The Sun.
London, England, 1824-03-25 00:00:00

MARANE SOCIETY

The Anniversary Dinner of this Society was.
held yesterday at the City of London Tavern. His Royal.
Highness the Duke of CLARENCE presided in the Chair, and
the Meeting was most respectably attended.
As soon as the cloth was removed, Grace was sung by the
professional Gentlemen who attended. Immediately after
which his Royal Highness gave—
" The King," with four times four, and much applause.
God Save the King,' in full chorus.

" The Royal Family" was then drank with three times

three.

" The Duke of York and the Army" was drunk with
great applause. Duke of York's March,' the professional
Gentlemen sung the Glee, ' How merrily we live that Soldiers

be-
SAXITEL THORNTON, Esq. the elder Vice-President, then
stood up, and said he had to propose a toast which he was sure
would give universal satisfaction ; he meant the health of their
present Royal Chairman, who had honoured them that day
with his company and support.
" The Duke of Clarence" was then drank amidst enthu-
siastic applause.
His Royal. HIGHNESS, in returning thanks, said, be felt
sure that the present must be an occasion of universal joy and
pleasure to the many Englishmen that surrounded him. They
had met to celebrate and encourage a noble Institution ; Eng-
land was celebrated for its charities; more so, indeed, than
any other country in the world, and he would venture to re-
mind them, that the charity they were now upholding was one
of the most useful and beneficial this country could boast.
It was to commerce that this land owed its chief prosperity,
and, he would ask, what so thoroughly assisted the navy, as
having a stock of useful hands ready to man their ships, that
were to carry their merchandize from place to place ? He, anti
many others, well knew that it was absolutely necessary for
sailorsto begin young to make fit and able seamen ; it there-
fore became highly necessary that the rising generation should
be instructed in those duties, and to assist in so laudable a
task he would come among them as long as his health would
permit.—(Applause.)—Fie should have later in the evening to
speak again of the concerns of the Society, but he could not
allow himself, now that he was on his legs' to return thanks
for the handsome manner in which they had drunk his health,
to sit down without observing, that though the family to which
he had the honour to belong had once been foreign to this
island, yet he hoped that himself and the other members of
it might now be considered as genuine Englishmen.—(Loud
applause.)
" The Navy" was then drank with three times three.
Upon which _Admiral Sir R. STOPFonDreturned thanks.
No man, he said, could quit this Meeting without having bet-
ter feelings than when he entered it : independently of the
benefit they were doing to so many of their fellow-creatures, it
Royalno,r t joino i
with
patronisingts Royal
oyel siolignhonbelessaincatubsin'kinigi,ethhaatd
atnh eeahroly-
was their present happiness to have an eminent branch of the
initiation in the duties of a sailor was absolutely necessary to
make ood seaman ;it was indeed a second nature that they
require; and it was not till they had obtained that, that they
Gould exclaim with the poet-
- " Sleep,
Wilt theu upon the high and giddy mast
Seal up the ship-boy's eyes, and rock his brains
1 n cradle of the rude iniperious surge ;
And in the visitation of the winds
Who take the ruffian billows by die top,
Curling their monstrous headS, and hanging them
With deaf 'ning clamours in the slippery clouds ?"
He had had the honour to be shipmate and fellow-watchman
with- his Royal Highness many years ago, and could bear
ample testimony to his strict discharge of duty, and readiness to
obey the commands of his superior officers, and had at the same
time witnessed many proofs of the benevolence of his heart.—
(Applause.)
" Rule Britannia."
Te Duke of CLARENCE said, he had now to propose a
toast which need but be pronounced to be aceeptable, and
which would hardly require any preface from him. He would
not go into the history of the present excellent Institution ; it
would suffice to say, that it had been established for many
years, and had turned out most eminently beneficial. Even in
the time of peace, in the course only of the year 1823, the Society
had sent 747 boys into either the Navy or the East India and
Merchants' service; and since the commencement of the pre-
sent year, they had disposed, in the same way, of 23t; boys.
The whole number that had had employment found for them,
since the establishment of this Society, in 1756, was 35,976._
When such numbers as these, were mentioned, it would be
needless to descant on the utility of the system. The thing spoke
for itself, and though futurity could not be searched, yet taking
them only as boys, infinite good was done. ' Those that con-
ceived that sailors could be made at any time of hie, were mis-
taken—it required a long education, and the sooner it was be-
gun the better. The officers in his Majesty's service had not
time, either in peace or war, to instruct their men, and this
single fact would shew how necessary such a Society as the
present was; and it was to be remembered, that they were in-
structing. lads ready to be called into service, should this country
at any time be again engaged in war. His Royal Highness
concluded by proposing " Prosperity to the Marine Society,"
which was drank with three times three, and loud acclamation.
It was at this period that the Boys of the Society were intro-
duced and paraded round the room ; they were all neat and
clean, and bowed lowly to to the company. We were more
pleased with the way. in which one of the lads waved his hand,
in preference to bowing his head ; he was not above twelve or
thirteen, and though wholly undistinguished in his place by
dress, or other outward appearance, he caught our eye imme-
diately by the fineness of his countenance, and the very natural
grace with which he performed the simple motion of passing
his left hand backward and forward. The circumstance of its
being his left hand serves to shew how little the motion or effect
could have been studied. p
On the boys withdrawing, after giving the company three
cheers, " The President, Lord Romney," was drank, but that
Nobleman was not present to return thanks.
His ROYAL HIGHNESS, in proposing the health of Sir
George Cockburn, observed that the dinner taking place the
day previous to the election, he was unable to congratulate the
Gallant Admiral on his accession to the honour of being
elected Vice President to this Institution, in the room of the
late 31r. Reid.
" Sir George Cockburn" was then drank with applause.
The Gallant ADMIRAL, in returning thanks, said, that
though he could not return thanks for having been chosen one
of their Vice Presidents, he could at least express his gratitude
for the honourable way in which his Royal Highness had men-
tioned his name. He would state one circumstance, with re-
spect to the present Society, which he was sure would be grati-
fying to all that heard him, which was, that a very short time
ago a boy, that had been educated in this Institution, had been
raised by the Lords of the Admiralty to the rank of Post-
Captain ; this plainly shewed that no family or interest was
required to elevate men to those honourable posts—let them
but do their duty, and they were sure to get forward.
" The Treasurer of the Society was then drank, and thanks
were returned by Mr. Thornton, in a neat speech.--Song,
' life's like a ship,' Mr Goulden.
" Lord Melville, and the other Lords of the Admiralty,"
was toasted with applause.
Mr. KEITH DOUGLAS rose to return thanks for himself and
his colleagues; and he felt sure that he spoke the sentiments
of them all, when he said that they were most anxious to
see this Society going on prosperously. They felt and were
always willing to express their value for true and good sea-
men, and it was gratifying to them to see so many boys
taken from misery, an perhaps plaCed in a situation where
they might conduct themselves respectably ; he need not
say any more in its favour, but would content himself with
appealing to the practical benefits that had resulted from the
Institution.
The Secretary then proceeded to read an account of the sub-
scriptions, which were numerous and ample ; we noticed many
who had put down their names for an annual subscription of
ten guineas, and there were were other considerable sums men-
tinned. After " The Committee" and " The Stewards" were
drunk, his Royal Highness retired ; but his place being sup-
plied by 3lumpratt, the harmony was keept p u tea late
hour.