red children. The plans are now
ready, and in a very short time, God willing, _i. e._ as soon as all the
necessary preliminary arrangements can be made, the building will
commence, which I think will be in the early part of July of the present
year (_i. e._ 1855).

This house is intended for four hundred female orphans, bereaved of both
parents, from their _earliest_ days until they can be placed out in
service. With regard to the other house for three hundred orphans, to be
built at the north side of the new Orphan House, nothing definitely can
be stated at present. There is enough money in hand to build, fit up,
and furnish the house for four hundred orphans, and it is expected that
something will be left; but there is not sufficient money in hand, at
present, to warrant the commencement of the building of both. As soon,
however, as there is, I shall be delighted to take active measures with
regard to that for three hundred orphans also. I do not ask persons to
help me with their means. I speak to the Lord about my need in prayer,
and I do not wait upon him in vain. At the same time I feel it right to
state that there is a loud and an abundant call for caring for destitute
orphans. On May 26, 1854, I had six hundred and two waiting for
admission, each bereaved of both parents by death. Since then one
hundred and ninety-seven more have been applied for, making in all seven
hundred and ninety-nine. Of these I have been able to receive only
thirty-nine during the past year, and forty-five who were waiting for
admission have been otherwise provided for, or have died since
application was made for them; so that still seven hundred and fifteen
orphans are waiting for admission, from three months old and upward. But
this number, I state unhesitatingly, would be much larger, had not very
many persons refrained from making application because they judged it
would be of no use, as there are already so many waiting for admission.
Indeed, there is every reason to believe that there are many tens of
thousands of destitute orphans in this country. And what provision is
there in the way of orphan establishments it may be asked. At the last
census, in 1851, there were in England and Wales thirty-nine orphan
establishments, and the total number of orphans, provided for through
them, amounted only to three thousand seven hundred and sixty-four; but
at the time the new Orphan House was being built there were about six
thousand young orp