The Express.
London, England, 1867-03-02 00:00:00

SOCIETY OP ANCIENT BRITONS.

The 152nd annivenary of this society was cele-
brated yesterday (St. David's-day) at Willis's Rooms, Kiag.
street, St. James's, in aid of the funds of the Welab Charity
School, Ashford, iihklkses. His Royal Highness the
Prince of WALES presided.

His ROTAL HIGIDIEnn, in rising to propose " The Health
of her Majesty," was greeted with the most cordial en-
thusiasm. His royal highness said—Your Royal High-
ness, my Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen,—The first toast
which, in the capacity of chairman, I have to propose to
you is one which I feel certain you will drink with every
enthusiasm. It will require very little praise from me,
as it is a toast which at meetings of Englishmen is never
omitted. I propose to you "The Health of her Majesty
the Queen."
The toast having been drunk with the warmest acclama-
tions,

The Duke of CA M PRI proposed "Her Royal High-
ness the Princess of Wales,/ and the rest of the royal
family."

The tole wan drank with every demonstration of loyalty.
The Prince of WALL+, in responding, said it is unpin-
Bible for me not to thank your royal highness moat cordially
for the terms in which you have proposed this toast, and
the company for the equally cordial manner in which they
have received it. Your royal highness has been pleased to
asy that I have always been ready, whenever it lay in my
power, to assist at any charitable meeting of any kind. I
mu as-ure you that I derive great encouragement at being
present, either as a looker-on or as a participator in the
proceedings of those assemblies, from the excessively kind
manner in which I am supported on these occasions.
When I look around rue this evening, for example, I have
indeed every reason W be satisfied. ((,'heers.) As we
have still a great many toasts before us, I will only add a
very few words more, but I will thank you for the kind
manner in which you have drunk the health of the
Princess of Vt.:des. I :1111 truly happy to be able to cor-
roborate the statement of my illustrious relative,and to say
that she is rapidly recovering from her late illness, and I
trust she will soon be restored to her usual good health.
(Loud cheering. )
His norm. Hit: HNEM: then gave " The Army and Navy,
Militia, and Volunteers," coupling with the toast the
names of his Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge and
the
.11arl.of Shrewsbury and Talbot.

The Duke of CAMBRIDGE and the Earl of SHREWBBERY
having respectively returned thanks
The Earl of Town; propoaed "The Church," and the
Bishop of St. DAviiirs responded.
.

The' children of the school were then conducted round
the room, and immediately afterwards they sang an ode
adapted to an ancient `Welsh melody by Mr. lirinley
Itichars. The children remaining in the room,

His llov.u. HicHNENN gave th.:‘.toast of the evening,
" Prosperity to the Welsh Charity School, and Perpetuity
to the Most Honourable and Loyal Society of Ancient
Britons." (Cheers.) He said—l feel sure, gentlemen, I
shall not have to call upon you twice to respond most
heartily to, this toast. for all of you must know, perhaps
far better than I can tell yam, the history of this
society ; but at the same time it may be well that I should
go back and give you a brief sketch of the society from its
commencement. (Cheers.) In the year 1714, on St.
David's-day, it was founded- -a day which was the birth-
day of Caroline, Princess of Wales. She took the greatest
interest in its wellbeing, even independent of the fact of
its having been founded to commemorate her natality.
My ancestor, George 11., then Prince of Wales, he-
n.une the first patron of the society. In those times the
society had nothing more than a day-school. In 1737 it was
removed to Clerkenwell. There the school flourished, but
in the year 1771 it was removed to Gray's-inn-lane ; and
in the year MIS, at the death of the much-lamented
Princess Charlotte of Wales, whose loss the whole coun-
try most deeply felt, fifty more children were admitted,
and supported by public subscription, in remembrance of
her name. (Hear, hear.) The school continued to flourish,
but it was thought advisable, if possible, that it should
be removed to the country, with a view of obtaining an
atmosphere more beneficial to the children's health. In
11454 the school was removed to Ashford, and in 1857, on
the 13th July, my lamented father inaugurated or opened
the school. (Hear, hear.) lam happy to say I ROOOllll-
- him on that occasion. (Hear, hear.) From that time
to this you will believe me when I say I have felt the deep-
est interest in the prosperity of the school. (Cheers.) It
has frequently occurred on my journey from London to
Windsor, and from Windsor to London, by the South
Western line, that I have noticed the school as I passed
by; but that alone would not be required to remind me of
its claims to public support. When it was removed from
Loudon to the country considerable expense was incurred,
so much so that it was found necessary to reduce the num-
ber of children from biO to lit). But I am happy to be
able to inform you that during the last century and • half
as many as 3,000 Welsh children have been clothed and
educated, and afterwards sent forth into the world, and
provided to a certain extent for their future career. This
must be a very gratifying announcement ; and brief and
imperfect as the sketch may have been which I have given
you, still I trust I have said enough to call upon you most
heartily to continue that support which in past years you
have given out the occasion of these annual festivals.
(Cheers.) I thank you for the kind manner in which you
have been pleased to receive these remarks, end I beg to
propose to you, in a bumper, the toast of the evening,
" Prosperity to the Welsh Charity School and Perpetuity
to the Society of Ancient Britons. '
. . . .

The toast WAS drunk with the most enthusiastic accla-
mation, and a collection of subscriptions was annoonced
by the secretary amounting to 3,000 guineas, including id()
guineas from the Prince of Wales, in addition to :Mk
guineas previously contributed by his royal highness.
The musical arrangements were entrusted to Iddlle.
Lcibhart, Mr. George Perren, Mr. T. Lawler, and Mr.
Brinley Richards, the laid-mentioned gentleman having
had the honour of a personal introduction to his royal
highness the chairman, as the composer of the popular
air, " God bless the Prince of Wales."

THE WORKHOUSE INFIRMARY ASSOCIATION.

The special committee appointed to consider Mr.
Hardy's Poor-law measure met on Thursday afternoon ;
Lord Gaosvtxea, M.P., in the chair. Present—Lord
Charles Bruce, M.P., Mr. Lawrence Oliphant, M.P., the
Rev. Mr. WGill, Dr. Rogers, Dr. Can, Dr. Anstie, Mr.
Ernest Hart, and Mr. J. C. Parkinson. The chief points
discussed were the degree to which the oommoo•fund
principle may be extended, and the nature of the pro-
posed control over existing boards of management. The
leading principle upon which the Infirmary Association
was formed, the end for which it agitated, and for the
compass of which it originally commanded public support,
was that the whole of the sick poor in workhouses should
be placed under hospital management, and be provided
for by one common fund. Mr. Hardy's measure falls con-
siderably short of this, and it was decided to urge upon
him the propriety of providing for other kinds of disease
than those particularised under his measure.

The opinion expressed at the last meeting of the 1180Cia-
tion was fully endorsed, and the inadequacy of a system
of amateur guardians to be nominated by the Poor-law
Board. as s remedy for existing evils, unanimously insisted
on. Finally, it was decided that Mr. Hardy should be
communicated with prior to the bill going into committee
next week ; and the result should be reported to the asso-
ciation, and a definite course of action be decided on
forthwith.

In the early days of this association, we pointed out
that its deficiency was • lack of comprehensive-
ness, and that assuming all its expressed views to be
earned, the old and infirm paupers would he still
left to the mercies of the guardians, while the
acute cases of sicknesswere receiving proper care. The
answer held to be valid was that by limiting the efforts
of the society to the poor people needing constant medical
are the probabilities of speedy success were materially
increased. As Mr. Hardy's measure subdivides these
again it is not irrelevant to repeat that • very large pro-
portion of the inmates of metropolitan workhouses will
run the same risks of injustice and ill-treatment as here-
tofore.

CABINET CowiclL.—There will be a Cabinet
Council this afternoon, at 3 o'clock, at the First
Lord of the Treasury's official residence in Down-
ing-street.

Tug DVICE or EDINRUROH.—His Royal High
nese the Duke of Edinburgh left Plymouth Sound on
Tuesday morning for Lisbon, and will afterward, visit
Gibraltar and Malta. A sojourn will then be made of
few months in the Mediterranean ; after which his royal
highness will proceed to Australia, where he will probably
stay two or three months. He will next visit Bombay,
Calcutta, China, and Japan, besides other places that may
attract his attention, and be afterwards decided upon
visiting. To carry out these intentions his royal highness
will be absent a little over two years.—Court Circular.
The Court Circular states that it is now definitely
arranged that the marriage of the Count de Flandre with
the Princess Mary of Hohenzollern is to take place with
great pomp at the palace of Berlin early in May • and
besides the Prussian royal family, the King of the Belgians
and the Prince and Princess of Wales will be present.
The christening of the infant Princess, daughter
of their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales,
will, the Court Circe/ar believes, take place in the private
chapel at Windsor Castle at the latter end of this mouth
(should the health of the Princess of Wales permit), and
the same state ceremony will be observed as on the occa-
sion of the baptism of his Royal Highness Prince George,
the second son of the Prince and Princess, in July, 1865.
ADMIRALTY, FEB. N.—ROYAL MARINE LIGHT
IwrArrar.—LieutensnteCeneral Thomas Lemon, C. 8., to
be colonel of the Plymouth Division, vice Delsoombe.—
Gazette.

At a numerously attended meeting of tiro
members of the Clarendon Club, held at the Club-house,St.
James's-street, on the 26th ult., it was unanimously re-
solved to abandon the idea of making it a political club,
and to carry It on vigorously as a private and social club,
without reference to the political opinions of its members.