Fire Insurance Companies.
TO Tlli EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir,-Few persons are avare of the aniezing profits derived by In- lurance Companies. frqm the apparent small spremiiums paid bv the insnrers: but a'shortcalculatiori will soan place the-matterin na true light, and we shall not only cease to wonder at theincreasing number of these associations, but rather'feel earprised that these enoroue profivt have nor induced the for=ation of many more, or the'diminutiou of the premiumrs. A staweent appeared in te Tizes newepanr a fewv days tsince., from Idr. Whitc, the surveyor of ti,e larylebone dict'rict, in v'hidcb he states, that out of 83,300 houses, of which that istrict coasisfs. only 10 hartses have been consumed in 17 years. Nown taldng this statement for-datA- and there is no res6n0to doubt itscorrectnessE-itfal1nws,that if these- houses werc insured aLt single hardeos, at an averagc valuation Gf 5001. each house, the ennual premniums would amount to4,1501. annl in 17 years, to 70.5501. . tIe returns made to tbe insured during that period would be 8,0001., leaving a balance of 62,5501. in favour -fo the insurimce- companies, from which, of course, istobededucted the expenses of the establishbrent th csemainrAer uill be profit. if inrurances be compared to wagers, the result is, that at the before- named premium, the Insurance Company bet 1001. to 2s. thiat certain property will not be consumed during the year; which is nearly the s3rme as betting that aty one prticular house will net be consumev by fire in a thousand years; but if the above watemnent be correct, the nverage destruction of houses by fire vwould bring the averasee probable timc of the destruction of any partcular housetoncar 8,000 s'ears-n much mn-pr' ,,n-i,,Arr ofim ebehan the world acncordion to accepted chronology) haiemisted. B. P. PfJ?E ThASIANCg COMPNInes.