1824.) 
of a member; 4th. Annuity to widows, 
of the first marriage only. 
The annual contribution to each 
scheme’ dssone’ pound: from each mem- 
ber, fromsthe:date of-entry to: the age of 
70, if he lives:so long... The standard 
age of entry is held to be 215 andvevery 
entrantbeyond that age must:either pay 
down; 0n entry, a sum equal to. the ‘in- 
dividualistock of the members of his dwn: 
age, who. entered iat 2h; or'an increas- 
ed annual ‘contribution om ‘liew thereof. 
Each, of these:points occupy a separate 
columpi ini the new tables: It is: found 
that: a:contributionrof 41 per: annum to 
each of these schemes; will afford to the 
first, a weekly allowance, from the age 
of 21:toe70; of £120s. 7d. ; to the se- 
cond, alife annuity to the members who 
survive 70-years, of £58. 0s. 25d.; to 
the third class, a funeral allowance of 
£59. 19s; 2d.; and to the fourth class 
of subscribers, a life annuity to widows 
(of the first marriage) of £5. 12s. 64d. 
_ The principal feature in the» con- 
struction of ‘these tables, as. applicable 
to benefit. societies, appears to be the 
subdivision of the -different: heads, or 
judicious and: distinct classification. It 
has been the want of this arrangement 
that- has"proved fatal to many insti- 
tutions, which in their origin promised 
favourably; and where the managing 
parties:could ‘not be suspected of want 
of integrity or ordinary capacity. It is 
indeediquite evident, that, blending into 
one mass-five or six different ¢ontingen- 
cies, Must Serve to confuse any calcula- 
tion,owhatewerisiIt. ds; therefore, not 
surprising; that calculations as to sick- 
nessserimortality:should.in almost all 
cases hayes been: made with reference 
rather to.the interests.of the immediate 
parties; Coneerned; than) with any view 
to that,of a succeeding generation. The 
maxi; apon which our financiers have 
almost) inyanjably...acted, of allowing 
posterity.to, look after: their own. in- 
tevests,is too prevalent throughout so- 
cietys).;Thus,many, of those benefit so- 
cieties,,‘though -ostensibly good, or. at 
least specious institutions, have in most 
cages»contained the seeds, of their’ own 
dissolution, eyen in the arrangements of 
. thein-first. formation. 
edhe plan. of the Highland Society 
(thesdetails of which will shortly be pub- 
lished) bids fair to remedy two out of 
theythree. causes of evil I have enu- 
mexated above. But, with regard to the 
bad gonsequences resulting from: hold- 
ing, meetings~ for. these or any similar 
$s at public houses, I should have 
Montuty Mac. No. 402. 
Mr. Holman’s Remarks on his Journey ta Siberia. 
$29 
offered a few remarks, had I not alread¥ 
trespassed, I fear, too long on your va- 
luable columns. There cannot be a 
doubt’ that ‘many ‘hundreds, or rather 
thousands ‘of ott best'artizans and me- 
chanics, ‘in the: great’ manufacturing 
towns, owe their first introduction to 
the ale-house’or liquor-shop to the ne-- 
cessity of «attending their club-meetings. 
at publie-houses 3 and :the pernicious 
temptation held out m the rules of the 
old “ benefit ‘societies,”’ of allowing a 
certain sum out of the funds subscribed 
for “spending money!” Can any thing 
be more effectually devised by the inge- 
nuity of man to promote the vice of 
drunkenness, than that of allowing six- 
teen or twenty men to expend a contri- 
bution of sixpence per head. from one 
hundred or more; or from every absent 
member of the society. It is expecting 
too much from poor human nature to 
believe that the majority of labouring 
men could withstand such temptation. 
They seldom learn the wisdom of be- 
coming absentees, until dearly bought 
experience, both ‘to their own constitu- 
tion and their families’ welfare, proves’ 
its necessity. Many acquire this expe- 
rience too late, whilst many others 
never acquire it! The temptation af- 
forded to’a man by drinking gratis, as 
it were, necessarily and’ unavoidably 
produces excess, debauchery, and idle- 
ness—and idleness, vice, misery, and 
disease, . 
Thus, Mr. Editor, it is evident that 
the oider benefit societies furnish the 
seeds of their own destruction, not only 
in their false ‘calculations of contin- 
gencies, but in the very mode upon 
which they are usually conducted. | 
therefore. recommend the subject to 
their serious consideration through the 
medium of your popular and impartial 
miscellany. —A Frreno ro THE PEorie. 
10h July. 
———————— 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
Sir: 
j ia giving publicity, in your Jast num- 
ber, to that passage of Captain 
Cochrane’s. Journal, which’ camments 
on my design of? penetrating into Si- 
beria,, I am convineed that you were 
actuated by a desire of presenting your 
readers with a feature of novelty. 
As, however, I apprehend. that this 
extensive diffusion of sentiments, which 
held me up as a Quixotic adventurer, 
and incapable of gaining correct. infor- 
mation, may tend to excite an unfa- 
vourable impression, as to the mo- 
2U tives 
