down I wish to bring to your notice a toast
which is always honoured with enthusiasm at every assemblage of
Englishmen. The toast is given, indeed, so often that it is
difficult to vary the manner of giving it, and especially at the
present moment I feel it would be unbecoming in me to dilate in
any way on the Army or the Navy. But at the present moment, when
the political horizon far away is so obscure, I feel sure that,
whatever may happen, it is the wish of all Englishmen that our
Army, though small, should be in the highest state of
efficiency, and that our Navy should be, as it ought to be, the
best in the world. I have lately returned from a short trip in
the Mediterranean, where I had the pleasure of spending ten days
in one of the finest men-of-war in Her Majesty's service; and
though the captain of that vessel is my own brother, I feel I
may say that there are few vessels which are in a better state
of order and discipline. And I think that if all the rest of
the Fleet are in the same state we shall have no cause to
complain of our Naval Service. With the Army and Reserve Forces
I beg to couple the name of General Sir W. Knollys, and with the
Navy that of Admiral Sir A. Milne, who for so long a time has
given his valuable services to the Admiralty."

Sir W. Knollys, in returning thanks, said that, in addition to
intemperance in drink, there was such a thing as intemperance of the
brain and pen, and he had observed marks of that in some of the
communications which, as a member of the Prince's household, he had had
under his notice during the last few days. Sir Alexander Milne also
returned thanks. The Prince of Wales then rose and said:--

"My Lords and Gentlemen,--The toast which I now give you is the
toast of the evening--'Renewed Prosperity to the Licensed
Victuallers' Asylum.' We are met here together to-night for the
purpose of doing honour to its 50th anniversary, and when I look
round me and see so numerous an assembly, I feel sure that we
shall have in every respect reason to be grateful for the bounty
of these gentlemen, who are prepared to do much towards
benefiting this excellent charitable institution. As everybody
is aware, it was founded as a refuge for the aged and decayed
members of the trade, so that they might be spared from dying of
hunger, or being thrown on the poor-