Benefit or Friendly Societies. 85 



and Greenwich Hospitals, because it was given on a view of human life in iU 

 worst state. He therefore considers the table resulting from the government 

 annuitants to represent most accurately the duration of life among the persons 

 generally composing Friendly Societies. He is aware, however, that the 

 poorer classes might be expected to die somewhat faster than those of the 

 nigher orders ; but it is to be remembered, that in all Benefit Societies the 

 members are selected lives, as well as the people who purchase annuities. If, 

 then, the severity of labour, and the want of comforts, should subject the 

 poor to a greater mortality, I do not believe that the difference can be very 

 considerable, when it is borne in mind that we are here referring to picked and 

 chosen persons from among the lower orders." Pages 50, 64. 



June 12 — John Finlaison, Esq. again examined. He states, that the tables 

 he is calculating for Government may be divided into two parts,— the one re- 

 lating to the investigation of the law of mortality, and the other relating to 

 tables, for practical use, to be deduced therefrom. "In regard to the first 

 branch of the subject, I have completed all the materials necessary ; and I am 

 now directed, by the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, to prepare a Re- 

 port, showing the deductions which I have made, and the evidence upon which 

 they are founded, in order that such Report may be printed by their Lordships* 

 authority, and submitted to the investigation of scientific persons. I hope 

 that that Report will be ready before the 1st of January next. In regard to 

 the other branch of the subject, which relates to the practical tables, to be 

 deduced from the law of mortality, it is of vast extent. I have now, how- 

 ever, the assistance of six calculators, who are at work upon it, and a very 

 great proportion of the most necessary tables has already been calculated ; 

 perhaps nearly eight times as much as any preceding calculator has ever pro- 

 duced, is already executed." — " The Treasury have not, however, directed 

 me to prepare, for present publication, any part of the work, except what re- 

 lates to the law of mortality, and such tables of the values of annuities on 

 single lives, as may be sufficient to illustrate its practical effects. The rest 

 of the work, when finished, is intended for official purposes at the National 

 Debt Office, and may or not be printed, according as I shall receive their 

 Lordships' directions." He hopes that his tables " will supersede all the ta- 

 bles now in use ; and with good reason, for they have been eight years in pre- 

 paration, with all the means for perfecting them which the Government could 

 supi)ly, and to which no private individual has hitherto had access." — " The 

 difference between the sexes, in regard to mortality, leads to a most important 

 conclusion, as respects the practicalpUrposes of societies for granting pensions 

 to survivors. By my tables, it may, generally speaking, be said to result as 

 follows : Supposing a mother were to leave a pension to her son, the value of 

 such a pension would only be two-thirds of a pension left by a father to his 

 daughter, the relative ages of the children and parents being precisely the 

 same. It follows, therefore, that any society making no distinction of sex, 

 and granting pensions to widows, according to the strict arithmetical result, 

 would inevitably be ruined." 



The above summary of the evidence has extended to a greater length than 

 was at first anticipated, or may appear well adapted for the pages of a Philoso- 

 phicalJournal; but such a detail has been deemed necessary, in order that the 

 interesting and important information communicated by so many intelligent 

 and highly respectable witnesses might be duly appreciated. It would have 

 been also very desirable to have inserted some of the tabular views of the 

 different rates of mortality, and other illustrative documents, contained in the 

 Appendixes, perhaps the most valuable portions of these Reports ; but as we 

 have already exceeded our limits, all that can be given additional at present, 

 is the following table, exhibiting the expectation of life at every age above 

 20, deduced from tables of mortality which have been founded upon obser- 

 vations made in this country. 



