The Sun.
London, England, 1834-03-08 00:00:00

RAMSGATE, MARCH 7, 1834.

The " Ferret" steam-packet, Captain Hamilton, arrived here
this morning, shortly before 12 o'clock (having left Calais at
eight), not having been able to enter Dover harbour an ac-
count of the bar which prevails there when the wind is at
S. or S.W. There were about forty passengers on board,
among whom were Lord Louth and Sir Michael Shaw Stewart,
Bart., M. P. for Renfrewshire, who immediately set off' for
London, as the honourable baronet was desirous of being
present in his place at the House of Commons this evening.
Immediately after the " Ferret" had landed her passengers and
three carriages, she left Ramsgate Harbour for Dover Roads.

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRICAL FUND,

Yesterday was celebrated at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great
Queen-street, the eighteenth anniversary of this very laudable
charity, instituted for the support of decayed actors, which was
numerously and respectably attended. The chair on this occa.
sion was filled by Lord SAvrourt. Amongst his Lordship's
supporters we observed Lords G. Lennox, Arthur Hill, Hon.
Mr. Bruce, General Phipps, Mr. Randle Jackson, and many
other zealous friends of the drama.
On the removal of the cloth, the usual toasts succeeded,
after which Lord G. LENNOX gave the health of the noble
chairman, who returned thanks in a brief but suitable manner.
He professed himself a warm supporter of the institution over
which he presided, but referred them to Mr. Mathews, the
locum tenera of the treasurer, Mr. Fawcett—who was absent
from indisposition—for particulars.

Mr. MATHEWS said he stood before them in what he would
call "an awful position."—(A laugh.) Yes, he had felt his
position awful. This institution had been founded in 1765,
and the present Royal Family had long and liberally patronised
it. The first idea of a public dinner originated with Mr. Faw-
cett.—(Hear, hear.) That man had devoted days and nights,
and weeks and years, to promote the interests of that institu.
tion and of the profession.—(Great applause.) It had been
the fancy of Mr. Fawcett, that the institution might one day
enable actors to retire after a number of years upon " half.
pay," and he had lived to see the wish realised. Mr.
Hull used to say that he hoped to live to see the fund
amount to 10,0001., but Mr. Fawcett had lived to see that sum
trebled.—(Cheers.) At this day the society was paying
out of the interest of its funded capital, annually, 9001.
Here he ought not to omit stating, that there were many per-
sons, patrons of the society, who did not honour them with
their presence at the annual dinner. Amongst them he should
mention the Duke of Devonshire, who had that day sent a
donation of 1001. Until last year, they had been only able
to allow 801. a year ; but this year the liberality of the patrons
had enabled them to increase it to 1001.—(Cheers.) Various
were the causes which had been alleged for the decline of the
drama. Some said that the theatres were too large. But the
late John Kemble once said, when told that the public did not
like large theatres, " Sir, the public lie !—(Laughter.) When
I and my sister were burnt out of Drury.lane, we performed
at the Opera-house, where we drew houses of 7001. a night.
We then went to play at the Haymarket, where,we never had
more than 3001.,and the small theatre was never full."—(Hear,
hear.) He (Mr. M.) had travelled lately round the provinces,
and he had seen many attempts to put down the drama. In
Sheffield, for instance, there was a clergyman who desired to
be informed whenever the players came down there. His
clerk used to go to the printing-office, and ask " When were
the players coming down ? because the parson was going
to have a fling at them ! " After commenting very se-
verely on the Sheffield parson's conduct, he said he had
read in the papers—but he hoped it was not true—that
in a late Parliamentary discussion relating to the drama,
a member of the legislature had expressed regret that the time
of Parliament should have been so much taken up with the case
of the " outcasts of society."—(Hear, hear.) He (air. hi.) said
honestly that he never had had any wish to be in the House of
Commons—(Hear, and great laughter)—but after he read the
speech of the senator to whom he had alluded, he almost wished
he had been in the senate at the time, that he might have stood
up and asked him to his face, would he say that Garrick was
an outcast ?—(Great applause.) Would he say that Shak.
speare was an outcast of society ?—(Renewed applause.) But
would Shakspeare ever have been the writer which he was if he
had not been an actor ?--(Hear, hear.) Why some of those
fanatics who, at Sheffield and in other places, preached sermons
against the drama, quoted Shakspeare from the pulpit, and such
was their ignorance that they did not know they were quoting
a dramatic writer.—(Great laughter.) He then alluded to the
writings of Jeremy Collier against the stage, and said that he
was happy that they had now a writer upon the drama of the
same name, but with very different feelings.—(Applause.) He
(Mr. M.) had not mentioned the Sheffield attacks upon the
drama from any feeling of disappointment as regarded himself;
for he had attacked the fanatic in his stronghold, and had had
the satisfaction of beating him.—(Applause.) To those who
were now present he need not say, " Are we outcasts?"—
(Cheers.) To those who say so, he would reply, if they were
present, "It is untrue."—(Cheers.) He (Mr. M.) would
rather be the meanest of those outcasts than be the man who
had called them by that name.—(Cheers.) He would not call
even gipseys " outcasts" of society, for he had had experience
of the honesty of gipseys ; and if he should hear that there
were some of the tribe who were not honest, he would not
have said that the gipseys were outcasts, but that those gipseys
were a disgrace to their profession.—(Cheers, and great
laughter.) It bad been said by a great writer, Alexander
Pope, that
" Honour and shame from no condition rise ;"
and, as if he wished to put a pun into his (Mr. Mathews%) hand
he added—

" Act well your part, there all the honour lies."
(Cheers.) It had been said by a nobleman at the table of his
late Msjesty, when Prince of Wales, that the law was a pro-
fession into which no nobleman was ashamed to allow his son to
enter. Upon which Mr. Curran, who was present. observed
the profession had enabled him, the son of a peasant, to sit at
the table of a prince. Well, then, the drama was a profession
which raised him (Mr. Mathews), an outcast, to sit at the table
of the Prince of Waterloo.—(Cheers.) Nor did he go there in
the character of Punch.—(Cheers and laughter.) On the Con-
trary, that Prince never passed him in the street without an
acknowledgment.—(Hear.) Mr. Mathews then appealed to the
press to vindicate the drama from those unfounded attacks.
Mr. Mathews sat down amidst immense cheering.

PRICES OF SHARES THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK.
Paid. Per Share,
Alten Mining Company £7 11%1
Mex. Anglo Sun. 4:0. (iss. at 51. pm )4100
Bolanos Mining Company £l5O 13734
Brazilian Mining Company £s lb
Brazilian Imp. Min. Co. (its. at 51. pm,) £2O 601
Ditto Macaubas Cocaes 22% 2914
Ditto St. John Del Rey
Cata Branca Mining Company 354
British Iron Mining Company £so
Columbian Minim Co. fuss al5/. pm.) 5234
English Mining Company 12)4
General Mining Association l2
Hibernian Mining Co
Mexican Mining Co. £4B
heal del Monte Mining Co....(unreg.)
rnted Mex. Min. Co. (iss. at 21. pm.) 40
Ditto New Scrip 5
Alliance Fire Insurance Comp..,
Protector Insurance Comp. ~....
Australian Co.
Canada Company
General Steam Navigation Co
National Provincial Bank of En;
Rio Doce
Provincial Bank of Ireland

£2

2854
18

;land 15

?i•X
gyi
9

£IT6

29N 30
51
ISN
1334
2%
41% 1