The Week.

and said he was in Birmingham at the time of its commission . AVhen the trial was over an officer said Jones was wanted on two charges at Birmingham , and he would have been taken on those charges had he been noiv acquitted . A man of the name of Normington has been apprehended on suspicion of being the perpetrator of the murder at Leeds . At the Court of Bankruptcy , Chapman and Littlepage , of Harp-lane , City , and Bermondsey-streot , Southwark , coopers and basket makers , passed their last examination ; and Robert Smith , of Swaffham ,

iron and brass founder , engraver and agricultural implement maker , was ylso allowed to pass . In the case of J . Salmon , a boot and shoe manufacturer , of 33 A , Brick-lane , Spitalfields , and No . 2 , Baker ' s-terrace , Limehouse , and No . 3 , Theatre-street , Norwich , who applied to pass his examination , upon accounts showing debts and liabilities about £ 15 , 700 , and assets about £ 5 , 800 , an adjournment ivas ordered for investigation . On AVednesday , a number of prisoners were tried at tho Middlesex Sessions , and found guilty of various offences . The most remarkable

case was that of Elizabeth Newman , who pleaded guilty to stealing a foAAl , the property of Thomas Guuston . AVhen asked what she had to say in her defence she replied , " that as long as she had a hand to use she did not mean to want in a country where there was plenty . " She had often been convicted of robberies of poultry before . The assistant judge told her ifc was evident she had a predilection for poultry , which she would not be able to indulge in for some time , as he must sentence her to twelve months' hard labour . At the Court of Bankruptcy the

choice of assignees was arranged under the failure of Eliza Jledland , ivho kept the Jfetropolitan Dining-rooms , Cheapside , and AA illiam Foot , builder , of Victoria terrace , St . Donatt ' s road , Neiv cross , Deptford , passed his last examination . The arrangement ofthe account in the Consols market on tho Vth inst . occupied the chief attention , and quotations exhibited heaviness towards the close of business ; the value for money then being 95 § to i , and for the account , llth October , [) 5 h to £ . Indian loan scrip was dealt in as high as 100 to i , and left off at 100 or

, 3 per cent . prem . on the official minimum of 97 . There was not much activity iu foreign stocks or railway shares , but the demand for money was less urgent , while £ 60 , 000 Australian gold was sent into the Bank . COJIMERCTAI , ; AND PUBLIC COMPANIES . —The port of London during the pasfc week has been moderately active . The number of vessels

announced inwards at the Custom House as liaving arrived from foreign ports amounted to 252 . There were S from Ireland , and 72 colliers . The entries outwards amounted to 109 , and the clearances to 105 , besides 1 ( 1 in ballast . The departures for the Australian colonies have been 8 vessels—viz ., 3 to Port Phillip of 3214 tons , 3 to Sydney of 2000 tons , and 2 to New Zealand of 1798 tons , making a total of 7078 tons . The weekly reports from the manufacturing districts indicate the existence of a quiet state of trade , but generally agree in describing future

prospects as more satisfactory . At Birmingham and Manchester a . general improvement is asserted to have taken place , business operations having increased in consequence of the advices from India and Australia being of a more favourable character . The carpet trade at Halifax is stated to be animated , and in other branches a moderately good trade has arisen . The symptoms at Huddersfield are more favourable ; but there has not been much activity , though the tone of trade is good . From Nottingham it appears that trade iu most branches is somewhat better ;

but the winter season is looked forward to as the one in AA-hich the greatest buoyancy Avill be manifested . The shoe trade at Norwich has been in a satisfactory condition , and it is expected that ifc AA'ill continue so . In connection ivith business at Sheffield , the announcement is made that the rolling mills have been busily engaged with tho manufacture of crinoline steel . Tho report adopted at the meeting of tbe Railway Passengers' Assurance Company was satisfactory , and tho dividend declared was at the rate of four per cent , per annum , reserving the balance for the usual charges and risks on current policies . The increase of business is vorv

encouraging , the amount received and due for premiums of insurance in the six months ending the 30 th of . June being £ 15 . 177 , viz ., £ 2 , 075 for railway , and £ 12 , 502 for general accidents insurance . The income for fche corresponding period of 1858 was E £ 10 , 771 , thus establishing for the past half-year an increase of 41 per cent . The available balance to be dealt with ivas £ 9 , 557 . The satisfactory progress ofthe company is attributed to the absence of litigation , and to the promptitude with AA-hich bond fide claims are adjusted . Careful as the directors are to protect

the institution against unfounded claims , they view" it as a most unwise policy to raise unnecessary difficulties , on purely technical grounds , and the rapid augmentation in tbe number of annual policies affords proof that the course pursued has secured confidence . -Among the numerous assurance companies which have presented their various claims to public support of late years , there is one ivhich AVO would especially recommend to the attention of our readers . The importance of life assurance has longbeenacknowledged , but there has ahvays been onegreat obstacle toits

development among the industrial classes—the want of a given value to the policy at any moment should the assurer be unable to keep up the payments of the premium , or should the object to secure wliich the policy was originally effected have ceased . This objection is met by the Consols Insurance Association , the purpose of which is to give a defined value in consols to every policy from the moment it is issued—a value stated at the back of the policy , and so invested in the public funds as to prevent its being afc any time alienated . It would be useless to trace the principles of life assurance from the day when a uniform jpi . emium was chareed for all ages , to the m-ewnil system of . - ; varying

The Week.

premium , according to the age and health of the assured—the one fact always staring us in the face , thafc , after a payment of 25 or 30 years , if the assurer became unable to keep up his premiums , his assurance altogether ceased—all he had paid was forfeited , the policy becoming lapsed , or the assurer being obliged to take whatever might bo offered him by the office in which he was assured for his policy , however arbitrary the amount . Under the arrangements of the Consols Insiiraiiep Association no such alternative can ensue—a given amount of every

promiuin being invested to insure the carrying out of arrangements made . By the system of the Consols Insurance Company every assurer may with , draiv from the company at any moment , and ivith the full security that what he has subscribed will never be altogether lost . Supposing , foiinstance , a man of twenty-five determines to set aside £ 3 a year for lifeinsurance , ho Ai'ill find that 20 per cent ., or one fifth , is devoted to meet expenses , ivhilst a further sum must be provided for tho contingencies of lifeand for which the company have to provideif not by life premiums

, , , through the shareholders' capital . Under ordinary circumstances the £ 3 per annum is altogether gone if afc any given time tho assurer cannot keep up his payments , and some offices even boast that their lapsed policies pay all their expenses ; but in the case we have epioted , under tho Consols system , a man of twenty-five so assuring at £ 3 per annum would not only have his life assured throughout the first year for tlm benefit of his family , but would at tbe end of that period have .-61 7 s . Gd . standing in his name in consols , which he could appropriate as he thought

fit . And should the party remain insured for ten years , his policy ivould be worth £ 14 15 s . for £ 30 paid ; at the end of fifteen years , £ 22 13 s . for £ 45 paid ; and at the end of tAA-enty years , £ 31 His . for £ 00 paid , the person having all tho time been assured to the extent of £ 134 2 s . , receivable at any moment on the death of the assurer . The advantage of such a system cannot be overrated ; and the funds stand in the names of tho trustees , whose position is such as to command public confidence , their names including Lord Keane , the Right Hon . AV . F . Cowper , JI . P ., Lord Claude Hamilton , JI . P ., Dr . Southwood Smith , and Jlr . JIann , of the General Registrars-office , Somerset-house . The . plan upon which the company is founded peculiar !! ' recommend- ;

itself to notice , having been originally submitted to the Government b y Dr . Fan-, of the Registrar ' s-Gcneral's-ofiicc , as the groundwork of a national insurance office—a responsibility AA'hich the Government , as might bo expected , declined , as foreign to its poivers , having always delegated commercial transactions to private individuals , as instanced in tho cases of tho Bank of England and savings banks . Dr . Fan- has since consented that his plans should be carried out by a private association on certain conditions , as will be seen by the following from his

OAVU pen : — " Tho chief features ivhich I contemplated were the rendering life insurance safe , equitable , and well accommodated to the wants and to the means of the public , by divesting the policyholder of the risk of losing a largo portion of his payments or of forfeiting his policy through inability on his own part to pay the annual premium , a ; well as of fche risk arising under an imperfect audit , and by giving him the option at any time of employing tho accumulating deposit to his account as a security , or of withdrawing it for use in other ways . This

would bring insurance within the reach especially of young men entering life , and of classes who cannot prudently lock up irretrievably a largo portion of their prospective income under the old system of insurance , however ably it might bo carried out by somo existing companies , hi the absence of the direct Government security and audit , it is indispensable that the investments under those plans should bo made in the stablest and the most easily convertible securities—I mean the Three per Cent . Consolidated Annuities , commonly called Consols ; that the

current value of each policy , determined from the valuation table by the actuary , and vouched by some competent authority , should every yi-ai bo circulated among the policy-holders ; and , moreover , that the addition to the net premium should bo sufficient , with the paid-up capital of the society , to discharge all necessary expenses , and to cover fche risks . . An extensive association founded upon these principles , and carrying them out ivith skill , prudence , integrity , and energy , will do a great public good . " These are the principles which the Consols Insurance Assnciation is established to carry out , and , as a security for which , Dr . Fair . the original projector of the scheme , though not of the Company , h : > - consented to become the auditor .

To Correspondents.

TO CORRESPONDENTS .

' TIIE PiiiLADEl . i'HEs . "—AA e have received a communication upi ' , n this subject from Bro . Rule , P . G . Purst ., who speaks favourably of Hie members of this irregular Lodge . A \ ith regard to our assertion as I ' the canvassing for members , we can , if Bro . Rule wishes it , iiifci-odii " him to a gentleman who AA-as offered initiation in this bod y for a very small sum indeed ; and ivho also received from the touter a co-pi / of ''< ¦' lecturesin exteitso .

, ' ¦ GEOKUICUS . "—The MS . is doubtless extremely curious , but to .= ay nothing of its great length , has no JIasonic bearing that we can discover . " H . "—Apply to the head librarian of the British Jluseum . or tc Antonio Paiiizzi , Esq ., ot the « a . nie place