ASS 



incapable of labour, may puvchafe pr annuity to commence 

 at any futvue year of liis life and to continue during the re- 

 mainder of his life, and he may do this at a fmall expence 

 if he is young, and willing to wait for the commencement of 

 his annuity, till he is tifty-five or fixty years of age. In fliort 

 there are no kinds. of ajfurance on lives or furvivorlhips which 

 this fociety does not make. In doing this, while it proceeds 

 on mathematical prniciples in computing its premiums, it 

 takes advantage of making thefe computations at fo low an 

 interell as 3 ptr cent, in order to gain fuch a profit as fliall 

 enable it to bear the cxpences of management, and render 

 it ii permanent benefit to the public. In the infancv of the 

 inftitution alfo, it adopted tables of the vidues and proba- 

 bilities of lives in I.rjnilon, where, as in all great towns, the 

 rate of human mortality is much greater than it is among 

 mankind in general. But after an experience of twenty 

 ycara, it found that tables giving higher probabilities of life 

 might be fafely ufed, and therefore it made choice of thofe 

 more correft tables which were publiHied by Dr. Price 

 from obfervations at Northampton ; and it appears, from com- 

 paring the decrements of life in the fociety with thofe in the 

 table jull mentioned that, during a term of thirty-four 

 years, the ratio of mortality in the former is to that in the 

 latter between the ages of 10 and 20 as 1 to 2 

 20 and 30 as I to 2 

 30 and 40 as 3 to 5 

 40 and 50 as 3 to 5 

 50 and 60 as 5 to 7 

 60 and 80 as 3 to 4, 

 ar tliat in all ages between 10 and 8c, fewer deaths have hap- 

 pened in the fociety than Ihould have happened according to 

 the tables from which its premiums have beencomputed in tlie 

 proportion oi two to three. In confequence of this and of 

 other Hill lefs equivocal proofs of its profperity, the fociety 

 has been enabled fince its lirtt ellablifliment not only to re- 

 duce its premiums above one half, but to make fuch additions 

 to the claims in the years 1782, 1786, 1791. 1793, i795> 

 and 1 800, as amount at prcfent to the funis Ipecilied below : 



Forevery tool. I , f an addition over and 

 aCTuredin S^"^ V- 



ASS 



above the fum aflured 



1763, ditto 



1764, ditto 



1765, ditto 



1766, ditto 



1767, ditto 



1768, ditto 



1769, ditto 



1770, ditto 



1771, ditto 



1772, ditto 



1773, ditto 



1774, ditto 



1775, ditto 



1776, ditto 



1777, ditto' 



1778, ditto 



1779, ditto 



1780, ditto 



1 78 1, ditto 



1782, ditto 



1783, ditto 



1784, ditto 

 J 785, ditto 



1786, ditto 



1787, ditto 



1788, ditto 

 J 789, ditto 



\t\ 's> 



249 10 



241 



232 10 

 224 



215 10 

 207 



198 10 

 190 

 181 10 



173 



164 10 

 156 

 147 10 



139 



130 10 

 122 



113 10 

 105 



96 le 



88 



81 



74 

 67 



60 



54 

 48 



4^ 



For ever)- tool, 

 affurcd in 



179O; 



f an ad<1!tion over and 

 ' J^ above the fum affured 



l<] 



3S 



1791. 

 1792, 



•793. 

 1794. 

 1795. 

 1796, 



1797. 

 1798, 



1799. 

 1800, 



uitto - - 39 



ditto - , - 24 



ditto - - 19 



ditto - - 16 



ditto - - 13 



ditto - - lo 



ditto - - S 



ditto - - 6 



ditto - - 4 



ditto - - 2 



Thefe are advantages peculiar to this fociety, and there- 

 fore it is no wonder that its bufinefs fliould fo far fnrpaf* 

 that of every other inilitution of the fame kind. But iii 

 the midft of its profpeiity the focii-ty has hitherto proceed- 

 ed with tlie utmoft prudence and caution. Aware of the 

 danger of being led ailray by the daz/.ling appearance of a 

 large capital, neceffarily increafed by an influx of new mem- 

 bers, it has provided by a fpecial law, that, as on former 

 occafions, fo in future, no tiiftribution of its {lock fliall 

 ever be made without a previous inveftigation of its finances; 

 that this invclligation fhall take place once in ten years ; that 

 the diftribution fhall never exceed iiuo-thirih of the furplus 

 Rock of the fociety ; and that no fuch diflribution (liall be 

 adopted at all without the concurrence oi f'lu.-fij'ths of its 

 members, attending at three faccefTive general courts. A» 

 far as human prudeace and forefight can provide againfl 

 danger, thefe precautious are likely to fecure the fociety, and 

 to Incieafe its ufefulnefs. But there is one danger againft 

 which no laws can guard it : we mean the danger of em- 

 ploying ignorant peiions to conducl the management o^" 

 its affairs. It mnil be raanifeft from the preceding account 

 of this fociety, that none but fliilful mathematicians are qua- 

 lified for this bufincfs ; and it is to be hoped that on any- 

 future vacancies, no other regard will be had in filling them 

 up, than to the ability and integrity of the candidates. The 

 melancholy experience of other focieties for the benefit of 

 age, for the benefit of widows, &c. which were eftablifhed 

 about thirty years ago, and which have long fince ended in 

 difappointment and ruin,, flwuld fervc to guard this fociety 

 againft the attempts of ignorance, as much as the prefent 

 profperous ftate of its affairs Hiould incite it to perfevere in 

 that wife and temperate courfe which has difplayed fo much 

 prudence and Ikill in the management of its affairs, and 

 raifed it fo high in the opinion of the public. 



The following are the rates of ajfurance on finglc lives ia 

 this fociety, and alfo veiy nearly in the Royal Exchange, and 

 other offices, where thofe premiums have been adopted witil 

 little or no variation. 



