The Sun.
London, England, 1839-06-13 00:00:00

I the Society appear.—(Cheers.) Let all who had wA-
nessed the appearance of the children belonging to the
Society reflect what those children had been, and
what, but for the exertions of this Society,
they might have continued to be.—(Cheers.) Still the
prejudice excited by the attacks of the press had occa-
sioned difficulties in the operations of the •Society. One
part of the press had gained this melancholy and dis-
honourable triumph ; they bad thrown a cold damp upon
one of the brightest and best rays of benevolence.
The candour of the public could not fail to ask, what
possible object could the noblemen and gentlemen
connected with this Society have in sending out chil-
dren ? Did they make a trade of kidnapping ?
—(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") The cheerful, happy
faces of the children—not merely when in that room—
but if they were visited at the Asylum, where could be
seen the well ordered state in which they were kept,
and the careful education they received, all proved
how false were the charges against the Society. Two
of the boys about whom such an outcry had been made
were now receiving the just reward of their offences
in this country—having been several times convicted—
notoriously bad characters.—(Hear, hear.) Till the
Society had been proved guilty it had a right to pro-
claim its innocence and to claim public sup-
port.—(Cheers.) The honoured founder of the
Institution—" atter life's fitful fever he slept
well."—(Cheers.) Often, doubtless, had he
" slept well" after a hard day's labour in the cause of
this Society. Sweetest of all was the rest of the bene-
volent man from the labours of his life—and if ever
departed spirits were permitted to revisit this world,—
surely it was on scenes like these his heart would love
to dwell, and " bless the scenes he loved in life so well."
Let his example be followed throughout the country—
which had ever shown itself the protector of the unpro-
tected, and would by such works of benevolence and
philanthropy win an imperishable renown, which would
exist when thrones had crumbled into dust, and nations
passed away.—( Loud cheering.)
Toast—" The Duke of Richmond, and the Vice-
Presidents."—(Drunk with all the honours, and great
cheering.)
G. WiLeitaxam, Esq., M.P., said that as one of the
Vice-Presidents, he wished not to shrink from any
odium which the Society might incur in the prosecu-
tion of its benevolent objects, believing, as he
did, that those objects would tend not only to
the improvement and salvation•of thousands of British
children but to the diffusion throughout our colonies, of
the British race, the British language, and the British
manners.—( Cheers.)
Sir J. STIRLING drew the attention of the assem-
blage to a letter in The Sun of yesterday, June 12,
signed " Guardian of Infant Poor," and inquiring
as to the fate of thirty children, shipped by
the Society in 1833, to Australia. Sir James
tated that he could give a satisfactory reply to
this inquiry ; the children had been sedulously attended
to during the voyage by himself and Lady Stirling—
and, since their arrival in Australia, their conduct and
their situation had been alike gratifying. And further,
minute accounts of everything material respecting all
the children had been forwarded to the Society.—
(Cheers.)

Toast—" The City of London, and the public
bodies who have patronized the Society."—(Drunk
with all the honours.)
His ROYAL HIGHNESS then gave " The Committee
of Management ;" which having been cordially received,
Sir C. LEMON acknowledged the toast, and ex-
pressed great regret that the calumnies which had
been circulated against the Society, whose object he so
admired, should have materially crippled its operations.
—(Hear, hear.)
Shortly before this his Royal Highness left the
chair, and was loudly cheered on getting into his

carriage.

NATIONAL EDUCATION.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
DEFEAT OF THE TORIES AND METHODISTS

AT WEST BRONINVICFI.

It having been ascertained that two petitions against the
Government plan of education had been secretly and si-
lently got up, one among the Church Tories, end the other
among Wesleyan Tories of West Bromwich, the friends of
the measure determined on a hold and honourable course to
test the sentiments of the inhabitants generally o he sub-
ject at a public meeting. Consequently hand is were
largely circulated containing a petition in favour of the Go-
vernment plan, and distributed far and wide, that the pub-
lic might know that no hole and corner work was meant.

On-Monday evening, the 10th instant, the meeting was
held according to the requisition, at the I3ull's Head
Inn, High-street; and the committee being engaged
in prepiring the resolutions, they awaited the ar-
rival of the Chairman, R. L. Chance, Esq., who
arrived about five minutes after the announced time. The
Tories and Wcsleyans who had mustered strongly for them
were aisemb!erl in the adjoining room, in which (had the
rain continued) it was intended to hold the meeting, and
taking advantage of the non-arrival of the Chairman at
seven o'clock exactly. proceeded to elect a Chairman, a poor
local preacher, and to pass a resolution of a character to-
tally opposite to the purpose of the meeting. The Com-
mittee were aware of this, but took no notice whatever.
Immediately on the arrival of Mr. Chance, he was elected
Chairman and the meeting adjourned into the open yard,
the rain having ceased, in whicn a platform had been pre-
pared, for the Chairman and speakers. This having been
done, Mr. Stokes, one of the Committee went to
the Tory room, and politely informed its contents,
that the REAL MEETING was commenced in the
open yard. Poor things !—they were thunder-struck at
this announcement, and forthwith helter-skelter, peil-melt,
Tories, Wesleyans, travelling Preachers, local Preachers,
one motley group, came rushing to the door. Oh, they
looked unutterable things when they saw the real meeting,
Chairman, speakers, &c., in real possession of what they
meant to make their own elysium. However, they could
do nothing now ; they were fairl7 beat, the supporters of
the measure outnumbering them as ten to one at least.
The Chairman, R. L. Chance, Esq. then rose and in a
neat, quiet speech explained the objects of the meeting.
He then called on the Rev. W. Stokes, Baptist Minister,
to move the first resolution, which was, " That this
meeting considers that the petitions to Parliament lately
sent from West Bromwich do not express the sentiments
of the inhabitants generally on the subject of national edu-
cation, and that it is imperatively called on to express those
sentiments in accordance with te truth of the case. ' The
Rev. Gentleman enlarged on the deceptive means that had
been resorted to in obtaining signatures to the petitions
sent by the Wesleyan Methodists, and contended that they
did not express the views of the inhabitants at large. He
instanced one case as a specimen. The petition was taken
to the house of a gentleman, a Wesleyan, but who was
from home ; they then applied to his son, a lad under thir-
teen years of age, to sign his father's name. He did so'.
but the father afterwards insisted on its erasure, as he did
not agree with the petition by any means. Mr. S. went
on to say that those parties had called no meeting, had
never explained the Government plan, but had gone from
house to house with a petition for "No Popery." He ri-
diculed the childish fear of Popery. contended strenuously
for their civil rights, and assured the meeting that know-
ledge among the people would do more to explode the
errors of Popery than all the civil disabilities that could be
heaped upon them. The speaker on retiring was loudly
cheered.

A. KENRICK, Esq. briefly but warmly seconded the
resolution.

The Rev. G. MAkaLAND, Wesleyan travelling preacher,
then rose to move an amendment to the effect, " That no
sanction should be given to any plan of national
education that did not recognise the authorised version
of the Holy Scriptures, and no other, as its basis." He
dwelt at length on the facilities which, he contended
the Government plan of education would afford for the
growth of Po'ery and infidelity. He denounced the
scheme as concocted by Socinians and Deists, ani called
on the meeting to support his amendment. So great,
however, was the opposition to the amendment that the
Rev. Gentleman withdrew it, and retired. At the request
of the Chairman,

The Rev. W. STOKES again rose, to read anu
explain the Government plan of Education, which had
been so greatly misrepresented by Mr. Marsland. Mr.
Stokes then entered on an elaborate explanation of the
objects of the plan, which he read at length. The reading
and explanation elicited marks of great surprise and ad-
miration ; surprise, because the plan bad been so vilified,
and so little understood, and admiration at the impartiality
of its provisions. The speaker, in the course of his address,
exposed the baseness of those who had so cruelly entrapped
the ignorant into an opposition to a plan which they were
careful not to explain. In this representation the speaker
was sustained by the large assembly, who unequivocally
indicated their detestation of such intentional misrepre-
sentation.

A Mr. NAYLOR then mounted the table and began in a
strain of low vulgarity to abuse the Government plan
and its supporters. So absurd were come of his state-
ments that the meeting manifested the greatest impati
ence and contempt. He concluded by moving an amend-
meat that could not be heard.

The Rev. Mr. LEAKE, Wesleyan Minister, rose to so.
cond the amendment. He began mildly and modestly to
protest against being considered a politician, but he soon
convinced the meeting that he was one of no common
intensity. He opened a volley of vituperation on the
Government plan and its supporters. He described it
as the off-pring of Infidels and Socinians ; of Grote,
Hume, Warburton, &c., and was proceeding in this ob-
jectionable strain until the demand for a show of hands
on the amendment became so vociferous that he seconded
the amendment and withdrew. The amendment was the
same in substance as Mr. Maralat►d's.

The amendment was then put from the chair, when
about a dozen hands appeared in its support. The noes
were then demanded, and a waving forest of hands from
the large assembly negatived the amendment by an over-
whelming majority. The original motion was then put
and carried triumphantly, amid cheering which lasted seve-
ral minutes.

The motion, " that the petition which has been printed
and circulated be now adopted, substituting postponed'
for abandoned,' in reference to the Government plan,"
was put by Mr. Cooksey, surveyor, and seconded by Mr.
Webb, a Wesleyan, of the Staffordshire Timber Company,
in two sensible addresses, which were well received by the
meeting. The motion was carried by an immense ma-
jority, amid long contined cheers.
A vote of thanks was given to the Chairman, and the
assembly quietly dispersed.
Thus ended a meeting which the Tories of West Brom-
wich will remember with sorrow to many a distant day.
The beaten and discomfited Tories are making the best
of it with a vengeance. The report that the meeting was
Over when the one in the yard began ; that is, that they
met, elected a Chairman,. moved and seccnded resolutions,
spoke, commented, explamed, &c., in ten minutes. Even

some of their ministers tell this goodly truth. No
doubt that Holy Print, the Watchman, will preach this
methodism to its sagacious readers ; and that worthy com-
peer of itself, of all falsehood, the Standard, will be equally
honest! Oh Methodism I blush for your advocates.

ROYAL TREE HOSPITAL, GRE-
VILLE-STREET, IiATTON.GARDEN.

The eleventh anniversary of this Institution was
celebrated last evening at the Freemason's Tavern.
The Marquis of Normanby in the Chair. About 120
Gentlemen sat down to dinner. Among others, the
Lord Kinnairci, the Rev. E. Rice, Head Master of
Christchurch, Mr. Baring Wall, Mr. Charles Pearson,
Mr. Easthope, the Rev. Mr. Dale, Mr. Marsden, the
founder of the Institution, and a number of other
humane individuals who take an interest in this excellent
Institution.

It may be interesting to the public to state its
object, and what it has already done with small
means. It was founded in 1828, and before
that year there was no establishment in London
where the destitute stranger, when overtaken by sick-
ness or disease, and at a distance from the parish
where, by settlement, he had a claim to parochial as-
sistance, could find a place to receive him. It is a
fact, not perhaps generally known, that the Houseless-
Poor Asylum that admirable institution, which,
throughout the winter, shelters nightly some hundreds
of the destitute and houseless, and supplies them with
fond enough to satisfy the dreadful cravings of hunger—
of necessity closes its doors against the sick and diseased ;
indeed, were not this the case, the greatest possible
danger might be apprehended to the congregated masses
who resort thither, pre-disposed as they arc to infection,
for the want of those precautions which cannot be
adopted except in places dedicated to the sick alone.
Some time ago, when an attempt was made to retain
the rick in that asylum, several officers of the Institu-
tion, asj well as great numbers of the miserable in-
mates, lost their lives from tiphus fever. It then
became the imperative duty of the Committee
of that most excellent charity, a duty which not on-
frequently causes them much pain in the execution
of it, to refuse admittance to those houseless and des-
titute persons, who being sick or diseased, are by far in
the greatest need of immediate assistance. The Royal
Free Hospital is the only one in London which provides
a remedy for sudden and urgent cases of this nature.
Here alone it is, that such as are afflicted and weighed
down by the extremes of want and sickness, can find a
place of refuge always open to receive them. The pa-
tients at this hospital, are not generally of that
class of persons who can gain admission into the
other hospitals. They are for the most part become
too abject and loathsome from disease and famine to be
considered the proper objects for those Institutions.
Besides, if it were not so, numbers of them would ab-
solutely die, ere they could go through the requi-
site farm or ceremony previous to their being admitted
into them ; to such an extent have they, in many cases,
already borne the weight of human suffering that they
could not bear it a single step further. AN hilst that
dreadful scourge, the cholera, was making its fright-
ful ravages throughout the City, upwards of seven
hundred persons afflicted with it were received
into this Hospital ; when by the rules of the larger
establishments for the sick, they were, and are
still, prohibited from admitting such cases, or any
others of a very malignant character. It is another
highly important feature of this institution, that it has
rescued a great number of lost females from the paths of
sin and suffering, and restored them to health and respect-
ability, in the lower grades of society. Many of these but
for the Royal Free Hospital, would soon have terminated
their sad career by an untimely and deplorable death.
The great object of the establishment is to afford prompt,
efficacious, and gratuitous relief' to the most wretched of
all human beings—the totally destitute sick or diseased.
On the cloth being removed, the Noble CHAIRMAN
said—l rise to propose a toast for which lam sure your
loyal feelings will require no introduction. I propose
her most Gracious Majesty—the Patron of this Charity
The toast was drank with three times three, amidst
great enthusiasm, and was followed by " God save the
Queen," in which many of the company joined.
Lord NORMANBY said he was sure the next toast
would be duly appreciated, because the Ro3 al Family
were always the first to lead the way in charity, and the
female members of that illustrious house generally took
the preeedence. The toast was, her Majesty the Queen
Dowager, her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, and
the rest of the Royal Family.—(Loud cheers.)
The next toast was the Duke of Beecleuch, the Pre-
sident of the Society, who, the Noble Chairman said,
though absent from necessity, was always a warm and
powerful supporter of all charitable institutions.
Mr. BARING WALL said he had been requested to
give the Vice-Presidents, and it afforded him great
pleasure to associate with them his Grace the Duke
of Bedford, a name identified with tho arts
and sciences, and all the liberal and charitable
institutions of the country, and revered for the part
which the family of Russell' had taken in some of the
proudest events in the history of the British empire. If
he were not prevented by the presence of a Rev. Gen-
tleman who had been of vast benefit to the Institution,
he would make some remarks on another Vice-Presi-
dent. He would, hoWever,.sin:ply give the Itice=Presi;
dents, and be,?.: leave to associate with them the Rev. E
Rice, Head Master of Christ. Church.

_
Mr. Rac.o expressed his regret that some of the
Vice-Presidents, much more qualified than himself to
return thanks, were not present ; but, at the same time,
he rejoiced in having that opportunity of stating the
deep interest which he had taken, and which he
would continue to take in the institution.—(Cheers.)
He might state that he became acquainted with the
Charity, from having occasion to deliver a sermon from
the pulpit in its behalf, and on looking into the details,
he felt that it was one the most purely founded on the
principles of religion.7--(Hear, hear.) He did not re•
collect any other institution which was founded in such
strict accordance with the doctrines of the Gospel of
our Saviour, whose great object was to relive the poor.
—(Loud cheers.) This institution was founded chiefly
for the poor—for those who had no other hope—
for those who were stricken with disease and poverty,
and who must lie down and die but for the charitable
aid of those who founded and supported the Institution.
For no other people was it so beneficial as for the na-
tives of Ireland ; and from the great benefit it had con-
ferred on the most helpless of our race he would con-
tinue to do everything in his power to farther the objects
which its benevolent supporters had in view.—(Cheers.)
Lord KINNAIRD said he was sorry to say he was a
stranger in that Society, but at the same time he was
confident that in proposing the name of the Noble Mar-
quis who had that evening honoured them with his
company, be would meet with their unanimous approba-
tion. In proposing and accepting that toast, they ought to
consider that the Noble Charman held a high and im-
portant situation in the country. That be was engaged
in attending to the vast interests of a large portion of
the empire, and that it was highly gratifying to find
that he could spare a little time to meet them on this
charitable occasion. No man hid laboured more than
the Noble Chairman to do good, not only to one por-
tion of the inhabitants of the British Isles
but also to the inhabitants of other countries, and it WAS
gratifying to find him presiding at that meeting, and at-
tendinz, notwithstanding his arduous official duties, to
one object, which he had greatly at heart—charity.
The Marquis of Nortmaxelt then rose, and was re-
ceived with renewed and long-continued cheering. He
assured them, with sincerity, that he knew not how to
thank them for the manner in which they bad been kind
enough to receive the toast which had been so ably
and eloquently proposed by his Noble Friend. The
manner in which his name had been introduced had had
no small share in the cordial reception it had met with,
for it had prediqposed the compauy to acquiesce in
what he had to say. His (the Marquis of Normanby's)
gratitude was not the less sincere because it was not
more elaborately expressed. He would now say a few
words as to the object of the institution they were met
to support, before he called upon the Secretary to read the
Report of the last year's proceedings. He could not
appear before them for the first time in the capacity of
their Chairman, without expressing his cordial and sin-
cere opinion of the peculianypractically benefitsof the in-
stitution. It was not usually necessary in advocating the
cause of charity, generally, in that metropolis, to dwell
upon the peculiar merits of this or that institution. It
was better at once, he believed, to take it for granted
that they were conducted on the best principles, and
sustained by that system of management which was
most likely to conduce to the objects they had in view.
There was something, however, in the all-engrossing
scope of the present institution, which seemed
to speak to them in the very original essence of
true charity. It knew of no distinction—it acknow-
ledged no exclusion—it owned no limit—except that
which was placed in it by the extent of the funds which
a benevolent public might place in its hands.—(Hear,
hear) If the objects of the institution were so com-
prehensive, they must also be equally distinct. In the
address which was now lying on their table, he saw an
allusion to the Houseless Poor Asylum, and the many
who derived advantages from its funds, but they must
all be aware that the objects of the present institution
were totally distinct, for the former necessarily ex-
cluded all those who were unsound in health. That
was the only limit to its otherwise universal bene-
volence—the comfortless who resorted there for com-
fort were necessarily excluded if disease was ingrafted
on destitution.—(Hear, hear.) On the contrary, the
Royal Free Hospital opened its door to those who were
excluded from all other charitable institutions, and it had,
therefore, peculiar claims on the sympathy and support
of the public. The wants of that class were more
numerous, their weakness more apparant, and their
misery more aggravated.—(Hear, hear.) Was it
rot obvious, therefore, that the institution had threefold
claims upon their attention and sympathy ? It should
be recollected that all those who contributed to the
support of the present institution, no matter how small
their mite was, contributed in some degree to alleviate
the vast mass of human misery with which that metro-
tropolis abounded, and which was so materially aggra-
vated by the spread of disease.—(Loud cheering.;
He felt it unnecessary to allude any further to the pe-