he should feel much gratified
if the directors were invested with a discretionary
power in such cases, when the lapse appeared to
have taken place under accidental or unavoidable
circumstances. In the case referred to he was
aware that the board had been tied by the rules, and
had carried them out with every desire on their
part to avoid the injury of a member;
but he wished these powers extended,
'and gave an instance of a Life-office in which the
rules would hal e o2erated in favour of the assured
on this point.
Mr. PILCIIER doubted very gravely the expedi-
ency of altering the rules on this point. They were
already exceptionally liberal, and be believed that
by the most moderate care on the part of a member
the rules would provide for every reasonable case.
The SECRETARY confirmed Mr. Warwick's state-
ment that the directors had no power to act in any
way but that adopted in the case referred to; but he
strongly deprecated throwing upon the board such
responsibility as to decide in whose favour the
existing rules should be relaxed. It was open to
the members, by an alteration of rules, to extend or
shorten the very liberal time now allowed (12
months and 14 days) for the revival of a policy, but
it would be found absolutely necessary to fix some
time, or they would be open to constant appeals to
their feelings, and would really never know their
liabilities. The duty of deciding between deserving
and undeserving cases as a mere matter of opinion,
would place the directors in a very painful and in-
vidious position. Mr. Linford's remarks appeared
to be fully endorsed by the members present, and
were also supported by the chairman.

The reportNN'as then put to the meeting and car-
ried unanimously.

bim.

Mr. AlmoN said he wished to state to the meet-
ing that the present year had been marked with
much distress, but with respect to the Provident
Clerks' Association it had fortunately experienced
its usual run of good fortune. The directors were
animated by the most invincible desire to do
their duty to the members, and the result of•
their zealous and faithful exertions was now
the theme of universal congratulation. (Hear,
hear.) It would not be expected from directors
that they should bring business which made up
the success of an office; but the members had a right
to expect that, when business was brought to the
office, it should be done in a proper manner. The
manner in which their business was conducted was
too well known to need eulogy from him ; but the
pleasant fact to all was that whilst their business
exhibited increased exertion, their expenses for the
last year were less than those of the preceding one.
The directors of the Provident Clerks, it was a great
satisfaction to find, were not mixed up with other
institutions—(hear, hear) ;—they kept themselves
aloof in order that they might carry out the busi-
ness of their own affairs in a successful and efficient
manner, and such a circumstance, he felt, had not
escaped the attention of the great body of members.
(Hear, hear.) In former meetings they had heard
some talk about a change in those who managed their
affairs ; but he felt convinced they would agree with
him that change was uncalled for and altogether un-
necessary, and in the highest degree undesirable ;
and he had great pleasure in moving the following
resolution :—" That the best thanks of this meeting
be given to the directors for their exertions during
the past year, and that their remuneration be the
same as last year."

Mr. CULL said it gave him the greatest pleasure
to second the resolution.

The SECRETARY then put the resolution, and
declared it carried unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN, in returning thanks, said it was
extremely gratifying to hear the remarks of
friends, and all he could say was that he felt his
colleagues fully appreciated the compliments they
had passed upon them. He thanked them for the
kind vote the meeting had so unanimously agreed
to. He would, having said so much, now proceed
with the business of the meeting, which was to
re-elect two of the retiring directors. The chair-
man then put the names of those gentlemen
who offered themselves for re-election, when they
were again returned to the Board in the most
emphatic manner.
Mr. E. COLEMAN said he felt a great deal of
pleasure at the manner in which he had been re-
elected, and he also felt very deeply the expres-
sions of approbation which had been passed on
the exertions of the Board. It was personally
doubly gratifying to him, because, when he
served as an auditor in 1852, the income
of the society at that time was £17,229, and its
assets £47,627. What it was now they all well
knew. (Cheers.) The result was satisfactory to
all, and to none more so than himself. But he
must bear his testimony to the zeal, activity, and
intelligence of their secretary and staff. (Hear.)
They had worked energetically, and he.rejoiced to
say successfully, and if anything indeed were want-
ing—which he was happy to say was not the
case—the proceedings of the evening would be
quite sufficient to induce all to do their
best to further the interests of the society. From
the moment of the organisation of the society in
1840 down to the present, from first to last there
there had been one long, steady, and resistless pull
together, and the result of that was its present pros-
perity, which he hoped would continue.
Mr. SANCTON WOOD thanked the meeting for his
re-election. He felt a pleasure in being a mem-
ber of the board of directors, because they all
worked together with such singlene3s of pur-
pose. (Hear, hear.) During the whole of the
time he hal been a member of the executive body,
he did not recollect, during the whole of the 14
years, one occasion of serious division amongst
them ; and at the same time he would also tell them
that during that period he had never onco been
canvassed by one of his colleagues to give a vote
or to form a part of a clique of directors. (Cheers.)
The continued prosperity of the society would be
his greatest pride and pleaSuro.
Mr, ROGERS also returned thinks for his

re-election, and said he should ever endeavour to
emulate ithe actions :of those who had gone before

Mr. Lloyd, Mr. F. Toole, and Mr. Woolley
having been re-elected auditors,
Mr.WOOLLEY, inireturning thanks, said—Coming
fresh from the books, he could not refrain from
expressing his pleasure in the state in which
he found them, and he trusted they would
permit him to move a vote of thanks to
their zealous secretary and their efficient and admir-
.able staff. (Cheers.)
Mr. REYNOLDS said he must be permitted the
pleasure of seconding such a well deserved vote of
thanks.

The CHAIRMAN said he was extremely sorry that
he had been forestalled in moving a vote of thanks
to the Secretary and staff. (Hear, hear.) Ile held
at that moment the resolution in his hand which
he but a minute or two ago drawn up with the inten-
tion of submitting it to the meeting.
Mr. WooLLEv said he was sorry to have robbed
their excellent chairman of the pleasure, but he
would at once adopt the resolution he had drawn
up as the one ho would submit to the meeting.
(Cheers.) It was as follows :—" That this meeting
expresses its thanks to the secretary for his zeal, and
to the officers of the staff for their exertions during
the pastyear in promoting the welfare of the society."
(Cheers.)
The resolution was carried unanimously.
Mr. LINFORD, who was very warmly received,
returned thanks. He said these public recognitions
of faithful service, coining too from those who were
of course well qualified to judge how far they were
deserved, were very gratifying, and would always
act as inducements to continue their best exertions,
and on behalf of himself and the staff he thanked
them very heartily. Referring to Mr. Stubbs, the
chief clerk, Mr. Linford said he believed that no
association possessed a more able or efficient
officer, and it gave him great pleasure to
bear this public testimony on behalf of
a gentleman who had served them so long
and so well, and who was highly esteemed
not only by all the board, but by all those present
who knew him. His friend Mr. Coleman had
spoken of the past fourteen years and its progress ;
but with the name and position the association has
won, he scarcely knew what limits could be fixed
to the prosperity of the next fourteen years.
He well remembered a gentleman at one of
these meetings a few years since speaking
of a quarter of a million of assets as a sum
which could only be reached by great labour
and in a long time. They had far exceeded
that sum, a very few years more would see a solid
half million, and at their present rate of progress
not many years could elapse before the Provident
Clerks would have a fund of at least a million
sterling. He did feel that the satisfaction ex-
pressed by the board, when they saw the results of
the work done by the office (he knew how closely
every department was watched and guarded by
them), and the commendation expressed by the
auditors at their examination of the books, were
testimonies of which the staff might justly feel
proud. He thanked them very sincerely for this
renewed mark of their kindness.

A vote of thanks, moved by Mr. FILCHER and
seconded by Mr. FRY, was awarded to the chairman
for presiding over the meeting that evening.
The CHAIRMAN felt obliged for the compliment.
As an earnest of what might be expected next year
he had to inform the meeting that this year, up to
the present time, they had already completed 182
policies for £36,350. (Cheers.)
The proceedings then terminated.

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TIER MAJESTY, &c.

WINDSOR CASTLE, Feb. 6.

The Queen, accompanied by their Royal lligh-
nesses Princess Louise, Prince Arthur, and Princess
Beatrice, and suite in attendance, arrived at Wind-
sor Castle yesterday at half-past 5 o'clock, from
Buckingham Palace.
Iler Majesty the Queen, with their Royal High-
nesses, left the Castle this morning at half-past 10
o'clock for Osborne, attended by Lady Waterpark,
the Hon. Emily Cathcart, Lieut.-General Hon. C.
Grey, Major-General Sir T. M. Biddulph, Lord
Charles Fitzroy, Lieut.-Col. the Hon. D. de Roe,
and Major Elphinstone.

The Prince of Wales rode out on horseback yes-
terday, attended by Major Teesdale.
The Princess of Wales, attended by the Mar-
chioness of Carmarthen, took a carriage drive.
Their Royal Highnesses, accompanied by his Royal
Highness- the Duke of Edinburgh, went to the
Adelphi Theatre in the evening.

Mr. Thos. Hughes has, it is said, been appointed
on the commission to inquire into the organisation of
trades' unions and other associations of employers and
workmen.

MR. KAVANAGH.—The new member for the
county of Wexford, concerning whose first appear-
ance in Parliament much curiosity had been excited, was
sworn in yesterday at the table and signed the Parliamen-
tary Roll. The hon. member entered tho House from the
direction of tho Speaker's private apartments, seated in a
library chair, the mechanism of which is so contrived that
he can wheel himself with ease to any point he wishes to
reach. The large copy of the Testament used in adminis-
tering the oaths to members was managed—one cannot use
tho word handled—by Mr. Kavanagh without the least
difficulty, and he wrote his name with as much quickness
and apparent ease as any of his fellow members of Parlia-
ment. The process was as follows :—The clerk handed to
Mr. Kavanagh a pen with a handle of the length to which
ho is accustomed. The hon. member clasped the handle
between what represent his arms, and, steadying it by put-
ting the end into his mouth, guided the pen over the
parchment with singular fluency and steadiness. This
ceremony ended, he was introduced to the Speaker, and
apparently quitted the House. The proceedings, however,
terminating soon afterwards, Mr. Kavanagh re-appeared
when the majority of members had left, and, accompanied
by one or two friends, proceeded to familiarise himself
with the internal arrangements of the building, as regards
the distribution of seats, lobbies for voting, &c. At one.
moment, his friends having walked on a little in advance,
Mr. Kavanagh showed of what exertion he was capable
by propelling his chair with such velocity as speedily to
overtake them.
THEATRICAL RlOTS.—There was a great riot at
the Portugal-street Theatre in 1721, in Rich's time, when
Quin and his brother-actors flashed out their swords and
drove out the wild young rakes who had threatened to
pink the manager. There was a great scuffle before this
at the ;same house when, wishing to insult the brazen
Duchess of Portsmouth, some tipsy gentlemen drew their
blades in the pit, and flung blazing flambeaux among the
actors on the stage. There was the Footman's Riot
in 1737, and the prodigious mutiny, too, in Garrick's Div**
Lane, in 1754, about those foreign dancers. The pit thrashed
the boxes, jumped on the harpsichord, broke up benches,
slashed the scenery, and pelted poor Davy's windovia
in Southampton-street. And that terrible evening,
also, at the Haymarket, when thousands of en-
raged tailors threatened to surge into the theatre
to prevent old Dowton playing "The Tailors, or a
Tragedy for Warm Weather." One of them was actually
bold enough, without even the help of his eight partners,
to fling a pair of heavy shears at the great comedian. 13`1
as the minnow is to the whale, so were all these pePulaar
effervoscences compared with those tremendous yet luo.1.:
crous disturbances in 1809, which, for no less than "L
nights, under the name of the 0. P. Riots, agitated Lon-
don, divided society, and convulsed Covent Garden.--
Dieken's " All the Year Round."
and
Tint MURDER NEAR WORCESTER. —George
Thomas Colley, father and son, 'were on TuesdaY
brought before the Worcester magistrates at potty ses°i°`l:
charged with the murder of William Colley, brother to t.O
first-named prisoner, near Worcester, on Saturday rkigitt.;
The facts of the case were reported yesterday, and. tr,
medical evidence proving that death resulted from inlet j
to the skull, and Thomas Colley having been seen twice
strike his uncle on the head with a dolly as he lay on t.
ground, the magistrates committed Thomas Colleye%r
o
charge of wilful murder, and discharged the tu
prisoner.
EX.I.:CUTIONS AT M.`.DRID. n
31 says :—" Three condemned prisoners have been to
cuted to-day. A fourth committed suicide If
.7 sow
avoid witnossing the death of his accomplices. 11,11tvitig
Wilco was pronounced by a military court, tho man II: the
—A Ik:tier dat,ed
resisted the civic guard. There is such secrecy le"
proceedings here that it is only a few hours beforet e
notice
cation that the Administration of Justice received
ee
throo6 1
tbQ
to send the executioner. A compact frowd
place of punishment 7 Da.