The Sun.
London, England, 1831-04-07 00:00:00

LICENSED VICTUALLERS' ASYLUM.

Yesterday, the Subscribers to, and the Friends
of the Licensed Victuallers' Asylum, dined to-
gether at the London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street ;
and on this occasion the Duke of Sussex (who laid
the foundation stone of die Asylum, and who pre-
sided at the dinner two years ago) again took the
Chair. On the right of the Duke were Mr. C.
Calvert, M.P., Alderman Brown, Alderman Sir P.
Laurie, Mr. Briscoe, M.P., &c.; and on his Royal
Highness's left appeared Mr. Ramsbottom, M.P.,
&c. The large room was crowded, and the meeting
was most respectable. The music galleries were
crowded with ladies.

The —dinner was excellent, and most excellently
rranged ; and the wines and dessert called forth
iniversul admiration. .

The Duke of SUSSEX rose for the purpose of
giving the first toast. He spoke to the following
effect :—" Gentlemen, you will easily anticipate the
toast lam gcing to propose. Thank God ! in this
cuutitry we can do nothing without a King ; and
thank God's (added the Duke most earnestly) with
such a King as we have we can do any thing."
[The tremendous and hearty applause that burst
forth on the delivery of this sentence defies adequate
description.]
Silence being restored, the Duke proceeded. "I
will not dilate upon the subject of the toast—it is
unnecessary ; because I see how anxious you are to
do honour to it.—(Loud cries of " bravo;" and ex-
clamations of " we have come to plain good English
at last.") I will give you, Gentlemen, King Wil-
liam the Fourth; and God bless him ! "—a toast
pronounced with amazing and most impressive feel-
ing by his Royal Highness. It was honoured with
loud, enthusiastic, and long-continued bursts of ap-
plause.
" God save the King" was afterwards tastefully
and skilfully sung by the vocal gentlemen.
The Dulse of SUSSEX would now trespass on them
with another toast, and after the manner in which
the last toast had been received, he felt quite as-
sured that they would receive " The health of Queen
Adelaide" with enthusiasm.—(lt was honoured with
three times three, followed by loud applause.)
Glee—" Huzza for the Queen."
Mr. C. CALVERT, M.P. for Southwark, then rose,
and said that with the permission of the room, and
of their Royal President, he begged leave to propose
a toast which he anticipated would be received by
the company with enthusiasm equal to that which
had characterised the preceding toasts. If (con-
tinued Mr. Calvert) I were to depend on myself to
find adequate words with which to propose the toast,
I should be at a loss to select language competent
to do it justice ; but to borrow expressions of our
Royal Chairman, may I not 'ay, what could we do
without such a chairman?—(Applause.) And with
him, cannot we do every thing ?—(Continued ap-
plause.) Therefore, without further preface, I feel
that I cannot do better than to propose, to show
our thanks to his Royal Highness for his condescen-
sion in having taken the chair, " The health of the
Duke of Sussex; and (added Mr. Calvert with
great earnestness) God bless him !" This was re-
ceived with tremendous applause, followed by three
times three and resumed plaudits.
The Duke of SUSSEX begged to return his sin-
cere thanks for the manner in which his health had
been proposed, and in which they had received it.
He frankly confessed he did not like lukewarm feel-
ings and meetings; he liked meetings where the
feelings of the heart evinced themselves.—(Anything
but " lukewarm" applause.) When he presided at
a similar meeting two yews ago—last year a melan-
choly occasion prevented him from attending their
anniversary—he did so with infinite satisfaction. He
had foreboded, and still anticipated, the most admi-
rable and beneficial results from this excellent instis
tution.—(Loud applause.) When he last met them,
however, they had to contend with a long string of
debt ; he could not say it was removed entirely, but
it was now 5001. only.—(Cheers.) He well re-
membered that when they charged him with the
duty of laying the foundation-stone of their Asylum,
they said, and wisely observed, that they must pro-
ceed by degrees. They had done so, and hitherto
most successfully. They had prepared 43 or 45
habitations, and which were occupied by 63 indivi-
duals.—(Applause.) When the wings of the build-
ing were completed there would be upwards of 100
residences, and habitations for at least 150 of their
unfortunate brethren, or their widows, who would
be lodged and considerably provided for by this in-
stitution.—(Loud applause.) He repeated, he
recollected with extreme satisfaction the day on
which he laid the first stone of that building ;
indeed, the recollection constituted one of the
greatest satisfactions he had ever expected to enjoy.
—(Loud and continued applause.) That being the
case, he felt assured they would imagine how
anxiously he hoped that the proceeds of that evening
might not only clear off the small remainder of debt
to which he had alluded, but enable them to proceed
with those works which they considered essential to
complete their plans.—(Cheers.) The two wings
lie understood, would cost 10,000/. ; adding to that
sum their small debt. of .500/., showed they required
the sum of 10,5001., to enable them effectually to
proceed to the completion of their excellent,de signs.
When he considered the body to whom he addressed
himself—and here he could make no mistake—he
knew their power, and he was tolerably well ac-
quainted with their numbers—(Much good-natured
cheering)—he felt persuaded that this result could
easily be achieved, if they only willed that it should
be done.—(Loud applause, and cries of hear.) He
well knew that if every licensed victualler would
only put his hand into his pocket, and draw thence
11., their subscription would far exceed the 10,500/.
required.—(Loud and continued applause.) There-
fore he submitted, and with very great confidence,
that the job they had to perform was not so very
hard of accomplishment. If they would only pus
their shoulders to the wheel—to use hetnely
phraseology—they could easily make it move to some
purpose.—(Applause.) That being the case, and
as he did not wish the good work to recede, he was
most honestly disposed to do all he possibly could
towards most benevolently and honourably " pick-
ing their pockets."—(Loud laughter and applause.)
And he wished to do so with as grave a face as was
practicable, and with all possible justice on his side.—
(Continued laughter.) Now, to effect the object which
he dectned to be so easily practicable, they had only to
make a very slight encroachment on their weekly
outlay for their own personal expences. Supposing
they spent 2s. 6d. a week, if they were to put aside
Is. a week for fifty-two weeks, that would produce
them 2/. 125., according to that very learnedgentle-
man whom he had often had occasion to quote, he
meant Mr. Cocker.—(Laughter and applause.)—
New, as every man had some enjoyment or other,
the saving which he suggested might easily be
made; and if they only gave a subscription of 11.,
the plan he suggested would produce a clear saving
to the subscribers of 1/. 12s. each.—(Loud laughter
and applause.)—His Royal Highness concluded
with stating, that presently he should call on the
Secretary to read his first report.—(Applause.)—
For the honour they had done him, he begged to
return his sincere acknowledgments.
The Duke of SUSSEX afterwards again rose, and
observed that he now desired to have the honour of
proposing to them another toast. His Royal High-
ness concluded with giving " The rest of the Royal
Family"—a toast that was honoured with three
times three and applause.
Song by Mr. Ransford, " England, the hope of
Europe."
The Duke of SUSSEX said, he had only one toast
more to propose, previously to their entering on
" parish business."—(A laugh.)—The toast that he
had tirst to propose was that of
Army."—(Applause.)
The SECRETARY (Mr. Jones) then read the Re-,
port of the Governors of the Licensed Victuallers
Asylum. "The Navy and
The Duke of SUSSEX (the list of new subscrip-