The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-17 00:00:00

annuities, I held, and I think with reason, the opinion
that, irrespective of any favour to the poor, justice re-
quired that not the variable rate of the day, but a fixed
rate of interest. such as, looking over a considerable pe-
riod of years, might probably be considered an average
rate, ought to be taken as the measure of value ; and I
suggested that 31. 15s. per cent. per annum might be
safely taken. And I submitted, for their Lordships'
apdrobation, tables constructed accordingly for each sex,
pointing out to their Lordships the considerably higher
price which, taking in the difference of the sex, would
attach to the female. I certainly did venture, however,
to draw their Lordships' attention to the discontent
which would probably be occasioned by thus assessing
the women whilst struggling to provide for their old age
in a higher sum than males of the same age ; and
I reasoned as if the loss would be very trifling by allow-
ing the female to have her annuity on the same terms as
the male, age for age. That this is true will be mani-
fest from the fact, that no more than 8,2501. per annum
of deferred annuities have ever been purchased by both
sexes since the Act began, a period of ten years and
more. _ _ _

" But all this reasoning distinctly applied only to the
class of annuities which were to be payable at remote
periods ; by no means to the other class of annuities,
which become payable as soon as they are purchased.
"My Lords, however, as would appear from Mr.
Steuart's letter of the 28th October, made no distinction
between either of these two classes of annuities,
and commanded that the annuities under this Act should
be universally granted OR one fixed table, in which the
rate of mortality was to be that of the mile sex, and the
rate of interest 31. 15s.

"It would appear that Mr. Hume's motion contem-
plated an account 'of the money which would have been
received if these annuities to the poor had been granted
without any favour, according to the provisions of the
Act of 1829. But when the many thousandt annuities
which have been granted under the Act of 1833 are
taken into consideration, it will appear that such an
account will take much labour and a very long time to
construct. I certainly think, it impossible during the
present session.
" Nevertheless, I am able to lay before you a very close
approximation to the sum that would have been received
under those circumstances, as compared with what has
been received in fact. _

" It is said that much'abuse has prevailed by parties
rich enough to come to this office in the first instance,
having first gone to the savings' banks, each for 20L a
year, and having then come to this office for a further
annuity. But, in point of fact, only ninety-eight cases
out of 2,488 are in this predicament. The whole annuity
granted to the poor is 40,594 L 165., for which there
has been paid 430,8191. 13s. 3d., therefore each 1/. of
the annuity costs 101. 12s. 4d., which indicates that the
average age of the parties is fifty-eight for a male of
that age would pay lOL 12s. 4d. for each IL of his annuity.
" But if the whole annuities granted to the public at
large (excluding these) be examined in like manner, it
appears that-on an average of the last nine years, each
IL of snnuity granted, cost 101. lie. 3d. Hence the
average age of each class is manifestly the same, and
this is a strOng proof that no abuses have happened, not-
withstanding the prevalent opinion.
" Certainly no such sum has been received in fact, in
consequence of the encouragement to the industrious
classes, which the A'tL contemplated (and without which
there was no motive hi'
passing it), as would hare been
on the tables_ in force for die public at large. But is
received if the same puolhasers had come to this office
not the less certain that fevt• of them, on those terms,.
would have come at all. It therefore erroneous to
consider the deficiency a public loss"; .and it will be seen
that, such as it is, it was almost enttivelly occasioned by
the benefit afforded to aged females, ~.tttle or nothing
being lost by fixing the rate of interest as high as 3/. 151.
It appears that the male purchasers of the
mediate annuities are to the females as 14 is
to 597 ; and that sex is consequently the
purchasers of annuities to the amount of ... £84,203
While the females are purchasers to the
amount of..

346,686

Total, as above stated

Now if these very persons had come to this
office on the same terms as the public at
large, the male sex would have paid collec-
tively for the like annuities
And the females 422,056

Total £510,191
Then the difference between the two scales of payment
is as follows :
In respect of the male sex only £3,932
But in respect of the.females 75,370

Total .... £79,302
" Now I,firmly believe, that if the account were made
out as Mr. Hume requires it, the variation would be
next to nothing.—l have, &c.
(Signed) " JOHN FINLAISON.
" To the Right Hon. Henry Goulburn,
" Chancellor of the Exchequer," &c. &c. &c.
t We know there are above 3,000.

THE WARSPITE CORRE-
SPONDENCE.

The Naval and Military Gazette has the following
observations. in reference to Sir Edward Owen 's
general order, occasioned by the letters from the
officers of the Warspite which appeared in the Times
criticising the manoeuvres of the French fleet before
Tangiers :
Is it credible that our officers are to be publicly
reprimanded, either to propitiate a Foreign Govern-
ment, which rewards its own officers for lavishing
abuse -and, calumny upon ours, or to appease the
clamours of a public always ready to seize upon every
occasion that offers to manifest its hatred and anti-
pathy to this country ? Surely it cannot be intended
to propitiate the French nation at the expense of our
own officers ; for we will venture to say, that there is
not and officer in the Mediterranean fleet who does not
feel humiliated by the publication of the above order.
The British public has already sufficiently manifested
its disapprobation of the letters written by the young
officers of the Warspite ; but what it may sometimes
disapprove of it may not always be convenient to con-
demn. The moment, too, is singularly ill chosen for
manifesting.such forwardness in flinging satisfaction
for insult to the French nation. Nobody would more
sincerely rejoice than ourselves in the establishment
but it can never be accomplished by
u
of a thorough, good, mutual understanding, between
then c
o tworg ing
nations,th manifestation of a hostile feeling on
ea
one side, and, the forcible suppression of it on the other.
Could not the Commander-in• Chief have expressed
his disapproval of the letters published in the Times,
officers of the fleet ? Such a mea-
sure might be necessary during war, on the eve of a
r withouts
ponde orderingnee ofthe a general surveillance upon the cor-
respondence
expedition, or on suspicion of a secret corre-
spondence with the enemy, but surely not for, the pur-
pose of preventing a few youngsters from writing
home to tell their friends that, in their opinion, the
French are not much better sailors now than when we
last thrashed them off the ocean.
The Morning Post quotes a Memorandum of the
Duke of Wellington in 1809, we suppose, in justifi-
cation of this order ; but our Contemporary overlooks
the fact that the Dukes complaint was the publication
of letters from his army, communicating his intended
course of operations, not animadversions on the con-
duct of the enemy.

•
The following startling announcement appeared a
day or two since in the columns of a Contemporary,
whose ardent Zeal in the service of her Ministerial
patrons should have saved her from so cruel a hoax :
" We are assured that a treaty, the origin of which may
be referred to 1840, is on the eve of being concluded, by
which England will obtain possession of the port of
Suez, free passage from Alexandria to that port, and
other advantages of importance in Egypt and Syria.
This treaty, to which France is said to be no party, is
guaranteed by Russia, Austria, and Prussia. NVe know
not by what intrigue the King of the French has been
prevented from participating in it, but have reason to
believe that England has had nothing to do with her ex-
clusion." It is scarcely necessary to add, for the infor-
mation of the very few whom this transparent fiction
may have misled, that the treaty thus described has not,
nor ever had,
any other existence than in the fertile
imagination of The wag by whom our over-credulous
Contemporary has been deceived.—Tunes.
DOVER, SATURDAY.—The Earl of Pembroke ar-
rived by railway from the metropolis, this evening, and
to-morrow embarks for Calais cn his way to Path.
Lady Emily Hardinge and her daughters arrived this
evening from town, and on Monday her Ladyship pur-
poses to embark for the Continent, proceeding to Paris,
where her Ladyship intends to remain about a week, and
then proceed to Marseilles. The Duke of Wellington,
accompanied by:the Right lion. Charles Arbuthnot, who
is residing with the Noble and Gallant Duke at Walmer
Castle, came over on Thursday to inspect the works in
progress for the improvement of the harbour, when the
Noble LorcliWarden was conducted to the different locali•
ties immediately regarding his notice, by Mr. Walker.
The Earl of Fingall and Lord Killeen went by the Ariel
steamer to Ostend, and from thence the Noble Earl and
his son proceed to Geneva to join the Countess and
family. Among the arrivals and departures during the
week have been the Countess Flahault, Lady Bathurst,
the Earl and Countess of Balcarras, Viscount Duncan-
non, Mr. and Mrs. R. Milbanke, Sir George Houston,
Hon. W. Wodehouse, Colonel Sandilands, Sir John
Horold, Bart., &c.
THE NEW ROYAL EXCHANGE.--The Royal Ex-
change will be opened in the eourse of' the last fortnight
of October, by her Majesty in person, accompanied by
y
Prince Albert. This announcement has been officially
made by Sir James Graham, and not by Mr. Lambert
Jones ; though that worthy functionary repaired to
Windsor a few days since in the hope of ascertaining
her Majesty's wishes as to the precise day on which the
ceremony should take place. The only reply he ob-
tained, however, was that the Queen could receive no
message on the subject except through the Lord Mayor,
and when such communication took place the Royal
command would be conveyed through the Minister. Mr.
Lambert Jones's journey to Windsor, what befel him
there, and the dolorous face with which he returned, have
afforded, during this season of dulness, subjects of merri-
ment amongst the citizens.--Post.
The Earl. of NVinterton's annual treat to the
labourers engaged on his estate to celebrate the " har.
vest home,' took place on Tuesday last at Sbillinglee
Park, Sussex. It was a day of pleasure, not only to the
persons employed by the Noble Earl, buti also to their
families, who were liberally entertained- at the Noble
Earl's expense