At the anniversary festival, in 1874, held at Willis's Rooms, on March 25th, the Prince of Wales presided. After the toast of "The Queen," proposed by the Chairman, the Marquis of Hertford gave the health of "The Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and the rest of the Royal Family," among whom was now included the Duchess of Edinburgh. The Marquis said: "It gives us all the greatest pleasure to see His Royal Highness again among us as one of the Royal Family taking part in the sacred cause of charity. We who belong to the British Orphan Asylum have the greatest reason to be pleased and thankful to His Royal Highness for having come among us this evening." Other toasts having been disposed of, the Prince rose and said:-- "It is now my duty, as your Chairman, to call upon you to drink the toast of 'Prosperity to the British Orphan Asylum.' I am satisfied you will do so most heartily, when I see around me so numerous an assembly prepared to do honour to the occasion, and to assist us in our work. I feel some diffidence in proposing this toast in the presence of so many who know far better than I do the excellence of this institution, and understand its working. At the same time it gives me the greatest pleasure to propose the toast, and to be here this evening advocating so excellent a cause. It is always a pleasure to advocate the cause of charity, and there is no other appeal that comes so home to the hearts of all classes of the community. "I have a special interest in this Asylum. It is now nearly eleven years since the Princess and myself visited and inaugurated the present building near Slough; and when I pass by Slough, as I frequently have to do in the course of the year, it always gives me pleasure to look at that building, and to think how many children are here provided for and educated. It is now very nearly half a century since this institution was founded, and it is different from all others in this respect, that children of parents who were once in prosperous circumstances are there educated. In it there are children of officers of the Army, of the legal, medical, and naval professions, and the proof of its usefulness is that after they have grown up they frequently write letters to the managers of the Asylum expressing their gratitude for the excellence of the practical education they have received, and which has been so profitable to them in their different avocations.