The Sun.
London, England, 1824-07-12 00:00:00

AFFAIRS OF DRUR,Y-LANE THEATRE.

The Annual 'Meeting of the Proprietors of tl:ic

Theatre took place on Saturday in the Saloon, in pursuance of

public advertisement. The attendance was thin, a circum-

stance which may, in some measure, be attributed to the con-
viction of those who are interested in the property that their
alfAirs have been, and continue to be, most prosperously con-

ducted.

At half-past two, Mr. CAI.CRAFT was Called to the Chair.
Mr. DUNm then read the following iteport
UEFORT or TUE SUII.COMMITTEE TO TILE GENER‘L
COMMITTEE.

" The Sub-Committee have again the satisfaction to meet
the General Committee with their Report upon the affairs of
the Company, which they submit as a brief summary of the ar-
rangement of their concerns which have taken place since the
last General Assembly.

" The Report will be ronfirmetl by the production of the ac-

county which have beeti regularly audited by Mr. 'Oakley.

" They have the satisfaction to state, that.the rent tine from

the lessee has been regularly paid, in addition to which, he has
made the deposit, provided by the lease, of 2,0001. towards the
rent for the ensuing year.
" The Sub. Committee deem it necessary also to observt,
that by the supplies of new stock, the lessee has not only main-
tained the value of the wardrobes, scenery, &c. equal to the
estimate when delivered into his hands, but considerably in-
creased it ; and the best proof of the general improvement of
the property by the alterations of the Theatre, is found in the
patronage of the public, who have rewarded the enterprise of
the Lessee by a successful season.
" The New ltenters whose annuity of Is. 3d. per night com-
menced on the Ist of October last, have received the amount
fl-om the Sub-Committee through their trustees, Messrs. 'fur-
ton, Fallowfield, and Snodgrass, to whose account ;the same
has been paid, by regulated instalments, into the Banking
House of Messrs. Ransom and-Co.
" The first instalment of the Bond-holders, directed by the
Act of Parliatnent to be made in the present month, amounting
to 3081. Os. Bd. was paid in anticipation on the Ist of October
last, in order to save to the Proprietary one year's interest

thereon.
" The Sub• Committee had long contemplated effecting an
additional security mainst fire, to the property entrusted to their
care, wherever the funds of the Theatre would admit.

"'They have accordingly erected, at a very ttonsiderable ex-
pence, a tank at each extremity of the building, Calculated
to contain a sufficient quantity of water to extinguish fire in
the remotest part of the Theatre, should such a klamity take
place.
" The means by which the Sub-Committee have been enabled
to meet these expences, they submit, wiei great gratification,
to the General Committee. It will be in their recollection, that
in the year 1819, (a period at which the theatre laboured under
extreme pecuniary difficulties), his most gracious Majesty con-
descended to head a Subscription by a Loan of One Thousand
Pounds, in Support of a plan projected by the Sub-Committee,
to disencumber the concern.
graciously pleased to "This loan his Majesty has been
di-
rect should'be considered as a contribution towards the general

funds of the Company:
" The Sub.-Committee have also the.satislaction to state,tbat
his Royal Highness the Prince Leopold has desired the same
application to be made of his subscription of 2001.
" The Sub-Committee have now to state, that the claims dis-
covered to be due to the various creditors in 1819, amounting
to 92,0001. have, by the arrangements and a regular appropri-
ation of the lands, been reduced to 27,172/. 12s. 4d.
" In closing this Report, the Sub-Committee have only to
request the attention of the General Committee to the annual
statement of accounts preparatory to its being laid before the
tleneral Assembly, and which statentent is nortreduced to a
very brief abstract, viz.:—at the last general assembly in July
1822 the debt of the Theatre was 29,014/.
, ,4 The payment of the first instalment to the bondholders,
made in October last, amounting. to 3,480/. Ld., leaves the pre-
sent inctimbrance upon the concern, with the addition of the
interest to them fur the last year, at 81,1721. 12'..4d., consisting
of the following items :
" Bondholders, 20,2281.45. 4d. ; unclaimed dividends, 1,280!.
composition awarded by the late Theatre, 3,9181. ; one year's
interest to bond holders„ 1,046/. Os.
" And there is an available balance in the hands of the

banker towards the reduction of the saute, of 6,1201. ss. 7d.,
which, when applied, the extent of the claim upon the conceru
will be 21,0481. 10d."
Mr. CALCItAFT now rose, and said it was not necessary to
trouble the Meeting with any observations. The Report was
so explicit and so accurate in itself, that it contained all
which could be said on the subject. There was a circum-
stance, however, which it was fit to mention : he alluded to
the item of debt awarded to persons having claims against the
late Theatre. This was stated more .for form Rake than any
thing else; for he had no doubt the Committee would never be
called upon to make that stun good. Ile was satisfied that
the sum might be applied to the liquidation of the debt stated
to be existing, according to the present state of things, which
would thus be reduced to little more than 17,000/.--411ear !)
According to the engagement under which the present
management was conducted it was stipulated that the
old proprietors should not reap any benefit from the property
till 1830 ; but now he had great satisfaction in remarking
that they would, in all probability, he enabled to attain the de-
sirable end one year sooner, as by thatlime he anticipated the
Theatre .would be completely free from incumbrance.—( Hear !)
The lion. Gentleman expressed his gratitude in common with
the other Proprietors for •i.he liberality which had been exer-
cised by his Majesty in relinquishing his claim to the thousand
pounds which had been advanced to them by way of loan in
181 J; and he thought equal gratitude was due to his Royal
Highness Prince Leopold.—(llearl)—Of the lessee, too,.it was
impossible not to speak in the highest terms, for not only had
he strictly complied with all the • covenants of his.agreement;
but he had gone further, and had greatly added to the-value
and excellence of their property in every possible way ; and
would, no doubt, is the coining, as he had in the late, secure a
successful season.—(Cheers.)—The thinness of the meeting he
considered as an earnest of the confidence with which the Pro.
prietors regarded the manner in which their interests had been
promoted.' In conclusion, tine lion. Gentleman moved that the
Report should be cwi &med.
The Report was =firmed accordingly, and the General
Committee, the Sub-Committee, and time Auditor of last year
were re-elected.
Mr. 1.. B. A et. ft ST and Mr. W. H. C et; re were also elect-
ed Members of the General Committee, in the room of Mr.
Itrcanno and Mr. THOMAS CHtruc*
Mr. FaeutwrlE en, one of the Trustees of the new renters,
on the part of 'these persons expressed his gratitude to the Sub-
Comnnttee, for the manner in which they had conducted the
affairs of the Theatre, and stated his perfect confidence that
this Theatre would soon exhibit an anomaly in the Watery of'
Theatres in this country ; namely, that it would be out of debt.
lie then moved the fallowing Resolution :
" Whet- the sincere and heartfelt thanks of the Proprietors,
Renters, and Bortd.holders, be offered to the SuL-Committee,
for the labour, skill, and diligence they have evinced in the
arrangement of the affairs of Drury-lane Theatre, and the
Alenting ventures to express a hope, that_ they will continue
their labour till the bond debt be completely extinguished, and
the 'Theatre altogether liberated front embarrassment."-,Car-
ried WM. con.
Mr. Routtes had no intention to trespass more than a few
minutes on the attention of the Proprietors. The report was so
favourable, that it only remained for hint to congratulate them
upon it ; but his great object in rising grew out of the observa-
tions of the last speaker (the trustee for the new renters) ; he had
complimented the Sub-Committee in terms very flattering to
them all : the growing prosperity of the establishment was,
however, the most gratifying part of his eulogium—at the time
when a mismanaging Committee directed the concerns of Drury-
lane, the shares were Ow worth half what they produced at the
present moment, under a legitimate form of government ;"while
the rival theatre, the shares in which, in the good old times,
were above par, had, since it had changed its form of govern.
ment to a Committee of management, retrogaded rthr 40 per
cent. This fact needed no commentary.
Thanks were voted to Mr. Calcraft, and the Meeting then
dispersed, highly pleased with the cheering prospect held-out
in such satisfactory terms by the Report.