Star.
London, England, 1822-04-18 00:00:00

,MOCK NORWICH UNION SOCIETY.
TO THE EDITOR.
di Qin—Mr. SAMUEL BIGNOLD having issued
L./ advertisements all over the country, stating thee the pro-
ceedings in Chancery which I and other members of the Nor-
wich Union Society have instituted against him, was the act
ni four obscure individuals, who were not members; and who
were the tools of the ex-Secretary ; and who were put out of
Court ; I owe it to my own character to call on Mr. Samuel
Ili:mold to prove the truth of his assertions. I declare them to
be ail false.
" As to obscurity, T own I am not so notorious as Mr. Samuel
Fienold, nor do I wish to be so. I have never and
destroyed a great and opulent Society, and enriched myselt by
the spoils ; but still I ant a member of the Norwich Union So-
catty, as I paid fur the renewal of my policy last Midsummer,
end the ycar is not yet out. So far from being a tool of the ex-
Secretary, as Mr. Samuel Ilignold sarcastically calls his father, I
v‘ited for his removal in ISIB ; but by what-I have since found
oat, I am inclined to thick I was with others the Son's dupe—
not the Father's tool. The ex-Secretary was brought into odium,
as much as anything, by Mr. Samuel liignold's scribbling; by
catchpenn, statements, which were proved to be false as fast as
they came out ; and by scurrilous and personal attacks on the
respectable Managers of other Offices. The old Gentleman was
made a scape-goat of, and his dutiful Son slipt into his shoes ;
but the Father never dirtied them a hundredth part so much in
twenty years service as the Sou has done in three years.
" Now, as Mr. Ilignold, jun. prefers writing in the News-
papers to answering our pending bill in Chancery, I call onl
to answer the following questions in this Paper, and, if he can,
without evasion :—lst, Whether the Society he is now ad-
vertising under the name of the Norwich Union, is not, to all
intents and purposes, a new Society on a principle fundamentally
different to the Norwich Union, and conducted by a different
set of Directors? 2411 y, Whether the whole power and controul
of the funds are not lodged exclusively in him and his said Di-
rectors and Shareholders? ally, Whether the said Directors
are not the Directors of the Odd Norwich Office, formerly the
rival of the Union? Chip, Who were the Directors of the
Norwich Union at the time of transferring its effects to the Di-
rectors of the Norwich Office? Sthly, Why did he not, as was
his bounden duty, call a general meeting of the members, to
tlect new Directors, or to take such other steps as they might
think necessary for their interest and security, if the old Di-
rectors were unwilling to act with Lim in carrying on the Society
any further? 6thly, Whether the advertisements, bills, pam-
phlets, marks, engines, agencies, and other expense,, by which
the Society was brought to its great extent of 60,01/0 members,
have not cost our Society considerably more than £lOO.OOO, or
what other sum ? 7thly, Whether such amount has been paid
by the Shareholders to our account as a consideration for trans-
ferring the effects and Members of the Norwich Union to them
—or what other sum? Bthly, Whether any, and whit separate
consideration was paid to Mr. Bignold fur effecting the above
revolution secretly, in addition to the emoluments, his new ap-
pointment as Secretary—and what those emoluments are ? 9thly,
What are the names and residences of the Shareholders in the
new Company, of what Shares does each hold, and what hive
they each actually paid for them? 10thly, Upon what principle
of common honesty does he defend the clandestinely breaking
up our Society, unknown to the Trustees and Members gene-
rally, and converting their property to his own use, when just
before the tinse of breaking up he advertised the Society to be
most nourishing, and in the advertisements he is now circulating,
signed by the Directors of his new Office, he acknowledges 'the
concern might have lasted longer?' !Wily. Upon what princi-
ple of common honesty does be advertise under our name, and
quote the great increase of insurances made, and the returns and
claims paid by our Society for many years back, as things done
by his new Company, which has not returned a sixpence; a
display of which is as insulting to us Members of the destroyed
Society as it is false and tricking on the Public? l2thly, If he
and his party of Shareholders have a right to overturn our So-
ciety without our consent or knowledge, and put two-fifths of
the profits into their own pockets, what is to prevent their taking
the remaining three-fifths, or their breaking up or selling the
Life Office as well as the Fire Office, whenever Mr. Bignold can
get anything by it? Lastly, I ask Mr. Samuel Bignold to pro-
duce, if he can, a breach of trust of equal magnitude and bare-
faced impudence, done by any other person. And unless Mr.
Samuel Ilignoltiedoes give good answers to all these questions,
without ,huilling, I do say that the Patrons and Trustees of our
Society Lizl,ct their duty to the Public, if they suffer hint to
continue advertising their names as parties to the New Tricking
Company. And if our Members at large, who have been sold
like a herd of swine in Smithfield, submit to be driven to any
market Mr. Samuel Iligeole may make of them, they deserve
no pity, let what will happen.
" JAMES STALEY, 52, St. John-street, Clerkenwell."
" P. S. Under Mr. Bignold, jun.'s management, we never
got mote than 25 per cent. returns, dividing the whole of the
profits. In his New Company, his Directors are to have sala-
ries, and his Shareholders two-fifths of the profits. Ills In-
surers must judge what the fraction left for them is likely to be?
Probably not 10 per cent. for any time!"

Cot at Or CHANCERY, JAN. 14,1822.
" Mr. HART, Counsel for the Directors.—The simple facts of
the case were these, that the Norwich Union Society, instead of
being in a flourishing condition, was reduced to a state of great
distress, involving the Directors in considerable peril, as they
were primarily liable on the Policies, and would have to seek con-
tribution from the Members at large ; that several heavy losses,
and some unfortunate difference; with sonic of tlitir Officers,
bad induced the Directors to determine their responsibilities, by
scfusing to continue the Policies."
" The LORD Cliartcru.on.—l do not say that this record may
not be so amended as to bring all parties properly before me,
but I feel that it is very difficult to do so with 60,000 partners.
I cannot hold that ►ocieties may re-model and alter their asso-
ciations, so as to change their original conaitutions, but i do not
sit bete to try offeucts."