Star.
London, England, 1818-12-18 00:00:00

• scotrikii HOSPID.Ati

Yesterday the Anniversary of this Noble Ina*lea
tion was celebrated at the London Tavern, the Loan
MATOR in the Chair. The company was such more
numerous than has been witnessed for several years,
—At seven o'clock the company sat down to a sum,)-
tuous dinner. After the cloth was removed, No t
Nobi; Dentine was sung with fine effect, by Messrs..'
PYRE, T. COOll4 TAYLOR, BROADHURST, and Smartt.
—The usual toasts of the Royal Family were then'
drank from the Chair. The health of his Majesty
was drank in profound silence.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed—" The Memory
of our departed, amiable, excellent, and domestic
Queen," which was received with proper respect.
" The Health of the Duke of York and the Army
of England," followed with three times three.
The CHAIRMAN then rose to propose the health of
the Parainerrr of the INsTrrorioN. He took an able
review of its rise and progress, and the happy pros-
perity which had marked its career for nearly 150
years. It was originally planned, and subsequently
conducted, to give assistance to meritorious and in-.
digent Scotch men, seho were, from the nature of their
situation, excluded from parochial relief in this coun-
try. The origin of the Poor Laws was long known
as a matter of history. These laws sprung from the
most humane principle;
,but it was to be feared that
in their result they Lazed real industry for worthiest
objects, and had the effect of alienating from incitua;
trious and proper habits people of the working,
classes, whOwithout such legislative provisions woad,
have more strongly relied on their own industry for
their support, and felt a zeal to keep their families
free from casual bounty. The worthy- Chairman then
reviewed the merits of this Institution. and declared,
from his own experience, the benefits which fr6m
time to time have resulted from it. He said that in
the last year it afforded assistance (and to many of
thein in the shape of annual pension) to no less 'a
number than 3,338 individuals, and this great relief
was effected at an expense of little more than £2600..-
The simple fact of such rasults was quite enough so
spew the great utility of an Institution like the pre-
sent. and he earnestly hoped the company would
maintain it by tl e ample bounty of their patronage.
Mr. AULD, the Secretary to the Institution, after
reading two letters from the Dukes of CLARINCS and
MONTROSE. excusing their attendance. from unavoid-
able'necessity, then read the following Report :
" When his Grace—to whose munificent bounty
tints continued at every festival, both Of St. An-
drew's Day and Spring Meeting, the Scottish Corpo-
ration is so mush indebted—was first elected Presi-
dent (then Marquis of Graham) in 1782, a situation
which he filled for 28 years with a degree of atten-
tian to its management and interest, almost unexam•
pled, the Institution had been in a very languishing
state. The whole capital stock amounted only to
£650 of Old South Sea Annuities, besides• the free-
hold premises in Crane-court, then recently pur-
chased from the produce of the sale of tbenld build-
ings in Water-lane, Blackfriars, for 1,000 guineas.
In the same year, Mr. Dobie, whose unwearied seal.
and active services, for a period of thirty-four years,
were devoted to promote the consequence aird.wel-
fare of the Charity, was elected Secretary /shout
that time alse, the late Rev. Dr. Hunter began to
turn his strong anit.ameNaMic-raißikilaga-calsidira';
Ltion of the affairs of the Hospital ; and the late Ge-
neral Melville gave the aid of his powerful influence,
'and benevolent and liberal exertion to revive the So.,
ciety. Many other Gentlemen of eminence and ta-
lent joined ia the undertaking. Previous to that
time the system of the Charity differed from what it
is at present. None were admitted to participate of
its bounty but such as had become what was termed
Members, and who contributed quarterly to the fue_ds
of the Corporation ;thus partaking of the nature of .a
Benevolent Society.- In 1782, a year emarkable in th
history of the Scottish Hospital, as from that period its
present prosperity and extended scale of usefulness
may be dated, that system was changed—the ad.
mission of Contributing Members, as they were de-
nominated, was discontinued, and the Corporation
assumed a more liberal and extensive sphere of ac-
tion
for the exercise of its benevolence—becoming
what it has ever since continued, and now is, a Cha.
'{stable Institution for the relief of Poor Persons, Na-
tives of Scotland, who, not having acquired a paro-
chial Settlement in this Country, are frequently from
unavoidable causes and misfortunes reduced to want
and misery. Afterwards that bye-law was framed,
to the operation and future effect of which the Duke
of Montrose allu.ies, in the letter which I have had
the honour of reading to you, whereby it was provi-
ded, th it the one-hall' of all donations of ten guineas,
and the whole of those of twenty pounds and up-
warals, should be funded—thereby creating a capital
for present exigencies and for future prospects As the
Society became known, under the patronage of rank,
opulence, and wealth, its annual income increased, bat
the demands and claims of the poor also increased:l
In 'the year 1784, the average number of monthly
cases which came before the Committee of Relief
was about 10, having been 119 in all during that
year. Ten years afterwards, the monthly average it
about 66, being 790 in the year; in 1804, it was IS3
monthly: or 1598 in the year; in 1814, 203, or 2433
for the year ; and in the year past, at St. Andrew's-day,
the monthly average has been 279, or 3346 the year.
--:-Yet this increasing demand has generally. (with
the exception of two years, 1815 and 1816, when the
amount of donations and subscriptions did not toge-
ther equal that distributed in relief,) been attended,
by the blessing of PROVIDENCE, with a correspondent
bounty and liberality on the part of its supporters.
On that bounty and liberality the Committee of
Relief and Management must still rely and depend
for the annual supplies necessary to continue and
carry on the work of mercy ; the funds of the Corpo-
ration, although very different from what they were
in 1782, being, nevertheess, still little more than
adequate to the expenses necessarily incurred annu-
ally in conducting the Establishment. and these are
as economically administered, as the relief to the
poor, the Committee flatter themselves, will be found
-o be faithfully distributed.
" During the late severe pressure of the times,
numbers from Scotland were led to come to this me-
tropolis, in the vain hope of finding that employment,
which they could not obtain at home, and thereby
added greatly to the Multitude in a like miserable si-
tuation already in this city. Many of these ruler-
anate objests were very youaiaa-many of them fe-