Star. — London, England, 1801-12-28 00:00:00

~rPIEM kas. e r t . D ntain 'erior °Wet e Is. d old Acts z. 26. be Rs. Is 7 :etunts id- Pgr use. 5%1 S& 46$ od. rter. 40$ 04 43' od rm. 60$ 44 44$ 04 L. front (billing r whealnghami At prod ter Dr,' to town 1260171 001. pet ire, and t a Yen e to hi: be badl Lifet e i t bein Ir. A. loafed s of th are, ha le lane' :ks, ai s in ti id tali Sever TS, b tcd Co as S a turday night. The Tempf i l and a Pantomime ignit ed a full houfe at Drury Lane. The galle -6 wer e very nod3', but nothing remarkable °c oed, except that a Gentleman . in the pit fang a am idft an equal portion of hares and plaudits. t Covent Garden the fcene was fomewhat more ' ai g g ; the holiday folks were here a little • dilpokd to fun and a row I accordingly, as • so the curtain drew up to commence the play Ri c kard the Third, a wine glafs was thrown on • eget by way of Prologue, but without excit wuch obfervation. A few minutes after, de to attrad notice, a quart bottle was' from the two (haling gallery on the flage • grazed the hat of Mr. Betterton, who was pia y. • Y ie ld to Murray's Henry Vi. knocked out o rd le jewels, and falling on the Rage, rolled to the lamps unbroken. The audience were n;. . !buck, the play Rood fill, and for a few "ads every one gazed with amazement. Satif , of wbat had been done , a g eneral burn of in eWation broke out over the houfe, and ~ throw • I " " turn him out l" were vociferated from ell• carters. The villain was pointed nut by his • • yours, fitting in the front row of the two Ibil -41, g allery, in the bend on the King's fi de. He w ashed, the people in the Pit and Boxes riling oh' Ind confiderable agitation prevailing. The O w % who was drunk, held by the iron railing e s t goes round the front of the gallery, and re. fdedio retire ; this provoked the refentment agai rift co fill more, and the cries of vengeance were lied and general. Three or four laid hold of him, l adfanied as if they would drag rail and all away; ,;Waft, they fucceeded in taking him out of the Theatre. But the perturbation of the audience e pid not fubfide in a moment. Mr. Betterton sock np the bottle, looked at it, and walked off 'kb Mr. Murray, it being ufelefs to attempt con• • the fcene. Ina few minutes, Cooke, who owl " bard in his beg Rile, in good voice and fyinti; made his appearance ; but the audience eneld not fuffer him to proceed, till they were died the offender was in cullocly. Cooke retired ixidottnation, and loon after returned, Rating, &paw had been conducted to the Bow-greet axe, and that no doubt remained he would re ndre the puniffiment due to fo atrocious a crime. Ism Gentlemen in the pit, Rill more diffatisfied, a gr. kosteson, the Barrifter, addrelfed them Unit the one pair of (lairs boxes ; the play was but fettered to proceed. From the middle till the end of the play, how ohs molt uproarious fpirit prevailed in the gal bia, and it was with difficulty the drums and emirs of the !aft ad could be heard. After the tifarce.ofThejew and the Doeor commenced; the loud& hiffings and hootings broke out yid it; one part of the audience calling for * The Review," another for gg Selima and Awn" Mn Murray came forward and explained, that in adequate of the indifpofitinn of Mr. Johnftone The Review could not be performed, and the ma angers bad printed and circulated bills in the aftatompoffing them up and difributing them at the doors, announcing the neceffary change.— iiittempt was again made to perform the farce, albs groaning and hiffing were In loud that the *met. were forced to retire. Mr. Knight next me foi waid to negociate a treaty of peace and My; a:-.1, after much preliminary :natter, con. fieg of bows and "crapes on his part, and fhouts, ban, whittling, hitting, &c. on the part of the district, he obtained a hearing. In anfwer to at Gentleman, who laid Setma and "tzar was ad s:Mad in the Newfpapers of the day ; Mr. Knight id, that had been the entertainment first defigned kths evening; bat Mr. Incledon having two days IP fent notice of his king confined by a severe in =ol:, it had been changed to TL:Review. Mr. fending notice he was feverely ill, The Re. tete had again been necelfarily changed to The Yeee ad the !loam.. Mr. Knight allured the an ima the Managers had done every thing in their power to accommodate the public, and hoped for weir iedulgence. This addrefs, however, was no kw received than Mt. Murray's; the Rage re- Skied difengaged for Tome minutes, and no re• flame remaining but to go through the Farce, it Mee again, amidit the loudeft billing, yelping, trf• ye ll ing, whiffling, (creaming, &c. the in tbe boxes flopping their cars with their ' es* end tippets, and many parties quitting the natte. The performers, however, proceeded; kat all was dumb thew; not one of the attars voices Mild be diftingniffied. Some ononge fkins were dooms at the performers ; the tumult hitherto had Seta chiefly confined to the galleries ; the people lithe Pit now flood up, and began to join in dams; orange fkins proceeded from the Pit; next hes both Pit and Galleries came whole oranges and 491 es, increafing as the performance went on, till thy came dnwnio Ihowers. Emery received fey eral Olson the thins with apples and oranges from the st. which made him hop about to the great andentent of the malecontents ; Mrs. Dibdin re lived an orange-(kin in the face, which made her tart and retirebor: de combat; Fawcett, in the gm., kept in the back of the nage, holding up his hat berme his face as a fineld ; Mifs Edwards, coming Inc of a door in the back fccne, was (truck in the Eby the (topper of a pint decanter ; the was 1. , ,rt de man alto. The Ladies were all put to the tout, none of them wo u ld a pp ear . K n i g ht kept *eine with the moll courage, and lagged Fal.e. eat Op to the fi out of the battle ; the chief aim %as taken at po or E mery , b -caue he feemed to fed hu danger the moll, and danced :!tout iii the reatefl trepidation; the:e three periormen, tope ther..vrith Farl e y, flood the brunt far tea minutes, 211 e teemed to be perorming. The (erne drop red for th e en d of the lira ad, and the mnfic .?feed --The fecond at began :arida an increafed ' 4 / 4 :4 and an increafed Ihower of applesand ft alges, till at lagthe fla n n was complete ecovered arch them : the adors already named pr”eteded ; rise Imes (hilted, an d t h e far ce went on ; but no 14 , ~.it•:e tai w v, oulcl ii appc .rt ir i. ; . in about ten minutes more, :..Id , :c t erg I:: ted, the anon running ~, w,1 , . i . : .;,.,.,. n 4 ,„ d roppe d, t h e fi gna l o f :: C. Ji.l.a. 'bile farce, which would . -.- •--. haie "occnpied an hour and a half, did not take more than twenty minutes in reprefcntation, if re prefentation it could be called. By this time the boxes were nearly empty, the pit abouthalf empty ; but the galleries rem lined to a man in clofc co lumn, (hooting, rattling flicks, and hollow ing. The famps in front of the nage were funk, the lights round the lower part of the boxes put out ; Rill the galleries, with about two hundred in the pit, remained roaring, yelping, and whiffling, during more than an hour. In this time feveral petfons were taken into cuftody for throwing things on the nage. One man bean to pull up the benches in the g a ll er i es; w h en f l eeing no end to the difturbances, and fearing it might end in the deftrudion of the Theatre, Mr. Brandon headed five foldiers, with th e i r fi re l o cks, into the gallery, the majority of the foldicrs having been fuffered before this time to depart. At fight of the glit tering of the bayonets in the almoft darkenedhuufe, the gods took to flight, and G enera l B ran d on re mained mailer of their entrenchments. In a few minutes the Theatre was cleared. We cannot conclude without listing, what mull have already appeared to the reader, that the !lighten blame could not have been imputed to the Managers, and that many thanks are due to the performers, for perfevering at the hazard of their lives, in purfoing the only courf e l e ft o f prevent ing a faious riot. We are happy to learn that none of them are fcrioufly hurt. The Managers would furely have been jullified in an earlier inter ference to the rioters by force. Perfons throwing apples and oranges thould have been feized and puniflied. It was a cowardly, wanton, and cruel conduin towards the performers. With regard to the throwing of the bottle, no punilli ment can• be too fevere for fo atrocious an aft. The Managers are reduced to a very diftrelling fituation. Mrs. llixxiscroir is ill of a cold and hoarfencfs ; jou msroir is the fame; INCLEDON was feized in the beginning of the week with a violent rheurnatifin in the head; MUNDBN is ferioufly in difpofed ; and Mrs. MILLS is in the fame fituation. Under there circumftances it was with difficulty the Managers could find any Farce whatever that could be reprefented. LAW IN7 ELLIUENCE. COURT Or CHANCERY, DEC. vS. DRURY-LAN[ THEATRE. Mr. l.'oN3Letutus flirted, that the Trullees and Mr. Sheridan had come to a further arrangznumt for the purpofe of including the payment and fail fadion of all debts for which a bona fine confidera lion had been given. Mr. SHERIDAN laid, a queftion had been put by Mr. Agar, as to the difpofal of the thirty.fcven one pound Shares. He could not recognize Mr. Agar's right to put that queflion to him, as he had been in poffeffion of thole (hares long before he had known Mr. Grubb, and had as much right to railz money upon them as upon his private ellate. He wifhed, however, to give every information to his Lordthip that was in his power. He then handed to the Lord Chancellor an account of the didribu lion of thole Shares. By far the grear.r part of them had, he laid, b yen difpnfed of; nr placed as fecurities to fatisfy debts contraaed on account of the Theatre, and for the purpofe of enabling it to go on. Mr. Picot r,ia they underflcsod that Mr. Grubb had no objellion to fuhmit to arbitration. Mr. AGAR fail, nothing was more defircd on the part of Mr. Grubb, but it could not be done tinlefs his Lordlhip gave fufficient powers for that purpofe. The LORD C:IANCELLOR laid the arbitrators would have power to ell' for papers and to (wear witneffes. Mr. Ansi oh:ie.:led that they would not have power to compel att2ndanee. The Loan CHANCELLOR laid he could not help that; he walled to Itate all he knew upon the fob ! jea, which he had invcßigated with the molt pain -1 till anxiety, and he believed be was tight in the concluilon he had dratvn.. He thought it, how ever, the interell of all perfons concerned in the Theatre, rather to endeavour to heal its wounds and put an end to all differences, than to infilt upon their Rria legal rights. Mr. PICOT laid there was one of the arbitrators, named by Mr. Sheridan, whom he wifhed might be changed, which was himfelf. He had in the courfe of the procee.lings, as one of the Counfel for Mr. Sheridan, formed an opinion relative to the rights of Mr. Grubb, and therefore he did not think himfelf a proper perfon to be named as an arbitrator. Mr. S/i r ICAN faid he Ribmitted the matter en tirely to his Lordihip. Himfclf and the Truitees were ready to go to arbitration. Mr. Grubb laid he was ready, but lie wiflieti for a bond ofathitra. tion, and alto provofed that he fhould be acknow ledged by him (Mr. Slictidan) as a partner. His I Lordihip would not forrzet that Mr. Grubb was in debted to him fear the Ihares he had agreed for. The CHANCELLOR faid, he did not think Mr. Sheridan was bound to make that conecflion.— Hid Lordfhip °Verret!, that throughout the whole of thi s bollnefs, lic never witnefted more negleel in any caufe whatever ; and how that Court coon a& to remedy the evil without preffing the parties to death, and the property to athes, he really did not know. He thought it bell for all concerned with the property to take the thing as it was, and by mutual facrifices, to make the bell of it, for he did not think that any one could infilt upon their abßrad rights, without aboldhing the whole con• cern. He wifhed. therefore, to give the parties Cl the 17th of January, for further confideration ; taking care in the mean time, that no new dLbt Ihould be lingered to accumulate. His Lordfhip then flitted the manner in which the caufe came beforehim epon the two bills,and the twoconfequent orders of March and June, which have already been frequently alluded to. Thole orders, he faid, upon a due cottlideratiun, he thought, could not be fupported, as militating 'against the original trolls. lle faid lie had received great alhilance from the parties in tlie cattle, but be had wanted that fort in intiottnation whirl, refulted from a dry legal cor.Jier lilC :1 6 .6E4; of the deeds, which • • • • he eblild hot eve ft Prorri the parties thethfilver., and which even Learned Counfel could not give him, without again and again looking, at the legal Infinirnent.—ln the courte of the difeuffon fome obfervations had fallen from Mr. Sheridan, which induced Mr. Holland to file an affidavit, and that had led to a fubfequent petition by Mr. Sheridan. Having hated thefe preliminary obfervations, he next proceeded to what he conceived the nature of the caufe. If in any of the obfervations he was about to make, lie fhould appear indiflinet, he could only fay that he had made a covenant with himfelf to endeavour to underhand the caufe, and had laborioufly endeavoured to give due confider ation to every part of it. He fhould alfo be ex trernely forry if any thing he was about to fay, might create any new fource of litigation ; that was not his intention, but his with was to induce all parties to look at the butinen, as it was, and contemplating the folid interefts of all, agree upon making the belt of the concern as it to7ually fioctl. The bufinefs of building a new Theatre originated in 1791, from that time to 1793, one year and three-fourths was tilled up by reprefentations at the Opera Houfe. In 1793 the propotition was held out, and he readily believed that the exhi bition of Mr. Hollaad's name at the bottom of the ' plan,had a great effeet in influencing perfons to fub feribe. Thefe propolitions were entertained in an indenture of the lath of June 1793, which had generally fort its objeat, to ereat a new, magnifi cent, and infulated Theatre, with appropriate buildings. The indenture recited, that the Duke of Bedtord had covenanted to grant new leafes, and to purchafe other houfes, fo as to infillate the Theatre ; and that it was in intent to raife a fund to pay all former incumbrances. It was there. fore propofed by the deed to raife reo,oool. by 300 rent charges at goof. each. The deed then made provifion, that a certain him fhould nightly be fet afide for payment of thefe rent charges.— Trutlees were nominated, and certain condition: (fated, upon the breach of which they were to en ter. into the management. It was the objeet of this deed, that all the debts upon the old property thould be paid off ; and that the rent charges and the Duke of Bedford thould be the only charges upon the new property. But it then went on to lay, as the Snithing and decorating, and unforcfecn charges, might call for a further fupply, it pro vided a means of railing it, by leafing out private boxes. The &II obfervation he hail to make upon this deed, was, that . partite, mull not complain, if their deeds were fo toofely drawn as not to con vey their meaning, that they were put to expences in litigation. It was difficult bete to knew what the patties meant. Mr. Holland, in the klieme to which this deed referred, Paid only He was willingto engage to find the buildingfrr So,00cl." yet this part nt the deed fuppiefes that tiv:re may be an aim cxpence, and accerdingly provides for it by lenf.ng of private hens, which were calcula ted to pr.:ettce not lea than 3e,0c01. Yet the claufe flitting that td,: building wasto be completed for So,oool. follows at the foot of a deed which admits that it might require 33,c001. more to per form that purpole. The fubfcription Was fait to be applied to the old mortgages, next to the build ing the new Theatre, and it there was a furplus to go to the Proprietor,. So here again was a fpeculation that there might be a furplus, and as was feen by the tin mer claufe, it was no: afccr tained but there might be a demand for an addi tional fum. Here he would jug advert to the fuh fcribers, who thus had no perfonal demand, Irrt relied for profit met cly on the fuccefs oldie fpe culation, and afk them to confider vile:her would not be wife in them to agree to I •me tern. perate accommodation which might give (lability to their inierchs, rather than by puthin7 their 1-oal rights to their full extent, run the hazard of dehroying them altogether? So matters flood, when the deed of 1793 Was executed. The houfe opened in February or March 1794, and fo far from completed, that it then was in the fituation in which it now remained. Fif:y-two (hares of the old mortgage had been paid off, and the Tell' of them, with intercfl, had he els accumulating. If the caule were now Ixfore him, upon a hearing of a bill, what would be the t of the deed, concerted from the four coil-:1-s of it ? The rent chargers would have a right, that the pro perty thould he put in Ruch allate as was cern:ea ed for with them. But, under thefe circumaanzcv, the deed of June, 1793, was ceecutcd ; the old I mortga7ces, at lead fome of then,, his decd, I which recited, that their :1107;, were paid. If In, did he go too fir in fayin . ',;, that, in that Court, they could not let sip their prior inzunibraaccv againll thole who acq aired fublequent rights? In certain cafes, if the proprietors were negligent, the truflees were to enter into the manager ient. They might, and had ncglaled their dut): in not do-n ; - ; it; but, in that Court, accepting the charitaer of a Ilruiee, bcnnd a nem to the performance of its duties. He vas not, however, furprized that they i;:ould be alarmed at undertaking the ma nagement, when it became their duty to do it— hut moil certainly they 'ought either to have done it, or to have reigned. Ile came new to a m ite rial proviso in the deed, which made it lawful to fell fifteen private Loses: For what purpofe ? To r. ;re money for the purpofes of the deed. If this money had, therefore, been applied to other par. poles, and if, with the privity and ca , nCen: of the Truflees, he put this qiicilien to tle:m, they were wit diemiclvcsbtiiind it egi..,!ly as though they had mitlipplicd it tlicni: . ,.•:es? Ti.c deed went on to give diteitiolis sTon thi, point to the Trunces ; and dir..ft.:42, ..t, it I:igresv's patent fhould be boo h• ia, ti hisiaild Ihut he competent for the Truhcc:. to r. hi any turn t^ complete the Theatre, fn as iw. to c-ceed the annual rent charge et G, 1. Therefore the an. unities, rent-charges, and private boxes, ware net private property till 0: z Theatre was cc.nipleted. Then followed a most material cies:roan:, and con flated with the yiellion, how t.r tile private boxes, rent-charges, &c. alluded to were private property until the buildings were fini.hcd? It was this: that all intercilcd i 9 the de:d thoui.l have she benefit cf . its coverall Snppnlinr, thi.r:fore, the Truflete, had cet cred and applied ;4:1 tii money, and yet the belijiez had remained unfi. rinsed, and the cday qv: trill had compelled their ' Truflees to bring an ae - thas againft the Proprie- . toes, upon their covenant, to make them corn- Isrett- it, if the money railed fliould not be fuffo , con:, and there had hoe:: a recovery.; what was to hinder the revertienary interert of Mr. Sher i- Jlan from being taken in execathsn ? He did nit toy how this cpreftionmi:..la {land upon argument, but he mentioned it as another co:olden:ion why . the parties themfelves fhould take into confider ation what was fittelt to. be done, under circumftances. The next tranfaftion which toot place was one of a fingular kind. It was the tranfiraion between Grubb and Sheridan. Grubb claimed, under an agreement of Auguft ; Sheri dian laid, there was none till September, 1795 ; Grubb infilted he was :t Proprietor, and Sheridan denied him that charaaer. Whether Grubb was a partner as to the Theatre or not, there was no doubt but he was a partner to all the miferable conlequenees of the concern, and therefore he was entitled to have an account taken, if not for j his profit, at leaft for his indemnity. But the in tlrument let up by Grubb . was very fingular upon the face of it. It was now admitted to be wholly in Richardfon's hand writing, and at the time I.inley was alive, and no mention was made of him, but as it appeared by a fubfequent interli neation. The other inftrument of September ad mitted by Sheridan was anthurifing Grubb and Richardfon to manage the Theatre in the abfenee of Sheridan ; and they were to have one-feventh each of the profits of management until articles of co oartnerfliip were executed. He was not learned enough in the bufinefs of a theatre to Lay what was the difference between profits of roa nagement and profits of the property ; but, how ever, there might be filch a difference. The ma teriality of this paper feemed alto much to depend upon a deed cubit:pent, bearing /date the 9th of April, 1795, made between Sheridan, Adam. Gmbh, and Holland. It recited the deed of 1793, and the propraitions of 1791, and then al igned to Adam, Grubb, and Holland, as Truf tees, thirty-feven rent-charges, for the completion of the buildin - 4, the reldue to be paid to She ridan. Here was lenders evidence of Grubb's inte rea. It might be, that Grubb, being entitled to one-reventh of the property, would aft fo foolifhly as to permit Sheridan, in a deed to !which he was himfelfra party, to .1.. q as the fide proprietor, and charaflerile himfell as loch in that deed. It was alfo °Very:able in this deed, that it took no no tiee of two coremparary tranfaaions • the fale of prirate boxes and of annuities. The trolls of this deed, however, were to complete the origi nal fehcrrte : Had it been done ; and had the money been to applied ? Did he go too far, when he Owed, that, as the Proprietors flood pledged to the Duke r f Bedford, and to the rent chargers. to co nplete the scheme, that a ferious quellion might he railed upon the condo& of every man, granting under the deed of 1796. If the pro- ;eft, for which the Prbprietor flood pledged in 17 ) 3, had be . en executed, the Court coal have railed no que;!inn upon the deeds of 1796, be cattle. he agreed, that if that had been accom plifhed, Mr. Sheridan might have fold the.pri vate boxes, the new rent-charges, and the an nuities, for his own rife. But if there remained duties to be performed, till they were completed the produce ought net to have been direaed into . another channel. The other deeds related to the leafing of private boxes, and granting annuities. the produce of which were, by the deed of 1793. a;rplicalde to the fame purpofes. If, therefore, the money railed by there deeds were by th e Trnilees, or with their privity and confent,applied to other porpoles, it became a grave and ferious que:lion for them to confider in what fituation they flood. On the 24th of December, another deed was executed between Sheridan on the one part, and John Role Drew and Hugh Hammerf- ley on the fccond part. This deed recited the • former deeds, In that the parties had full notice of all the trult contained in thofc former deeds. He need not (late to that Court, that perfons having fir!..h notice of former trufls as bound the pro perry, wire th:npar: anfweraLle if thy appfird ii other. as jc than as an original Trnflee. The deed went ins to recite a debt due to Hammerficy of 27091. as a mortgagee of the Theatre, and alto a further funs of pool. lately advanced to Mr. Sheridan. Here aka a grave question arofe—Could this property be applied to the payment of this debt, the °rig'- , nal trolls remaining unfatisfied? This very deed recited the deed of te93, and he would fay no more upon it, titan that they who took trufts an- I der it, took them with foil notice ht - ,w the produce arifing from the talc of private boxes, annuities. and rent charger, ought to have beets applied. Ile ientioned this, not for the purpole of flatting eew ltilleas of lithorticn, bat as befeeching then to take Into their Inuit confederation their own fituations, and make the belt they could of the acqual flaw of the concern. Having carefully eviniiled the tirdle of this deed, he had an Sc. count handed up to him of the application of the ! money. %Vete truft deeds wafte paper, or were they not ? Ile thoug!Jt the trolleys were bound to tell the Court why they had fo negligently executed their lora:, and Mr. Sheridan himlelf I mull not complain of law expcnces, if he permit / tcd trolls fo to be exeented. But the account did I ant slop here. Mr. Sheridan had in a letter to ji,im, Slated that lee woad produce a further at , CC:1'1! Lad flint day ha lied in. I mud here pang: a norrazio, to advert to a praah fobverive to the 1 t ineiples of Laglith Julliee. I c rrea:.t not to 4 1 •1-it oirat he laid to Mr. She ridan, who threugh the caul,: had given all the information he coal I. But a praarce had grown rip ciliate of rinding private letters to the Judge ; and learee any cattle was tried without his receiv ing rue from none quarter or other. It was a praajee i.e was determined to take tinges • itron....; Reps to prevent. From tlizfe account., tiros ?relented to Lino he was in roil potaliion of t,le manner how the malty Lad been applied ; and die only o!,l"crvation 1:e w.11%.1 make upon it was, t!.a: Ira tee , a:mended it 1,, the truftees—to t'.e itia chatio I :11 , . t 21 ,n -r.ft 1 trade:, :!ed ecaneeled w:tlt the deed by the prior deed 1)3, to cGuider what mil;lst