316 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



but merely " satisfactory evi- 

 dence,'' by affidavit or other means. 

 There would, in truth, be no kind 

 of safety whatever for persons 

 who insured in fire offices, if legal 

 evidence was to be always called 

 for, as it unquestionably was 

 beyond the power of man in 

 many instances to prove his loss 

 by legal proof. The Jury had, 

 however, the case before them, 

 and though he laid down what 

 in general was very properly the 

 law, they would in this case come 

 to such a conclusion as their 

 conscience and country would 

 approve. 



Without any hesitation the 

 Jury found for the pursuer 

 (plaintiff) against the Imperial 

 Insurance Company. The verdict 

 has given general satisfaction, the 

 case being considered very im~ 

 portant in that part of the king- 

 dom. It was hailed with loud 

 acclamations. 



ARGYLE- ROOMS. 



Yesterday (Nov. 2), ajury was 

 empanelled before the Deputy 

 High Bailiff, at the Guildhall, 

 Westminster, to assess the dam • 

 ages claimed by Mr. Slade, the 

 proprietor of the Argyle -rooms, 

 as compensation for the loss of 

 those rooms, part of which are to 

 be removed in order to continue 

 the line of the New-street. 



Mr. Sergeant Best, Mr. Ser- 

 geant Copley, and Mr. Chitty, 

 were of counsel for the claimant. 



The Attorney-General, Mr. 

 Gurney, and Mr. Shepherd, jun., 

 were retained for the Commis- 

 sioners. 



Mr. Sergeant Best stated the 

 case to the Jury, and went at 



some length into a detail of the 

 facts, which afterwards a|>peared 

 in evidence. The claims, he said, 

 which Mr. Slade made against 

 the Commissioners of the new 

 street, were under three heads ; 

 first, for the value of the freehold 

 property, which would be proved 

 to be worth 1,150/. a-year, which, 

 at seventeen years' purchase, 

 would amount to 19,550/.; next, 

 tiiree years profits of the rooms, 

 in consequence of the loss of his 

 business, consequent upon a 

 removal ; the average profits of 

 the rooms amounted to 2,500/. a 

 year, which, for three years, was 

 7,500/. The third head of claim 

 was for a loss of 2,500/. upon a 

 sale of wardrobes, &c. The 

 learned Sergeant then dwelt upon 

 the loss which the claimant was 

 likely to sustain by the removal 

 from his present situation, and 

 the great difficulty he would find 

 in procuring a similar one in a 

 place where it could be advanta- 

 geous to him. 



The following evidence was 

 called in support of the claim : — 



Mr. John White, a surveyor, 

 had seen the premises, and 

 valued them on the 18th of 

 August last. They were most 

 conveniently situated, and ele- 

 gantly fitted up as assembly 

 rooms, and were occasionally 

 used for the performance of 

 French plays. The freehold pro- 

 perty in the rooms he valued at 

 18,650/. Besides the rooms, there 

 was a cellar and offices, which 

 were let at 50/. a year, and also 

 two coach-houses and stable, 

 which would bring in a rent of 

 from 50/. to 60/. a year. He 

 thought two seasons would be 

 lost before such rooms could be 



fitted 



