glad to know, that it took the form of the useful and
necessary institution we have met here to assist. But for its aid the
recipients of its benefits would have to drag out a miserable existence
either in the workhouse or under even still worse circumstances. We must
all feel gratified that these old women are, thanks to the benevolence
of yourselves and the public, enabled to pass their last days in the
comparative comfort that they find in the Asylum at Kingston. As head of
the Army, I may say that a higher compliment could not possibly have
been paid to it than to establish an institution such as this, and I am
gratified to think that the support it has received leads us to the hope
that it is now established on a solid and valuable foundation. I beg
again to thank you, in the name of the Army, and to say that the service
feels the deepest interest in the prosperity of the Asylum."

The Prince of Wales next rose and said;--

"It is now my pleasing duty to bring before you the toast of the
evening, 'Prosperity to the Royal Cambridge Asylum for Soldiers'
Widows.' When I see how I am surrounded and how large a
gathering is present, I feel sure I shall not call on you in
vain in the interest of those whom we are concerned in
benefiting on this occasion. As my illustrious relative has
mentioned to you, this institution was established as a memorial
to his illustrious father, the late Duke of Cambridge. The
object was to provide a home for the widows of privates and
non-commissioned officers of the Army. No such institution
previously existed, and it is still the only one of its kind in
the country. In it the widows are provided with a furnished room
and an allowance of 6_s._ a week, besides a grant of 2_s._ 6_d._
per month for coals. While the expenditure is great, exceeding
L2000, the funded income, including L50 a year, called the
Princess Mary Fund for Nurses, amounts to little over L500 a
year. It was originally intended to have, if possible, 130
inmates, but at the present moment there are only 57, for there
is no room for more, and our great object is to make the
institution a success by increasing the numbers. On
philanthropic grounds alone it is almost unnecessary to say a
word as to its excellence. But when one thinks of the soldier,
who has not only to expose his life in battle, but to run the
risk of sickness and