Star.
London, England, 1824-05-19 00:00:00

MEETING AT LLOYD'S.

A Public Meeting of .the Subscribers to Litayb's was
held yesterday to consider the propriety of taking steps
to oppose the motion of Mr. Buxton for abolishing the
exclusive Charters of the Royal Exchange and London
Offices for Maritime Insurances, and allowing other
Companies and Partnerships to effect such Insurances.
The great interest of this subject led to the fullest
Meeting ever held by this body, there being more than
1,000 Members present out of 1,610, the total number
of Subscribers.
Mr. BENJAMIN SHAW, who was called to the Chair,
addressed the Meeting at great length. He contended
that the Joint Stock Companies' partnerships, so far
from proving useful to the public as insurers, were
really injurious, as it was utterly impassible that one in-
dividual, acting as the agent of the Company, could
display so much talent as a body of men who were all
acting with a proper spirit of competition. In Joint
Stock Companies, 490 out of 500 shareholders, were
really idle, whereas among the Subscribers of Lloyd's,
1,000 persons %sere actively employed. Commercial
prosperity, he said, depended upon the union of talent
and capital, not capital alone; and he defied any mall
to shew that more equity or enterprize could be shetvn
by any Joint Stock Company, than rry the Subscribers
of Lloyd's Coffee-house, who had embarked wealth,
honour, and integrity in their undertaking. As a proof
of the estimation in which they were held by foreigners,
he would mention that many insurances effected abroad
had been re-insured here, and two out of the three ma-
ritime insurance offices wl.1:11 were established in Paris
had been ruined. The extensive charters of the Royal
Exchange and London Assurance Offices had been
guaranteed by the Government ; and he eferred to the
declaration of the hue Spencer Pe: ceval, Esq. and Lot d
Ellenborough, that they should not be irlterferetl with ;
sheaving that from 500 to 1,000 persoes had :elm
quished all other pursuits to become trnAerwriter-s, iyon
the faith of these declarations. Mr. Shaw coin. iutle.l
an animated speech, by stating that a memorial to Go-
vernment on the subject- had been prepared by the Com-
mittee; but from its great length he would not trouble
the Meeting by reading it.
Mr. DEWAR followed on the same side,. contending
that the Subscribers of Lloyd's were entitled to protec-
tion from the Legislature, and animadverting in severe
terms upon the lately established Alliance Insurance
Office, many Subscribers to which bad sold their shares
at a high premium, having-a real capital of not a third
the amount of that embarked by the Subscribers at
Lloyd's. He spoke at length of the moderate rate of
the insurances effected by that body, and of their in•
dividnal and collective responsibility.. He appealed
whether the Underwriters had not always come for-
ward on public grounds, and for charitable purposes.
by establishing the Patriotic Fund, and alluded to the
large subscriptions after the battles of the Ist of June,
St. Vincent's, the Nile, Trafalgar, Waterloo, &c. &c.---
They had also supported Government in its plans for
establishing a free and unrestricted trade; and he
thought their whole conduct entitled them to the eonsi•
detation of Government. He thanked the Chairman
and the Committee, and concluded by moving a series
of Resolutions for appointing a Select Committee to
join the Standing Committee, to oppose the establish-
ment of Joint Stock Companies for under writing Pol icies
of Insurance, by petitioning Parliament against them.
Mr. CARIMIIiEIta seconded the Resolutions. lie
could not allow the opportunity to e,cape of expressing
his deep regret at the loss of their late valuable Chair-
man, but still it was a satisfaction to find that the pre.
sent Chairman arid the Committee were actuated by
the same zeal and energy is behalf of the interests of
the Subscribers to that House. Ile went over much
the same ground as the previous speakers. He hoped
that every shareholder in the new Companies would be
liable for all acts and deficiencies of the joint stock, and
that the moment he signed the deed he would be giving
instructions for entailing a Chancery suit upon his'
family. Our trade was protected by the Underwriters
of Lloyd's, and in time of war our army could we
have been supplied abroad but for the protection given •
by them to the Merchants furnishing the supplies to
Government. lie contended that the Merchants had
no reason to complain of the high prices of premiums,'
nor would he answer the long refuted calumny that
there was a danger of the stability of that room, or that
it was impossible to effect large policies among them.
If they should be allowed to effect such policies as were
projected, he feared that Coffee-house was approaching
to, not a natural, but a possible death.
Mr. BROWN was certain that that House had nothing
to fear from open and fair competition, and this Marine
Mutual Insurance Company would not venture on such
a competition ; but they bound all the Subsc:ibers to
insure with them only. This would be done by other'
Companies, and they might have East and West India,
Baltic, and other Companies. He thought that a clause
would be inserted in the Bill to make the property of
each Shareholder liable for the joint stock debts.
The Resolutions were then carried, and the Meeting
separated.

About eight clockll. on Monday evening, a desperate
attack was threatened to be made upon Middlesex Hos-
pital, arising out of the following cause :—lt appears
that on that morning, an Irish labouter, who had been
at work on some building, fell from the scaffolding,
and received so much injury that he died that day. His
countrymen got it into their heads, that the body was
to be detained for the purpose of dissection, and united
to the number of several hundreds in front of the hos-
pital, and threatened instant destruction to the entire
building, unless their deceased countryman's remains
were immediately brought out to them. This, of course,
could not be complied with until the Coroner's Jury
had sat on the body, but the tumultuous crowd would
listen to no explanation. The people of the hospital
managed, however, to keep up a parley with the assail-
ants, by affecting to make preparations to bring forth
the body, until 4 strong party of the Police from Marl-
borough•street and Mary-la-bonne offices, who were
privately sent for, had arrived ; who, after representing
to the multitude that the body of their countryman
should be given up to them the moment the Inquest
was over, succeeded with great difficulty in allaying the
storm, but it was not till after a space of two hours, ten
o'clock at night, that they could get the court-yard clear.
Last week, as Mr. Jout•rsort, the brush-maker, and
political colleague of HENRY HUNT, was returning
home to his residence near Blackley, he was attacked
on St. George's-road, Manchester, by four ruffians, who,
not content with robbing him of everything valuable
about him, maltreated him with such brutality,
especially about the head, as to deprive him entirely of
his senses. Ile was conveyed to the Church Tavern,
not far distant, with but small hopes of his recovery.

LAN REPORT.

COURT OF CHANCERY, MAY la.
IN THE MATTER OF SMITH%

The LORD.CHANcsrt.oft pronounced his decision in
this case to-day. He did not know if Mr. Hart had
seen the affidavits against Mr. Smith, and those sworn
by Mr. Smith in contradiction of them. His Lordship
expressed his conviction, upon a perusal of these docu-
ments, that the Court of King's Bench did not come to
a conclusion in their investigation of this matter in the
light and hasty manner which Mr. Smith had repre-
sented. After the Master had made his report, and the
Court had ptonounced their decision, the affidavits were
submitted to the consideration of Mr. Justice Bayley ;,
and that Learned Judge, after weighing the statements
contained in those affidavits, statements involving the
most direct contradictions, and consequently the grossest
perjury, stated hi; conviction that the Court of King's
Bench could have adopted no other course than that
which it had pursued. Ilk Lordship then referred to
the important allegation of Wheatley's abserke from
Nottingham On the day on which the bail -bond pur-
poi ted to have been signed by him; and observed that
that allegation had not been contradicted by Mr. Smith.
If it could be contradicted, he thould be glad to see an
affidavit to that effect. There was another fact in this
case, which his Lordship confessed struck him with the
greatest astonishment; namely, that Mr. Smith could
have retained in his employment such a character as he
himself had represen:ed Wheatley to be. Upon every
view of the case, looking at it even with the most hu-
mane consideration, his Lordship felt it impossible to.
come to and culler concluiion than that to which the
Court of King's Bench had aheady come. He was
sorry to he compelled to say that on one side or the
other the gio;se,d pet jury he had ever tl iines,ed had
been committed ; and it was his determination that it
rhould he brought before a Jury, and the guilty party
might expect to be visited with merited punishment.
Mi. Smith said he would contradict the allegation
of NVheatlay's absence from N.ntingham on the day
alluded to.

HottNiz, for the other side, s.,id he hoped to sec
Lite affiJavit beluie it %tent in to his Lordship•.

C01.711T KIN(i'S BENCH, MAY is.

MORGA N V. PA I.MER AND OTHEItS•

This was an actioa agaiust the late Mayor of Yar-
mouth and his officers, to re, over the AIM of four shil-
lings, which they had taken limn the plailaff, as a
fee on granting him a license to Veep an alehouse within
the borough. It had long been the practice to receive
this sum on making out such licenses, but ho Mime-
motial usage was shewn to ,uppiat it. A vei,li‘r was
obtail;ed, subject to the opinion of the Court on a spe-
cial case as to the right of the plaintiff to recover.
Mr. ltot.FE now at gued, that the lee was improperly
demanded ; that the plaintiff was compelled to pay ;
and had a right to recover it back M an action.
Mr. DOVER, on the other side, contended, that even
if the fee could not be justified, the plaintiff had paid it
with a knowledge of all the facts, and consequently itt
his own wrong.
The Cowr were clearly of opinion, that the de-
mand of the fee was bad in law, and that the circum-
stances under which it was paid took the case out of the
general rule, that money [aid with a knowledge of all
the facts, cannot afterwalds be sued for with succes..
Ti:ey therefore gat e judgment lot the plaintiff.

I'OLIOE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDHALL

James Norris was fully committed for stealing a reticule, con.
Wiling Slane iatidel of trifling ♦alue. A Allis Betts had knocked
at the door of tier re-jdence, in Now Union street, Finsbury, about
ten o'clock on Sun& y eight, when the prisoner and another 'matched
her reticule, tore her dress, and rAtu off. The prisoner was over-
taken, but his accomplice escaped.
jalllCS 1111 i rdl wa, charged with fraudulently obtaining a hat
from I\lr. Hick, Cheitp;hlo, and was, in &Ludt of bail, committed