and upwards of two thousand pounds were collected for the Associated Catholic Charities during the last year.

From the annual subscriptions to them about 700 children receive daily instruction. Of these, more than 5-7ths are born of Irish parents. Two hundred and fifty of the boys, and one hundred and fifty of the girls, (besides receiving their daily instruction), are provided with clothing: 20 orphan boys are lodged, clothed, and fed; and, upon an average, 20 of the children are annually apprenticed. Thus, every subscriber to the charities, has the satisfaction of knowing, that he contributes daily to the education and comfort of 700 children, to whom, otherwise, these blessings would be wholly unknown.

It must add to the pleasure of the subscribers to be informed, that, among the objects of their bounty, there are several, whose fathers, bravely fighting for their king and country, fell at Waterloo. The dying moments of these invaluable men were, perhaps, imbittered by reflecting on the destitute condition, in which they would leave their children. How would it have cheered their parting spirits to foresee, that many months would not elapse, before their children would be received into the interesting lines, which you now behold, in the midst of a numerous meeting, where every eye would survey them with generous compassion, — every hand would be ready to contribute to their

relief, the most exalted of their brethren in faith would be active in their cause, --and it would be, openly and warmly, patronised by sons of their king. I am aware that the royal dukes, to whom particularly I allude, do not, this day, honour us with their company; but their hearts, I know, are with us and with our charity. To use the words of the duke of Kent, in a letter which I hold in my hands, and which I have the permission of his royal highness to read, "the subject, uppermost " in his heart, is to give public proofs of his attach"ment to religious toleration, and of the pleasure it " affords him to encourage the education of the poor, "whatever be their religious creed." May this noble sentiment become universal!-May it pululate in a thousand institutions like the present!-In every part of the globe, may every child of every creed receive a useful and a virtuous education! - And never, never let it be forgotten, how early and how powerfully they were supported by the illustrious personages I have mentioned.

Let me now request you to consider, for a few moments, what, in all probability, would have been the situation of the poor children, whose cause I advocate, if they had not been relieved by this society. Of all the afflicting spectacles which suffering humanity presents, none calls for compassion more, than a destitute child in a corrupt and luxurious metropolis. He sees nothing, and hears nothing that is good, or which incites him to good;

but much he sees and hears which forcibly drags him to vice and misery. He is brought up in ignorance-grovels in the lowest haunts of idlenessassociates with the vilest of human beings-learns nothing but mischievousness and lawlessness-and, at the end of a few years, has such confirmed habits of evil, that it becomes almost impossible to guide him into the paths of virtue. " It is as easy," says one of the inspired writers, " for the Ethiopian to "change his skin, as for those to do good, who have "been accustomed to do evil."

That this picture is not exaggerated, is too clear, from the result of the late inquiries into the state of the infant poor in this metropolis. In the house of commons it has been asserted, by one of its most respectable members, that London contains not fewer than 9,000 poor children, under the age of fifteen years, who have no lawful occupationwho have no means whatever of subsistence but thieving and pilfering, and assisting thieves and pilferers-and who are in regular training, under old and hardened offenders, for crimes still more atrocious. Whose soul is not appalled at this afflicting and formidable representation! Surely every motive of religion-every feeling of self-preservation, suggests to us the necessity of making the greatest exertions to subdue this alarming evil, and prevent its future growth. The only effectual means of doing it is establishing schools like the present.

I have presented to your consideration the distressing state of the destitute and neglected children in the metropolis-permit me now to contrast with it, the condition of the children educated by the Associated Charities, which you are this day solicited to patronise. They are instructed in the religion of their parents; they are taught their duty to God and their neighbour; they receive as much learning as is likely to be useful to them, and acquire habits of obedience and regularity. Thus, they are made sensible of the value of virtue in this life, and of its rewards in the next: they are enabled to gain a livelihood in comfort and decency; are fitted for creditable employments; and, if Providence should please to place greater advantages within their reach, are qualified to avail themselves of them. Perhaps, among these poor little ones, there is some heart, pregnant with celestial fire, and who only wants early cultivation to be himself elevated into eminence, and to become, in his turn, an instructor of others. How greatly will the subscribers to this society deserve of virtue and religion, if, by their means, a single child of this description should be saved from loss, and his talents brought into activity: This circumstance, however, (though by no means altogether improbable, for Stone, for Ferguson, for Ludwig, were once, day labourers), ought not, perhaps, to be taken into general calculation; but the good domestic, the obedient apprentice, the laborious journeyman, the attentive clerk, the active agent, and the trusty steward of his master's property, may be reasonably expected from this institution. We may reasonably expect from it, a virtuous and honest generation, comfortable in themselves, useful to their employers, creditable in this life, and happy in the next.

Of their benefactors, such persons are never forgetful. Often will the voice of some or other of them be heard at the throne of Heaven, in prayer for those, to whose subscriptions to this society he owes his early instruction, his decent and religious habits, his comfortable subsistence, the smile and encouragement of his employer, the favour of Heaven.

And, what a moment will it be for us, if, in the tremendous day of general retribution, we shall behold some of those little ones, then themselves in possession of the bliss of Heaven, in consequence of the good education afforded them by this society, advancing to him who comes to judge us, flinging before him the crowns of their own glory, in acknowledgment of their owing them to us, and claiming from him the performance of the promises which he has made to those, who have been kind to little children in his name! Then, we shall know the importance of these little ones the incalculable value of charity to them and whom we fed, and whom we clothed, and whom we instructed, when we fed, or clothed, or instructed these little ones!

But I must return their cause into their own hands: I must again present their little orator to you. You have seen him humbly stand before you !