The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-28 00:00:00

TILE OCEAN MAIL SER VICE.

SOUTIIAWTON, Jan. 27.-The ,Peninsular and,
Oriental ComPany's steamship • Itipob, Captain
Munro, sailed hence to-day for Gibraltar, Malta,
and Alexandria, with the gir hay mails, 291 boxes
containing £76,195 in speatillind £559 in jewelry, a
full cargo, and 53 first and 35 second-class passen-
gers. Among the passengers :who embarked arc
Lieutenants Bartholomew' and C.J. Plaughten, and
among those who proceeded via Marseilles are Lord
Itendlesham, Capt. J. It. Sladen, Capt. and Mrs.
'Hawkins, and Capt. and Mrs. Miller. The above-
named company also despatched their steamer
Alhambra, Capt. J. D. Steward, to-day with the
mails' for Vigo, Oporto, and Lisbon. She has nine
passengers, including Baroness Van Acrncss and
Lieut. do Kautzon, and 2,000 sovereigns for Lisbon.
The Union Screw Company'S steamer Phtebe, Capt.
Clark; arrived here early this morning from the
Cape of Good Hope, last from Plymouth. She
brings 30 passengers, and a cargo comprising 46
casks And (mks, 25 pipes and 50 hhds. of wine, 92
bales of wool, 2,000 horns, 1,995 bags and 25. tons
-of, copper ore, 5 cases of ii'ory tusks, 4 cases of
ostrich feathers, 15 'cans of' fibre; 8 packages of
sundries,. and £B2O in ;specie. On the 29th of
December the Phoebe spoke the Dutch ship
Schoonerbond, bound from Batavia for AMster-
dam ; same day the: English ship 'l'imandra, froth
Manilla for London, 89. days out. At 4.30 p.m. on
the 4th inst. the Phoebe hove to, and a boat came
alongside from her Majesty's steamer Industry for
a supply of coal, which Captain Clark was not able
to spare ' • the Industry was bound 0 Ascension. -
We tee by the Cape papers that the Union Com-
pany has submitted proposals to the Cape Govern-
ment for the extension of mail communication with
the Mauritius by. the establishment of branch
Steamers touching-at Poet Elizabeth and Natal. The
estimated guarantee is said to be £22,ooo—ene-half
to be defrayed by the home. Government. The mer-
chants of Graham's Town and Port Elizbeth pre-
sented Captain Clark, of the Phecbc, with a check
for £75, in acknoWledgMent of the valuable
services he had rendered to the mercantile com-
munity of the eastern province in having performed
two voyages in time to enable people to reply to
their letters by the homeward vessel. The Athens,
Captain Strutt, arrived in Table Bay on the 14th
of December, with the English mails, four days
before her time. The next mails for the West In-
dies, &c., are due at Southampton on the Ist Feb.,
per Parana, Captain Bevis ; from Gibraltar, Cadiz,
,Lisbon, Oporto, and Vigo, by the Sultan ; Captain
Cook, on the 3d; from. India and China, by the
Ceylon, Capt. Evans,- due on the 4th, but expected
to arrive about Su. nday week ; from the Brazils and r
Plate,
sth; t Australia a•A
onnd New'
, • Captain
Zealand,le Nit ,
byon theto
from
Thames, Capt. "Lewis, on the 6th ; and from Bom-
bay, by the Orissa, Captain Joy, on the 12th. The
Indus, Captain. Evans, leaves-With the East India
and China mails on the 4th Feb. ; the Tagus, Capt.
Hall, with the Peninsular mails, on the 7th ; the
Tyne, Captain Sawyer, with the Brazilian mails, OR
the 9th ; and the Fulton, Captain Wotton, with the
French and English mails for New York, on the 9th.

MEETING OF THE PROPRIETORS OF

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

Yesterday afternoon the annual general meeting
of the proprietors and renters of Drurv-lane Theatre
was held in the saloon of the establishment.
Mr. B. B. CABBELL, M.P., F.R.S., was called to
the chair; and amongst the proprietors and renters
present we observed Lord Tenterden, Lord G. Let-
not, Sir Wm. DC Bathe, Captain Painther, Mr. G.
B. Allen, Mr. Arden, J.P., Mr. Ibbetson, Mr. Raw-
linson, Mr. T. M. Nelson, the architect, Mr. E. I'.

Smith, the lessee, &e.
The CHAIRMAN, having explained the object of
the assembly, called upon ,the Secretary to read the
report of the managing committee.
The report stated that the committee had great
pleasure in stating to the proprietors that they had
at length received the award from Mr. Lockyer,
the arbiter, as to the long-pending question between
them and the proprietors in respect of the repairs
of_the theatre, andit would be their duty to sots the
directions contained in the award duly complied
with. The receipts of the year, adding the balance
of £217 lls. 7d. of the previous year, amount to
£4,858 6s. 11d., the payments to £4,480 19s. ld.,
leaving a- cash balance of £337 7s. 10d. The receipts
comprise the sum of £4,000 for the year's rent paid
by the lessee, and a further sum
.a £155 paid by
him for 31 extra performances., The payments com-
prise the sum of £1,639 ls. 11d., for five quarters'
rent, paid to the Duke of. Bedford on account of the
arrears due to his grace, and the sum of £1,050
paid to the trustees of the new renters. The rates
and taxes and all otheraccounts, with the exception
of items under p 00, had been paid up to Christmas.
The committee were again enabled to eonclue their
report by adverting with satisfactio-n to the success
which had attended the commencement of the pre-
sent season.

This report having been received and adopted,
Mr. T. M. NELSON, the architect to the proprie
tors of the theatre, was then callecLupon to present
his report as to the state of the building, which stated
that the reinstatement of the large skylights over the
prcperty room and a portion of the other extensive
repairs referred to in his former report, have been
satisfactorily executed. An important addition has
been made to the new water supply and fire-main,
by which a constant supply is afforded to the cis-
terns on both sides of the house, and the water for
scenic effects is also furnished without diminishing
the supply required in case of fire. The frequent
inspections at the Theatre Royal Drury-lane have
tended much to the greater security of the building
and the safety of the public. In conclusion, the
report stated that, although the theatre has been
erected upwards of fifty years, it is (with the ex•
ception of a-few matters which are capable of im-
provement) unsurpassed in this country, not only
on account of its architectural proportions, and its
adaptation for dramatic performances, but for this
no less important reason, viz., the perfect security
that even person may feel, whether in pit, boxes,
or galleries, in ease of any sudden alarmor panic.
The architect's report was received, and directed
to be entered upon the minutes.
A long discUssion then took place on the subject
of a reconstruction of -the managing committee.
Lord G. Lennox, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Pyefinch, Mr.
Seale, Mr. G. Baugh Allen, and several other pro-
prietors and renters, took part therein, and it was
contended that the introduction 'of new blood into
the committee was necessary, in order to obtain
better terms from the lessee of the theatre' than a
rental of £4,000 per annum.
A RENTER warmly contended that £4,000 per
annum was a most inadequate sum, seeing that in
the time of Elliston the rental produced .by the
theatre was .10,000 per annum. Formerly the
average rent to each renter, taken over a period of
thirteen years, was £l3 on each £5OO sham; bitt since
that period the rental had only averaged £2 14.
6d. per, share, which, setting down tflo. value of the
theatre at £100,0.110, -vas not equivalent to 1 .per
cent. He thought with care a larger amount of
interest might be obtained
.fortheir outlay. (Hear.)
Mr. SHARP moved that the committee be reor-
ganised, and consist of the folloWirig gentlemen
viz., Lord G. Lennox, Mr. C. Dance, Mr. G. Pons-
ford, Cant. Paiather, and Mr. Thompson.
Mr. THOMPSON was understood to second the

motion.
Mr. ARDEN, J.P., thought any attempt to disturb
the unanimity which existed in the present manage-
ment would be a most unwise step. It had alreay
resulted in giving them a larger dividend than usual,
rind if allowed to remain might tend still further to
increase it.
Mr. SEALE said such a proposal, in the face of the
very satisfactory report they had heard read was not,
at all justifiable. (Hear, hear.) The renters, he con-
sidered, had very little to complain of, when it was
recollected that the proprietors paid the Duke of
Bedford as ground landlord, as well as increasing
their dividend.
Lord GEORGE LENNOX was sure the present
managing committee had been guided by one
-motive, and that was to do the best they. could for
the property intrusted to their care. The object of
the committee ought not to be to jump at the
highest offer they might receive from a proposed
lessee. That had` not always been found the most
satisfactory course. iewas their desire to do the
best they could for the concern.
The proposition on being put was negatived, and
the existing committee re-appointed.
The CHAIRMAN observed before theyseparated that
he was sure the proprietors and renters would agree
with him that they should fail in their duty if they
did not tender to the present lessee, Mr. E. T.
Smith, their cordial thanks for his management and
punctuality.
The motion having been put and carried,
Mr. E. T. SMITH briefly responded.
A similar compliment having been awarded to
the chairman, the .proceedings closed.