The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-15 00:00:00

THE BUILDERS' BENEVOLENT
INSTITUTION.

The anniversary dinner of the Builders' Benevolent
Institution was held yesterday evening at the London
Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, Samuel Morton Peto' Esq.,
M.P., President of the Institution, in the chailr. There
was an exceedingly numerous attendance of the friends
and supporters of the institution, and among:i..t the gen-
tlemen who occupied the chairman's table we observed
the principal builders and contractors of the tsetropolis.
After ample justice had been done to a very excellent
dinner, embracing all the delicacies of the season,
The CHAIRMAN said he was glad to see so :numerous
an assemblage around him. He could assure t hem that
he was by no means disloyal, although the day previ-
ously he received through the Lord Chamberlain her
Majesty's special summons to be at Bangor
to-day, as chairman of the Chester and Holyhead
Railway Company, to attend her Majesty's inspection of
Mr. Robert Stephenson's tubular bridge, but finding
that his keeping such an engagement would have pre-
vented his being present to-night, he felt it, to be his
duty to return a respectful message back, eta ting that
he had made a previous promise to this institution,
which it was impossible for him to forego.--.(Cheers.)
He had now to propose to them, with heart; and soul,
the health of " Her Majesty the Queen, God bless
her."—(Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with honours.

The CHAIRMAN next gave them the healll of his
Royal Highness Prince Albert, and the other branches
of the Royal Family, which was also responded to in
bumpers.
The CHAIRMAN said the next toast he had fto propose
for their consideration was more immediately connected
with the object of their meeting.—(Hear, hear.) As he
had the pleasure of seeing around him a large number
of practical men of business, accustomed by their every
day habits to matters of detail, he was sure they would
excuse him if,
before ho said anything in furtherance
of the toast he had to propose, he gave them a few de-
tails respecting the rise and progress of theinstaution.—
(tlear, hear.) He should tell them that this society was
established in 1847, and that the number of pensioners
now on its books was firt,en; while they laud unsuc-
cessful candidates at the last election in 1851, besides
others who had applied for assistance sincee—(Hear.)
The funded stock of the institution amounted to
2,8501, and the number of annual subscribers was 790,
giving a total income from both these sources of 5601. per
annum.—(Cheers.) He bad also to advert wit h pleasure
to the success of the Brighton branch, which tad sent in
annual subscription amounting to 551. 13s, which when
added to the donations collected by the brancli, made a
total of 761. 13s.—(Cheers.) So much, then, 'or practi-
cal details. Give him leave now to state that many of
the unsuccessful candidates to whom he had made re-
ference were known to himself, and once they were like
themselves, in a state of afisance and comfort.—(Near,
hear.) Those who were now the recipients of their
bounty he had known from his earliest youth, and he
honoured them none the less at the present n lament be-
cause it had pleased Divine Providence to re duce their
prosperity.—(Hear, hear.) They ought, inde ed, to con-
sider it an honour to themselves to be able to minister
to their comfort and support, but he had the gratifica-
tion of recognising many there with whom
ho had long been associated and he was sure so long
as they were allowed all that was necessary fc r domestic
happiness, they would never forget the claims which this
institution had to their sympathy and support.- -(Cheers.)
Placed as they all were in a position of afflut,nce, as it
were, could anything be more pleasurable or more de-
lightful than to recognise in the success of this institu-
tion the claim of their less fortunate brethren to succour
and help?—(Hear.) Ho felt then that ho ;should not
appeal to them in vain to-night to place the institution
in such a situation as to be able shortly to relieve the
thirteen unsuccessful candidates at the last election, all
of whom they knew to be worthy of the assi: lance they
asked for and honourable members of the craft to
which they belonged.—(Cheers.) Ho would not say
more upon that head, but simply call upon them now to
drink to the bottom of their glasses " Prosperity to the
Builders'ißenevolent Fund," and show by their determi-
nation that it should continue still to flourish.
The toast was drunk with the utmost enthusiasms.

The CHAIRMAN—The next toast he had to ?repose to
them had reference to the Brighton branch, of which he
had already made mention.—(dear, bear.) He bad the
pleasure of seeing the chairman of that local branch at
his own table, and to satisfy those whom ho addressed
that no more fitting person could have been sielected for
that post, he need only mention to them tha3 this gen-
tleman had also been elected high constable by the
people of Brighton.—(Cheers.) He bad mucll pleasure
then in proposing to them " The Health of William
Beedham, Esq., the Chairman of the Brighton, Branch."
The toast having been drank with honours,
Mr. WILLIAM BEEDHAM returned thanks. lie said the
compliment had unexpectedly come upon him, and it sa-
tisfied him that, small as the Brighton Branoh was, it
had the sympathy of the parent institutiou.—(Hear,
hear.) The Brighton Branch, it was true, was only a
Quick, but its members had full confidence in he Trunk,
and they hoped ere long to be able to develupe them-
selves into a Branch.—(Cheers and laughter.) Again
he begged to thank them for the compliment they had
paid him, and to assure them, on behalf of his. Brighton
friends, that they should always be ready to co-operate
in the best way they could with the parent institu-
tion.—(Cheers.)

_
The CHAIRMAN next proposed " The Patrons of the
Institution," coupling with that toast the name of
Thomas Grissell, F.S.A., whom he pronounced to be a
good fellow, ever ready with a warm hand and a spark-
ling eye to assist his brother tradesmen in their strug-
gles through life.—(Cheers.)
The toast having been drunk with honours,
Mr. THORAs GRIsSELL returned thanks, and in doing
so ho took the opportunity of observing that ;it afforded
him and the other patrons of the iustitutioti extreme
pleasure to see that the institution was steadily progres-
sing in the estimation of the public, and he coni;ratulated
the members in the choice they had made in el ecting the
chairman as president of the society.—(Cheero.) They
had now the beat possible prospect before them, and he
was confident that ere long the institution would rank
amongst the first in the country.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Tuomes PIPER proposed the health of the
chairman and president of the institution, and reminded
the company that it was not every gentleman who would
risk incurring the displeasure of the Sovereign for the
sake of assisting at' the anniversary of an institution like
this. And yet ttheir chairman and president bad pre-
ferred attending there to going to Bangor, because he
felt he had a great moral duty to perform towards those
who looked to him for relief in a time of need.—
(Cheers.) The chairman had raised himself to the
elevated position that he held in society by his own in-
divideal exertions; and if they could be allowed such a
choice, he would b the very man whom they would se-
lect, to show the Legislature what a builder was.—
(Cheers.) He welcomed the. chairman as an embodi-
ment of all that was good ie the building community,
and he called upon them to drain their glasses to the
bottom in drinking his health.—(Cheers.)
The toast was drunk amidst repeated rounds of
eheering.
the warm and hearty manner in which they ha
The CHAIRMAN hardly knew how to thank tdhedmrufnokr
his health, but this much he could say,
attri-
buted all his success in life to an early course _
d with
in the workshop, whore ho became
d never to be
out great works.—(Cheers.) He hope
those details which never failed to enablelin
et ambition of his
dis-
severed from this society,that ohf atraininglife was to remain a builder p
we roartke
for the grehaeteend oafrt to
os
carry
with the members of this institulioners.)
They could not
which they had undertaken.— Oa
and he should be ever ready tandt:iil
f( success in business, and
Iningthetogcooo-do
all meet the same
ovision for the comfort
with fortune to make pr
blessed brethren.—(Hear.)
heir less fortunate
and happiness of their less
to be the crowning point
therefore it behovemdeatshaorsee °whom Divine Provinenee
Hence he wanted this aann_shing
the Builders' Benevolent
of the success in eat bli
dthe pivot upon which success turned
they had got beyond the pivot upon which success turned
acd again bankifl
them for the manner in which
—and again thandedg
Institution—that they should now be able to say that
to the last toast, he would once
they had responded
more take the opportunity of repeating, " Never let it
said that we have neglected those who are not equally
successful in business with ourselves."—(Cheers.)
be
aticaeThae CHAIRMAN proposed the health of Mr. George
Bird, the treasurer of the institution, and took occasion
to pass a warm eulogium upon the past exertions of that
gentleman.
The toast having been duly responded to,
Mr. GEORGE BIRD returned thanks, and expressed a
hope that those retired members of the trade, who had
neglected to respond to his call for subscriptions, would
see in print the eloquent appeal which had been made to
them by the chairman to-night.—(Hear, bear.)
The CHAIRMAN next proposed success to " Archi-
tects and Surveyors," coupling with the toast, which was
honoured like the others, the name of G. Godwin, Esq.,
F.R.S., editor of the Builder.