John Hancock Life Insurance Company

Law Sector

                                                       [LOGO] John Hancock(R)
                                                              Financial Services

John Hancock Place
P.O. Box 111
Boston, Massachusetts 02117-0111
(617) 572-8050

Ronald J. Bocage
Vice President & Counsel

                                                               December 17, 2004

Via EDGAR

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549

     Re:  John Hancock Variable Life Account UV ("Registrant")
          Variable Survivorship Universal Life NY ("VSUL")
          File Nos. 811-7766; 333-73072

Commissioners:

               Post-Effective amendment No. 7 to the above-referenced
registration statement was filed with the Commission on November 8, 2004 (SEC
Accession No. 0001193125-04-188967) to add the prospectus entitled VSUL to the
registration statement.

Request for Acceleration

          We hereby request an order to accelerate the effectiveness of the
above-referenced amendment to December 31, 2004. The Registrant and its
Principal Underwriter have authorized us to hereby state to the Commission on
their behalf that they are aware of their obligations under the Securities Act
of 1933.

          The Commission staff has requested that the Registrant acknowledge and
agree, and the Registrant does, hereby acknowledge and agree, that:

     .    should the Commission or the staff, acting pursuant to delegated
          authority, declare the filing effective, it does not foreclose the
          Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing;

     .    the action of the Commission or the Staff, acting pursuant to
          delegated authority, in declaring the filing effective, does not
          relieve the Registrant from its full responsibility for the adequacy
          and accuracy of the disclosure in the filing; and

     .    the Registrant may not assert this action as a defense in any
          proceeding initiated by the Commission or any person under the federal
          securities laws of the United States.

          Please direct all questions and comments to me at (617) 572-8050 or,
in my absence, to Arnold Bergman at (617) 572-9196.

                                                 Sincerely,


                                                 /s/ Ronald J. Bocage
                                                 -------------------------------
                                                 Ronald J. Bocage

cc: Harry Eisenstein