The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-07 00:00:00

GENERALTFIEATRICALFUND DIA ;1f
The seventh anniversary festival of this excal e-7ff Zt-r2
and non-exclusive institution took place on Monds
the London. Tavern. Mr. Macready vies to hove talft the chair, but was prevented by family circuinstance# c A
and Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton supplied his place,
supported -by Mr. C. Dickens, Mr. Webster, Mr.
Buckstone, Mr. P. Stone, Captain Chappell, Mr.
Mark Lemon, Mr. Wills, &c.
The usual loyal toasts having been done due justice
to, on the part of the chairman and of the company,
Sir E. B. LITTON proposed the toast of the even-
ing—" Prosperity to this Society"—now in the
seventh year of its existence. He congratulated
them on the success which bad attended their efforts,
and attributed that success to the recognhiiteih honoad for
of two
principles, on which every society which
its object the benefit of the professors of any
art ought to be founded. The first of these
was the principle that every such society ought
to embrace the objects of a a mutual benefit
association ' • and the second wag, the recognition of
the fact that art was something imperishable and
universal, and was not confined to any particular
building of brick and mortar in which it might be
exercised. The peculiar feature and merit of the as-
sociation the members and friends of which he was
addressing was, that they recognised these principles,
that they had nothing to do with associations con-
nected with certain buildings, endowed with exclu-
sive patents and privileges it was true, but from which
the drama had long gone forth. The General
Theatrical Fund was established not for the benefit of
a professional party, but for the professors of an art,
and the society must therefore endure, because it had
attached itself to two things which would endure
after the Pyramids were dust—art and misfortune.
The toast was drunk with the usual honour.
Mr. BIICKSTONE, the honorary treasurer, in the
course of an amusing speech, in which he described
the progress of the fund by personifying the latter
and giving an autobiographical account of its life
and adventures, adverted to the balance in hand, and
announced a prospective legacy from Mr. T. P. Cooke
of 1,000/.
Mr. JOHN FORSTER then proposed " The health of
the Chairman," in highly eulogistic terms.
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and proposed
" The Health of Mr. Charles Dickens."
The toast was drunk with nine times nine.
Mr. C. Dream% returned thanks, and expressed
his great gratification at the manner in which his
name had been received. With regard to the General
Theatrical Fund, he had been so long connected with
it, as one of the trustees, that he felt a difficulty in
saying anything new respecting it. In fact, the elo-
quence of Mr, Buckstone—and the excellence of the
management, as evinced by the accounts of the cur-
rent year, left him nothing to say. If he could only
that the managers of the society had no sympathy
with those struggling in the lower branches of the
profession—if he could only say that their treasurer
was a stern, austere man—(Laughter)—altogether a
hard-favoured person, severe of countenance, and ex-
ceedingly difficult to approach—or if he could only
say that the institution was an exclusive one, and re-
quired from the applicants for relief that they
should have performed something next to im-
possible, such as holding an engagement two or
three years in the moon, or appearing in Sir
Edward Bulwer's Money 200 or 300 nights—if
he could say that any portion of the profession,
whether dancers or singers, were excluded from the
benefits of the institution, he could make to them a
speech more oratorically powerful than he then had
the power to do from the want of such themes to de-
scant upon.—(Cheers.) Indeed, he was so utterly at
a loss for a grievance on which to speak, that he had
had thoughts of abandoning their festivals, and taking
to those banquets sometimes held in the neighbour-
hood of Freemasons' Hall, where there were plenty
of such grievances ready made to his hand.—(Cheers.)
He had no wish, however, to indulge in any unkind
allusions to the other theatrical funds, as he had
many kind friends amongst the members, but he only
wished to suggest the necessity of a change in their
constitution with changing times ; and he thought,
looking at their position with regard to this fund, no-
thing could do both parties so much good as a happy
marriage.—(Cheers and laughter.) In conclusion, he
could only say, in his official capacity, that he was
extremely gratified to find the fund so well supported,
and the more especially by the ladies of the profession
—(Cheers)—and he could only assure them, on be-
half of himself and brother trustees, that any little
increased aid they might voluntarily contribute to
their funds, would ever be publicly acknowledged
and gratefully received.—(Cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN then proposed successively " The .
Healths of Mr. W..ehiter, 'topuglas Jerrold,,,*
Mr. T. P. Coeke."" el- ...A

Mr. T. P. COOKE returned thanks, and assured the
company that he had not intended the fact of his
having made such a bequest by his will to have been
known, excepting by his friends Mr. Cullenford and
Mr. Buckstone ; but as the latter gentleman had made
it known, he trusted it might do good by inducing
those who had the means, after providing for those
nearest and dearest to them, to follow his example.
Among the subscriptions announced in addition to
that of her Majesty of 1001., were those of the Chair-
man, 10/. ; the Duke of Devonshire, 10 guineas ; Mr.
Webster, 5 guineas; Earl Fitzhardinge, 5 guineas;
Dr. Hastings, 5 guineas; Mr. Montague, 5 guineas;
Mr. Lumley, 5 guineas ; Mr. Charles Kean, 5 gui-
neas; Mr. Phelps, 5 guineas; Mrs. Theodore Martin
(late Miss Faucit), 5 guineas; Mr. Toole, 3 guineas;
Madame Celeste, 5 guineas ; Mr. T. P. Cooke, 3
guineas, &C.
:Hoskins,
The attention of the Stewards, Messrs. Worrell,
Howe, Hughes &c., was beyond all praise.
If their supporters lacked anything it must have
been their own faults, for the creature comforts were
provided in abundance.
The musical arrangements, under the management
of Mr. Tully, were all that could be desired. The
vocalists included the two Misses Pyne, Miss Horton,
and Miss Ransford, Mr. D. King, Mr. Genge,
Ransford, Mr. Horncastle, Mr. Fielding, Mr. Mor-
gan, Mr. Walker, Mr. Binge, Mr. Ransford,
Lawler, and Mr. Jones; while as instrumentalists
the Distins appeared, and afterwards the Hungarian
musical company. Mr. Toole officiated as toast-
master.

WHISTON AND THE DEAN
CHAPTER OF ROCHESTER.
THEA RNDEV. CHRA.

ra.pßpeaarroend
SPECIAL VISITATION OF THE BISHOP OF ROCHESTER.
Parke, and Dr. Lushington
___A, hag-past ten yesterday
morning, the Lord Bishop
in our paper of yesterday.
resumed the further hearingof•
this case, the principal
Mr. WHISTON continued his
the h, tatements made on M a address, and followed up
on ay, particularly with re-
gard to the charge of abuse and neglect of the Founda-
tion fur twenty boys i
11 in the Grammar School, for whom
651, was origi
ka y, by the statutes of Henry under the Founda-
tionenr the Eighth, ordained ; and showed that
neglect from such abuse and Foundation had been
so 'educed that in 1834 the the
number
did not exceed five,
which in the next year was reduced to one with a head
and under master. The next year the son of the head
master was added; the following year
scholar on the
1839, 40, and 41, there appeared no scholar. What
had
become
of the money provided by the
founder for that charity during those years?
The
Dean and Chapter refused to give him
information, and therefore be believed he was
justified and correct in stating that it had been
added fo the augmentation of purposes never
contemplated by the founder. In the course of this por-
tion of the defence the reverend gentleman proceeded to
refer to the proceedings in connexion with similar abuses
iu other cathedral foundations; but was stopped by the
Court, who intimated that the only inquiry was, whether
the statements were false and libellous as against the
Dean end Chapter of Rochester. Mr. Whiston then
proceeded to dissect the various remaining portions of
the pamphlet which the Dean and Chapter alleged were
libellous, and upon which they relied in justification of
their dismissal of him as head master, and to state his
reasons and the evidence upon which he made those
statements, all of which he contended were true; but if
not so the Dean and Chapter had the opportunity of
proving the contrary, which they had not. He then
went through that portion of his defence with respect to
the charge assigned of gravins delitum; at the conclusion
of which, near five o'clock, the Court intimated they
should adjourn.
Mr. WHISTON then said he would be ready to proceed
with the other branches of his defence at the sittings of
their Lordships to-morrow (this day).
The Bishop of ROCHESTER adjourned the further
hearing until a quarter to ten this day.

gntorftohcitelhulceai
gems
of
cu=
Scot"e
of 51"sgrip
icistl-4-df:eeeoe,,,e:riiininb:dwiniththeliseunl
1117sspeefingusgreng by
its peaceful
life of rural
tfrioshmAnDtohAveMe novel
ebGne altorfli nEtghmet EheOtFit
authorleAolo f; 6,5', SApGadlAma;Ge—sr7Tnemhteh
ea Lgnreaiefewtoef:
pi:
thanas Maitland,i tth aetx " i
sfbat
eiismndbagsosaruftlotiaosuotitynrhebdt9tobsoopteokra,re.cys:oo.n:
7" .eetilini e
Ramsay and
first time in fiction and
inulthe the author's happiestinnvgesna
vein.
the
hamlets and sequestered
Scotland,h'pklui vo-
lumesanlardgniateriysne all
bo
old
Bmuarnn s,
wv.
who
now:Avge
sicraiheptasspn nera,r namef 0 r .
people whoare hit off in
—An amended return was yester-
day characters.ureclly be ranged amen:
This work will sit.s.
rSl:oth of October last, there and others. In the year
day printed respectingtlrce.brewers
, were in England
ending
the of which 64 are •
2,305 brewers,
4:157 • in London; and 60,124 vic-
tuallers' of
whichi
266 to sell
are in London. There are of licensed
beersellers 3 ,
natli3oßaaE.livntleiti
beer to be drunk on the premises,
and 3,277 not to be drunk on the premises. In the United
kingdom there are 2,548 brewers and 89,266 victuallers.
The brewers consumed 20,932,721 bushels of malt, and the
victuallers who brewed their own beer 7,732,287. Persons
licensed to sell beer consumed 3,289,608 bushels to be drunk
on the premises, and ^B9 ,49 bushels consumed by per-
sons," ,d... were
wllo brewed beer to be drunk on the premises.
Yesterday morning about nine o'clock, a suicide
of the most melancholy character was committed by a man
named Thomas Sheen, aged 44, by precipitating himself from
the third floor of a house in Ilart-street, Cin'lnt-gardeliti in
Which he resided.