GENERAL VIEW OF THE FIRE AND MARINE MUTUAL INSURANCE IN BOSTON, FOR THE YEAR 1845.

Assets.

Marine risks Fire risks taken Marine during the year. during the year. losses. $199,990 26 $12,590,286 $2,820,225 $326,313 $16,966 422,821 76 9,473,208 274,987 67 9,962,620 7,105,867 26,056 342,568 98 7,076,134 3,267,152 115,504 148

Fire losses.

5,283,902

196,943

7,313

212,096

Tremont,..

SAVINGS BANKS. These institutions exert an influence on the people highly favorable to the production of economical habits and general prosperity, and deserve particular notice.

"The Provident Institution for Savings in the Town of Boston," was the first bank of the kind in the state. It was incorporated Dec. 13, 1816, and received its first deposit Feb. 1817. "The Savings Bank for Seamen in Boston," now "The Suffolk Savings Bank," was incorporated March 7th, 1833. The following statement gives a progressive view of these institutions :

A general view of these institutions, in November, 1845, appears as

follows:

The number of accounts which have been opened in the "Provident Institution," from its commencement to January 1st, 1846, was 71,600, of which 19,007 remained open November, 1845, embracing $3,023,742 03, deposits. The amount of regular dividends, besides extra dividends, which were paid from 1829 to 1845, was $1,054,167 06. The number of accounts which had been opened at the Suffolk Savings Bank, in November, was 7,623, of which 2,707 then remained open, embracing $545,327 19, deposits. The amount of regular dividends, besides extra dividends, which had been paid from the commencement of the Institution, was $84,896 61; and there was a surplus of $25,555 17 on hand toward the next extra dividend.

These institutions have fulfilled the high expectations of their founders, and their benefits are apparent among all, but especially among the laboring classes, and those of limited means. It is estimated that more than half of the depositors in the Provident Institution are Irish, or persons immediately connected with our foreign population.

The transactions in real estate, as a means of illustrating the progressive wealth of the city, are noticed. For the last ten years, a return has been made, annually, to the Massachusetts Secretary of State, by the Registrar of deeds, from which the following statement is compiled, showing the number of deeds and other instruments recorded, the number of legal pages of record covered, and the amount of fees received:

This remarkable statement shows that the transactions in real estate in 1845 were more than double those of 1839.

RAILROADS. There are seven principal railroad trunks, already completed, whose termini are in Boston, which are of different lengths, and radiate in different directions from it. The two following statements are compiled from the Railroad Reports, designed to present a general statistical view of these roads for 1845. Beginning with the Eastern, they are numbered one to seven-those having no number are branches, or a continuation of the one numbered immediately preceding. The first statement shows the name, length, capital, and cost, of the roads.*

*A map accompanies the report, which affords a general view of the roads in 1845.

This statement shows that a capital of $22,202,700 is already invested in over 700 miles of railroads in Massachusetts, on which there has been expended $26,712,123 57. It is estimated that railroads are now constructing or projected, which will be nearly of as great length, and require as great an amount of capital, as those already built.

The following statement exhibits a view of the business done on these roads for 1845, showing the number of miles run by the different trains on the roads, the gross income and expenditures, and the rate of dividends made :

Total,.........

........... 2,111,293 $3,426,831 80 $1,694,812 52

In the above statements the roads marked (a) were not completed so as to be open during the whole year. Those marked (b) are now construct. ing, and but a small part only of them was open at all. If all had been in full operation during the whole year, the amount would have been increased in each particular. As they were, however, those whose business is specified above, show a gross amount of income of $3,426,831 80, and expenditures of $1,694,812 52. This is independent of those roads out of the state with which these roads connect. The several trains travelled 2,111,293 miles, a distance nearly equal to going twice round the world, every week!

PUBLIC VALUATION, TAXES, ETC. Information on these matters cannot

fail to be interesting, and much labor has been expended by Mr. Shattuck to present it so as to be clearly understood.

CITY VALUATION AND TAXES. Table VIII. contains the valuation of the real and personal property of the city, the taxes assessed, and the rate in each $100 of the valuation, since 1800.

TABLE VIII-PROGRESSIVE Wealth.

City Valuation of the Real and Personal Estate; the Polls; the Tax assessed; and rate per cent, for different years.

NOTE. In 1842 the tax was first assessed upon the full valuation. For many years previous to that, the valuation was entered on the assessors' records at half its real value, and the taxes assessed on that amount. To present the facts uniformly in this table, the valuation has been doubled, and the rate of taxation halved, in the years before 1842.

The following deductions are made from this table, showing, between specific periods, the increase of the valuation and taxes, compared with each other, and with the increase of the population :—

The next statement presents the increase per cent of the population,

valuation, and the taxes, and the number of dollars of the valuation and taxes to each inhabitant.

These deductions show that the valuation and taxes increase in a greater ratio than the population.

The great increase in the valuation of the property of Boston has led to the inquiry, how far particular estates have been affected? There is a general rise in the intrinsic value of real estate, but, in some places and sections, this rise is greater than in others. For the purpose of illustration and comparison, three estates were selected in different parts of the city, so situated as not to be specially affected in regard to their valuation, by any local improvement in their immediate neighborhood; and the valuation and taxes assessed upon them at three different periods ascertained; and the following results were obtained :—

This shows that the same property was more highly valued, and paid a higher tax, in 1845 than in 1835, notwithstanding there is a vast increase in the real value of certain sections, and a vast amount of new property created; and it has been supposed that this "marking up" the property will partially account for the increase of the aggregate valuation of the city.

A classification of the individual tax-payers according to the amount of tax they pay, affords a striking illustration of the progressive wealth of the city; and for this purpose the following statement was prepared by Mr. Shattuck, showing the number of tax bills, and the number of each class, at six different periods, at intervals of five years each :