The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-28 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

The various gratuitous exhibitions, of which we gave a
list yesterday morning, were all numerously attended, and
many of them, such as the Pantheon Bazaar and the Lon-
don Crystal Palace, were literally crowded to excess. The
National Gallery and the British Museum received an im-
mense number of vifitors.

COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' ORPHAN
SCHOOLS.

The anniversary of this most useful and admirable
charity was celebrated last night at the London
Tavern. Notwithstanding the temptations of the
season, the assemblage of the friends of the insti-
tution, and the zeal and enthusiasm of all present,
was worthy of the best preceding festivals. The
institution was founded in the year 1845, and
since then has steadily progressed- in public esti-
mation, and specially of the class for the benefit of
whose orphans or destitute children the Schools
were originally established.
In the absence of the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor whose continued in disposition prevented his
attendance Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Hale took
the chair, and presided with great urbanity and
effect during the proceedings of the evening.
The usual loyal toasts having been proposed and
responded to in the usual loyal and enthusiastic
manner,

The CHAIRMAN proposed the toast of the evening
"Prosperity to the Commercial Travellers Orphans'
Schools at Pinner." In doing so, he said all who were
engaged in commercial pursuits were aware,
from experience, of the vicissitudes of life
and knew how soon persons in prosperous
circumstances were suddenly reduced to adversity.
The company all knew, too, it was impos-
sible that commercial transactions could be
carried on without the aid and assistance of tha
class of persons called commercial travellers, who
traversed the country in search of orders, and thus
enriched the houses represented by them, while
they facilitated the general business of the country.
They were a class who, from the very nature of
their occupation, deprived themselves of all domestic
and family comfort, and spent the greater part of
their time away from those who were most dear to
them, their wives and children ; and hence they
had the strongest claims to the sympathy and sup-
port of all classes engaged in the trade and com-
merce which made this country so great. Who
could help rejoicing that an institution of this
kind had been founded some 13 years ago,
and had gone on flourishing 'ever since ?
He regretted very much the absence of Mr. George
Moore, to whom that institution was deeply in-
debted, but who had written a letter to show that
the intense and unswerving interest he had from
the commencement taken in its prosperity was
unabated, and that he was only prevented from
being prsent by severe domestic affliction. (Hear,
hear.) • The company would be glad to hear what
was the actual position of the institution at pre-
sent. He was glad to state the expenses of last
year showed a considerable diminution of the
preceding year, and he concurred with Mr. George
Moore in hoping that the result of this would be
the addition of ten or twelve children to the number
already in the schools. He confessed that the
smallness of the annual subscriptions—considering
that between £3,000 and £4,000 a year was re-
quired—inspired him with feelings of considerable
alarm, and he hoped that the number of annual sub-
scribers would soon be considerably increased. The
chairman, in continuation (alluding to the girls and
boys, to the number of 150, educated in the schools,
who were present in the gallery during his speech,
who passed through the room, pleasing
every afterwardsryeb
y their healthy and pleasant looks),
said, he was happy to say, that from the con-
versations he had had with the master and mis-
tress of the schools, that the children who were
the objects of their enlightened and truly prac-
tical benevolence, would, in after days, become
useful, respectable, and honourable member of