s in
Church and State, the Marquis of Salisbury presiding. The Prince of
Wales honoured the company with his presence, and on his health being
proposed by the chairman, he said:--

"My Lord Chairman, my Lords and Gentlemen,--I feel, indeed,
deeply flattered and gratified by the kind terms in which you
have spoken of me, and by the kind manner in which my health has
been received by the company, and I have earnestly to thank you
in my own name and in the name of the Princess of Wales and of
the other members of the Royal family. Among the many charities
in this country, I believe there are few which demand our
sympathy and support more than the Friend of the Clergy
Corporation. Its object is to assist the orphans and unmarried
daughters of clergymen of the Church of England, and to afford
temporary aid to their necessitous parents. We have met here
this evening to advocate the cause of the institution, and I
believe that at the present moment the pensions which it
distributes amount to the large sum of L4000 per annum, and that
it helps to maintain 106 pensioners, while there are 60 more
persons applying for its bounty. One remarkable characteristic
of the institution is that its pensions, which never exceed L40
a year, are granted for life, and another is that these pensions
are bestowed on members of the Church not only in England, but
also in Ireland and the colonies. Young though I am, I think I
may state that I am aware from my own personal knowledge how low
are the stipends received by many of our clergymen, and I can,
therefore, support most cordially this institution. I feel,
however, some diffidence in alluding to that subject, because I
know I shall thereby be trenching on the special province of our
noble chairman. But I believe he will forgive me for saying that
I think we ought upon this occasion to show the greatest
possible liberality, and, if I may use the expression, that we
ought freely to open our purses. I can again assure you that the
Princess of Wales and the other members of the Royal family are
most ready to participate with me in the feeling of sincere
gratitude with which I now acknowledge the compliment you have
just paid us. I now thank you, too, for the kind manner in which
you have just listened to me, however imperfectly I have
expressed myself."

I