The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-03-05 00:00:00

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Lord Noe UAW'S v retuned thanks.
" The health of gr. I:aweett" FM then drunk.
Mr. FAWCETT rose and said, it has been ela,stomait foe at
this period of the evening, to address a tel sentences to you, 02 the
nature, utility, and intent of this Meeting—a Meeting conitetO
for the avowed purpose of assisting and supporting Covent-garden
Theatrical Fund. I assure you, Gentlemen, I stand Up here not
• forward and intrusive person to the exclusion of °there of my'
brethren (many of whom are far better 9ualified fit* the office), but
I present myself to you at their unanimous request, and becatrii:
they have, one and all, declined the task. flo gentlemah ever
heard me advocate the interests of this Itonitation et the expense
of any other—no man ever heard me put forth exii.tgeserriff Prete . •
sions, to the disparagement of more Useful, more learned, or more
holy professions. Those who have heard me will, I am sure,
bear me out in declaring, I never dropped a single 'expres-
sion which implied that the untortdnates of my humble worts.
sion should be supported in piefeleocc to these who hare (no doubt.)
more just peeter.sione.
Gentlemen, I am led to these observations by a,Stter :week
made upon this Institution a ftw days after our meeting last year.
I shall beg permission, in animadverting on this Mtacil,.."ep pass
met. its severity to me as unimportant, its sneers a: you as harts.
I as, and Come at once to the grave part of the chagetr-1 will take
them in rotation. The first (which is much dwelt on) is thgt you
met here end had a good dinner ! This weighty accusation I shah
leave Mr. Cuff to answer. The next solemn charge is, gist you
were very merry r how I am to rebut this, I confetti I antqlit 1 losi
to guess; but if Gentlemen are of opinion that to laugh.je to sin.
let us immediately vote my , brothers,. Mathewe, Conner, Ms- -
cl acrd, Yates, &e. out of the room, lest before we are upon nu'
ettard they should seduce us into smile, tor they are ' grinni•-:
Rmers, who wage war with gravity, and without intending t:
would spread a horse laugh through the pews of a tabernacle. f
assure you, Gentlemen, I have more reason fur apprehending ni•
chief to this society from mirth than you may imagine; and I w..t
prove this to you if yon will allow me to illustrate it by an anec-
dote of yesterday. An honest Vorkshireman (a shoemaker I be-
lieve lie was) called on me, and addressed me in the following
words:—" Mt...Fawcett, Sir, I have a rest desire to dine with
your The-at-VI-cal Fund, but I be coons to tell you, I went s:t
near that Mr. Mathews."—" What has he done to °Wool y 96,
Sir," says I. " Offend me, Sir," says the Yorkshireman, with
1 same asperity, " offend nie,l why, Sir, I dined where he wets
once last summer, and he made me shake my sides so, that all fir
peas kept tumbling off the end of my knife." Gentlemen,
after this digression, I must rival your minds to our enemy's
charges against us : and baring disposed of what I consider the
frivo:ous part of them, I come now to what I do consider of
sonic imponance—important, inasmuch as it i calculated to to
an irreparable Miney to this Institution, unless I Ain so fortunate
as to disarm it of its sting. Tins heartless and anonymous enemy is
pleased to say, " You anbsctibe to poor actors, when there ate
many of the poor clergy wanting assistance -" and he asks, mist
invidiously, " iYhether the performers on the stage. or the neio:s •
ters of religion, have the highest claim to support ?" Gentlemer,
had I, or any of say brethren, ever advanced pretensions so absurd.
so reprehensible, or so ur.justitiable in their nature, as a preference
in your benevolent consideration over the necessitous clergy, such a
question might have been asked with all the malignity it was intended
to ecnvey. But is it SO ?—Certainly not. My prayer has been, inn
is, that after you have banqueted in all the luxury of charity to
the more deserving, you will bestow on my poor brethren the
crumbs that fall front your rich table. I have from my boyithest
up to the present time always been in the habit of attending my
church ditty, and the doctrines I have there intbibed have tatigU
me that the:e is no moral turpitude, much leas any sin, in labour.
ing to serve the poor of any class, of any profession, of may ceinia
rnunity, end that I may well do so, without offending that Cloth
which I have ever bowed to with teverencc and respect. So /
very believe may you, Gentlemen, without trespassing uponttghet
ditties, subscribe your suite to chose who are now in distresi, bee
who (in their time) have contributed to the stock of your harm:Rye
mirth, without injury to the funds of any other society, or delta
gating from your characters as good men rend as good atheism+.
I: is with great delight that I now tura to a more pleasing. part cf
my duty—which is to render our thanks for the cheering state of our
finances. Our annuitants this year hare not exceeded our:Peens
of satisfying them ; and we have some hope of bine able to pay'
all our pour claimants tic coming yeat without the heed necessity of
reducing their scanty pittance, which moat be the cue whenever
our expenditure exceeds our funded income; and this evil would
have long since come upon us but for your liberality. The
object of this Institution is to provide a small annuity fut
those who have passed the greater part of their lives ott-the stage,
but who, from age or infirmity, are obliged to retire front it without
the means of subsistence. This is the cud we have in view ; area
the prospect of grasping it is so satisfactory. that. with your smut.
suer a few years longer, I have no doubt it will by awaited ;e-at
present, it is r.ot. But still I cling to the belief Gem enthusirana
can ever believe what it wishes) that I shall Brett, meet tots here,
without having to draw on your purses for a single shilling, and for
the sole purpose of celebrating the intleper.denee of this most use.
ful, provident, and benevolent Institution. I need net. gay how
peculiarly ephemeral is the tenure of an actor's hold on public esti.
motion ; how he may sail, in all the majesty of fancied security on
the undulating sea of popularity one day. to sink the nett, toot lc A
those treacherous waves ummaiked by his triumphant coarse. I
will not dwell on the thousand casualties which may disqualify rim
for his uncertain calling. 'nett is, in fact, no eharities most sit.
serving of attention than the Theatriesl FtMds t and, Limier the
patronage of that onoetentatious benevolence which has held :ogee
thee now for ten ram, we hope they may &melon : sod we trod
that the recollection thst poor %Vern:zee died lately in peace shl
' tranquillity, by the means of that of Covent-garden, will eitcti
feesh liberality in the hearts of those who. while they enjoy the
exertions of actors in the renith of their attraction, a ill remember,
in their age and (hurtle, that they are fellow.men.
After several other toasts had been given. and songs sung il
the professional gentlemen present. the subscr;ption was an:iv:trona
to be 1,538/. 10s. fid.
fits Royal nightie's left the chair about. hati.east eleven. ii:,:.
, i upon the whole the meeting was of the most gratifciog dile:riot:on.

CORN EXCHANGE. McacH n.
Our supplies% this week commit of 2,810 NICK. Fleur. 3,3 W guars
ters Wheat, 3,009 quarters Barley. and 11,800 gustier' O.ts. Wit
had a free demand for Wheat roAtay. at an advance of full b. pet
quarter on Monday's ratex on all description. There 1111 Matt*
sample of tine Matting Barley at market, whilst there is an ski.m.
Jana of middling and Wittier : the !atter very dull sale, and hare:,
support Mondays terms ; the former full it dear. Rather hipt,
prices were demanded for Oats, which in but tiw Instances wets
reatist'S, whilst sales at litinday's prices wan readily eiketed.
the currency of Bears or Peat them was ea satiation. had"
sprat inquiry for Lirstad last day;l% aisbig pnois „am aok4
but this article ou tether dull tb.Oj ' I