The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-04 00:00:00

HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION

AND DISEASES OF THE CHEST.

ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL AT THE
ALBION TAVERN.

The seventh anniversary of the institution of that
noble and magnificent charity, the Hospital for Con-
sumption and Diseases of the Chest, located at Brompton—
and which is certainly destined ere long to take the lead
of all the great benevolent: and charitable institutions
with which this vast metropolis of England, to its
eternal honour, abounds, magnificently supported and en-
dowed as these institutions are—was commemorated by
a brilliant festival, which was holden at the Albion
Tavern, in Aldersgate-street, on Wednesday evening; an
occasion which, we are sure, for the spirit-stirring elo-
quence which it evoked from that distinguished man,
Benjamin Disraeli, Esq., M.P., who presided over the
I banquet, and from that distinguished historian, Monsieur
Guizot, will long live in the memory of the 300 persons
whose high privilege it was to be numbered among the
guests.
The dinner hour was fixed for six o'clock, and shortly
after that hour Mr. Disraeli entered the room, and took
his seat at the head of the principal table,, amid the
enthusiastic plaudits of the assembly. Immediately on
his right hand sat Lard Faversham, and on his left
Monsieur Guizot. Amongst the guests who occupied
seats in the immediate vicinity of the chair we noticed
Sir John Pakington, M.P., R. A, Christopher, Esq.,
M.P., the lion. Mr. Melville, the Hon. Mr. Monson, Sir
Shuckburgh, Sir John Hare, the Rev. Robert Monte
gomery, Rose, Esq. (the honorary secretary), Dr.
Forbes, Dr. Cursham, Dr. Bowie, Dr. Theephilus
Thompson, Dr. Williams, William Lambert, Esq., R.
Baxter, Esq., R. Clarke, Esq., Rev. Charles Clarke,
Henry Cremer, Esq., Murdo Young, Esq., Edward
Speer, Esq., Marmaduke Horrudge Esq., Sze. &c.
A large temporary gallery had been erected by the
spirited proprietors of the tavern for the accommodation
of ladies, across the foot of the room, immediately
fronting the chair ; and many were the lovely eyes that
rained a witching influence on the admiring multitude
below. _ _

Dinner being over, on the removal of the cloth,
Non Nobis Domine was beautifully sung by Mr. Grattan
Cooke, assisted by Mr. Sporle, Mr. Young, and Mr.
Leffler.
The CHAIRMAN then rose and said—Gentle-
men, I am about to propose a toast which,
in an assembly of Englishmen, it is usually un-
necessary to accompany with any comment ; but
on the present occasion I cannot but remem-
ber that her Gracious Majesty was among the
earliest and most munificent supporters of the iustitu
tion, whose fortunes wo are met here to-day to aid. I
therefore take the liberty to remind you of that cir-
cumstance, however unnecessary on my part to do so,
when I propose to you " the health of our Sovereign
Lady the Queen."—(Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with the accustomed honours ;
and the National Anthem was sung by the wholo com-
pany standing.
The CHAIRMAN then said—Gentlemen, it is one of
the characteristics of this institution that we are in-
terested in even the routine toasts, which, though some-
times passed over with great celerity, cannot on this
occasion be left to you unnoticed, for when I propose to
you the health of the various members of the
Royal Family, it is my duty to remind you, if that were
necessary, that the Queen Dowager was one of our ear-
liest, and one of our most liberal supporters—(Cheers)
that it was the hand of his Royal Highness the Prince
Consort that laid the first stone of that building
which is your pride—(Cheers)—and that his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales is now one of our
recallprincipal t o
your
oonetrr irbeue tool
lres. —oti
oCeL
tohuadt ct h.)
Duke And I e
o ed
Cambridge,not
whose true liberality of feeling and native generosity
of heart have endeared him to all Englishmen—(Cheers)
—once occupied the chair which I now unworthily
fill. Therefore lam sure it will be with no ordinary
feeling that you drink " the health of the Queen Dow-
ager, his Royal Highness Prince Albert, Albert Prince
of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family."—(Cheers.)
Drunk with honours. Glee—" Sleep gentle lady, the
flowers are closing."
The CHAlRMAN—Gentlemen, I am about to propose
that we should drink to the Church. You are all lam
sure well aware that the hospital affords peculiar occa-
sions for the efficacious ministration of the offices of the
Church.—(Bear, hear.) Perhaps there are few scenes in
life in which spiritual efficacy could produce effects of such
earliest period been favoured with the sympathies of the
institutionimportance,
na nwdh
iIo
ha mw
et h
are
rr ee f earl el
innotte
rsurprised
e d shae thatfro heit
its i s
I have observed with
(GArPaPacice theahuesd Archbishop of Canter-
bury has very recently pre
e.a
sermon infavour of the
)
Churchgreat interest
toefr Er
snt gtliaj
entd
his
_
have an oppor-
tunitya
• • n of referring to the labours of en
on this occasion objects which this institutiondwtihshtesl to prosecute.—
(Applause.) But lam gratified
individual not so elevated in station as his Grace,. butthe
greatly distinguished, and who has peculiar :1 alum
s on
best feelings of all those who are present looking
which the pulpit had been filled with great power
upon
o overf
this more
institution,cursorily I
sthans sit
rcuoeukl dhhya vwishedthee
r theiousc recordsceasio
e s
by a gentleman who is present to-day, and known not
only to you but to fame—the Rev. Robert Montgomery
—(Applause)—was so struck by the indefatigable fre-
quency of his appeals, and the great results which have
accrued from them that I could not help, somewhat ra-
pidly, but I believe very accurately, forming an estimate
of the labours of an individual. lam myself a believer
in the power of the individual; I think we trust too much
to the spirit of societies, and too little to the energy of
the solitary being.—(Great cheering.) But when I tell
you that in counting the occasions which appear on the
authentic records, I find that one man in the brief space
which has occurred since the origin of this institution to
the present time, has on five and twenty occasions—
( Hear, hear)—addressed his fellow-countrymen in sacred
places, and by the sole energy of his owe abilities and
the inspiration of a great cause—(Hear, hear)— among
strangers in distant districts, raised himself a sum little
short of 1,000/.—(Cheers)—so I feel it not only my duty
but my high gratification to have this opportunity of
mentioning these circumstances, and though the gen-
til thisbe moment refer, I am happy to
the
toast
gen-
tleman in question has other claims on your sympathies,
responded whicht
o bly
a now
memberpl
your
to
uewhichrk hands,
e that
t proposingl notit w a
I swill
that of
the Church, not only so distinguished for every quality,
but so peculiarly entitled to your good feelings.
The Rev. ROBERT MONTGOMERY, in responding to the
ace in
toast, said, in the absence of others more calculated by
their position in the Church and by their talents than he
was to answer to the spirit of the toast which had been
given by their distinguished chairman, he would endea-
vour to offer a suitable response to it. He need not tell
them that he felt almost oppressed by the unmerited eulogy
that their distinguished chairman had passed upon him;
ha had rather described what he (Mr. Montgomery) ought
to be, than what he was. He was sure that there was
not one amongst his reverend brethren who did not par-
ticipate in the feelings of attachment which he bore to
the Hospital for Consumption. There was a pride which
aped humility, and a humility which aped pride. On
that occasion they would believe in his sincerity when
he said that he felt it no merit whatever on public occa-
sions to have made exertions on behalf of suffering
humanity. He felt it one of the highest privileges of
the Church, as the mediatrix between heaven and earth
—(Hear)—not only to advocate provision for the spiri-
tual necessities of the people, but also for their temporal
wants; and should the day ever come when the Catholic
Church lent a reluctant ear to the calls of suffering
humanity, he was sure she would forfeit her high privi-
leges, and her days would be numbered.—(Applause.)
lie had simply to state, in connexion with the toast,
that many of his reverend brethren were quite willing
e
to follow the humble example that he had set them; b
was quite sure that on no one occasion would theythfore
wanting in"their zeal, or deficient in their spa) y
growth, and he
stood round its cradle, ho had watched its grow
the great interests of this charity. He
stand
predicted that the Hospital
for Consumption would
harities.—(Cheer s.)
foremost in the history of English c
" Si monumentum requiris, circumspict:l
—(Applause.) number. of his
himself had
When he saw so large a
congratulated them on their presence, and he hoped
fellow-countrymen on every side on that occasion, ho
their gathering together that day was not simply for the
excitement of the present hour, but would .result in a
more enduring sympathy with the charity.---(Hear.) The
connexion of the toasts of the Queen and the Church,
and of the Army and Navy, on occasion like that, pre-
sented to a thoughtful mind emotions which were worthy
a passing remark. Perhaps no country in the world
presented the principles of unity and diversity like
England; there was diversity in politics, diversity in
literature,systems,
diversity
and
diversityi matters
in of taste, diversity in
educationalsocial
philosophy ;
but they had a unity of which every Englishmen
might be proud. They were Christians—(Applause)—
and therefore the altar and the throne, and the army and
navy, were all great standing sentiments, ;which came
out prominently on that occasion, drawing them off from
their diversities, and making them meet round one com-
mon centre of unity.—(Cheers.) He rejoiced that a
most distinguished foreigner should witness that gather-
ing.—(Applause.) He was proud, and rejoiced in the
presence of that distinguished individual. Amidst the
many aspects of English life that must have presented
themselves to him, he (Mr. Montgomery) trusted that the
aspect of national philanthropy, for which we were re-
markable as a nation, might not be the least eloquent or
persuasive to_him.—(Applause.) In conclusion, for he
held a long speech after dinner to he a nuisance—(A.
iaugh)—he had simply to add that he doubted not that
one feature in the Hospital for Consumption would ad-
vance in their sympathies, and feel the progress of their
liberality. He could, as a minister of religion, bear his
testimony to the great amount of temporal relief and
sympathy and consolation which this charity had be-
stowed on the recipients of its benefits. He wished that
assembly could see the grateful hearts, beaming through
the moistened eyes of those poor creatures, who from
time to time left its portals cured of the fearful malady
under which they had suffered. It was often said that
consumption was incurable. They would allow him to reply
to that that the Hospital for Consumption had given no
formal utterance on that question at all ; the office of
the
,hospital was to arrest the malady, and relieve the
patient ; what else m'ght be done depended on God—
(Hear, hear)—on the progress of science, and on the
nature of the disease. The real character of the charity
was to relieve sufThring humanity, so far as science and
Christian watchfulness could do; the rest they left to the
Lord. It was to him (Mr. Montgomery) an occasion for
unmitigated delight to have to the presence of their dis-
tinguished chairman among them that night.—(Cheers.)
He trusted he would not think him offensive in
his adulation il, as a literary man of twenty
years, however humbly connected with the literature of
this country, he begged to tender to him public homage
to those distinguished talents with [which he had en-
riched the literature of his cotintry.—(Cheers.) What-