Star. — London, England, 1818-01-31 00:00:00

ti stn t er Was inconsistent With that of reqeiring 1,-.-:table reference. • ,-cneral sentiment WaS against the observa :,;')jr. Lvall. .I:cRETAItr observed, that there did not ap t.° hiin to be ground either for suspecting the r ay el those poor fellows, or for giving them `,, a ye of beggars. The Committee had done no 'lE to confirm that imputation, which had, he been erroneously applied. Their wants \ied, it was pretty generally known, from un :able c ircumstances. They were not vagrants ; L.iiimnittee were called upon to prevent them „,`••rini; made so, and it was a tact that they were rnea of good character. The present pro c: was certainly a pleasing one, for it presented •iii•.u:s of restoring those who were qualified to t ,•ile former comfort and independence of their aitioa. Ile did not think there was a redundancy se.inga ; but if there were, it would be unjust that upon whose interests the Committee was ens rdsla-1,1 suffer for the general body—(applause). ; the statement laid before the Meeting compre oij die following important facts : are amv in the River six ships for the use healthy seamen and one hospital ship. They • capable of receiving 1400 men. One thousand and forty-one have been already o7i board. One hundred and ninety-seven of those have been deifectually, some in merchants' service and .eia in the nary. ligtle are in attendance upon the sick, a physi si, a surgeon, and two assistant-surgeons, paid by' t'unmittee. ( i l e physician, Dr. Rankin, of the East India Com , .4service, attends gratuitously. ere are nyisv on board 859, all of whom, with m:t p`.:on of about ten, have been serving in the yr. The men, certainly tit for service, do not .i.:nt to less than 500. finir deaths have taken place since the ships 7° fitted out for the reception of the men. 120 have been cured of the itch. Those T herm - 3 for relief whom it was impossible to ac [7i:initiate at the commencement and during the influx of seamen in the ships, the work and other places, were supplied with three e each, ;n , d a fourth of a quartet n loaf every day. ft,Lis have been given for several days past to oilicer of the Abundance receivi:g-ship to take seamen who apply on board for examination. llere is a regulation which was a..forte very Ku when the plan was proposed, that no person l; had an infectious disease should be admitted the poor fellows, whose poverty subjected on to trials enough. The conduct adopted by the ,rn - .inee, upon finding that there were grounds ; :iiTrehensions of this kind, is to give au adequate i.sKion to the diseased, and exclude him from all l iroiurse with those who would in all probability 7neat sufferers by the communication. hn the account laid before the Committee, foreign ;:i.un were not forgotten. It was, stated that there .:e 551 foreigners, besides those of colour, who lianted to 48 ; and there was an unanimous de af.6in di it those who could not be provided with ~ps, arid who were not very acceptable in their •lirrilintties as claimant& upon public support, in ~ e luence of having fought for England, should :onside:el in the light of Englishmen. Taereapi,earei in a Sunday Paper a letter, in ~ich the conduct of the Committee was attacked. _at leter was noticed upon this occasion, and de :zed to be a most gross falsehood. It related to eapplication of a black man for relief, which it sated WAS denied, and contained some comments n the cruelty stated as having accompanied that Them appeared a very general feeling of 1 -, nation amongst the Committee against the au cr theanis-statement. • • katxver attacks they might be subject to from .7apprehension on the parts of others, or error upon irs, they congratulated themselves upon the un table fact that they were instrumental to the re c: many poor fellows, who were now almost •eri over the winter, and would have opportunities ~on of serving themselves. After all necessary investigation, those who were able to re-enter the service should be sent home, he event of the refusal of Government to take tera under its immediate protection. The opinion raany was, that all of those who are able to en in active service will he disposed of in six weeks. Mr. LvAi.:. repeated his objection to the plan, and ,- *«d whether those seamen were provident or careful? (..aptain FRANZL AND ad m i tte d t h at sa il ors w e re i n •e eagle of Lsing their money on coming into port. rey thought nothing of it, and it was of very little sequence to them formerly, for as soon as it was they went on board again. The case was dif aat now—their money probably went the same but there did not exist the same opportunities 7i2placing it by a return to labour. The Loan MAYOR begged that no distinctions rzid be drawn between tlioae who were in service and who were not. It could answer no good purpose. Lyai,ts..nd he was not thinking of di s ti nct i ons . rerely mi_ant that those mein should not be em .:••••;•d to the prejudice of others. Tanks having been voted to the Lord Mayor, the separated. .. , ...penecs attending the plan amount to up at 800!. a week. M 1-.'end of Mr. ROSE, on hearing that the (:f the office of Treasurer of the Navy had " 3 ( X)01. a-year, exclaimed, " What a leihrx ROSE has been, to die just before the hluctioa Gt !:Es successor's salary 1' INaesday Mr. RoetNsoN was first announced as a tiff Mi.,ister at the public offices, by orders being summoning, a Cabinet Cour.cil for the fol.- ' 1.111 '; day, and orders were given to summon Mr.. r tost;...o N , aad the Right lion. Gentleman attended • Cabinet Council holden on Wednesday at two clock at the Foreign Office. Forxottso.--Yesterday evening, about six 3',•lock, Erie male infant was found on the thre , hold of a house in York-street, Portman-square, to be left there by a man who was seen '';‘; 121-2 cpposite site r.,f the street until the Was tccci7ed into the Gentleman's house, where 7, tip.•riencetl the most prompt and humane atten -but has since been traruferred to the Parish DI?UitY LANE TIiE.ITRII The performance of Oratorios commence 3 at this Theatre yesterday evening, under the able direction of Sir GuonGt SMART. Ile first pact consisted of a Selection of the most popular Pieces from the Messiah. The sublime air of " Comfort ye, my people," was finely given by Mr. BRAHMA ; and the very difficult and impressive air, " Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of Zion," was sung by Mrs. SALMON with the most exquisite felicity and power of execution. MISS Conn[, who recently made her debut at the Ita lian Opera, executed the air " Angels ever bright and fair," with great success. Her upper notes had more' than her usual degree of fullness and rotundity. She was received with the liveliest applause and encored. The second part was BEETHOVEN ' S Mount af Olivet ; after which Miss Conn[ introduced the beautiful air of ZINGARELL, " Qacdo sal the sifuriesto," with the happiest effect. A charming concerto on the violon cello was next given by Mr. LINDLEY, and raptur ously applau&d. The performance closed with a Miscellaneous Selection, containing several of the most popular airs of the best composition. The most admired were! " My lodging is on the cold ground," by Mrs. SALMON ; " IS there a heart that never lov'el by Mr. BRAHMA; and Madame CATALANI'S favou rite air, " Nei cor piu non nii senio," composed by PAISIELLO, which Miss CORM gave with great eclat. The House was respectably tilled. We never heard a musical performance more admirably arranged or exquisitely performed, or more entitled to universal encouragement. COVENT-GARDEN THEATRICAL FUND. The third Anniversary Dinner of the friends and supporters of this Charity, took place. yesterday, at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen-street. On no former occasion was the company so numerous. The great room was completely tilled—and the gallery exhibited a bright assemblage of beatity, whose be nignant smiles were at once the incentive to acts of kindness, and the best reward which suck acts could demand, or could receive. • The Duke of YORK took the Chair a little before seven o'clock. As he entered the room, the band struck up God Save the King. His Royal Highness was ushered into the room, accompanied by the fol lowing Noblemen and Gentlemen, by the Stewards : Lords Essex, Holland, Petersham, Yarmouth, Lowther, Tor rington, and W. Lennox ; General Gwynn • Messrs. Dnunrnond Burrell, Massey Dawson, Pascoe Grenfell, George Colman, the •.g.. ; :leilry Harris,-- Dent, Sir George Dean, Sir John Sylvester (t • Rtcorcier of Lsndon), Sir W. Chatterton, Sir L St. George Skeffington, &c. dr-c. Dinner having been concluded, Non Nobis Doseise was admirably sung. Mr. TAYLOR, of Covent-gar ! den Theatre, conducted the musical part of the en tertainment, and conducted it most ably. Amongst t the vocal corps were Mr. T. COOKE, Mr. DURUSET, IMr. EVANS, Mr. LEETE, Mr. J. Isnncs, and Mr. T 1 NNEY. he following toasts were then given from the Chair: Toast, " The King—God bless him." Song, " God save the King."—Toast, " The Prince Regent." Glee, " Hail ! star of Brunswick.' —Toast, " The Queen." Glee, " When order in this land commenced."—Toast " The • Army." Glee, " How merrily we live."—Toast, " The Navy." " Rale Malaga, - sting in parts—principal -singers, Mr. T. Cooke, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Evans, and Mr. I se. Lord HOLLAND now rose =II said, he was sure the Gentlemen present would excuse him for inter fering, for a few minutes with their conviviality, when they learned the reason which induced him to rise. His object was, to propose to the respectable body then assembled, in the shape of a toast, a health which would enable them to express those feelings, which, it was easy to be perceived, beat high m the i breast of every Gentleman present. The toast he was about to propose could not be put from the Chair. If it could, he should have been silent on this occa sion. His object in rising was, to propose the health of the illustrious individual who filled the Chair— and, he was sure that this was the most compendious way of expressing his own pleasure at. seeing the Royal Duke in the Chair, at the same time that it was the easiest mode of giving to others an opportu nity of expressing their satisfaction on so auspicious an event. Many motives most induce the Gentlemen present to rejoice, when they saw the Chair thus filled —but he would not dwell upon them, because the individual to whom they related was preienr„. The exalted rank—the illustrious character the well known virtues of their Royal Chairmart, were topics highly worthy of attention ; but he was sure that he would offend the delicacy of that illustrious Person age, if lie touched upon them—and, actuated by that feeling, he should abstain. It was, however, a satisfaction to find that his Royal Highness was so far recovered from his late accident as ,to be able to attend on the present day—(Applause).—To those who were acquainted with his Royal Highness as he had the honour to be, it could not be a matter of surprize, that an accident, which deprived his Royal Highness of his usual amusements, of his customary recreations, was not sufficient, although severe, to prevent him from standing forward as the advocate of twice-blessed charity !--(Applause)—He should now beg leave to say a few, and a very few words, on the Institution which the present assembly were called on to support—and on that body of men, at whose request, on this occasion, so important to them, his Royal Highness had been pleased to take the Chair. With respect to this Institution, as far as its origin was concerned, his Lordship could saw very little—hut, with its general object and scope he was well acquainted ; and all those who heard him, were, he believed, equally well acquainted with them, and approved of them as much he did. His Lord4bip's knowledge of the persons professionally connected with the stage, arose from accident. Two indivi duals, now departed, and the memory of both of whom he cherished, and ever should cherish, next his heart, occasioned his acquaintance with that body, for the helpless members of which the present Fuad was intended. One of those individuals, the late Mr. Sheridan, who was an ornament of the drama— who was an ornament of the Senate—who was an ornament of civil society—whose mind was as en-' lightened as his feelings were kind and liberal—whose talents were great and his charity infinite—( Hear ) he it was, who first brought him acquainted with actors. —At a later period, in consequence of his situation, as one of the Committee of Drury-lane Theatre, he became more intimately acquainted with the cha racter and conduct of the prificipal actors in thii great metropolis ; and, in the situation which he held, he hid a lair 02p0rt...r . .! - A or ma - Aid;thei r manners. What was the result of 111; ~liserv.e.i.Au. I • lifoand them honourable in their dealings—kind, affectionate, and friendly to one another--and liberal in their sentiments towards all mankind—(hear, hear.)—He felt greatly delighted at seeing his Royal Highness present on this occasion—not only becau,e he was the root and support of this promising tree—but be cause he was at the head of that profession, of which honour was the very essence I—(hear, hear,)—The Noble Lord concluded by proposing the health of his Royal Highness the Duke of York, with . three times three. The Duke of YoaK returned thanks ir. a few words. He expressed the great pleasure he felt at seeing so very numerous a company assembled on this benevolent occasion. The idea, that every shil ling subscribed this day went to alleviate the dis tresses of some of those who had rendered our lively hours more pleasant, or who had soothed the keen feelings that stung us in our less happy moments, would impart pleasure to all those who assisted the Fund, however trifling their donation might be.— His Royal Highness concluded by giving— " Sums. to the Theatrical Fund." Song—Mr. Duruset—m Blow! blow! thou Winter's Wind!" Toast—" Lord Holland, and the Vice-Presidents." , The Earl of Essex returned thanks. Song—Mr. Evana—" Tarry a while with me, my Love !" Toast— , . The health of Mr. Fawcett, the Treasurer of the Institution."—(Groat aiplatiasl Mr. FawcErr rose and spoke as follows :—" In rising to return our Illustrious Chairman thanks for his gracious condescension in proposing as a toast in, health, it may, I fear, be expected of me to say something in behalf of our Institution—l say, I fear it may, because, having had occasion often to speak on this subject, the little information my limited abilities have enabled me to afford, is now exhaust ed ; and I cannot recur to the history of the rise and progress of this excellent Establishment, without being thought (at least by those who have been pre sent on former occasions) tiresome and tautological. But when I look round me, and perceive many ex alted and respectable characters, whose good feel ing towards the helpless part of my profession, has induced them, for the first time, to he present. to day, I must !brow myself on the candour of our old patrons, and 'implore their patience whilst I address myself more particularly to our new ones. I have strong reasons for thinking, that the precise nature of this Institution is by no means generally under stood. I could wish, therefore, if I had the power, to explain in a few words its great utility, and to shew how it operates for the protection of the Actor, so as to deserve the assistance of the public. It is an Institution formed for the purpose of sheltering the aged and infirm Pefformer from the last abyss of human misery ; formed with the intention, also, of rescuing him from the painful task of intruding him self before that Public (he once may have delighted) when infirmity presses heavy upon him, when his mind and body are bending under a load of natural decay (and perhaps before he is sans eyes, sans teeth, sans every thing), afford him a little leisure to col lect his scattered thoughts, and breathe, in quiet, a short prayer before the curtain falls on him for ever., Age and infirmity, when pourtrayed with talent on. the sage, create sydip derision , athy, or in proPor." tion as the character reirreiented Is virtuous or fiagi: Lions ; but they would cease t 6 give the lease sr .1: cation, indeed would be no longer tolerated, Or en' dared by a British audience, if they suspected the afflicted Actor before them was really suffering un der the pressure of either. It naturally follows, then, that young men, or at least men in the vigour of life, must perform the aged characters ; and it as naturally follows, that the aged Actor must retire. Retire ! retire is easily said ; and if any Gentleman can give to the veteran who has never had it in his power to hoard a shilling, a satisfactory explanation of that word, retire, he will be under a lasting obli gation to him. That there are many who have passed most respectably through a theatrical life, appearing and conducting themselves like .gentle men, on very slender means, is a fact that is noto rious. This is the character our Fund is most calcu lated to protect—'tis he who cannot dig—to beg he is ashamed. It would be the climax of bad taste to distress the feelings of this company, by dwelling upon the unparalleled misery that has b efallen my aged brethren, when the l'heatres could no longer retain them in their service ; to enlarge on these facts must excite sympathy, but it would cast a gloom over the enjoyments of the day, that would be very foreign to my inclination ; I shall, there fore, content myself by declaring, the melancholy case too often occurs, and shall leave it to your ima ginations to conjecture what that man's situation must be, who, having passed the greater part of his life on the stage, untied to business, or employ ment of any other kind, when he finds himself suddenly, with no other warning than his infirmi ties, cast upon the world, to groan out a miserable existence without hope, or shelter but in the grave. If this company admit the claim of such an one to their sympathy, what will they not allow to the fe male part of our fraternity ? It is a cruel and a vul gar prejudice to asperse the moral character of the English Actress. No females in early life are so ex • posed to temptation, and when they do deviate from the path of •rectitude, the publicity of their calling makes that notorious which, in another, might pass unobserved. But, I am proud to say of them, col lectively, they are good wives, good mothers, and excellent members of society—and I think you will adroit I am borne out in the opinion, when I call to your recollection the noble and highly respectable marriages that have been made from the Stage. And there are, I thank GOD, living proofs, of my as sertion, in the wives of Noblemen and Gentlemen, taken from the Stage, who, by their private worth, have become ornaments to the exalted stations to which they have been raised. If, in the remembrance of all of us, the stage has furnished such characters for private life, I tale leave to assume many more might be found—but, as it cannot be expected all should be fortunate, so it may be wished those who , are not so could find alleviation in this Fund. For,' , though no man can be a more strenuous advocate for them than I am, yet candour compels me to ad mit one fault they do possess—a fault that many of them live to deplore—a sin of which they are sure to be detected—and which they know, by the example of their predecessors, is visited by the heaviest pe nalty: trie sin to which I allude is that of growing dd. In this sin they continue to' indulge, notwith stag ling *ll its cOnseqneeCts ; but, as charity toiert a multitude of other sins, su,l'hope, this charity will cover thelig. One more case ivilth - your permissior.) I would wish to state, before I close the catalogue of woes, that this Fund is calculated to soften, if not al together relieve. The case I would wish - to 'press upon your particular cousideratioa is that of either actor or actress, who, in the very prime of hie, by some mental or bodily infirmity, is suddenly de prived of all power to follow this uncertain profes sion—for insignificant as some persons may please to think the actor, he must possess every faculty in full vigour, or fall to rise no mom. By the persons last described the importance, and value of this Fund is felt with a warmth of gratitude not in my power to express—and indeed, inadequate as I am, I can give hut a faint idea of their ftclings, or of the prodigious importance of this Fund to the respectability and lwell-doing of the Stage." This speech was received with tke most enthu siastic applatise. . . . . Lord HOLLAND rose, and said that he had it in command from his Royal Highness to inform the Meeting, that hooks would be immediately sent round to all the tables, to receive the names of such persons as wished to add their names to the list of subscribers. He felt it unnecessary to add one word, in order to impress the assembly with the utility of this excellent Institution, after the very able address which had been just delivered by Mr. Fawcett. A more eloquent and feeling Address, he would say, never was uttered in his presence.--(Applause.) It was owing in a great measure to the exertions of that Gentleman that the Fund was so successful. The books were then sent round to all the tables ; and when this operation was finished, Mr. E:trnY sung an excellent Song, the burthen of which w4;-- " 'York you're wanted." Those who remember the Drama of " The Slave," well know that this burthen has some affinity with that Play, and Mr. EMERY, at a short notice, wrote the following additional stanza, which was received with loud applause and encored At this big room I next look'd in, Where gentlefolks wire drinking; At that Fm sure I'd tee a part, Wi' any man I'm thinking ! But Charity's their business here, So off I quickly jaunted, For my poor means could do no good, 'Tons likynt York was wanted I After this song, the health ef " Mr. Harris and the Proprietors of Covent-Garden was d ran k . _ _. _ Mr. HARRIS, in returning thanks, said, the Pio prietors of Covent-Garden Theatre would feel very happy if, in the most remote degree, they could claim the merit of having assisted the Theatrical Fund. He hoped it would long continue to flourish—he trusted it would prosper more and more every year. It was his wish that it should proceed in the inverse ratio of his speech.—(Laughter.)--That would 'be very brief, and he trusted the Theatrical Fund would be most extensive. He should conclude by giving the health of a Gentleman, who, as an author and a manager, had given the greatest delight to the whole British public. Having said this, he hardly need mention name of " George Colman, the Yonager"—(Cheers.) Mr. COLVAN--" Public Speaking is totally out cf . my Way. _I halve. indeed wine share of Cut diffidence wltieh• mrbtiotheepanager, ,Mr.Tfarris, feels—and which . Gestilemen - appertalitins to the Stage ate PetoveOrgli Ivsscssect pc,ipiggiger„) " M 7 speech dial therefore be as short as tht shorteg thing I can recollect. It shall be as short as—a simmer season in the Haymarket Theatre—(Laiigder.) After this, Gentlemen, I shall say no more, but express my gratitude for the honour you have done me, by drink ing, in return, all "your healths—(.liptuuse.) Toast.-" Success to the Blitish Drama: The health of the Cuioniittce was then drank with applause. Mr. YOUNG returned thanks in a few words. Mr. T. Cook favoured the assembly with an imi tation of the Italian Opeta. He accompanied him self on the piano, and was extremely successful in a very singular effort. The remainder of the evening passed away in the utmost pleasantry. A scene of - happiness was visible in every eye that sparkled throughout the room. There. could not have been less than four hundred in dividuals present. Eve' y thing was conducted with , the utmost regularity. . In the eour . it of the evening Lord !Tom. forts gave " Mrs. Siddons's health," as the departed - heroine ct the Stage; and his ROYAL HIGHNESS afterwards gave, in allusion to the foregoing toast, " the lir:alth of Ikir. Kean," as the present hero of the Stage. Mr. KEAN having Left the room previousrv, Mr. I)Exr, as a Proprietor of Drury.lane Theatre, returned thanks, and said that the prosperity of both Theatres depended on their unanimity. It was announced that the PRINCE HU:TNT sub scribed to the Fund One Ilundred Guineas; the Duke of Yoni: Fifty Guineas ; and several Noblemen and Gentlemen considerable sums. The total of the even ing's subscription amounted to mom than 1,0004 The lion. CIIARLES LAMM"! has resigned his post as a Member of the Sub-Committee of Drury-lane, and is succeeded by Lord Yaitmouru. The new tragic Play, taken from the Poems of Lord BYRON, is from the pen of Mr. Distowo. The hero of the Piece is to be personified by Mr. KEAN. It is interspersed with music. The new Comedy in rehearsal at Drury-lane is I from the pen of a Gentleman of the name of The remains of the late Mr. Tnomas SHERIDAN, which arrived a few days since at Portsmouth, from the Cape of Good Ilope, are to be deposited with those of his mother and grandfather, the late Mr LINLEY, in the vault of St. Pancras Church. The Edinburgh and Glasgow Papers contain ac counts of the celebration of the anniversary of Mr. Fox's birth-day in both those Cities. Thursday evening aaiother juvenile robber was de tected at Covent-Garden Theatre. The first crov:d having gone in after the first opening of the doors, 1 , Donaldson and Rice, the constables, observed a youth returning down the two shilling gallery stairs, and apparently concealing himself, and 'endeavouring to avoid them; they seized him, and on searching they found three silk handkerchiefs concealed in his breeches, and other property, supposed to have been stolen. • He was taken to Bow-street Office, and un derwent an examination, when a Gentleman attended and identified one of the handkerchiefs, which he had ' been robbed of, and the prisoner was cemmiticd. L. I, , f I ' k i • • 1 1 , • ; )1 ! .1 , - ' b I I . 1 i • ii IL i 1 1 +I 4 ' kl i l 1 I { 1 • r 1 1 1 I • ° ? ` .1 , 1 . 1 , r N I I • r I i