, 1873-09-06
FIRE AND LIFE INSURANCE.
THE "ROYAL" INSURANCE
COMPANY
COMPANY.

GREAT FIRES IN THE UNITED STATES
continue more or less the order of the day,
although happily diminishing in magnitude,
if not in frequency. The Chicago Confag-
ration in 1871 far exceeded the great fire
at Boston in 1879 whilst smaller Ameri-
can Fires of 1878, recently at Baltimore,
and that at New York last Thursday of the
Government bonding warehouse, destroying
only 100000 of property, would all seem
to indicate that more stringent regulations
consequent on the disastrous fires Of Chi
cago and Of Boston-coupled with greater
care and precautions on the part OF our 60
ahead American Cousins-are lessening
both the area and the destructiveness OF
American fires We do not overlook the
circumstance that the Boston fire has hit
some of our greatest Insurance offices
smartly-simptly because after the Chlca-
90 disaster some haIf-hundred Insurance
Offices in the States had to close their
doors and the shrewdest Americans natu-
rally preferred to insure in our best Eng
Iish offices which had paid all claims
promptly and honourabIy. But We do be-
Iieve thai-especially with the increased
rates aud the decreased limits of accep-
lance in order to guard against accumula-
ton of liability in any one particular To-
CaIity-our English insurance business In
America is yearly becoming at once much
safer and far more profitable.
Turning to this side of the Atlantic, we
may reasonably conclude that great Fires
abroad, as well as frequent smaller Fires
at home, are mutely but eloquent entor-
cling on the British Public a great and
much-needed prudential lesson, to wit,
that it is sheer folly, rashneSs approaching
to insanity, for individual traders or prl-
vate citizens either to remain wholly I'M
insured, or merely partially lnsured-nOt
seldom scarcely halt-insured at most. We
and almost every reader may recollect sOr-
rowful instances were private families, out
of business and mainly dependent on rents
of houses or premises, have been suddenly
reduced from competency to comparative
poverty by some disastrous Fire occurring
while they obstlnately remained uninsured
or only half-insured. The latter seemed,
unhappily, the case with the unfortunate
senior partner in the destructive Fire OF
the original Compton House, and its very
valuable stock-in-trade. Neither our Ia
mented townsman Mr.. J. w. Jefery, nor
perhaps 90 sanguine traders in every 100,
would ever have anticipated that such a
singular disaster could be within the
bounds of possibility. Nevertheless, that
cruel and terrible calamity was the sole
work of a young and moody Incendiary,
who was very properly sentenced and pun
ished for his unutterably diabolical deed.
These preliminary remarks will. we
trust help to make it apparent to the hum
blest capacity Chow and Why" it comes
to pass that our greatest and best-managed
Insurance offices continue to earn revenue
larger than those of many a German Prin-
cipality, and to divide great Profits and
day handsome Dividends-in spite of great
Fires and great Losses, whether abroad or
at home. The true secret OF their general
prosperity seems to us to consist IN the
growing appreciation by the intelligent
public Of the untold utility, and absolute
indispensabIeness, of Insuring, and in the
best Insurance Institutions.
The "Royal" Insurance Company held
their Annual Meeting yesterday. The
"Report' read was of highly satisfactory
character. The particulars which this
Company now frankly and proudly tells
forth to the world are literally astounding
as regards unprecedented ratio of ever