592 Life Insuranee—The Duelling Clause in Policies. | [Dike. | 
With reference to the second clause—the death, by Justice—I have ~ 
endeavoured to shew (though the matter is of no consequence), that 
Assurance, Gompanies-+from the’ general quality: of their: custonsers— 
were not Jikely to. be seriously affected by itso) jo Seot yao ow tool 
» And.with respect to'the Duelling clause; I; think have already:laid 
some ground for saying, that an increase in) their quantityiof business 
would be obtained by any office that consented: tovits abolition. 9 ao 
.. There now. remains then the question—how farany ‘Assurance Office 
could afford to abolish these three clauses, or any) of them ?: the dast 
being the only one to which I at all address my serious-purposesisy ove 
. Upon this point, I think, the result will to some persons: seen» 
singular... That is, they will be surprised to find that, against so slight a 
danger, any barrier should have been thought necessary to be raised. 
The whole amount of deaths occasioned by all these» three sinister 
causes—by, Suicide (properly so called)—Duelling—and, the, hands: of 
Justice—do not amount, in England, Wales, and Scotland, » to, 200 cases 
in a.year.. The average amount of general deaths in »England,:Wales; 
and Scotland, I take to be, in round numbers, about 400,000: cases»a 
year. So that the proscribed deaths being—taking all three clauses—to:the 
whole mortality, as one to two thousand—in 2,000 insurances, a company 
would have one loss—and the increased risk upon, their: average claims 
would be one shilling per cent., or half a farthing in the pound. +»: + 9! 
And this would. be the case, it will be recollected,, upon the repeal 
of all the three clauses on. which I have adverted... -Theystwooirst 
of which—the hanging and the Suicide—(which I):don't -attempt 
to deal with). embrace near nineteen-twenticths of the» list:.of »deaths 
proscribed. _The deaths by Duelling alone, annually,,I .am*inelined 
to believe do not amount’ in this country to so many.asten,| )-leann quite 
sure they do not amount to twelve. But say even that,they reachyjifteen: 
The increased risk to an Insurance Company from taking the/chaneces-of 
them, would then not amount probably to one loss in.a,centurys and,in 
money, it would be not quite a penny per cent.—the twenty-fifth part of # 
farthing in the pound; in fact, a fraction. so,small, as to, bé -almost 
indescribable. i reillind aegis 
If Lam.told that, as the risk here is so remote, the thing stands wellas it 
is, and that the individual insuring can afford to take it—-to that] answer; 
that it'is not the dusiness of the insurer to take any risk yc hespays*his 
money in, order to be relieved from risk, or anxiety, altogether... To 
guard. against the possidle injury to any Company from;(moral) lunatics, 
or desperadoes, I think that there could be no objection to anrarrangement 
by which the liability of the Assurers (in cases of death by duelling) should 
not arise until full six months after the date of the execution of the policyx 
This regulation would meet. the posszble.case,,of a man’s néceiving or 
sending a challenge in one hour, and proceeding, on:that, very account, 
to insure his life the next. People could hardly wait half.a year:toufights 
or indeed (upon the suicide clause) to kill themselves;)andthe —— 
not allow them to wait out the six months before they were:hanged. 1 
have shewn, Ithink, that the additional risk, consequent upen theralteras 
‘tion which I propose, would be quite unworthy. of notice ;)anddefallip 
believe that any, Assurance Company would. gain business and:populatity 
that should. at once announce its adoption. - poimozehh free 
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