The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-12 00:00:00

THE THIRD.

Feasting, of course, in the forthcoming Masque,
will throw fasting out of dominion; and the high
doctors of the refectory art. have, we understand,
been at hard employ for preparation and banquet for
the last two months. The guests on this occasion may
be curious to know what were the delicacies and w hat
the prices of the good things and acceptable which,
on occasion of the royal masques in King Edward's
time, were produced to satisfy the sweet lips of the
ladies, or the more capacious appetites of stalwart
lords and their stout retainers. A scarce MS. in the
Cotton Library, presents the very identical bill of fare.
The following are its contents, translated from the
old French :

" In the reign of King Edward the Third, the
poulterers were ordered to sell to the royal household
at these prices':—One of the best swans, 4s. ; the best
porcelle for Bd. ; the best ewe, for 6d ; the best capon
Ibr 6d.; the hest hen for 4d, ; the best pullet for 20. ;
the best poucyn. for 2d ; the best corsynge (perhaps
coney) or a peel for 4d. ; the .best teal 2d.; the best
river- mallard 5d..; the best . mallard of the fyns, ad.;

the-r=t. bnnye. ittrraii—alrgiVcrd7; The best
cock 3d. ; the best partridge 5d.; the best plover 3d. :
the best pheasant Is. 4d. ; the best curbi 10d, ; 13 of
thevbest thrushes 6d ;112 eggs Id. ; 12 small birds, id."
'Quails, rabbits, gallons of cream, gallons of curd,
hundreds of dishes of butter and biscuits, with saffron,
spice-bread, and a host of other dainties arc elsewhere
priced and enumerated.

NATIONAL LOAN FUND SOCIETY.

The Annuli General Meeting or this excellent Insti-
tution took place yesterday at-the London Tavern. T.
Lamie Murray, Esq., took the Chair shortly after one
o'clock.

The advertisement calling the meeting was then read.
The followir°r Report was also read :-- -
" THIRDANNUAL REPORT, MA);l i, 1842,
"The Directors have again, for the third time since the
institution of the Society, to express their satisfaction in
meeting the Proprietors o,n the occasion of the Annual
Meeting.
• "In the number of new policies the Society ha's not
made su great a progress during the past as in the pre-
ceding years. In this respect it has not been singular.
The severe and continued pressure experienced through-
out every departments of productive industry has un-
questionably diminished the means, and with it the faci-
lities of the community. and .in consequence the security
of future provision afforded by life assurance has in the
general embarrassment been • to a considerable extent
neglected. Notwithstanding this severe pressure, which
has so generally affected the business of Life Assurance,
the Directors have to congratulate the Proprietors that
-it has not fallen on this Society with unequal force. The
number of Policies issued by the Society having now
augmented from 1,230 in the year 1840, to 1,775 at the
close of 1841, and to 1,890 at the present period.
" At the next general meeting, and afterwards annu-
ally, as provided for in. the Deed of Settlement, it will be
the duty of the DirectorS to lay before the 'Proprietors
the result of the mathematical investigation into the
affairs of the Society, which will take place at the close
of the present year, with aview of making such division
of profits, by way of bonus, to the Policy-holders and
Proprietors as the result will justify. .
"In carrying out this. object, the Directors will
take care to discriminate between the several interests .
involved, so as to render,equal justice to all, and to pro-
vide that too much of the botden of the first institution
of the Society shall not fall exclusively on those who
will be entitled to share,in its general prosperity.
" The advantages of the principle of an annual distri-
bution of profits amongst the assured, instead of a sep-
tennial, or even longer intervals of 'division adopted by
other Assurance Offices, were foreseen at the formation
of this Society. It avoids the disproportionate appro-
priation of the profits, which all who are assured have a
right to share, and which, were the division of profits is
protracted, falls by chance on those Policy-owners
only who have outlived certain arbitrary periods, to the
disadvantage of those whose policies have become claims
during the long interval of division,
_while, .at the same
time, it is so deceptive in the apparent over the real
amount of bonus distributed over all the policies. -ThiS
principle adopted by the National Loan. Fund-SocietY,
of an equal distribution of profits, is in every other re,
spect so self-evident, that, when once brought into.action„
besides the constant vigilance, it will call forth on the
part of those interested, towards the administration-of the
affairs, will, the Directors feel assured, tend largely to-
increase the public confidence and favour towards the
Society. The benefits will be equally felt by the Pro-
prietors of the Guarantee Capital, as the third of the
profits reserved for them, in addition to the five per
cent. per annum, will reach them annually.
" It affords the Directors much gratification at this
early period—the fourth year since the commencement
of the Society—to refer the Proprietors to its advanced
position, which, in respect to its increasing business, and
the security afforded in the number of its policies, is
enabled to take its rank amongst those of much older
origin, and undoubted security.
"Another source of satisfaction to the Proprietors; is in
the fact that amongst those assured by the Society the
actual has been less than, the expected mortality, and
which affords the best proof of carefulness in the selec-
tion of lives.

" The sums already paid, and for which claims are ad-
mitted, being 12,998/. 18s., while the sum expected,
according to the tables, would have amounted to 19,000/.
"The former amount is even augmented by the sum of
3,000/. caused by the accidental death of an otherwise
healthy member.
" The arrangement recommended by the Directors in
their Report of last year. respecting the conversion of the
capital of the Society into 201. shares has been efflcted,
with the exception only of 1,100 shares in the hands of
Proprietors whose residences are not easily accessible.
"This object being so nearly accomplished has enabled
the Directors to settle the account of preliminary ex•
penses under the Deed of Settlement.
" The business to be transacted at the present meeting
is the election of four Directors in lieu of

John Griffith Frith, F,sq. ;
•
hunter Gordon, Esq. ;
John Rawson, Frsq. ; and
John Riddle Stodart, Esq. •
whose period of office has expired, all of whom. are eli-
gible to be re-elected, and offer themselves accordingly :
and the election of two Auditors, in place of

Professor Wheatstone; F.R.S., and .
Professor Graves,. A.M.,
whose term of office has expired, and who are also re-
eligible, and offer themselves accordingly.
(Signed) "T. LAME MURRAY, Chairman."
The CHAIRMAN rose to nildress the meeting. Since
no Proprietor seemed to be dissatisfied with the Report
of the affairs of the Cempany, which had been laid
before them, there was very little for him to say. The
Directors had very candidly referred to the state of in-
dustrial embarrassment that had prevailed during the past
year, and for a much. lenger period, as tending to de-
crease the means of the community to effect Life As-
aurances ;-"he .however,, say this for themselves,
that the whole subject connected with Life. Assurances,
its influence upon the public mind, anti its progre'ss
among the several. classes of the community, had been
very closely watched by the gentleinen composing the
direction of the . Society. This was natural to all those
who had, like, themselves, started with new principles,
and the subject of Life Assurance was with them re-
garded with much interest. They might take credit to
themselves for having largely increased in the public mind
a disposition to obtain security for the future, by means
of Life Assurance ; if they looked to facts, they would
find that, since the institution of the National Loan Fund
Society, little better than some four years ago, nearly 40
offices had been established by a
of the' Na
ndof itmio4l Loan
Fund,
impetus,,
thepains:publications
taken by the Society to dieseminate
consequence,unand
the of
its principles.. .Notwithstanding the numerous . competi-
tors the Society had to contend with, it was a .great
source of satisfaction to the Directors to observe the
elevated poSition, in which the National. Loan Fund So-
ciety was placed, and the great confidence that was given
to.it by the public. Any person acquainted with the
calculations upon which the security of offices of this
kind was founded, would say that. an office which
had been able, within a period not longer than
four years, to issue 1,890 policies, had arrived at
as high a. point, of security-as could be desired of longer
standing. All that was required in the calculations of
life assurance was such a number of policies as would
form an average,• and this had been fully attained by the
Society: He was ready to admit that the business had
not been so extensive this year.as in former ones, but the
average of the whole years had been greater than the
success ever attained by any other Life Assurance Insti-
tution previously established. Ile thought, with these
Observations on the part of himself and the Directors, the
meeting would agree with him, that he had very little
more to say. It was not their business to praise them-
selves, their only object being to. call the attention of the
Proprietors to the principles of tite Society, and to pray of
them to extend them as nitieh as possible iu obtaining
new members and new insurances. The Directors would
be happy to listen_ to any gentleman who, was anxious to
make any, observations upon the Report..
• Mr.lyluano YOUNG said he had very great pleasure in
moving that:the Report be adopted. He felt extreme
plea-mire in being connects'', with this Society. Having
had much to clo with its origin, and being convinced of
its great utility, by the statciuents which this Hon. Chair-
Man had !aid-before him somesfour or five years. ago, he
had given the Society all the 'support which a public
journal could give.—(Hear, hear.) .Thtit support, how-
ever humble, was given on public principle, and public
principle, alone.—(Hear.) It was gratifying to find,
from the RepOrt, that notwithstanding the embarrass-
ment that had prevailed throughout the country during
the last year, the number
,of insurances had increased
more than 50 per cent., while the liabilities were leis by
33 per cent. than in- the ordinary course, of nature they
Would have heen.—(llears hear.) The object of this
Society was one of interest to the public at large. ..In-
-surances were effected for the benefit of those who stir.
.vived us ; and
.he thought no
,man could lay out his
Money for better or more useful purposes, 'than by stimu-
lating economy and good conduct in his own children,
through his own example.—(Hear, hear.) That this
Society had applied a stimulus . to other societies was a
fact greatly in its favour. He was happy to hear
that as many as forty similar societies were pros-
pering, . if not in the . same ratio as , the National
Loan Fund, yet to an *extent which afforded
good promise of the future prospects of such insti-
tutions. With these feelings, he had great pleasure in
moving that the Report be adopted. He thought the
Directors deserved very great praise for their efficient
conduct during the last four or five years; fur, notwith-
,standing the general embarrassments in trade, and among
persons disposed to ensure their lives, yet the Society
had continued to prosper under their able management
and sound discretion.—(Hear, hear.)
W. STUDLEY, Esq., said he felt very great satisfaction
in seconding the resolution. lie had only been connected
with the Society for a short time ; but, feeling convinced
that it had already succeeded beyond all reasonable ex-
pectation, he had been led by that conviction to double his
interest in it,—(Hear, hear.) That, he thought, was the
best proof he could possibly give of his confidence in the
future prosperity of the Society.--s(Hear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN said, before the resolution was put, he
wished to mention that, in the next year, it would be
their business tos Make a division of profits. The Pro-
prietors were aware that' one-third of the profits
would reach them, and considering the large capital that
was now. guarantees- to the Policy-holders, one-third of
the profits Wotild not be .e,nsidered extravagant.' He'was
quite sure, however, that it would be sufficiently large for
all the rislt which the Proprietors had run. The risk
in reality which a proprietor in a life insurance office
incurred existed only on its first, institution. After the
policies had accumulated, there was no investment which
was equally secure ; there was scarcelysanY investment
which was equally profitable. The division of profits
would occur annually. The who were en-
titled, under the deed of settlement.to five per cent. in-
tereet, upon their capital,. would also .receiveanneally
afterwards' their. share of the profits in acldi ;HU. He