The Gotha Life Assurance Bank was founded at a time when there existed scarcely any knowledge of life assurance in Germany. Some former attempts to found such a Company had failed for this reason, and the few life assurances which were sought at that time by Germans, especially in the Hanseatic towns, could only be effected with English Companies. An essential change has taken place in this respect since the year 1827, when, by the establishment of the Life Assurance Bank for Germany at Gotha, the desire for life assurance was awakened, and its signification and meaning were explained and advanced by numerous publications. Since that time life assurance has risen in Germany as in no other country, with the exception of England. Excepting England, no country so abounds as Germany in self-denying heads of families, who find an impulse upon their minds to provide for their families beyond their own dissolution, and who endeavour to satisfy this impulse even with slender means. Such a susceptible soil could not but prove fertile to such as understood how to cultivate it.

Sir,—In one of the first papers read before the Institute of Actuaries, Mr Jellicoe pointed out “the method of procedure which should be observed in determining the value of life contingencies, where the risk was of an isolated character, as distinguished from cases in which the usual considerations of average presented themselves.” The paper was not, I believe, printed for the use of the members, bnt a short account of it is given in the Post Magazine of the 10th March, 1849. This was followed by one from Mr. Hardy, “On the values of annuities which are to pay certain given rates of interest on the purchase money during the whole term of their continuance, and to replace their original values, on their expiration, at certain other given rates”—where for the first time also is given, in an intelligible form, an expression for the value of an annuity certain under such conditions; in accordance with this a set of tables was constructed, and appended to the paper read before the Institute 25th November, 1850.

Sir,—The letter of your correspondent “Verus,” in the last Number of the Magazine, induces me to trouble you again upon this subject; especially as, if the views there expressed are entertained by any number of your readers, it is evident that so much difference of opinion exists on this question as to render further discussion desirable.