The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-25 00:00:00

BENJAMIN WEBSTER.

Who, by his natural ability, strict integrity, and unceasing
diligence, has been raised to the highest position in the dra-
matic profession, and whose zeal on behalf of " The Poor
Player" has placed him in the honourable position of Mas-
ter of the Royal Dramatic College, Master of the Drury-lane
Theatrical Fund, and President of the Dramatic, Equestrian,
and Musical Sick Fund Association, the firstnamed honour
having been conferred upon him under the direct sanction
of her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen, Patroness of the
College.
In the proud position of Master of the Benevolent Insti-
tutions connected with the Dramatic Profession, and having
three London Theatres, one his own freehold, and two under
his own management, he may joyfully look back to the com-
mencement of his difficult career, feeling himself an honour-
able representative of well-applied intelligence, strict
honesty, persevering industry, and great kindness, since
those qualities alone have obtained for him the high honour
he now enjoys, and this expression of the sincere regard of
those associated with him in giving effect to the purposes of
the Royal Dramatic College. In the language of Shakspere
ha may truthfully reply—

" This is no flattery ; these are counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what I am."
London, February, 1864.
He concluded thus :—Testimon;.als have sometimes
been justly objected toe inapplicable to certain
cases, but there is a rpeeial appropriateness in them
in refer"" to ti"
-.e actor, whose profession is the only
one that is abullute,y personal, and whatever
honours are paid to him must be paid in his life-
time. in the actor's occupation there is a combina-
tion of quaVties rare to find, which are called into
acquisition under the 'very eyes of the public—
gure, expression, grace, ;
voice, deportment, and
intelligence in the secrete of art which almost
amounts to a kind of inspiration, for it cannot be
taught, although it may be trained. Now this
personal occupation must be carried out by the actor
himself; he can delegate nothing to others. There-
fore it is that his triumphs are fugitive ; hie fame
perishes with him ; he leaves not a wrack behind.
-Unlike the author, the painter, and the sculptor,
nothing remains of hie genius but a barren tradition_
His book is filled with the words of others; his
pictures are painted upon air ; his sculpture is a
phantom. He lives in a world of dreams, peopled
by creatures of the imagination ; and when he dies,
the phantasmagoria which he inspired with tem-
porary life vanish with him. (Loud cheers.)
Mr. WEBSTER, who was very much affected, on
rising to reply, said :—Gentlemen—friends I will
call you, and I believe truthfully—eves though it is
said that a man of many friends may at some time
need one—this is the second honour conferred upon
me, firs: in my esteem, because a larger experience
of my services has not proved that I have been
found wanting in your consideration, nor your re-
gard for me moulted one feather ; while your kind
intentions, conveyed to me by my old and good
friend, Mr. Robert 8011, have so overpowered me,
that no words can express to you what I feel. This
is no fable. To be twice honoured, as I have been,
in this especial way, cannot but convince me that I
have done the drama's state some service, and they
know it. As your worthy chairman proceeded in
his flowery harangue of the choicest language, 1

felt my powers of utterance waxing smaller sad •
smaller, until I could have exclaimed with Othello,
" Silence that dreadful Bell! it frightens the power
of speech out of me." But my honour is at stake,
and I must redeem the pledge with unalloyed grati-
tude. The memorial you have presented me with
is not gold—it is not the silver-capping process for
the exhibition, but it is an illuminated page in the
history of my life, given as an honest token of
friendship and esteem to a man who can honestly
say he has done his best, without a thought of os-
tentation, for his brotherhood; and could memory
hold a seat in this dramatic globe as long as I could
wish, it would be gratefully remembered for ages to
come. I have been strongly and flatteringly al-
luded to in se many phases of my profession, that I
am almost fearfal your chairman has laid himself
open to criminal proceedings for the number of
good characters he has given me; but in my future
conduct I will endeavour to save him from such a
dilemma by proving, if I can, that he did not much
overstep the bounds of prudence in his opinion
of the past. First, the player—and I have been
a very poor player, both on and off the stage,
mentally and physically—and in those times it was
fortunate that I was not a poor player on the vio-
lin—that has often stood me in need. And to
prove that music has its uses as well as charms, I
will tell you one ower true tale of myself and
my fiddle. Before I was nineteen, with very small
means and no resources, I had linked myself to a
widow with a ready-made family. Actors are
prone to this sort of thing, and it often mars their
advancement in life. They cannot always get situ-
ations together; if they do, the salary is less for
the united pair than if they were two and distinct ;
but the husband has to fight the battle of two in-
stead of one, as to parts, Esc., and consequently is sel-
dom out of hot water,and often out of an engagement.
Then a large family is the consequence, for actors are
very prone to that sort of thing too, and ambition be-
comes blunted or blighted in the submission to circum-
tances for the provision of food—•for actors are
also prone to sacrifice everything for their child-
dren ; m tie revenons a nos moutons, I was placed
in the predicament I have described, without an
engagement or the possibility of going to one if
offered in the provinces, for money I had none, and
my uncle was inexorable, and withheld from me
all that would produce, as poor John Reeve styled
it, the " possibles." " Oh, my prophetic soul, my
uncle !" I walked to all the neighbouring towns
where the shadow of a company was, but returned
sadder than I went, and almost hopeless. Day by
day I got deeper into debt, and poverty in debt
is nearly allied to absolute misery. One day a ray
of light crossed my dark fate. I heard that Mr.
Beverley, of the Tottenham-street Theatre, now
called the Queen's—the father of that great scenic
artist who now wields the brush where my dear
friend, Clarkson Stanfield, once held magic sway,
and who has honoured me with his presence to-
day—who, in conjunetion with another great artist,
David Roberts, gave a sum to the Royal Dramatic
College. We all went into Old Drury at the same
period ; and like John Anderson and his wife, we
have climbed the hill together. I have diverged
again, but " should auld acquaintance be for-
got ?" If so, what would have become of me ?
I must now on again. Mr. Beverley was about to
open the Croydon Theatre for a brief season. I
applied to him for walking gentlemen ?—Full. For
little business and utility ?—Fall. For harlequin
and dancing ?—Didn't do pantomime or ballet ; be•
sides, didn't like male dancers—their legs didn't
draw. For the orchestra ?—" Well, said he, in his
peculiar manner, and with a strong expression unfit
for publication, "why, just now you were a walk-
ing gentleman." "So I am, sir ; but I have had a
musical education, and necessity sometimes compels
me to turn it to account." " Well, what's your in-
strument ?" " Violin, tenor, violoncello, double-
bass, and double drums." "Well, by Nero!—he
played the fiddle, you know—here, Harry (calling
his son), bring the double—no, I mean a violin—
out of the orchestra." Our son Harry came with
the instrument, and I was requested to give a taste
of my quality. I began Tartini's Devil's Solo, and
had not gone far when the old gentleman said that
would do, and engaged me as his loader at a guinea
a week. Had a shower of gold fallen on me it
could not have delighted Dance more than myself.
I felt myself plucked out of the slough of despond.
I had then to support, board myself, and get out of
debt. I resolved to walk to Croydon, ten miles,
every day to rehearsal, and back to Shoreditch, on
twopence per day—one pennyworth of oatmeal and
one pennyworth of milk—and I did it for six weeks,
Sundays excepted, when iudulged in the luxury
of shin of beef and ox cheek. The gentlemen in the
gallery pelted me in the orchestra with mutton
pies, and in this pitiless storm we started, as the
pages of our music books could testify ; at first in-
dignation was uppermost, but on reflection we made
a virtue of necessity, and collecting the fragments
of the not very light pastry ate them under the
stage, and, whatever they were made of, we
considered them ambrosia. At the end of the
sixth week I had so pleased Mr. Beverley and
his son Harry, that I was asked to give a
specimen of my Terpsichorean abilities as a sailor's
hornpipe for our son's benefit, with a view to an
engagement for Harlequin at the now Queen's
Theatre, Tottenham-court-road. I essayed the task,
buoyed up with hope, dashed on to the
stage, got through the double shuffle, the
toe and heel, though feeling faint, but at last, despite
every effort, I broke down from sheer exhaustion of
strength consequent upon a near approach to star-
vation, the curtain dropped on one of my hopes, and
1 burst into an agony of tears. However, this
mourning was soon turned to joy, for Mr. Beverley
behaved like a father to me, took me by the hand,
bade me cheer up ; that he had seen enough to
know what I could do, and engaged me as walking
gentleman and Harlequin for his London theatre,
where I made my first appearance as Henry Mor-
land in the " Heir at Law," which, to avoid legal
proceedings, he called " The Lord's Warming Pan,"
From the Tottenham-street Theatre I went to the
English Opera, now the Lyceum, from there to
Drury-lane, Drury-lane to the Haymarket, from
there to Covent-garden, the Olympic, the Acielphi,
and here I tam, such as I am. During that long
Peric".;l did not, like Cse3ar, thrice refuse the crown
but I thrice left the stage in despair at ever arriving
at eminence, and, in my mind, not to be something
was to be nothing. At the time I way called on at
a very short notice to enact Pompey in " Measure
for Measure," I had started and was doing well as
a bookseller, being well versed in old and rare
literature. Harley could not play the part through
a serious attack of opthalmia. Every place in the
theatre was taken through the great cast of the
piece, including the names of Macready, Liston,
Richard Jones, Little Knight, Terry, James Brown,
Gattie, Pope, Bunn, Lydia Kelly, Mrs. Harlowe,
&c. Atter trying every one, both in and out of the
theatre, except your humble servant, Mr. Bunn, the
stay-manager for Mr. Elliston, thought of me, and
the number of parts I had studied for him at an
hour's notice when under his management at Bir-
mingham. "At all events, he will be perfect" said
he, and the part was sent to me at three o'clock in
the afternoon. I was gone to Paternoster-row in ,
my way of trade, but my folks thinking it a capital
chance, returned answer it would be all right. I
did not return with my blue bag full of publica-
tions until half past five. When I was told of the
circumstance I was horrorstruck. I ran to
the theatre. No official was there. What to do ?
" Set to work at it," was the reply, " You have
done as much before." But not with Shakapere,
.
and London. I received a very cold reception
but the audience warmed to me at the end of the
first scene. At the termination of the great tale
Pompey has to tell, three distinct rounds of applause
greeted the poor unknown player ; and the courage
I had screwed up to this point sunk into my shoes,
and I could scarcely carry them off. The success of
the revival was complete; all the great actors came
round me ; I was led in a sort of triumph to the first
green room, into which my salary did not entitle me
to enter; and the Press pronounced my performance
the great hit of the evening. It is impossible for
any one here to comprehend my excited feelings.
While speaking of his connexion with the Drury-
lane Fund, the Sick Fund Association, and the
Royal Dramatic College, Mr. Webster said—l hope
with respect to these charities, they will prosper,

CHARING 'CROSS.

not forgetting the General Fund or that of Covent-
garden. We have built and furnished with every
comfort twenty residences for artists of the his-
trionic profession, with a magnificent hall for the
collection of everything relating to the drama,
either in pictures, books, engravings, or curiosities.
I have received the pleasing information from the
talented Miss Braddon of the gift of another house,
to be called the Aurora Floyd house, as a compliment
to my representation of Softy, which reflects honour
on her and her heart. The appeal I have made to the
Tercentenary Committee for the College, and the
school of theßoyal Dramatic College to be called the
Shakspere School, and to be endowed with scholar-
ships like the Harrow and Rugby Schools, has been
warmly received, especially by the London com-
mittee, who are desirous of distinctly making it a
part and parcel of their scheme. A number of offers
have been made to me in the kindest spirit, and
among them the celebrated artiste, Miss Glynn, had
thrown her whole talent into the scale to benefit
the plan she most enthusiastically approves. In the
course of further remarks Mr. Webster said—All
managers must be more or less dramatists. Many
and many a popular author's piece would have been
damned but for the suggestions of the manager.
Shakspere was a manager, and so was Davenant,
Sheridan, Garrick, and others, down to our present
time, and their practical knowledge helped their
success. Now, I know of authors turning managers,
or rather lessees, whose power, though not evidenced
in the bills, has weight behind the curtain as to
what shall or shalt not be produced; but this is
special pleading. Young authors complain of
managers on the impossibility of getting their
pieces produced. Now I can a tale unfold on that
head. To please Manager Morris, I took the City
Theatre, in the classical regions of Grub-street. At
the end of my term I was indebttd £5 to Mr.
Davidge for rent. I pleaded loss, and urged that he
ought to forego the £5, and he, with that boishom-
mie of manner for which Douglas Jerrold has cele-
brated him, said, " I don't mean to oppress you my
dear boy; so, instead of paying me the £5, write me
for it a two-act domestic drama in the style of the
Wreck Ashore.' " My circumstances only made
me too glad to accept the condition, and I wrote him
the original drama of " The Golden Farmer,"
on the backs of the stage letters of the
Olympic Theatre, whilst his boy waited for
the copy, so that I never read the drama con-
secutively, nor have ever seen it acted. It was a
great success, and Cumberland the publisher offered
me £5 for the copyright; but that good, kind crea-
ture, Davidge, finding I had no other copy refused
to give Cumberland one, and I was minus the £5.
He kicked a poor deformed call-boy out of the
theatre. This boy had been making a clean copy
to prompt by, and brought it to me for some assist-
ance I had rendered him. I published it, saved the
copyright to myself, which would have been Cum..
berland's if Davidge had let him have a copy, and
the piece has since returned me hundreds, made
the fortune of an actor in America, and brought me
large offers to write a sequel. I shall conclude by
wishing you all the happiness you could wish your-
selves, and heartily
Offer my thanks in triple tone to you,
As author, manager, and actor too.
Mr. Webster resumed his seat amidst loud and
continued plaudits.

Several other toasts were given and responded to
in the course of the evening, the proceedings of
which were very much enlivened by the perform-
ances of a vocal corps under the management of
Mr. F. Kingsbury, consisting of Miss Rose Hersee,
Miss Lahr, Mr. J. Gwynne, and Mr. Chaplin
Henry, all of whom gave their services gratuitously,
and better singing has rarely been heard of lute
years in London. The dinner and wines amply
sustained the high reputatio❑ of Messrs. Elkington
and Co., the proprietors of the Freemasons' Tavern.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE,

The half yearly meeting of this company was held yester-
day at the South-Eastern station, London-bridge ; the Hon.
J. Byng in the chair.
The CHAIRMAN said that though the station at Charing-
cross was not completed, the line had been opened, and, as
far as it was possible to judge, there was every reason to be-
lieve that the most sanguine expectations of the proprietors
would befulfilled. The Cannon-street Extension works were
making rapid progress, and it was intended to provide a foot-
way on each side of the railway bridge across the Thames,
the tolls of which it was believed would yield a large re-
venue.

In reply to a question, the CHAIRMAN said he hoped the
capital raised to complete the railway to Cannon••street would
be sufficient to carry out those works,

Mr. PARKER stated that the property in hand was worth
£500,000.
The report was then unanimously adopted and the retir-
ing directors re-elected, as also Mr. G. Smith, the retiring
auditor.

£105,424 had been expended, leaving a balance of £10,027
due to the bankers. The report stated that the works were
proceedingly slowly. The tunnel at New Mills was nearly
completed, but several slips had occurred in the cutting near
Strines, Notice had been given for a deviation in the Hay-
field branch and for an extension of time.

The reports wore adopted at all these meetings, and the
directors re-elected.

LEEDS, BRADFORD, AND HALIFAX JUNCTION.
Tho report of the directors states that, as the dividend of
the Great Northern Company for the year 1863 was at the
rate of £6 lOs per cent„ the directors of the Leeds, Bradford,
and Halifax Junction Company are able to announce a
dividend at the rate of £7 per cent. per annum on £500,000
stock for the six months ending the 31st December last, and
also a dividend at the rate of £6 10s per annum upon several
smaller sums of share capital for several months of the past
half year. Application has been made to Parliament for an
act to amalgamate the two companies.

RHYMNEY.

The meeting was then made special, and the directors
were authorised to borrow on mortgage any sum not exceed-
ing in the whole £233,40G, and a vote of thanks to the chair-
man and directors concluded the proceedings,

THE 5171 , LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 25, 1864.

The Case of the Pampero,

enabled to run narrow gauge trains over the railway to the
shipping places. There were coalowners who had a supply
of narrow gauge waggons waiting for the opening of the
company's narrow gauge line to send large quantities of
coal from the colleries. He trusted that those facilities
would enable them before long to pay better dividends to
the proprietors.
Mr. GILBERTSON seconded the motion for the adoption of
the report.
In reply to questions from Mr. 3. M. Parsons and Mr.
Herepath it was stated that the Great Western were now
using their best endeavours to complete the junction, but
the delay had seriously affected the interest of the Vale of
Neath Company, as the eipense of laying down the narrow
gauge had not up to the present time yielded the return of
a shilling. The company's shipping apparatus at Swansea
would enable them to ship double the quantity of coal they
were carrying at present.

Resolutions were passed adopting the report, and declar-
ing the dividend recommended therein, re-electing the re-
tiring directors, and also Mr. Benson, the retiring auditor.

. _
The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks to the
chairman and directors.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was held yes-
terday at the Gray's-inn Coffeehouse, Holborn, Mr. Boyle
in the chair.

The Secretary read the report, which stated that the ex-
penditure on capital account for the last half-year had been
£13,926, chiefly expended on the Bargoed and new Tredegar
branches, which would be ready for traffic by the end of
April. The revenue account for the half year showed that
£27,571 had been received. After deducting working ex-
penses and providing for the usual charges and dividends
upon the guaranteed stock and preferential shares, a balance
remained available of £3,403, from which the directors re-
commend a dividend on the ordinary stock at the rate of 3
per cent, per annum, leaving £250 for the suspense account,
and £296 for the next aeconnt. The works, permanent way,
and rolling stock were all in good condition.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
esplaineti the reasons which had induced the directors to in-
troduce into Parliament two bills which were necessary for
the due development of the traffic of the line, He was
happy to say the undertaking was generally improving, as
might be seen from the increased dividend 3. The estimated
cost of the Cardiff line was £150,000, and that of the Mer-
thyr branches £50,000, an estimate which he trusted would
not be exceeded.

Mr. AUSTIN seconded the adoption of the report, which
was agreed to, and the dividend was declared.
Messrs. S. Cave, M.P.. and W. Austin, the retiring
directors, were re..elected—Mr. Watkins was re-elected
auditor.

A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the pro-
ceedings.

On Tuesday, in the Court of Exchequer, Edin-
burgh, Lord Ormidale pronounced an interlocutor
on the Pampero, the vessel which was seized on the
Clyde on the information to the effect that it was
intended to be fitted out and employed in the ser-
vice of the Confederate States of America. The de-
fenders pleaded that the information was bad in
law, and called upon Lord Ormidale to decide, be-
fore sending the case for trial, as to the relevancy
of the various counts in the information. Lord
Ormidale in his interlocutor appoints the case to be
tried by a jury on Tuesday, the sth of April, and in
a note appended to the interlocutor says say :—" It
appears to the Lord Ordinary that it is unnecessary
and inexpedient in this case to dispose of any ques-
tions of law and relevancy before trial, and accord-
ingly he has followed the course which was adopted
in the similar case of the Alexandra in Eng-
iand. So far as the Lord Ordinary can judge
at present the defenders will not be precluded,
merely by the case being appointed to be tried,
from afterwards availing themselves from any
plea in law and relevancy which is in itself
well founded, but as the Lord Ordinary cannot
prejudge any matter whatever, so he can give
no assurance on the subject. The Lord Ordinary
is not to be understood as holding that cases may
not occur where it would be proper, as well as com-
petent, to dispose of cases of law and relevancy be-
fore trial, although it must always be desirable to
avoid, where it can be done with a due regard to the
interest of the parties and the ends of justice, a
double course of litigation with the attendance of
expense and delay. In regard to the expediency in
the present case in not disposing of the questions of
law and relevancy which have been raised by the
defenders, there can be little doubt. According to
the defenders' own showing, the information is not
wholly irrelevant; and even as regards those parts
of it to which the defenders' objections, as stated to
the Lord Ordinary, apply, at least some of them
may be affected by the evidence at the trial. The
defenders' arguments on relevancy may possibly be
also superseded by the course which the case may
take at the trial. Till then the whole facts and
circumstances of the case have been fully disclosed
at the trial, it would be unsafe, if not impossible, to
decide how far the information is or is not main-
tainable under the statute on which it is laid."