The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-04-20 00:00:00

SCOTTISH WIDOWS' FUND AND LIFE ASSU-
RANCE SOCIETY.

(Founded A. D. 1815, Sand Constituted by Act of Parliament.)
The Right Hon. the EARL OF ROSEBERY, K.T., President.

At the THIRTY-THIRD ANNUAL GENERAL COURT,
held in EDINBURGH, on the 2nd March, 1847

The lion. Lord COCKBURN in the chair—

The Manager read various statements, syliiing, inter alia,
That the AMOUNT of INSURANC effected during the
year ending 31st December 1846 was .e 447,200, and the
number of Policies 617, bein an average of about .e 730
for each Policy.
That the AVERAGE AMO i T of INSURANCES effected
ANNUALLY during t last ten years had been upwards
of HALF-A-MILLI .
That the CAPITAL rising from the accumulation of the
Annual Premiui was at the same date .e 1,805,860 Os Ocl,
having increased during the year to the extent of upwards
of .E 121,000.
That the ANNUAL REVENUE was at the same date

£266,364 13s 7d, baying increased during the ieti-r-toilie
extent of upwards of £17,400.
That the CLAIMS UPON THE SOCIETY in consequence
of the death of Members during the year 1846, amounted ,
to £103,910 16s. 3d., of which .t'20,280 3s. 3d. consisted 1
of Bonus Additions, the number of deaths being 82. That
large as these sums were, however,, and numerous as were
the deaths, it had been ascertained by an approximate
calculation that they were only in the ratio of 34 per cent.
of what might have been expected, according to the bills of
_ mortality, which form the basis of all the Society's Tables.
Lord COCKBURN, after special reference to the results shown
in the above statements, thus concluded his address to the
Court Now, these are facts to which we are entitled to look
tt biforwardo..ll.)prz;ioethaurmt, merely with
hear.)
hopei thhlav o‘penec,ohnfilosyr.too t nothingao,ll add,
y tcliolsantfienormousd more
nt delusivebu ts_
these sums are, and dealing, thouol Nye
.bas7,e been, with hun-
dreds and thousands of interestedindividuals, we have never,
since we began, had occasion to.
singleeutt: a. court of
.justice.
litigation since the
haveNitVselalbutLers.notwletatl
the very
is(
nAo
ecilipetltiayounis,
Oeegt'aNnvhich staggers our conception:, aentrtilTssli periods
can
ve
of great public trouble, when great shocks were givenb to the
stability of almost every kind of security, and yet e
lost by a single bad investment. I can say nothing that
add to the force of these facts. Words would be perfectly idle.
It seems to me to be impossible that any intelligent or reflec-
tive mind can avoid contrasting the quiet and steady progres-
siveness of the Society with other modes of laying out money,
in which there is often no gain at all, or in which the gain of
one man is the loss of another. (Hear, hear.) That cannot
happen here. These are waters upon which every man who
casts the bread of his prudence, is certain to have it returned
at the time at which those who are dearest to him stand in the
greatest need of it. (Applause.) I dare say you have often
observed that the best part, even of the best discourse, always
consists in the practical improvement. (Laughter.) I come
now to my practical improvement, which is just this :—I sup-
pose all of you have a taste for these Bonuses. lam mean
enough to confess that I have. (Laughter.) Well, how de you
intend or expect that they are to continue to he paid? Why,
solely by increasing our business. The directors cannot go on
adding 2 per cent. to our policies every year, unless we enable
them to do so by additions to our business. And how are we to
increase our business? These gentlemen perform their duty
by snaking the Society flourish. We have individually a duty
to perform also. Can all of you say that during the last year
you have endeavoured to bring insurers to this Society? lam
afraid that there are many liundreds, if not thousands, to
whom no such reflection has ever occurred. lam therefore
particularly anxious to take this opportunity of impressing
upon you, as -you value your own interests, to say nothing of
the interests of those to whom you may address yourselves,
the expediency of suggesting to others the advantages, and even
the duty of Life Insurance. I do not presume to ask you to
act as solicitors for this Society; but I do presume to recom-
mend you to urge all your uninsured friends to leave a position
generally so full of risk. You may recommend them further to
take the best office they can find ; and, if they find a better
than this, I can only say that they must be miraculously fortu-
nate. (The Honourable Chairman sat down amidst much ap-
.plause.
Sir JAMES M.RIDDELL, Bart., then moved the appointment
of the Gentlemen to fill the vacancies in the Direction.

. _
The Rev. W. K. TWEEDIE having seconded the motion, it
was unanimously agreed to.
Lord MoNcatEFF then moved the appointment of the Hon.
Bouverie F. Primrose as Trustee, vice William S. Moncrieff,
Esq., deceased.
ALEXANDER BLAIR, Esq., Treasurer of the Bank of Scotland,
having seconded the motion, it was unanimously agreed to.
The Hon. Mr. PRIMROSE, who was present, accepted the
appointment.
CHARLES BAILLIE, Esq., Advocate, then moved a vote of
thanks to the Directors, Extraordinary and Ordinary, to the
Trustees, and Office Bearers, for their conduct during the past
year.
Professor Am sox having seconded the motion, it was unani-
mously agreed to.
Sir ADAM HAI', Bart., moved a vote of thanks to the Chair-
man, which was received with acclamation ; and the Cuurt
thereafter adjourned.
Full reports of the proceedings may be had, on and after the
15th instant, and all information required by those desirous of
joining the Society, on application to the Read Office, or at any
of the Society's Abencles. •

JOHN MACKENZIE, Manager.
WM. GEORGE, Chief Clerk.
Hod Office, Edinburgh, 5. ,S't. Andrew Square,
7th April, 1847.
PELL, GOULD IE and CO., Agents,
;2, Exchange-street tf.ist, Liverpool.