A BILL To make Life Policies of Assurance assignable [Note.-The Words printed in Italics are proposed to be inserted in the Committee.] 5 HEREAS Policies of Assurance on Lives are not at present Preamble. assignable at Law, whereby very great injustice, expense, inconvenience and delay have been occasioned to parties to whom assignments thereof have been executed : And whereas to secure the just claims of the Assignees of such Policies, and to render more satisfactory transactions between debtor and creditor, whereby trade would be benefited and credit protected, it is expedient that all Policies of Insurance on Lives should be assignable at Law; BE it therefore Enacted, by The QUEEN's most 10 Excellent MAJESTY, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, THAT from and after the passing of this Act, all Policies of Assurance for lives of which absolute and bonâ fide assignments have been heretofore 15 executed, or may hereafter be executed by the parties legally entitled to make such assignments, shall vest at law to all intents and in the assignee or assignees thereof, whether notice of such assignment be given to the Company assuring or not: Provided always, That the assignment of any Policy shall not deprive the Company assuring of 20 any right in law or equity of resisting the payment of such Policy on the ground of breach of contract or otherwise, in the same manner to all intents and purposes as if such Policy had not been assigned. purposes 1. Authorizing Assignments of Policies of for Lives. Assurance 2. Assignee of Policy entitled to recover from Insurance Companies. 3. Memorandum of As signment to be endorsed on Policy of Assurance. 4. Age of person whose Life is insured, to be deemed that which is stated in the Policy. 5. Policies of Assurance receivable as Evidence. And be it Enacted, That such assignee or assignees of such Policies shall be entitled to recover the amount thereof in his or their own names from the Insurance Company with whom the same may have. been effected, by action or other proceeding at law or in equity, and without the necessity of setting up a personal representative to the 5 party who originally effected the same, or of obtaining his or their consent thereto, and that the receipt or other discharge of such assignee or assignees shall be a sufficient release to such Insurance Company for the sum payable at foot of said Policy. And be it Enacted, That a memorandum of every such assignment 10 shall immediately thereupon be endorsed on said Policy, setting forth the date of such assignment, and the names and descriptions of the parties thereto; such memorandum to be signed by the assignor or assignors, in the presence of Two competent witnesses: Provided always, That without such endorsement no such assignment shall be 15 valid at law or equity. And be it Enacted, That the age specified in any Policy of Insurance of the person whose life shall be thereby insured, shall be primâ facie evidence thereof, unless the Assurance Company shall satisfactorily prove that such statement of age was not true; that is to say, that 20 the age was older than was in said Policy set forth and specified. And be it Enacted, That all Policies of Assurance shall be receivable in evidence in any court of justice; provided they respectively purport to be signed by a director or directors, or their agent or secretary : Provided nevertheless, That if it can be proved on the part of such 25 Company that the said Policy was not genuine, or that the signatures thereto were forged or fraudulently obtained, then and in such case such Policy to be null and void to all intents and purposes. A BILL For establishing a Board for the Consideration of Matters relating to the Mercantile Marine of the United Kingdom, and for making further Provisions for the Supervision of Lighthouses. [Note.-The Words and Clause printed in Italics are proposed to be inserted in the Committee.] 5 W as Preamble. HERCAS it is expedient to constitute such a Board hereinafter is described for the consideration and superintendence of divers matters relating to the Mercantile Marine of the United Kingdom, and to make further provision by the means of such Board for the supervision of Lighthouses; E it therefore Enacted, by The QUEEN's most Excellent MAJESTY, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, THAT it shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by warrant 10 under the Royal Sign Manual, to appoint any number, not more than Five persons, to be Commissioners under this Act, and from time to time, at Her pleasure, to remove all or any of the said Commissioners, and upon such removal or other vacancy to appoint another or others in his or their stead: Provided always, That one of such Commis15 sioners shall always be either one of the Lords Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral, or the Hydrographer of Her Majesty's Admiralty; and another of such Commissioners shall always be either the Deputy Master of the Corporation of the Trinity House of Deptford Strond, or an elder brother of the said Corpo20 ration; and the Commissioners so to be appointed shall, with the President and Vice-President of Her Majesty's Privy Council appointed for the consideration of matters relating to Trade and Foreign Plantations, constitute a Board, to be styled, "The Board of Mercantile |