The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-04 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRICAL FUND.

The Eleventh Anniversary of this Institution waa celebrated
yesterday, by a public dinner at the Freemasonsfavern, which
was honoured by the attendance of about 400 Noblemen and
Gentlemen.

At the hour appointed for dining. Mr. Fawcett came forward
and announced, that in accordance with the advice of Sir H. Bel-
ford, his medical attendant, his Royal Highness the Duke of York
WAX reluvantly compelled to decline presiding. Mr. Fawcett at
the same time intimated that his Royal Highness had announced his
intention of attending at the next Inniversary, if his health per-
mitted. In the absence of his Royal Highness the Earl of Blesin.
ton tilled the chair. After the cloth Wl\ removed, and Non NoUr
given by the extensive corps of musical gentlemen who enlivened
the Meeting by their vocal powers, the Chairman proposed the cus-
tomary toasts, which were drank with the usual honours.
Hail ! Star of Brunswick."

The Noble CHAIRMAN, in proposing the next toast," The
Covent-garden Theatrical Fund," took occasion to express his
regret at the absents of the Royal President, who had often before
proposed that toast with the warmth and sincerity of heart which
MRS so peculiarly his own. The object of the institution was to
afford comfort to the declining years of Indigent and infirm actors
and actresses, and he felt himself bound to say, that under present
circumstances the slightest aid would be acceptable. These were
not times in which the institution could expect to be upheld by the
same extensive patronage with which it was honoured in seasons of
less distress. But still the drama was a source of amusement; and
although he sincerely hoped that those who now amused the public
would never feel it necessary to apply to rsis fund, yet it was too
true that many who had amused the public were now suffering
under the pressure of want, and were looking to this fund for as-
sistance. In conclusion the Noble Lord gave " The Covent-
garden Fund, and success to it," which was received with very
general applause.
Hiee—" Awake. /Cotten Lyre."
The next toast was, "The health of the Noble Chairman, Lord
Blesinton," which was received with the uttnost cordiality.
His Lordship, in returning thanks, observed t',at he had frequent
opportunities of meeting the friends of the society, and was happy
to say, that unfavourable as were the auspices under which they
had met, he had never seen a party more warmly interested in the
objects of the ins don. For his csytt part he felt the greatest
anxiety foe its w sod alsoilld :items feel the most sincere
pleasure in advancing Its proaperith by any means in his power,
Mr. Sinclair here introduced the sweet song of the Moun-
tain Maid," which was received with the warmest approbation, and
followed by a general cry of encore, Which, it is almost unneces-
sary to add, was immediately attended to.
" The Vice-Presidents" was then drunk.
Mr. Honwousg rose to return thanks. He regretted that this
duty had devolved on so humble a person as Wt.-itself. He also sin-
cerely lamented the absence of that illustrious person who was to
have presided. The patronage of his Royal Highness had been
most beneficial to this institution, and his attention generally to the
progress of the sets and sciences, was greatly to his honour. Under
the auspices of his Royal Highness, the srts anti sciences may he
said to lie at the footsteps of a throne, which was lilted by a beloved
and constitutional monarch, crowned by the genius of Liberty.
(Applause.) Foe himself, and is an individual, lie should always
endeavour, as far as in him lay, to promote the desirable cud of the
institution. (Cheers.)
The next toast proposed was " The health of the Treasurer, Mr.
Fawcett," which was introduced by the Chairman with some ap-
propriate observatlens.
FAKCITT, returned thanks in the following worth:

"My Lords will Gentlemen,—lt is freauently the trick of
those who adders!, a large assembly, to bespeak attention by a pro.
mise of brevity—l much fear I have too often indulged in this
hacknied preludio, and as often wearied my hearers by my garrulity.
I know it is my duty to address you, but I will now endeavdur to
remember it is no less so, not to fatigue you."
111 r. Fawcett here entered into a history of the institution, in
which we think it unnecessary to follow him. la alluding to the
Royal President, Mr. Fawcett said —`• The presence of our in-
tended illustrious Chairman would have fettered my tongue; bus
in his lamented absence I may be permitted to indulge my feelings
by saying, He became our good Samaritan. he poured ml into our
wounds, he set uson our legs, and, stimulated by his generous ex-
ample, your friendly hands have helped to salmon us. To a loyal
subject, and a lover of the Drama, it is truly gratifying to reflect
on how much the stage is Indebted to Royal protection and munifi-
cence ; indeed without it the Drama would long ere this have,
been trampled in the dust, and the remembrance of it only kept
alive by the imperishable juges of our immortal Bard.
" With the misfortunes of King Charles I. the stage was mitr-
It'ed as well as die monarch ; puritanism and fanaticism strangled
fine arts, and the Drama soon withered under the hands of re-
gicides. who had overturned the government of this country. Per.
haps this chasm in the operations of the Stage furnishes the bright-
est page of the actors' history, for many of them then bled in the
Royal cause, and, at the Restoration, some of them returned to their
I profession with laurels gained in the field. and their names appeared
in the playbills of the day with the rank they had acquired in the
army of their King. With monarchy the stage again flourished ;
and though, on breaking from affected sanctity, in which the nation
had long been kept, it was at first blind to the impropriety of per-
mitting licentiousness to creep into the Drama. 'Vet we must not for-
get that to the King we are indebted for having any Drama at all;
that to suceettling -Kings we are indebted for that wholesome re-
striction which now guards the morality of the Stage; and, above
all, to that great and good King, George 111. are we beholden for
that law which rescues actors from the degrading trammels in which
titer had long been held, and now places them in a rank of society
which, I trust, their conduct will deserve.
" It is, and ever has been, the cant of hypocrisy to decry the Stage
end its members fur their immorality t it Is not for me to detain
you now by a laboured defence of my brethren ; nor, had I the
leisure, would I attempt to palliate, much less to justify, litany Im-
proprieties with which they have been charged. but I hope I may
Claim for them an indulgent consideratico. Gentlemen, it is the
misfortune of public men, that all their sins are made public;
while the obscure sin safely under the cover of the very obscurity.
I would remind those whose private rank in society shield them
from the scrutinizing eye of malevolence, how the actor's every ac-
tion. private as well as public, is laid hire to the severest animad-
veraions, I would call to the recollcction of those, who, with too
greedy an ear, swallow ull that is whispered against them, how ter-
rible is the actor's punishment, when he is convicted by these self.
appointed judges :—driven by clamour from the scene of his offend-
ing, he often wanders front theatre to theatre, from country. to
country, only to receive a repetition of punishment for faults which
perhaps have been extenuated, or failings which have lung since
been softened by expiation.—' Preat every man according to his
deserts, and who titan escape whipping ?' I would only say of
actors and actresties, consider their number, scrutinise their conduct,
compare them with the same number in any other protestion or
calling, and the comparison will not, I believe, be unfavoefrahle to
them. I therefore have to beseech you will
" Ile to their faults a little blind.
Re to their virtues very kind."
" As to the stags itself being considered a vehicle for immo-
rality (governed as it now is) I utterly deny the jointer; of such
an inference. The vigtlant eye of the present highly talented
il-
censer suffers not a word to escape which has the least approach
towards impropriety. The exalted character of the Noble Duke
who so ably fills the office of Lord Chamberlain is a guarantee
against the possibility of any immoral or improper subject being
presented to the public. lam therefore borne out In asserting,
that however undeniable such charges might at some remote pe.
rind have been, at present they are totally groundless, and without
foundation. And now, gentlemen, I have the gratification to tell
you (not what will surprise you) what I know you will hail with
much pleasure i—from that hand, ' which Is open as day to melt.
ing charity,'—front ,that hand, which is never closed to the dia.
tresstal—frorn that hand, which is equally stretched out to all his
subjects, whether they be suffering weavers or unfortunate actors—
from that gracious hand we have this day received one hundred
guineas.
I am sure you will join me in saying, God bless the Ring.
" Gentlemen, it now only remains for me to say,that since I had
the honour of meeting you here, eight-and-twenty.families (sonte
of them your old favourite actors), have been made happy by your
benevolence; and if on this day you should enable as to make
the same hearts glad the coming year, we shall most joyfully be-
come the agents of your bounty.'
Mr. Fawcett having sat down. Mr. Mathews was called upon for
a song, end gave the following in a manner peculiarly his own, and
which called forth repeated bursts of applause:—

_ .
I rise, *lr. Chairman, my hand on Iry glass,
To move that our annual Bill pass,
So firmly we draw unanimity's cords,
We shan't throw it out tho' it sprung from the Lords.
Dame Poverty's called by some out-of-date guys
" A nurse to the virtues, —I dare say she is ;
But as to the virtues that crown our Guam. per:.

They're apt to prove sick when they're putout to nurse.
Old Shaksmearc has said, in his soul-moving page,
That poor players strut and fret but an hour on the stage.
If you'll bid one, the weakest, not go to the wall,
Our strut will be welt, and our fret will be small.
We've a motto—my Latin L fear's gone to grass--
In English it means, that the stage is a glass,
To make it a mirror it wants. good lack !
A little quicksilver to rub on its back.
Shall dingy Othc//o, his milk-score in woe,
survey and exclaim (Cash I owe) Casa) ??
No. never shall Britons a hero down trample.
That set ma tied men such a glorious example.
Shall Lake, who now eats such *upper in
Devour from a cauldron cheap soup with the Witches ?
Orhelia can't dine upon daisies and rue,
" And poor Tom's a-cold" is no joke, if it's true.
Recollect, tho' from merit I'd not he detracting.
That as yet we have discovered no railway for acting ;
Recollect that no steam can aid our manufacture,
And no gas can swell a man into an actor.
To one dear Royal Duke, the best friend of the players,
For whose testoratlon we offer ou: prayers,
If e'er from his virtues there could be detractors,
I'm sure he's adored by the whole race of actors.
I'll not arty longer part toper and glass.
I move, Mr. Chairman. our money Bill pass,
And when you report progress, that chair to retain,
I hope you'll ask leave, Sir, to sit there again..
At this period of the evening a collection was made, and Earl
;nest gTo• took occasion to announce that, notwithstanding the
pressure of the times, which excited very grow appreheations in thr

minds of all who were friendly to the charity, the subscriptions of
the evening had exceeded 10001. and he thought the company
would join him In Saying, that considering the circumstances this
was the most triumphant collection the Institution ever had.
The CM% I lIMAN proposed the next t0.40/—.• The Proprietors of
Covent Darden Theatre. Captain Forbes returned thanks.
Song. My sin lireride"—Drostliturst.
The health of the Duke of Itednort was next drunk, and was
followed by a comic song by Mr Mathews, descriptive of the hit.
mount of an Irish election. It was frequently interrupted by
bursts of 'inhume.
_ _

The ma,/ then gave the health of the Committee.
Mr. Mathews was called upon to return thanks. He said he
felt great reluctance to come forward. unaccustomel as he
was to public speaking. (A laugh.) Gentlemen may laugh.
hut he should he much more at home if the subject was
theatricolfigft, instead of the theatrical fund; but in the absence of
the Royal Patron, and from such a cause, he felt is was no joke.
However, lie would say on the part of the Committee, which was
chielto composed of persons connected with the Mama, that whilst
they filled their glasses to the brim with wine, their hearts were as
full; and whilst they emptied the one the other 'mid remain
tilled with the deepest and most grateful sense of the kindness dis-
played towards their indigent brethren. With feelings stronger
than he had the power to express, he begged leave to drink to the
health of the company.
Song. Mr. Sinclair, " Duke (Lamm."
The CHAIR 31.V.4 next proposed " Sneers' to the well-regulated
Drama." He said that many of the elder dramatists, and amongst
others our immortal hard, had introduced songs in the Drama ; he
did not mean, therefore, to exclude vocalists from his toast—but
his system of" exclusion extended to horses and elephants. One of
the latter animals had been lately shot in London- and an action
was brought against another in France. Now, howevtor well con-
ducted, or however popular, such animals muy be, he certainly
meant to exclude them from his toast, which was " Success to the
regular Drama. _ _

• Comic Song, Mr. Smith, " We're all washing."
Thelnext toast was, `• The Drury-lane Fund, and prosperity
to it."

Mr. I,vxrty returned thinks.

The health of Its. Gnats was then given, and was followed by
a comic song front 3lr. Mathews,
A toast to ale crowd of fashionable females who filled the gaily-
ries of the halt followed, and this numerous pary separated at an
advanced !tout, after an evening spent in the enjoyment of unintcr-
.rupted harmony and hilarity.