The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-17 00:00:00

LIVE VSED VICTUALLERS' SCHOOLS.

BANQUET AT THE ASHBURNHAM PAVILION,
CREMORNE GARDENS.
Yesterday the 'anniversary festival of the Licensed
Victuallers' Schools, it bean; also the jubilee of the in-
atitutioo, was held at Ashburnharn-park grounds, ad-
j doing Cremorne;gardens. Tue preparations for the ac
comniatlation of an assemblage of persons who were to
be numbered, not by hundreds but by thousands, all of
whom expected to dine, and who did dine, and dine well,
was a notable proof of the capabilities of the establish-
ment of which Ashburnham.park forms a part. The
dinner was laid out in the vast and tasteful marquee in
which the AMerican flower show was recently held, and
its arrangements and decorations partook of the charac-
ter of that exhibition. Flags and fl wers, in festoons,
groups, and in banging baskets, being disposed in aII
parts of the tent in profusion, which, added to the hand
spine manner in which the table• were spread, formed
'altogether one of the prettie•t, indeed most eleganr,
spectacles we have seen for some time. A dais, with a
canopied seat for the chairman, ran along one side of the
marquee,- beneath which, in Kerrie I rows, were tables
affording accommodation to no less than 2,300 persons
When it is added that there was an elevated orchestra,
in which the Cremorne brass band played during dinner,
and three galleries capable of holding 500 ladies, some
idea may be formed of the extraordinary gathering which
was amply provided for under" one roof. Nothing could
be better than the viands and wines, which reflected
very great credit upon Mr. Simpson's judgment
and liberality, as well as upon the skill of hi,
chef de cuisne, • Mr. • Johns ; and the service
was performed with perfect regnetrity. jam Walker,
Esq., of the firm of Taylor, Walker, and Co., took tars
chair, and he did his best to carry on the proceedings of
the evening with due effect ; but owing to the hilarity
of the company, which commenced at a very early pe-
riod of thadinner, the speeches were mostly delivered
in " inexpheable dumb-show," and so much of them as
reached the reporters was conveyed to them second
hand through the able and energetic medium of Mr.
Harker, the toastmaster, who acted the part of a kind of
interpreter between the speakers and the recorders of
the speeches. The usual loyal toasts having been given,
"Prosperity to the Licensed Victuallers' Schools" was
proposed by the chairman ; after which the children of
the schools, 134 in number, mare-bed in procession round
the dais on which the chairman and his friends, and the
officers of the institution, were Rea. eI. The two senior
boys, in succession, recited some verses appropriate to
the occasien,--the jubilee of the charity—and the chil-
dren generally sung a hymn. The healthy of the chair-
man, the different officers of the institution, the press,
the officials of the other charities of the trade, and the
ladies, were given in succession, and before daylight
had quite departed the majority of the company betook
themselves to the neighbouring gardens of Cremorne,
the amusements of which were held out as a portion of
the festivities of the day. A sum of above 1,4001. was
collected,, towards which the chairman contributed 50
guirieas," Messrs. Taylor and Walker 100 guineas and 20
guineas annually, in addition-to which various sums
were subscribed by the friends of the firm, many of
whom were present, making an aggregate of 3751. ob-
tained by means
.of Meisrs. Taylor and Walker, by far
thedirgest- amount which has been received through
the instrumentality of any chairman of the festivals of
the institution for the last 13 years. An efficient musical
corps, under the direction of Mr. George, was in requi-
I sition, and Mr. Harker performed the singularly arduous
I duties of toastmaster on this occasion.