The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-18 00:00:00

THE DINNER.

The banquet in the evening took place as usual,
in Merchant Taylors'-hall---the Lord Mayor pre-
siding.
The Prince of Wales was present in the capacity
of one of the stewards, and in attendance on him
were Earl Spencer, K.G., Lieut.-Gen. Knollys, and
Major Teesdale, C.B. Among the general company
were the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Bishops of
London, Oxford, Winchester, Salisbury, St. Asaph,
Lincoln, Ripon, Llandaff, Glocester and Bristol,
Moray, Brisbane, and the Bishop Designate of Nel-
son ; the Dukes of St. Albans and Manchester, Earl
Manvers, Lord Cranworth, the Attorney, Sir H.
Holland, Sir J. P. Boileau, Sir W. Stirling, Rev.
Sir L. T. Stainer, Sir T. Heron Maxwell, Sir R.
Alcock, K.C.8., the Deans of St. Paul's, Ely, West-
minster, and Manchester, Alderman Copeland, and
the Sheriffs of London.

The first toast given from the chair was "Church
and Queen," which having been duly honoured,
The LORD MAYOR proposed the " Health of the
Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and the
Royal Family." His Royal Highness, the Lord
Mayor said, had come among them not merely as a
guest, and not merely as a steward, but his object
and desire was to do all the good in his power (hear,
hear) to an institution in which he took the deepest
interest, and to give it the benefit of all the encou-
ragement and the prestige which his name was sure
to carry with it. (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm.
The Prince of WALES, who was received with loud
cheers, in acknowledging the toast, said—My Lord
Mayor, and lords and gentlemen, I return you my
most sincere thanks for the way in which you have
proposed my health and that of the Princess of
Wales and the royal family, and for the still kinder
manner in which it has been received by you all.
(Cheers.) I need hardly assure you with whatplea-
sure and gratification I find myself assisting at the
festival of this incorporation, which renders in-
estimable benefits to the poor clergy of the Church
of England. (Cheers.) All will admit it is of the
greatest importance that our clergy should be men
of education, and not only so, but that they should
be able to devote a portion of their time to study
and reflection, as well as to the more active duties
of their profession, free from the harrowing distrac-
tion of poverty. How great must be this distrac-
tion in the too frequent case of a poor clergyman
with a large family, and a scanty income during his
life, and the prospect of nothing at his death ! Yet
it has always been considered desirable in our Church
that if possible the clergy should marry. (Cheers.)
It is to meet such cases that this society has been
formed—to mitigate the anxieties and sorrows of
many a hard-working clergyman, to soothe the
aching heart of many a widow and orphan in the
hour of affliction.' (Loud cheers.) In conclusion, I
' must not omit to mention one important feature in
the administration of the funds of this charity—that
it is secret. (Hear, hear.) Nobody knows to whom
they go; and thus none seeking its aid have the mor-
tification and humiliation of knowing that their dis-
tress has been paraded and published to the world.
(Cheers.) We nmst all admit this is a wise provi-
sion, and that it completes the claim which this so-
ciety has upon our sympathies and support—(hear,
hear)—and I cannot better conclude than by calling
on you all to stretch forth your hands liberally, and
do your utmost to support so estimable and so noble
a charity. (Loud cheers.)
The next toast was " The Army, Navy, and Vo-

lunteers," which was acknowledged by General
Knollys, Sir T. 11. Maxwell, and the Duke of Man-
chester.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY, in returning
thanks as president of the society, said that though
the society might well congratulate itself on having
carried out the benevolent desire of its founders, yet

there was great reason for anxiety when they looked
to the future and saw the great increase which was
taking place in the demands upon its funds. There
were at least ten thousand clergymen in this
country whose incomes were under £2OO a year, and
these 10,000 men must be among the most deserv-
ing of the population, because while, with the edu-
cation they had received, they might in other lines
of life have obtained not merely a competence, but
affluence, their zeal for their Divine Master had led
them to devote themselves- to his service. He ear-
nestly hoped, therefore, that the response made to
the appeal on this occasion would be such as befitted
it. (Hear, hear.) He remembered well the influ-
ence which the weighty words of his royal high-
ness's respected and illustrious father had brought
to bear when on a memorable effort of the institu-

ion he had honoured them with his presence, and

he earnestly hoped that a similar result would fol-
low now that his royal highness had followed that
worthy example. (Cheers.) He could assure his
Royal Highness that the words which hehad spoken
that night in advocating the cause of the institu-
tion would moisten many an eye with the tear of
gratitude, and would fill many a heart with thank-
fulness. (Cheers.) His Grace concluded by pro-
posing " The Health of the Lord Mayor," and ex-
pressed the great pleasure the friends of the society
felt in maintaining their close connection with the
chief magistrate and the citizens of the metropolis.
The toast having been duly honoured,
The LORD ALIYOR next proposed " The Health
of the Bishops and Clergy," for which
The Bishop of LONDON returned thanks. In the
course of his speech the right rev. prelate said that
by the year 1890 the Ecclesiastical Commissioners
would have the gratification of being able to raise
the stipends of the clergy generally to £3OO a year.
But as an advocate of the claims of this society he
demurred to appearing before theta in forma pauperis,
for notwithstanding the great privations which many
of them had to undergo, and notwithstanding the
larger sums which were obtained in secular professions,
there would ever be found men to devote themselves

to a profession which was honoured not only on ac-
count of its religious usefulness but on account of the
great place which it had always held in this nation.
(Cheers.) The most useful clergymen were often
those who had been educated in parsonages—(hear)
—and it was on that account that he called on them
to support a society which would enable clergymen
to educate their sons for the Church. (Cheers.)
" The Health of the Stewards," acknowledged by

the Bishop of Oxford ; "the Judges" and " the Bar,"
acknoWledged by Lord Cranworth and the Attorney-
General, and other toasts were drunk ; and in the
course of the evening the Secretary announced that
the collection at the Cathedral amounted to £312, and
that £1,489 had been collected at the dinner. The
name of the Prince of Wales appeared as a subscriber
of 100 guineas, and 44 other stewards contribute
£1,350. The whole income of the society for the
year from voluntary contributions was stated to be
£4,689, which was entirely independent of the in-
come from landed estates and funded property.
The musical arrangements, as usual, were under
the
direction of Mr. Francis, who was assisted by
Mr. Shoubridge, Mr. Fielding', Mr. Walker, Mr. IT.
Buckland, Mr. Wiun, andthe.choristers of St. Paul's.

AID TO ENDOWED SCIIOOLS.--A new minute,
made by the Privy Council Committee on Education on the
Ist inst., has been laid before Parliament. The minute pro-
vides that the public grant shall not be reduced "in any
school on account of any annual endowment as long as
the grant and the endowment together do not make a sum
total exceeding the rate of 15s. per scholar, according to
the average number in attendance in the year.