On the Statistics of First and Subsequent Marriages among the Families of the Peerage, considered specially with reference to the Calculation of Premiums for Assurance against Issue

Extract

In the month of January, 1859, I had the honour to read before the Institute of Actuaries a paper upon the determination of the rates of premium for assuring against issue. Since that period the subject has lost none of its interest; on the contrary, its importance is yearly increasing, and it bids fair to form an important branch of assurance business. It is true that, out of the numerous inquiries made at Assurance Offices respecting the rates of premium for these risks, not 20 per cent, become the subject of policies absolutely granted, still it is desirable that there should be some sort of consistency in the premiums quoted. It would appear that considerable differences of opinion exist among actuaries upon the subject; and I feel, therefore, that I owe no apology to the Institute for departing from our usual routine subjects of rates of interest and mortality, and introducing once more the question of issue policies and the statistics of marriage.