"To the Mayor of Birmingham."
THE ROYAL CAMBRIDGE ASYLUM.
March 13th, 1875.
At the seventh triennial festival of this Institution the Prince of Wales presided. The Duke of Cambridge, Prince Christian, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and the Duke of Teck were also present. The company included the Lord Mayor, the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex, and a large number of distinguished officers of nearly all ranks in the Army.
After the toast of "The Queen," proposed by the Royal chairman, the Lord Mayor, in giving the next toast, spoke of "the pride with which the nation at large regarded the Royal Family, not only on account of the admirable way in which they performed the important duties connected with their high position, but also because of their readiness on all occasions to promote and aid the various charitable institutions of the country, and to extend their sympathy to all who were in distress, not simply in this great metropolis, but in all parts of the kingdom."
The Prince of Wales, in reply, said:—
"I am sure I have every reason to be grateful to the Lord Mayor for the very kind manner in which he has proposed my health and that of the Princess of Wales and the other members of the Royal Family, and to the company here assembled for the very kind manner in which they have received the toast. Nothing is more disagreeable, I think, than to have at an early stage of the evening to rise to return thanks for one's own health; but, at the same time, I should be very ungrateful to you if I were not to thank you for the cordial manner in which you acceded to the request of the Lord Mayor. I can assure him—and I believe I can speak also for the rest of the Royal Family—that it is always our earnest endeavour to do our duty, and to assist in all good and charitable objects, which in this country are so numerous and so necessary. It will be my duty to address you again, so I will now only thank you once more for the kind manner in which you have received this toast."
The Prince of Wales, after a brief interval, again rose and said:—