The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-02 00:00:00

GENERAL PENSION SOCIETY.

The annual festival in aid of the funds of this institution
took place yesterday evening, at the London Tavern, Bishop-
gate-street. At six o'clock the Marquis of Clanricarde took
the chair, when upwards of two hundred gentlemen sat down
to dinner.

Over the chair was a well-executed transparency of her
Majesty, with the following appropriate motto, "Our Royal
Patron, she is the very soul of bounty."
As soon as the cloth was removed, the usual loyal toasts
were given, which were duly disposed of. After which,
The Noble CHAIRMAN proposed the toast of the evening,
which was " Prosperity to the City of London General Pen-
sion Society, and may it flourish for ever." The Institution,
he said, had received in its very infancy the sanction and
support of the parents of our beloved Queen, the Duke and
Duchess of Kent, and the King of the Belgians, and they
would be gratified to hear, that _her Majesty had followed
their good example, and taken the society under her protec-
tion. He then made a feeling appeal to those present in be-
half of a charity which had already conferred blessings upon
many who were unable to help themselves, and which was
also to be instrumental, if properly supported, in benefiting
many more who might become fitting objects of its benevo-
lentoperations.

The Secretary, Mr. RICHARDSON, read the report, which
was exceedingly voluminous, and included the names of a vast
number of Noblemen of high rank, as subscribers to the In-
stitution. Before reading the report, the Secretary made
some preliminary remarks, in which he stated that the So-
ciety was formed. in 1818, for providing permanent relief to
decayed artisans, mechanies, and tradesmen generally, and
the widows of such persons above sixty years of age—that
the male pensioners receive 225. per month, and the females
15s.—about thirty of the pensioners were above eighty years
of age, and upwards of twenty above ninety.
The subscriptions for the evening were exceedingly liberal,
amounting, in all, to nearly 1,100/. Among the numerous
donations announced were—the Queen, 100 guineas ; the
Queen Dowager, 10/. annually ; the Earl of Aberdeen, 201 ;
Lord Beresford, 20/. ; Earl of Haddington' 10/. ; Luke James
Hansard, Esq., 50/. ; Earl of Burlington, 301.; the Trustees
of the Cholmondeley Charities, 50/. ; J. Deacon, Esq., 101.
los. ; Sir John Easthope, Bart., 5 guineas annually ; the
Countess of Leicester, Si. ; the Duchess of Cambridge, 101. ;
C. B. "Wall, Esq., M.P., 10/. ; Miss Coutts Burdett, 20/.:
Matthias Atwood, Esq., 10/. ; the Earl of Shrewsbury, 101.10 s. ;
Thomas Baring, Esq., M.P., 201.; the Duke of Buccleuch, in
addition to 1151., 251. ; Mr. Thwaits, 501. ; Marquis of
Bristol, 25/.

The vocal arrangements were entrusted to Mr. Bruton,
assisted by Messrs. F. Martin, R. Smith, J. Perring, Giffin,
and Miss Steele, the last-named volunteering her professional
services for the occasion.

A military band was in attendance, enlivening the com-
pany during the evening with many of the most popular
airs of the day.
The dinner, wines, and attendance were excellent, and the
manner altogether in which the entertainment was given did
great credit to the proprietors, Messrs. Bathe and Breach.