The Sun.
London, England, 1819-09-09 00:00:00

MEETING OF DRURY-LANE PROPRIETORS.

A General Assembly of the Proprietors of this
Establishment was yesterday held in the Saloon,
for the purpose of tecei ring the Reports ot. tl►e
Committees, and also of electing six Members of
the General Committee in the room of six who
'were to go out by iot. At three o'clock Mr. CAL-
CRAFT took the Chair, after which the Secretni y
read the Advertisement by which the,Mceting
was auno(►nced.

Mr CALCRAFT suggested the propriety of elect-
int.; such Members on the Sub-Committee as were
likely to attend : it was toilful very difficult to
assemble fi,e out of the twenty-five Members of
Which the Select Committee consisted. But first,
they had better hear the Report of the General
Commit tee read.

The Secretary here read the Report of the Ge-
neral Committee ; it was as follows :
' • Drury-lane Theatre, Sept. Ft, IEII9.
" The General Committee have the satisfaction to inform
the Proprietors that they have concurred in every nteaute,
recommended by the Select Committee. Arid they have, in
consequence of the powers vested in them by the Acts of Par-
.:,-rantett a lease of the Theatre be fourteen years, at
a rent or 1.0,1.00, per annum, to It. W. Elliston, Esq., in the
name of the Joint-Stock ompany of Proprietors.
" They gladly embrace this,oppottunity of testifying their
sense of the zeal and ability the Select Committee have
manifested in arranging the Concerns of the Joint-StoCli.
Company.

" By Order of the General Committee,
C. W. See."

The Report being concluded, Cie following
natues weir tlrawn out as those Members of the
General Committee who were to go out :
Lord Yarmouth, Mr. G. Robins, Mr. 1. Dent, Mr. R. Wil-
son, the had of Essex, and Lord Byrun.•

Lind Yarmuu►l► and Mr. G. li.Ll) ins were unanimously
re-elected.

Ou the motion of Mr. ltoiu Mr. Calcraft
was unanimously elected a Member of the General
Committee; as were also Mr. Suave, the archi-
tect, and Mr. Church.

The following Report of the Select Committee
was then read : '

" September 8, 1819.
" The Select Committee have great pleasure in meeting. the
Proprietors this day. as they are enabled to report a very sa-
tisfactory conclusion to their labours.
"They have already stated the arrangements entered into
with 'the New Renters, Bond Holders, and Tradesmen, and
other Creditors.

" They now report, that the General Committee have ap•
proved of the terms and conditions of the Lease of the Thea-
tre to Nlr.Elliston, and they have this day executed the Lease
with that Gentleman.

" The Select Committee have further to report, that the
Subscription Loan has been completed, and so much of the
cash subscription realized, as to enable them to proceed in
the paymtNt of the first ss. i❑ the pound to the tradesmen
and other creditors to-morrow.

" Ttiey now beg leave to resign their trust as a Select Cont-
Matte, as all the arrangements enterea into by them will be
conducted by the General and Sub-Committees who have been
thi: day nominated and elected.

"In retiriro from this trust, they willingly embrace the
opportunity now afforded them of offering their sincere thanks
to the Propitetors for the confidence with which they have
uniformly been honoured.
• " By Order of the Sub-Committee,
" C.' W. WARU, Secretary."
Mr. CALCRAFT observed, that trice'. having heard
the Report, it was unnecessary for him to add
any thing. The SeleetComniittee had done their
utmost to place the affairs of t 4 concern in the
situation which, they now stood._ Fur himself, he
Celt no hesitation in stating, that, so far as they
had gone, the property was much improved ; and,
from the hands iwo which it was now put, the
Proprietary had reason to rest satisfied that every
thing which the 4:muluer, talent, spirit, and enter-
inize of Mr. Elliston could effect, would be done
to retrieve the property from its present situation
—(Applause).—That Gentleman had done every
thing which could be done in so short a period ;
and he had no doubt but the Theatre would, from
his exertions, ,be successfully opened in a short
time. The Proprietors ought to pray for Mr.
Elliston's success, as what was prosperity to him,
would be prosperity to them also; he was entitled
to their thanks, from the liberal manner in which
he had undertaken so large and expensive an
establishment.... The Gentlemen of the Select
Committee were entitled to the thanks of the
Lovers of as well as the Performers of the Di ulna ;
indeed,. he had not met a single individual who
was Not of opinion, that there should be a second
Theatre,. on an equal scale with Covent-garden.
He begged to be understood as not casting the
slightest imputation any where ; but •it was well
known, that in an establishment, where too
tnuch power was vested, it was generally exercis-
ed with perhaps too much severity. [Mr.. Gren-
fell here entered the Saloon, and was informed
by the Honourable Chairman of what had been
done.]

Some discussion took place as to the propriety.
of immediately clewing a Sub-Committee, alter
which the Chairman, Sir T. Turton, Mr. Gren-
fell, Mr. Robins, Mr. Wilson, Ste. left the Saloon,
and in a shortJime returned with the following
names,.akthe Gentlemen who were to compose

such Committee, viz. Sir 'F. Turton, Col. Douglas.,
J. Soane, G. Robins, and J. Calcralt, E•y.
Those names were approved of by the Meetioz.
Mr. Ca;cr•aft stated, that Mr. Soane hid kiw:;y
of, red himself as t►:e Hot:orary Architect of the
Establishment,

Mr. Iton INS begged it to be understood, that
,he Suti-Contwittre had no contront whatevei-
over the management of Mr. Elliston ; their only
ditty was to see that the property was not deteri-
orated, and !hat the money was nightly appropri.
rated to the use of the proprietors.
Mr. WALKER wished to say a word or two on
the subject of the letting of the Theatre ; as the
lease was now granted, much of he intend-
ed to observe must fall to tire ground. fits could
not, however, help saving, that Mr. Dihditi'stot,
ter was 10,000/. a year, besides laying out 30001.
upon it before the season commenct I. He wished
to have the different bidders, as well as their se-
veral offers, stared to the Meetin!..
Mr. CALCRAFT said, the Gen!leman was mis-
taken. The select Committee had considered all
the tenders prese'nted to them, and had selected
that of Mr. Elliston as the best, in point of tent,
of the money to be expended on the establiihment,
and also in point ot security. It was flattering
to them to find now that there were so many
competitors for taking the Theatre.
Mr. GREKFELL said, the Theatre being now let,
it would be extremely improper to state Who th 4
unsuccessful candidates were.

Mr. WARD (the Secretary) observed, tl►at the
agent of Mr. Walltechad not gone so far as he
was authorised to do ; the Select Committee,
therefore, had only to decide which of the ten-
ders laid before them was the most advantageous.
After the name of Mr. Elliston was declared as
the highest bidder, a second tender wal presented
on the part of Dihdin (or Mr. Walker,) but
the Select- Committee did not feel tiemselves jus-
tified in openilfg it, and it remained to this nio•
mew unsealed.

Mr. LowNoEs made some observa►ions on the
amount of the contingent expene of the Thea-
tre, amounting*, as he said, to 150,0001.; but after
u few observati►►ns, an inquiry into this subject
was referral to the Sub-Con►mittee.

Mr. GKENFELL mild Sir j.,
TeRTOr.3: spolhe
highly of :1I r. Mo►►re. Were it not for his exer-
tions, and ihe sums advanced by him, it would
have been impossible, on many occasions, to ol►cn
the Theatre.

Mr. GLOSSOP, a bidder for the Theatre, bore
testimony to the very great correctness with which
the books were kept.
Thanks ‘vere voted to the Select Committee,
and also to the Honourable Chairman, otter w hich
the Meeting broke up.