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, and Constituted by Act of Parliament.)
The Right lion. the EARL OF ROSEBERY, K.T., President.

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

The Hon,L(ird COCKBURN in the Chair—

The Manager read various statements, showing, infer alia,
That the AMOUNT of INSURANCES effected during the
year ending 31st December 1846, was 4447,200, and the
number of Po:icies 617, being on an average of about .t 730
for each Po:icy.
That the AVERAGE AMOUNT of INSURANCES effected
ANNUALLY during the last ten years had been upwards
of HALF-A-MILLION.
That the CAPITAL arisiibes from the accumulation of the
Annual Premiums was at the same date £1,805,860 Os pd,
having increased during the year to the extent of upwards
of £121,000.
hat the ANNUAL REVENUE was at the same date
'&266,364 13s 7d, having increased during the year to the
extent of upwards of .t-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 £20,280 3s. 3d. consisted
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 54 per cent.
of what might have been expected, according to the bills of
mortality, which form the basis of all the Society's Tables.
tco7oriv,ir.atr:d—
Lord COCKBURN, after special reference to the results shown
:iNotowm,ertehleyse,,airteh fricotpset,of‘ovihi,c,ohtwh-ienriseniptiotrleeddteolulsoioike
in the above statements, thus concluded his address to the
than hope, but with hope which is not ny
othing
confident but ra-
ttiiioensaelim(nHseaarre,, tenadr.)deallitaveonto add, that enormous as
though we have been, with hun-
dreds and thousands of interested individuals, we have never,
to
seinntgelre court of justice.
since(ppl
(Applause.)
swee
.) began,
w e have
occasion
not
ad n.
society began its labours. We have investedition since the
mention of which staggers our conceptions, and titin,lss,inthe very
of great public trouble, when great shocks were givero"ct'he
stabiiity of almost every kind of security, and yet we have not
lost by a single bad investment. I can say nothing that can
add to the force of these facts. Words would be perfectly idle.
U 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 retuned
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 discourae, 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. I sin mean
enough to confess that I have. (Laughter.) Well, how do you
intend or expect that they ere to continue to 'be 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 cur business. And how are we to
increase our business? hese gentlemen perform their duty
by making the Society flout ish. 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 hundreds, if not thousands, to
wham no such reflection has ever occurred. I sin 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 1 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 fiil the vacancies in the Direction.
The Rev. W. K. TWEEDiE having seconded the motion, it
was unanimously agreed to.
Lord MONCRIfirF then moved the appointment of the Hon.
Bouverie F. Primrose as Trustee, vice William S. Moncrieff,
Esq., deceased.
ALEXANDER BLAI R, 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 BA ILLIE, Esq., Advocate, then moved a vote of
thanks to the Directors, Extraordinary and Ordinary, to the
Trustees, and Office Bearer's, for their conduct during the past
year.

Professor AmsoN having.seconded the motion, it was unani-
mously agreed to.
Sir ADA M h Ax, Bart., moved a vote of thanks to the Chair-
man, which was received with acclamation; and the Court
thereafter adjourned.

Full report's of the, proceedings man he had, on and after the
15th instant, and all information reqUirea b those desirous of
joining the •Society, on application to the Head Office, or at any
of ,the :Society's Agencies.

JOHN MACKENZIE, Manager.
WM. GEORGE, Chief Clerk.
egd. (eke, Edinburgh, 5, St. Andrew 4unre„-
' 7th April, 1847..
BELL, GOULDIE and CO., Agents,
32, Exchange•ttrcet Last;UverPOW,