INSURANCE. 



A Table of Rates of the Royal-Exchange AfTurance Aiuiuiiy Company. 



Single Lives 



Joint Lives and the Survive 



IksuR.*.\'CES aga'injl Fire, are founded on a contraft, by 

 which the infurer, in confideration of a certain premium, 

 received by him, either in a grofs fum, or by annual pay- 

 ments, undertakes to indemnify the infured againft all lofs 

 or damage whicli he may fuflain in his houfts or other build- 

 ings, goods, and merchandize, by fire, during a limited pe- 

 riod of time. Although the prccife time of the introduftion 

 of this kind of infurance into England cannot be afcer- 

 tained, it has certainly been in ufe here confiderably more 

 than a century. Of late years, notwithllanding a very 

 heavy, and we may add impolitic, (lamp-duty impofed on 

 thefe infurances, they have very generally, not to lay univer- 

 fally, prevailed in this country : particularly in London, 

 and other cities and large towns. In other countries they 

 Ijave been lefs general, and more recently introduced. The 

 Vejt. XIX. 



N. B. The foregoing annuities are receivable in quar- 

 terly Payments. 



fire-office at Paris is faid to have been eftablifhed in 1745. 

 In Holland, though infurance againft fire is not altogether 

 unknown, yet few people feek its protection ; becaufe 

 they rely on their own caution, and do not chufe to incur 

 the expence of any greater fecurity. It has, indeed, been 

 confidently alTerted, by perfons well acquainted with tlic 

 cities both of London and Amfterdam, tliat after making 

 all fair allowances, there is, upon an average, more property 

 deftroyed by fire in the former in one year than in the latter 

 in feven years.. Sonse perfons have charged many of the 

 fires that occur in London and its vicinity on infurance : 

 but though negligence and fraud may in fome inllances de. 

 rive encouragement from this eftabliflmient, the benefits mull 

 be allowed far to overbalance the mifchicfs of which it is, 

 direflly or indireilly, produflive. In London and other 

 f; c parts 



