The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-30

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER so, 1865.
"LLOYD's.
A MARITIME MYSTERY EXPLAINED.


All newspaper readers are familiar
with the illusions made in the CONNER
cial and ship news columns of newspa-
bly, be glad to learn from TempIe Bar
who and what "Lloyd'' Is.
1.-THE Bold Buccaneer spoke the Lively
Nancy" The newspapers say this, or
something very like it; and they tell
also of the Bold Buccaneer speaking
many Others, and of the Lively Nancy
being spoken" by many in turn. These
and other ships are. in fact, speaking on
all the oceans and seas and although
their language is a very quiet one, it is
expressive for the immediate object in
view. Dippinga little deeper, a reader
finds that the newspapers are indebted
for this information to mysterious be-
ing named Lloyd, whom nobody ever
sees, but every one talks about who is
reputed to keep coffee house, though
no one would know where TO find il !;
who keeps List and a Register, but
does not sell anything at his coffee-house
Or entertain any guests.
| The preliminary condition to all this
supply Of ship news, is that every ship
must have q ndDae--an appellation which
will distinguish her from all other ships.
The necessity for this is felt for ships al
most as much as for human beings, aud
has been acknowled almost from the
earliest times. Asa ship-owner is under
little or no control in the matter, the VII
riety Of names becomes something rath-
er formidable. In Roman Catholic
countries the names of saints are largely
adopted as the names of ships-more ge-
morally, however, in past times than at
present. Among the forty or fifty thou
sand vessels that now hoist the British
tlag-penetrating into every sea and al
most every river lii the world, either for
| warlike demonstration or for peaceful
| commerce-what Il medley of names we
meet with! The surname and Christian
name of the owner of the ship; the
| Christian names of his wife, sons and
daughters, or OF his sweetheart il he be
u bachelor; the names OF royal and
| high bora personages the uames OF the
men who have rendered themselves ia
NOUS by deeds of arms or services in
craftsmanship; the names Of women
who have gathered a halo around them
by their deeds of goodness; all are
among the items open to the sponsors OF
ships. And SO are the names of Jewels,
stars, planets, plants, birds, fishes, in
sects of oceans, seas, CULTS lakes, rivers
of countries, continents, islands, noun
tains, valleys; of volcanoes, geysers
avalanches, torrents, rapids, cataracts
all are looked upon as fair game. The
characters IN Shakspeare's plays supply
Il goodly variety, as witness Macduff
1 Othello, Desdemona, Hamlet, Ophelia
Romeo, Juliet, King Lear, Cordela
Cymbeline, Imogene, Portia, Prospero
Miranda, Caliban, Oberon, Titania
Puck, Ariel and Hotspur. In similar
way the characters III popular novels,
poems and songs have beeninvitedt to The
christening. What may be called fancy
names, the Flying Foam. the Happy
go.luclty, the Saucy Jane. the Light
ming Flash, the Good Intent, the Little
Wonder, and the like, nre in great re
quest. All this is very well SO long ne
! the owner Is concerned only with his
own ship; but when he wishes to ex-
| change kindly services with his brother
| ship-owners, to give and receive infor
! nation relating to the wants aud the
| whereabouts OF vessels at sea, then 1t be-
! comes matter OF Importance that con-
| fusion should be avoided in the ldentii-
cation of the several ships.
WHO LLOYD WAS,
The writer of this entertaining article
then proceeds to tell his readers some
thing about the personality of Lloyd;
During the latter hall Of the last cen
| fury, one Mr.. Lloyd kept Il coffee house
near the Royal Exchange, much fire.
| quented by city men, not simply for the
beverage which gave it u name, but as q
place of meeting for the transaction Of
| business. We have many such now
Garraway's, the Baltic, the Jerusalem,
| the South American, DC. One room III
this coffee-house was appropriated to the
use of committee of underwriters as II
place of meeting. Hence Lioyd's, or
| floyd's Coffee house, became known TO
all city men as place connected with
| the insurance OF ships. Lloyed in due
| time was gathered to his fathers, and
the coflee-house disappeared to make
way fornew streets and handsome build
ings; still the name chung TO thesociety,
and has done so ever since. For a time
the meetings were held at the South Sea
House, but since the new Royal tx
change has been built, the society has
occupied set of rooms in thatbuilding.
| The members are not merely underWri-
tiers. More than 81 century ago so
ciety of underwriters was formed and
about eighty years ago a society of ship
| owners. In 1884 q new LioydS Was
| formed by combining underwriters,
shipowners, insuran ce brokers and ship
ping merchants in one society or COM
mittee. The old Lloyd's, or Underwri-
| ter's Society, held mainly in view the
preparation and annual publication of n
register Of British merchant shipping,
notifying the age, burthen, quality and
condition of all the vessels. This regis
| ter is of great convenience to underwri-
tiers and shipowners i'll establishing the
| equity of the terms of insurance for any
particular ship.
The members of Lloyd's pay an an
nual fee, fer which they have the use OF
An underwriters room, q captains room,
n reading room, an inquiry office and
other apartments. The affairs are man
aged by q committee, comprising equal
numbers of shipowners, underwriters
and merchants. The primary object of
all the members alike is, to give what
may be called character to every ship
in Inc British merchant services au es-
Innate founded on her size, shape, build,
materials, age, and condition. a mef-
chant can thus tell whether ship In
which his goOds are about TO be placed
,s likely to be trustworthy, or has q 'gocd
charac'er:n an underwater can tell
whether ship which he is about to in
sure should pay high or low rate OF
nremium- the higher according to Its
aue or upsoundness; and shipowuers
csn tell what ought 10 be the relative
values of different ships by the same