“Mr. Wilkes being elected Member for Middlesex; from 20 to 70 guineas per cent.
“Alderman Bond’s life for one year, now doing at 7 per cent.
“On Sir J. H. being turned out in one year, now doing at 20 guineas per cent.
“On John Wilkes’s life for one year, now doing at 5 per cent.—N.B. Warranted to remain in prison during that period.
“On a declaration of war with France or Spain in one year, 8 guineas per cent.
“But,” continued the same journal, “when policies come to be opened on two of the first peers in Britain losing their heads at 10s. 6d. per cent., and on the dissolution of the present parliament within one year at 5 guineas per cent., which are now actually doing, and underwritten chiefly by Scotsmen, at the above coffee-house, it is surely high time to interfere.”
Such was the opinion of the journalist; and the following extract from “Every Man his own Broker,” is a further proof that legislation of some kind was absolutely necessary:—
“Another manner of spending the vacation formerly, was in insuring the lives of such unfortunate gentlemen as might happen to stand accountable to their country for misconduct. I am not willing to disturb the ashes of the dead, or I could give an account of this cruel pastime, the parallel of which is not to be met with in the instance of any civilised nation; but I hope we shall hear no more of such detestable gaming; therefore, as a scene of this kind fully laid open might astonish, but could not convey instruction, humanity bids me draw the veil, and not render any set of men unnecessarily odious.
“A practice likewise prevailed of insuring the lives of well known personages, as soon as a paragraph appeared in the newspapers announcing them to be dangerously ill. The insurance rose in proportion as intelligence could be procured from the servants or from any of the faculty attending, that the patient was in great danger. This inhuman sport affected the minds of men depressed by long sickness; for when such persons, casting an eye over a newspaper for amusement, saw their lives had been insured in the Alley at 90 per cent., they despaired of all hopes, and thus their dissolution was hastened. But to the honour of the principal merchants and underwriters, they caused an advertisement, some years since, to be fixed up at Lloyd’s Coffee-house, declaring that they would not transact business with any brokers who should be engaged in such infamous transactions.