40

50

40 11 8

212 5

60

3 2 10

60

50 11 3

3 18 8

EXAMPLE I. A minister wishes to assure £100 for the benefit of his children, when both he and his wife shall have died, his age being 30 years, hers 20; what should he pay annually, during the life-time of the longest liver of them, to secure the above sum to his children ?-Ans. £1. 3s. 4d.

EXAMPLE II. The Annual Premium to secure £400 on the death of the longest liver of two persons, aged respectively 30 and 40 years, is £6. 5s. Od.

16

14

10

5007

7 4

EXAMPLE 1. A minister, A. whose age is 30, wishes to secure 100 to be paid to his wife B. whose age is 20, in the event of his leaving her a widow. What must he pay annually?—Ans. £2. 3s. 10ā.

EXAMPLE II. A minister, B. wishes to secure £100 to himself in the event of his wife, A, dying before him, his age being 40, and hers 30. What is the annual premium ?—Ans. £2. 1s. 2d.

Showing the Single and Annual Premiums for insuring £10 per Annum

to A after the Death of B.

Showing the Single Premiums for a Deferred Annuity of £10.

If the party die before entering upon the Annuity, the Premiums which shall have been paid will become forfeited to the Society.

20

29

26

30

3

4

19 12

1

11 19 4

2

50

50

30

50

60

42 18

54 12

25 3

9 5 2 16

27

31 9

3

20

9

1

12 9 8

4

3 14 9

28

32 16 11

21

7 2

13

U 9

69 16 4 7 18 8

35 17 2

23 6

2

14 4 5

EXAMPLE I. A minister desires to insure £10 per Annum to his wife during the re
mainder of her life after his decease. What must he pay annually during his life to se-
cure such an annuity, his age being 30, and hers 20 years.-Aus. £3. 4s. 8d.

EXAMPLE II. A minister whose income is partly dependent on his wife's property,
but which goes from him at her death, wishes to insure an annuity of £20 during what
may remain of his life after his wife's death; his age is 30, hers 40. What must he contri.
bute annually during her life for such an annuity.-Ans. £7. 9s. 5d.

EXAMPLE I. A person aged 25 may insure an annuity of £10 from the age of 55, during the remainder of his life, by paying £28. 188. 3d. or if he wish the annuity to commence the age of 60, only £18. 15s. 10d. would be required.

EXAMPLE 11. If a person at the age of 30 pay £14. 48. 5d. down, he would be entitled to an annuity of £10 after the age of 65.

TABLE VII.

Showing the Ann al Premiums for a deferred Annuity of £10. The Premiums to

be

forfeited if the party die before attaining the given age.

Present

Age.

Showing the Annual Premium for a deferred Annuity of £10. The Premiums to be returned if the insured die or discontinue the assurance previously to attaining the stipulated Age.

55

60

65

55

65

EXAMPLE I.-An Annuity of £10 for the remainder of life may be secured by a person now 30 years of age, by paying annually, until he attain the age of 55, the sum of £1. 14s. 5d.

What sum must a person, now 30 years old, pay annually till 65, to

coin dosing the romainder of life - Ans

168. 4d.

EXAMPLE I-A person at the age of 25, may insure £10 per annum, after 65, by paying £1. Os. 5d yearly till 65.

EXAMPLE II-A minister, 30 years of age, is desirous of insuring an Annuity of £10, to commence at the age of 60. What must he pay annually till 60; and if he were to die at the age of 55, what sum would be returned to his relatives.-Ans. He must pay £1. 198. 3d. per Annum; and in the event of his dying, after he had paid 25 Premiums, his relatives would receive £49. 18. 3d.

EXAMPLE.--A minister may insure £100 to be paid on his son attaining the age of 21, by the annual payment of £3. 8s. 4d. if his son's present age does not exceed one year; or £50 on his son attaining his 14th year, by the payment of £2. 14s. 8d. annually. In either case, all the money paid would be returned, in the event of the child dying before the attainment of the specified age.

Note.--If the child die before the age of 10 years, all the premiums paid are to be returned; but if it should die between the ages of 10 and 15, then the difference between the premiums paid, and the sums received, would be returned.

GLEANINGS.

Life prolonged by Civilization.-If we collect Eng land, Germany, and France in one group, we find that the average term of mortality which, in that great and populous region, was formerly 1 in 30 annually, is not at present more than 1 in 38.-This difference reduces the number of deaths thoughout these countries, from 1.900,000 to less than 1,200,000 persons; and 700,000 lives or 1 in 83, owe their preservation to the social ameliorations effected in the three countries of Western Europe, whose efforts to obtain this object have been attended with the greatest success. The life of man is not only embellished in its course by the advancement of civilization, but is extended by it, and rendered less doubtful. The effects of the amelioration of the social condition are to restrain and diminish in proportion to the population the annual number of births, and in a still greater degree the number of deaths; on the contrary, a great number of births, equalled or even exceeded by that of deaths, is a characteristic sign of a state of barbarism.-Philosophical Journal.

Entomology-Various provincial newspapers (and the circumstance has been noticed in the metropolis) mention the visitation of myriads of small flies, between the size of the midge and common house-fly, with long wings, which fill the air like locusts, and settle in multitudes upon persons and places around. Near Topsham, Devon, a cloud of similar flies extended nearly three-quarters of a mile in length, and occupied the breadth of the road. Their course was along with the wind from the south-east, and they covered the passengers on their way.

"Steam Communication with India.-Captain Chesney, the author of a report on the steam navigation of the river Euphrates, printed by order of the House of Commons, and on which the committee of the House has appropriated a sum of £20,000 towards defraying the expenses of an attempt to establish a communication that way with our possessions in India, is building two iron steam vessels, to be landed at Scanderoon (Aleppo,) and carried across to the Euphrates docks on that river, now in preparation; where they will be put together, and navigated to the Persian gulf in April or May next.

Ancient Navy of England.-In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, the salary or fee of the Lord High Admiral was 1331. 6s. 8d. per annum. The Treasurer of the Navy had 2207. 13s. 4d. including the salary of two clerks at 8d. per day, and 8/. for boat hire. The shipwrights had 12d. per day. Master shipwrights 327. 6s.8d. The office of storekeeper at Woolwich had a salary of 501. The clerk of the cheque at Chatham had 50%. per annum; for extraordinary services 43/. 6s. 8d.; and for pens. ink, paper, and his travelling expenses to London to deliver his books to the treasurer and other officers, 67. 13s. 4d.; total, 1007. The clerk of the checque at Woolwich had a shilling a day; at Deptford, 301. per annum; at Portsmonth, 40%. and 18. 8d. per annum for stationery. The surveyor of the navy had 1467. 6s. 8d. out of which he paid his two clerks 8d. a-day each. The boatswain of a firstrate had 291. 6s. 8d. per annum. A purser of the same 261. 1s. 4d. The gunners, who made a profit by stealing the ship's powder, and the purser by stealing the crew's provisions, seem to have had the best posts. The quantities of powder used at sea were enormous. A cannon royal, or 66 pounder, was loaded with 30lbs. of powder. A demi-cannon, which never answered to a modern 32 pounder, was loaded with 18 pounds! This was perhaps owing to the foolish idea, that the more powder, the more execution done. This prejudice still exists. It is in vain that our excellent artillery at this moment, from repeated experiments, show the navy that one-fourth the weight of the shot is much more effective thau the established charge of one-third, which last is amply sufficient for a battering gun. Jack still crams in his full allowance with his two or three balls. What a saving might be made on this head! Half the powder used by Sir Francis Drake against the Armada would have sufficed. Yet, with all their crudities and scanty pay, it may be doubted if more glorious exploits (considering their disadvantages, and the youth of the science of navigation) have been since achieved.

Bell or Lancaster System at Athens in 1675.-"Our Janissary proposed to us to go and see a Greek of his acquaintance, who was a didascalos or schoolmaster. We desired no better, and were upon thorns till we were with him: but, alas! how were we disappointed, (who expected nothing but sublime notions of Plato Zeno, and Aristotle,) when the Janissary told us he was a mechanic. How were we surprised to consider a man of that quality should succeed to the place of such excellent persons! We found about thirty young lads sitting upon benches, and their master at the head of them teaching them to read. He rose up when we came in, and received us very civilly, in

which

to give them their due, that nation is not sparing. The Janissary desired him to go on with his boys, and give us the liberty of seeing his method, which, was pretty, and much beyond ours; the master causing the whole classis to read at a time without confusion, every scholar being obliged to attention, and to mind what his next neighbour reads. They had each of them the same authors, and, for example, if he had thirty scholars, he chose out some continued discourse, and gave them but thirty words to read, the first boy reading the first word, the second boy the second word, and so on. If they read roundly and right, he gave them thirty words more; but if any of the boys were imperfect, he was corrected by the next, who was always very exact in observing him, and he his neighbour, till the whole number of words were read; so that the thirty scholars lying all of them at catch, and ready to take advantage of any defect in their neighbour, stimulated by ambition of being thought the best scholar, every one's lesson was the lesson of all, and happy was he who could say it the best. To obviate any of the scholars eluding that word, or preparing himself for any single word, their places were changed, and he who at one reading was in the first place, was removed a good distance in the next. Thus oue lesson was enough for a whole form, how numerous soever; and what was very convenient for the master. the boys were not constrained to come to him one after another, for every one was a master to his neighbour." -L'Athenes de Guilletiere 1675.

Volcanic Explosions.-Great guns are heard much further than thunder, or at nearly double the distance. The eight-oclock gun at Demerara is often heard at Cape Batavia, on the west coast of Essequibo, a distance of forty miles. In respect to the intensity of sound, however, there is nothing we are acquainted with that can bear a comparison with the explosions of volcanoes. On the bursting forth of Mount Soufriere, in the island of St. Vincent, on the night of the 1st of May, 1812, the explosions were heard in this colony (Demerara) like reports of cannon, more than five hundred miles from the island. To this fact many people here can testify as well as myself. We are told, indeed, that these explosions were heard even at Cayenne, and the Rio Negro, a distance of about three hundred nautical leagues. Of this I was assured by the natives, as well as by Captain Orosco, the commandant of the fort of Rio Negro. The island of Barbadoes, at noon of this memorable day, was involved in midnight darkness, and the whole surface of the island was covered with the dust or cinders of this substance. I have a specimen which fell upon the deck and sails of a vessel, one hundred and fifty miles from the volcano. In this case it is probable that a continued succession of ignited materials being projected from the mountain, and rarefying the air, an upward draught was established, which carried the volcanic dust into the higher regions of the atmosphere, whence it was wafted by upper currents, and fell over a vast space around.-Philosophical Magazine, Dr. Hancock. Poisonous Mushrooms. The Norwich papers recently contained a distressing case, of three persons having been killed by eating poisonous mushrooms. If persons are determined to eat such dangerous things without subjecting them to the examination of a competent judge, it may be useful for them to know, that if they will peel an onion and boil it with them, the onion will remain white if they are genuine, and turn black if they are spurious. It may be further observed, that the true mushroom is seldom found in woods or in the shade; it grows chiefly in open pastures, and may be readily distinguished by its fragrant though peculiar odour.-Mechanic's Magazine.

Vegetable Monstrosities.-There is now in our printing-office, for the inspection of the curious in such matters, a very fine specimen of the white globe turnip, of extraordinary size and weight. It was grown on the farm of Balig, the property of the Marquis of Ailsa, occupied by Mr. Fulton (the cultivation of whose farm is highly creditable to him,) and weighs between 191b. and 201b; in girth it measures rather more than one yard. From the same farm we have a potato of the red kind, and of unusual dimensions, weighing 3lb., and measuring one foot nine inches in circumference; but this latter root, large though it be, is even exceeded by a brother of the same tribe, brought to our office, on Saturday last, by R. Wood, Newton. It grew at Shawfield, near that town, was one foot eleven inches in girth, and 3lb. 3oz. in weight. In the same field, cultivated by Mr. Wood, the very unusual number of 103 potatoes were found at a single stem. Mr. Skinner, Auchincruive, has also forwarded to us a gigantic potato of the same kind. In weight it is 3lb. 8oz. at 16 ounces to the pound; and measures two feet eight inches by one foot eight inches. With a choppin of buttermilk, it would suffice to dine a whole cabin full of Hibernians.-Ayr Observer.