The Sun.
London, England, 1824-08-04 00:00:00

THEATRE ROYAL, DRULty-LANE.

Yesterday a meeting of the_ new Renters of
this Theatre (called by the Trustees, filt T..Titerrort and J.
P. FaLrowitr
the purpose of declaring the dliddend upon the
• .LD, Lag.) was beld at the sPlendid Saloon, for
debentures for
the last acting season. At two o'clock SurTimscie TUILTON
was called to the Chair, and briefly stated the object of the
Meeting, which was to hear the Report drawn up liyinr.
Fal-
lowfield, and if they approved it to agree to its berm confirm-
ed. The Renters had on former occasions made many sacra.
flees, but in doing so had acted sensibly, and as it now turned
out very considerably for their own benefit. In consequence of
letting the Theatre to the present lessee, they hat materially
improved the Theatre, as well as.theirown property; and there
was nothing which might not be fairly expected from the zeal,
talent, and assiduity of Mr. Elliston. The last season the
number of performances were forty more than usual, which
circumstance enabled the Trustees to increase de dividend
from 12/.los. to 15/. 10s. on each share.—(:lpplause.)—The
object of the Trustees was to give every facility to the new
Renters, who might now go to Messrs. Itansoms, and upon the
production of their certificates receive this handsome dividend.
For himself he had been, since, 1793, connected with this
Theatre, certainly the most splendid Theatre in Europe, and
he felt the highest satisfaction in stating, that it was the anxious
desire of the Sub-Committee to go hand-in-hand with the pre-
sent Lessee, and by so doing increasing the property oF the new
Renters, and every other person having any demands upon
Drury-lane. The following Report was then read:—
" TO THE NEW RENTERS OF THE THEATRE ROYAL,
DRURY-LANE.

" Your Trustees have the pleasure to inform you, that since
the meeting in the year 1819, an Act of Parliament has passed,
which gives you the security to which you had long been en.
. titled, namely, that of enabling your Trustee* to take proper
steps to recover your annuity, if at. any time it should remain
unpaid beyond the period of three months.
"They have, however, every reason to believe, that from the
good regulations adopted by the Committee of Management,
and from the zeal, energy, and activity of the lessee, nothing
will in future arise to prevent the regular receipt of your an.
nutty. Your Trustees have made arrangements with the bank.
ing house of Messrs. Ransoms, Pall-mall, for the immediate
payment of the annuity due to the Renters for the past season,
on your application to them.
"It will be in your recollection, that by the arrangements
made in 1819, it was agreed to give up the arrears .of the
annuity then due, and likewise the payments ttot would have
become due for the next four years, namely., to the com-
mencement of the season 1823-4, reserving your claim on cer-
tain extra nights beyond the usual season of performances.—
This has enabled your Trustees to make you, during the last
four. year, two dividends of 11. and 4/. each, but you will see the
propriety of a small 'balance remaining in the hands of the
bankers, partly to compensate for the trouble occasioned to them,
and partly to enable your Trustees to take proper steps (should
any necessity at a future time arise) to recover your annuity, if
in arrow; for had they upon several former occasions been in
rossessiv of: a finluil fund 1 to resortto, your interests would not

We abil7,l;l;'''o; abwit .ti; vixelYfeWNtiri.;;: -a-,---e-s-atz-,J;ipir,;-4- raised
amongst yourselves of one pound per share, and which has been
returned to each person within the last three years.
"'The accounts front the last time your Trustees had the
pleasure to meet you, are stated up to the present time, and will
lie upon the table for your inspection.
" It is necessary to state, that by the last Act of Parliament,
every new Renter, holding a 5001. share, must obtain a cer.
1 tificate from the present Proprietors of Drury-lane Theatre,
which is delivered by Ur. Dunn, the Secretary and Treasurer,
free of expence, on making application to him, and producing
I the certificate, which must have the previous payments written
! off upon the back by 'Mr. Pallowfield, one of your Trustees,
previous to its being preiented for payment at the bankers.
" in conclusion, your Trustees beg leave to state, that they
have received your annuity for the past season, amounting to
the sum of 4,500/. and that they
balance are enabled to pay to each
Renter a dividend of 151. 10s., leaving 4 small in hand
to answer any contingencies which may arise.o
" August 3, 1824."
Mr. FALLOWFIELD, one of the Trustees, gave a detailed
history of the Theatre as far as regarded the situation of the
I' Renters, since the year 1791, when the original subscription
was made. He stated, that the annuity was only paid for seven
years, when the debts became so numerous that all payments
except to the performers were suspended, anti after many years
lof litigation in the Court of Chancery, the destruction of the
Theatre by fire wound tip the concern : that at this time the
debts amounted to .150,000/. anti matters appeared hopeless,
till, by the exertions of Mr. Whitbread, and an Act of ALMA.
merit to legalize the composition for claims, a new subscription
was raised by the present Proprietors, and the existing Theatre
I rebuilt : that upon this occasion the new Renters, with great
i liberality, gave up all their arrears, amounting to 60,000/., and
agreed to take an annuity of I s. 3d. per night instead of 2s. 6d.,
and likewise gave up their claim on the patentee's lease. in.
sutance.money, surrounding buildings, &c. which had all been
assigned to them, on having a power of distress to enable them
to recover their annuity if in asrear at any future time: that
differences arising between the Trustees and Committee re.
specting the power of distress, and the Theatre paying the an-
'
nuity for three years, no active measures were taken. In the
mean time the Theatre again became involved, and debts to
the amount of 90,000/. had again accumulated in 1819, when
the Theatre was first proposed to be let; but to do this effec.
Wally it was necessary that the debts should be arranged, and
the Renters again came forward,
and, with their usual Jibe.
ralitv, gave up their claimfor arrears amounting to 10,0001.
anti likewise for four years to come, amounting to as much
more. The Bondholder*, with equal liberality, followed their
example, and the creditors, not to be bellind.nwid, agreed to
take ten shillings in the pound. To raise this money a public 1
subsCription was entered into upon a Mortgage--
the Theatre ; the whole of this subscription has been repaid,of the rent of
and no debt now remains hut a portion at the bond debt, which
will be completely paid offin about four years to come,. when
the Proprietors themselves will be enabled to
make a small di.
0 ears to
vidend,
ually increasing.; The Renters
their annuity, and nothing this year receivedg in the com-
mon course of events appears likely to impede the future receipt
whichwill
go ongrad 7
of it. Mr. F. concluded by, stating, that the shares were ac.
t theu a 1(1Iye
cloetwe
tsieolhl inogt.
tfhoer
present2s tl
oineasivi and he had no doubt, upon
dend, that the would fetch
300 guineas, which would pay a nett 7 per cent, fyor
come, a larger sum than they hail at any time sold fory during
the last 25 years, even when the annuity was double the amount
it now was.—(Considerable applause.)
The Iter. Mr. RUSH moved that the payment of this divi-
dend should he announced in some of the Morning Papers,
and that the day for receiving it be the Itith instant, which was
One of the gentlemen present wished to have the Renters
unanimously agreed to.
vote a sum for a piece of plate, to present to the Trustees. espe-
cially to Mr. Fallowfieid, for the perseverance
and the zeal
with which they attended to the affairs, of the Theatre.
Sir THos. 'I unrox and Mr. FALLOWFIELD respectively
thanked the worthy gentleman for his kind intentions,-
but' re.
quested him to take sonic other opportunity ee carrying his
object WO effect.
The 'gentleman then declined the proposal for the present,
but expressed his determination to persevere 014 some
other I
occasion.

' Thanks were then voted to the Chairrnar., Lad the Meeting
separated.

GRAND JURY.
The Hon. John James Strutt John Tyson Tyre!
The Hon. Mr. Wynn Osborn hlarkham
Sir G. 11. Smith, Start. Peter Du Cain
Sir John Tyrrell, Bart. John M. Leda
Sir Geo. Smith, Burt. R. Wesley Hall Deane
Sir Mali Harvey, Knt. John Philip Judd
Sir Thomas B. Lennard, Bart. Charles Thos. Tower
Thos. Gardner Branston W. J. Lockwood
Thos. B. Lennaril Richard Digby Meare
John Disriey. Richard Veachell
John B. Abdy and
John Jola Tuifnel Richard Wilson
briAefifyteradtdhe res(sler(aintid Jury
leru,
a were
ndc,msg‘rvaotrtns. athedlr.tißleamron GRAHAM
thathough
the present calendar was numerous, it was not stained with
many crimes of a deep and atrocious dye. After remarking
one or two cases of slight importance, he culled the attention of
the Grand Jury to an indictment for setting tire to a 'barn, In
which women and children were made the agents of some nefa-
rious persons not yet discovered. He was sorry to observe there
was a systematic combination of malignant and dangerous per-
sons for the destruction of property existing in the county.—
This observation was not meant to induce the gentlemen of the
grand Jury to act with a severity beyond the evidence to be
laid before them, but for the purpose of directing the vigilance
of the Magistrates to those malignant, and he might say foolish
associations, by which the good order of society and the property
of the country was endangered.
None of the criminal causes tried this day were of any public
interest. On the civil side 18 causes are entered for trial, two
of which are marked as special Juries. This Court was occu-
pied to-day in connnon Jury causes of no importance.

WORCESTER, Al oNDAY, Atm. 2.
[Before Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE.I
THE GA iE LAWS.

This was an information filed in the Crown Office, under the
13th of Ann, against Richard _Dints, Thomas Mats, William
Pitts, and Thomas Cooke, to recover penalties for snaring and
netting of game.
Robert and Thomas Bints, and William Pitts, appeared in
person, having been brought into Court from the County gaol.
rhe defendant, Cooke, who is. the son of a respectable trades-
man, at Redditch, was defended by Messrs. CURWOOD and
C.tantxctroi.i. They severally pleaded—Not Guilty.
Jenvis stated the case to the Jury. This was an in-
formation filed against the four defendants; it was a joint
charge, and the information complained of their using a snare
to catch game; another count charged them with using a net
for the same purpose; and a third count charged them with
using four lurcher dogs for a similar unlawful purpose, they
being unqualified persons. The prisoners had appeared before
a Magistrate, and they were on that occasion charged with a
misdemeanour in using the net, snares, and dogs; it wax dis-
covered that the charge would not lie and they were dismissed,
and the present proceeding instituted.
John Wakeford sworn—lam-gamekeeper to the Earl of Ply- 1,
mouth ; he is Lord of the Manor of Tardebig, in this county.
On the 30th of November, about half-past ten o'clock in the
evening, I secreted myself under a hedge in a wheat stubble
field on my master's estate, which is situate about a quarter of
a mile from Itedditch. I was on the look-out for poachers; the
next field was a bean stubble, and there•was a gate between
that and the wheat field. I saw the four defendants, and two
men, who were strangers to me, come up to the gate. Richard
Bints said to one of his companions, " Give me the net, I'll set
it ;" and he set the net to the posts of the gate, which had
bean opened by one of the men who was a stranger to me, for
the purpose of spreading it from one side to the other; I was
only three yards Born the gate at this time. The net was such

if,fIi.CMMMUILV,UieIi by piiachers for taking hares. I heard
11 Pitt suy-hs titol got some wires, and he and T. Flints
proceeded to the rough meadow hedge to vet them. The net
and wires will catch hares. I have seen many such be.
fore. T. Hints and Pitt knelt on the ditch, and set the wires
Against tie hedge. Thos. Cooke and Richard Hints were
looking on at the time. The defendants had five or six lurcher
dogs with them. Such dogs are used by poachers for hunt-
ing game into the nets and apringes. A lurcher bitch, called
Rose, wits amongst them. That bitch did belong to Cooke
some time before; I have seen her follow him; she used always
to run at me, and attempt to bite me. Poachers' doge know
a keeper as well as they know game,—(a laugh),—and will
give a signal to their masters when we approach. One of the
strange men looked over the hedge, and saw me, and maid—
" Who are you ?" 1 replied, "No matter to you who lam :
I saw who it was that set the net, at the gate." He ran off,
and I ran and seized the net, and put it into my pocket, and
proceeded to the ditch where I'itts and Thomas Dints were set-
ting wires. They had set seven wires, and were in the act of
setting another when I got to them. They rose up. Thomas
Hints had a wire in his hand, and Pitts had a number of sticks
which are used in the springes. They were the same sort
as these I now produce, which I took from some Redditch
noachers. I said to Richard Dints, " Mr. Dickey, I have been
looking after you, and now I have got you pretty tight."
He said, "What halt thee seen ?" I told him r had seen him
set a net at the gate ; he asked me who had got the net ? there
being five of them, I said, the net was taken by the one who
had run away across the stubble. He asked the if I would
tight? and I declined. I gave a whistle, to make them believe
1 had assistance at hand, and then went away ; 'I returned with
George Parsons and Thomas Hawes, assistant gamekeepers,
in about twenty-five minutes, and went to the same gate, and
we hid ourselves. Soon afterwards, the four defendants made
their appearance; Richard Hints said, " what do you hide
yourselves for, why don't you come out, if you want to see any
thing ?" I told him, that I had seen enough for him, for
I had seen him set a net at the gate ; he answered, " then
you must know who has got the net." I told him that I had
gut it, and I
put my. hand in my pocket and took it out.—
" This is the same net." He replied with an oath, "if you
want something to swear to, look at this," and took another net
out of his coat pocket, and he and Pitts faStened It to the gate-
posts. I ran towards the place to seize it, when lid. Hints took
it away, and put it into his pocket, and used blackguard lan-
guage. The defendants are fish-hook and needle makers at
Itedditch. They have neither houses or lands, and are not
qualified to kill game.
Cross-examined by Mr. Curwood : I am deputy game-
keeper to the Earl of Plymouth ; he is pretty sharp about his
game ; so are most Noblemen and Gentlemen ; there is a foot-
path through the stubble field to Redditch •it might be five or
six weeks after this transaction before the defendants were taken
before a Magistrate ; they might have been several days sin
custody before they were examined; they were discharged;
the Magistrates did not go into the case; I WWI afterwards
examined by my Lord's attorney ; I believe that Cook's parents
are respectable ; he was, and may be now, a traveller.
George Parsons and Thos. Hawkes, assistant-game-keepers,
corroborated the above evidence.

Mr. CunwooD said, tliat he appeared only for the defend-
ant Cooke, and he. would avoid saying any thing to prejudice
the other defendants. On the part of him client, ha thought the
evidence was weak indeed. No act of his was spoken to by
either of Cie three witnesses, and therefore he should expects ver
dict in his favour after explaining the cause of his client's being
seen on the spot. The fact was, that he never was in his life
concerned in acts of poaching; and he happened to cross the
field in question by mere accident, when he saw the other de-
fendants, but he took no pint whatever in their proceedings
Ile (Mr. Curwood) never knew but one instance where greater
oppressiveness had been manifested than in the present pro-
ceedings, and the case he alluded to, was that of an action
brought by a nobleman—mind, Gentlemen, 1 do not say that
that nobleman was the Earl of Plymouth--for a trespass. The
trespass consisted in the taking a few blackberries from one of
the nobleman's hedges. The Jury were compelled to give a
farthing damages, because the Judge said it was a trespass,
expressed his great surprise at such action having
gbh he
irotght ; and the Jury, on giving a farthing to the noble-
man,beyn
lamented that they were compelled to do so. Mind,
Gentlemen, again repeat, I do not say that the nobleman
that brought this action for a few blackberries was the Estl
of Plymouth —(111r. Carrington, the Counsel who wo wgh

• • •
Curwood, said " it was the Earl of Plymouth.")—flatt
Genannen, whatever the public may have brought about that
case; the present was almost as oppressive. The defendante
were apprehended on a Tuesday or Wednesday, and kept in a
" hole" or round Mouse till the Friday following, when the,
were " let lbese, td use the words of one of the defendants-
When his (Mr. CtirwoOd's) brief was put into his hands, he
was no little surprised to find that the defendants had to an.
met to an7infVrill4tion preferred by one David Davis, of High
Holborn ; he, plaid- not conceive what this informer of High
Holborn' heal•to'dd with poachers in Worcestershire; but on
looking into' is instructiona, fie found that the Nohle Eafl,
having been mistaken ink charging the defendant under an Act
of Parliament, with misdemeanour, which subjected them to
the mild punishment of transptirtatlon, had ordered his attor-
ney .to institute these yeti, ekpenitiVe. proceedings in the Crown
Office, to recover a 44.pernety, and it• he did recover, he (Mr.
1..) was convinced; that whatever the Noble gari obtairei in
money he would lose in diameter.
The defendants, Richard that; Thonias Dints, and W.
Pitts, severally addressed the Court;' they said they had re-
ceived no notice of trial, and a• re unprepared. They also
stated, that they were apprehended for this offence en a Wed-
nexday, and. kept till Friday in the hole at DroitAticb, when
(sty were set at liberty without any examlnatiop, and were
told that they were very fortitnute ; since which they had again
been apprehended, and lead been for some weeks in prison ,on
the present charge,
Mr. Justice liireLEtiamt ,summed up, and the Jury re-
turned K verdict of Not .Guilty as to Gooke, and of Guilty as
to the other three defendants, upon the second count, giving
'one penalty of Five Pounds-to the
CRIMINAL COU RT.—(Blore. Mr. Justice PA R K.)
BloastY.--:David Baer Ashton, a young man only 2'.2 years
of age,. was indicted for bigamy.
Mr. Caoss stated the case fo; the prosecution. It would be
.in proof that the prisoner; on the 3d k'ebruary, 1822, et jiings-
winford, in the county of Staffbrd, married Dorcas Webb, and
that, having deserted her, he, on the 16th of November, 1823,
married Sarah Deely at Dudley, in Worcestershire.
To prove'this case, the registers of both marriages were put
in, and the identity of the parties proved. The second wife
was not called as a witness, and it was intimated that she bad
withdrawn in order to avoid giving evidence against the men
Whom he regarded as her htisband.
Mr. Cunwoon, far the prisoner, asked one of the witnesses
to the first marriage whether the wife had. ot violated her own
conjugal faith, and. thus had produced the infidelity of the hus-
band. The witness answered decidedly in the negative.
Mr. Justice PARK refused to allow the further prosecution
of this inquiry, giving his opinion that it tended only to
aggravate the injury which the first wife had already borne. He
then inquired whether the second wile knew of the previous
marriage; and received a decided answer in the affirmative.
The Jury immediately returned a verdict of Guilty.
Mr. Justice Panic said that the prisoner had been guilty of
a moat heinous off'enee against the laws both of God and
He would certainly have transported him, but for the answer,
from which it appeared that the woman whom he had married
rust knew that his wife was living, and therefore that she had
not been deluded to her ruin. Under all the eircumstancli df
the case, the sentence was, that the prisoner should be kept fur
12 months to hard labour in the House of Correction.

AS,iIZES AT CLARE.