The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-02 00:00:00

Society of Ancient Britons.

The 152 d anniversary festival of this society was
celebrated last evening at Willis's-rooms, King-
street, St. James's. The origin of the society dates
from the year 1715, shortly after the accession of
George 1., and may be attributed to two incidents
—first, to the fact of the birthday of Caroline,
Princess of Wales, being on the same day as that
of the tutelar Saint of the Principality, St. David,
Ist of March, and next to the circumstance that
there prevailed on the part of many influential
Welshmen at that time a desire to manifest their
attachment to the House of Hanover during the
troubles which then threatened the security of that
dynasty. Very soon after the formation of the so-
ciety a school was attached to it to provide a suit-
able education for poor children born iu the metro-
polis of Welsh parents, and, according to the pre-
sent statistics of the society, the number of boys
that have been admitted upon that establishment
and wholly maintained by it is 2,331. Of these it is
stated that 1,133 have been apprenticed, 5 have been
made pupil-teachers, 200 have been sent to sea, 900
to service, and upwards of 80 are now on the esta-
blishment. Then, of girls, 731 have been ad-
mitted, of whom 632 are gone to service, 60 have
been apprenticed, 3 have been made pupil-teachers,
and 36 are remaining in the establishment. The
auditor's report stated that the receipts, including
a balance of £570 19s. 4d., during the year amount
to £3,412 3s. 11d., and the payments to £3,024
19s. Bd., leaving a balance of £387 4s. 3d. The ex-
penditure has therefore exceeded the income by
£lB3 15s. Id., notwithstanding the number of chil-
dren in the establishment having been considerably.
reduced. On the present occasion his Royal High-
ness the Prince of Wales was president of the day,
and was supported by his Royal Highness the Duke
of Cambridge, Earl Powis, Earl Vane, Viscount
Hamilton, the Bishop of St. David's, Earl of Brad-
ford, Earl of Shrewsbury and Talbot, the Bishop of
Ely, Lieut.-Gen. Hood, Sir W. W. Wynn, M.P.,
Gen. Kuollys, Col. the Hon. Percy Herbert, M.P.,
Lord Richard Grosvenor, Right Hon. M. A. Bruce,
M.P. Sir T. Phillips, Q.C., Mr. T. Mainwaring,
M.P. Mr. R. Hanbury, M.P., Lieut.-Col. Williams,
M.P. Mr. R. Wynne, M.P., Mr. C. W. W. Wynn,
Lieut.-Col. C. Stuart, M.P., the Hon. H. Tracy,
M.P. Mr. H. Gwyn, M.P., Mr. Fildes, M.P., &c.,
and the company numbered upwards of 140 friendA
of the institution.

His ROYAL HIGHNESS, on rising to propose the
first toast, was received with great cheering. He
said— Your Royal Highness, my lords, ladies, and
gentlemen, the first toast which, iu the capacity of
chairman, I have to propose to you is one which I
feel certain you will drink with enthusiasm. It will
require little praise from me, as it is a toast which
at all meetings of Englishmen is never omitted. I
propose to you " The Health of her Majesty the
Queen." (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with enthusiasm.

His Royal Highness the Duke of CAMBRIDGE,
who was also most cordially received, in proposing
" The Health of the Prince and Princess of Wales,
and the rest of the Royal Family," observed that it
was unnecessary he should say much respecting his
illustrious relative who presided over that festival.
The mention of his name would insure its reception
with the greatest cordiality and goodwill. It was al-
ways difficult to refer to the merits of an individual in
his presence, but the illustrious Prince would for-
give him for expressing the high sense which every-
body entertained of the admirable way in which his
Royal Highness had supported not only the general
interests of the country, but also those of individual
societies. (Cheers.) This, they would all agree,
greatly redounded to the credit of his Royal High-
ness, and could not fail to add to the loyalty, affec-
tion, and devotion which were felt by the people
towards his house. (Cheers.) They had lately ex-
perienced great anxiety respecting the state of the
health of the illustrious consort of his Royal High-
ness, and he was sure the toast he was about to pro-
pose would not be the less heartily received when
he stated the fact that all anxiety on her Royal
Highness's account might now be considered as at
an end. (Loud cheers.) They all desired to see
her restored to her usual health. (Cheers.) The
toast was drunk with great cheering.
The Prince of WALES, again rising, said—l
thank your Royal Highness most heartily for the
terms in which you have been pleased to propose
the toast, and I also thank the company for the
great cordiality with which they have received it.
His Royal Highness has been pleased to say that
I have always been ready, whenever it lay in my
power, to assist any charitable meeting of this kind.
I can assure you that it does afford me great plea-
sure and satisfaction to be present, either as a
looker on or as a participator in these assemblies,
and I derive great encouragement from the kind
manner in which I am invariably supported on these
occasions. (Cheers.) There being many other
toasts to go through, I will confine myself to the ex-
pression of my thanks for the very kind manner in
which you have drunk the health of her Royal
Highness the Princess of IVales. (Cheers.) lam
truly happy to he able to corroborate the statement
of my illustrious relative, and to say that her Royal
Highness is rapidly recovering from her late illness.
(Loud cheers.) His Royal Highness then proposed
" The Army and Navy, Militia and Volunteer Ser-
vice," which was responded to by his Royal High-
ness
TALBOT.O AMBRIDGE and the Earl of
SHREWSBURY the
Duke

"The Church" was then proposed byEarl Powis,
and acknowledged by the Bishop of ST. DAVID'S.
His Royal Highness the Prince of WALES then
rose to propose the toast of the evening, and said—
I beg to propose to you " Prosperity to the Welsh
Charity School, and Perpetuity to the Honourable
and Loyal Society of Ancient Britons." (Cheers.)
I feel sure, gentlemen, I shall not have to call upon
you twice to respond most heartily to this toast.
You all of you must know, perhaps far better than I
can tell you, the history of this society ; but at the
same time it may be well that I should go back and
give you a brief sketch of the society from its com-
mencement. In 1714 it was founded on St. David's
day, which was the birthday of Caroline, Princess
of Wales. My ancestor, George 11., then Prince of
Wales, became the first patron of the Society. The
Princess took great interest in the well-being of the
society, independent of the fact of its having been
founded in commemoration of her natal day. The
schoo! in those times was nothing more than a day
school. It was found to be too small, and was re-
moved to Clerkenwell, and there it flourished for
some time. In 1771 it was removed to Gray's-inn-
lane, and in 1818, at the death of the much lamenteed
Princess Charlotte of Wales, whose loss the whole
country most deeply felt, 50 additional* children
were, by means of a public subscription, sent to the
school in remembrance of her name. (Cheers.) The
school continued to flourish, but it was thought ad-
visable, if it could be effected, that the institution
should be removed into the country, in order, among
other advantages, that the children might derive the
benefit of fresh air. Accordingly, in 1854, the school
was removed to Ashford, and on the 13th of July,
1857, my lamented father inaugurated and opened
the school on its present site. I am happy to say
that I accompanied him on that occasion, and from
that time to this you will believe me when I assure
you that I have felt the deepest interest in the pros-
perity of the school. (Loud cheers.) It has frequently
occurred on my journey from Windsor to London
by the South-Western line for me to notice the
school as I have passed by it, but that circumstance
alone would not be required to remind me of its
claims. (Cheers.) When the school was removed
from London to the country considerable expense was
incurred ; so much so that it was rendered neces-
sary to reduce the number of children from 200 to
150, but I am happy to be able to inform you that
in the course of the last century and a half as many
as 3,000 Welsh children have been by means of this
institution clothed, fed and educated, and afterwards
sent forth into the world, provided, to a certain
extent, for their future career. (Cheers.) This
must be a gratifying announcement, and brief
and imperfect as the sketch may have been
which I have now given you, still I trust I have
said enough to call upon you most heartily to
continue that support which in past yeart you
have given on the occasion of those annual festi-
vals. (Cheers.) Gentlemen, I thank you for the

kind manner in which you have been pleased to re-
ceive these remarks, and I beg to propose to you, in
a bumper, the toast of the evening. (Cheers.)
The toast was drunk with great applause.
His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales and the
principal guests retired about half-past 10 o'clock.