The Sun.
London, England, 1821-03-31 00:00:00

DRURY-LAND TIMA.TRICAL FUND.

The Anniveilary Festival,in-aid,of..theAmry:,
Lane Theatrical Func4 Was.celebrated yesigrday
at the, Vreemasone Tavern. -
At half past Six o'clock, his • Royal-Highness the Duke of
Fas: entered the room. His Royal Highness was acoompa-
toed by the Marquess of Arior.zsrt,' the Earl BLESIN
tOrd-PIPE, 'Six' 'S. SHEPHERD, Sit W.CONGAEVE,
CALcit:irr, andinany other persons of distinction.
T cloth
The
being removed, "The Bing,';- with three
tames
thie,,..
Th tt and with shouts of applause. Thenext toasts were
-.oral Family," "-The Army," and ":The Navy." •
The to.ii• of itr.Estrerox- said, the pleasing task had, de.
C°lvqu'pOri him of propoiing•i toast, which he was sure all
.Present would drink with enthusiaSm. To enlarge on the me-
rits of their Royal Chairman Was unnecessary; and would be
~jtici• •
taous,-as they were already engravers on the hearts of the
People. -Artiong all the 'virtues which distinguished his 'Royal
taghnesi; none more' endeared him' to his country, than his
4raiety to promote the interests of the several benevolent insti-
tution=s of this Metropolis,' and of these none were considered by
hisloyal Highness More • entitled 'to patronage than the chi-
rilWe funds-of the Sister Theatre.--(Applause.)—He beg-
ged
propose the health of his RoYal Highness the Duke or'

"The toast was drank with three times three, and with loud
sr:dal-nations. • -
The Duke of YORK, in returning thanks, expressed the high
33t4faction he &kat meeting a company so numerous and so
lelTetifile"On the-pre;ierit. occasion. •-lie thought none of the
charitable institutions of this Metropolis better entitled to sup.
"tt than those established for the relief Of decayed performers
af'the
--.sterTheatfes-.' None afforded a fitter opportunity
for the pia of generosity • and gratitude ••than those which
enabled the lovers -of the Drania to do something towards
their lives tOinfortable, Who had contributed so largely
te.t--&o.„- •
Joyments'oftheir benefactOrs. In return for the honour
he hatrfeeeived; lie begged-to drink to the healths "of all pre-
applattse:) • - '
" ProsPerity to the Drury-Lane Theatrical .fitud," was the
next toast •
• •

'The toast having been drunk with the usual honours,
Mr- tLLISTON addresied the 'Meeting.. This was the
!aural anniversary in.which -the interests of Drury -lane Theatre
had been promoted by meetings like the present, Which-num-
bered' among-the visitors some oF the first characters of the age ;
aria this was the fourth anniversary on which'his Royal High-
N & the'Duke.of York had dOne them the honbur to take the
air' The patronage of his Royal Highness was the more
Inlllortant, as it seemed to confirm his Majesty's gracious dispo_
sition towards the.- concern, -viitholif whose' munificent aid
1)11!•IY-Lane Theatre would, perhaps;" .never have been eictri-
cated from the difficulties with which it had to contend. To
hint it was, perhaps owing; tkat that they could meet this day,
that the. Institution-hid not sunk with the establishment which

it was destined to support. The importance and value of, this
charity were such,: that he could not but wonder that the whole
of his brethren had not come fOrward in its support. The
actor's profession was one, that of all others, required the great-
est corporeal. and mental powers combined, and these in the
eltest degree impaired by " the thousand natural shocks the
liesh is heir. to;" the greatest favourites were exposed to the most
afflicting vicissitudes. That this was felt- strongly in some
,eases, he might instance in his own person. He, though at the
plead of a similar Institution in another place, had' recently be-
come a Member of the Diurv-lane• Fund, as he did not know
that even the situation in which he stood at present, would save
from standing in need of its assistance at some future pea
,They....hatl. acted. on the principle. of inereasingly the stock
.•
declined
,-; e
.with the centribunons l reteiied. lie
oeclined going into detailS.butmight be allowed.tOatter state that at
r.rsentthey harftwo-elaffilants on the. Fund, who had been re-
. t'ev-'d from it ever since the days of Garrick-a period of nearly
• t?rtY years, and three persons had been put .on•the list since
' • Last festival. The highest income granted for the' support
• ,`'Llife to the highest class of claimants was 701. per annum—
fe lnwest 30/. Whit he had said was sufficient to make it
hOW desirable it. was to augment the funds of the Institu-
eac/h,' To say more would be superfluous. On the present oc-
,sPri hestood. in need of no studied phrase--a plain unvar-
-4tied tale would best answer his purpose. He regretted that
en the present occasion the cause had not the benefit of his
lergY and. eloquence who had heretofore been its advocate.--
recollection of that eloquence would be hoped still sur-
ye, and assist his own imperfect efforts. He hoped he should
be thoiight to digress unwarrantably when he added that he
in a few months to have the satisfaction to hail Mr.
tjeri's return to England, and of seeing kin), after visiting the
jilted States of America, restored in health and wealth to the
E.,"°ra of his familY, and the scene of his best fame—the rare-
tlee of the British Public.—(Alanse.
,The next toast was "Our noble and liberal
Vice Presidents."
; The Marquis OGANGLESEY, in the absence of the illus-
f_rinna Prince who had acted- as one of the Vice Presidents on
v'h h
`4l-ner oecasionS, to re a for the honour
~,,ie they -had received, And at the same time to express the
arni interest he took in the welfare of the Institution.
thl-e, health of the .Sub-COmmitiee was drunk with three times
Car.citaFT- returned thanks for the Sub-Committee.
' --(nebealth of " the Lessee" beingdrank—
E r..Lis'rox expressed his gratitude for the honour he
reech ed. He had a• duty 'to Perform, ainbiassed by per-
Anal feelings. Ile-hoped be bad hitherto done so ; and he had
, titie,B4tisfa.ction to state that, the situation of the Theatre was
e, en, that he had no 'reaiOn' to doUbt the debts of the Thcatre
klld be paid off by the time which-the Committee had- named
• oat at which the Proprietors might,hope to see the Theatre
debt. In the performance
.ot his duty he was not dis-
-ait'Ted to be alarmed at temporary' loises, nor should he be ele.!
1,,:(1 by temporary prosperity.. This 'he could venture to say,
Sliad the-Theatre had. never been so free from embarrassment—
Itaan never owed so little money as it owed under the present
• s,'!;-lause.) -• ' -
art Niecess to the ,Covent Garden Theatrical Fund," was
,Ang the toasts that succeeded.
NA, YATES, as the only member of the Covent Garden Corn-
' ktrailPresent, returned thanks for the toast 'which had been
oal,1) and. expressect.his confident hope, that the feelings of the
F,a,abets of the two Theatres, would ever be united in the cause
4 e
Thrty.
* health of•Mi: Kernble was drunk. with three times three,
le ere the healths of Mrs. Siddons and Mr. Kean.
tali of Bue si-siT ON returned thanks for his friend
...fic,,,Tenible, and was -confident nothing could have afforded that
''• ;,,\hehl,an more pleasure than to be present on this occasion.
~i)ii„lntlearaasTost read over the List of Subscriptiorls,nte which
_hLdaneevlrubnie.n contributed
fhrinert°feastliavrj;Os;.:Llinel Itatrny e
Ilea-Pine-as from the King, -accompanied by a.letter from Sir
.•.11164Jtainin Bloomfield, in which his :Majesty, in the kindest and
ila..enndescending manner, eXpressed the warm interest he
theiffaire of the Theatre:—(Great applause.)—He an-
.from the Duke of York, and closed an unusually
kiVa.''t, with what he Called a " bonne botiche"—the sub-
. tilt' non of two Ladies ;'1`..20 froin Mrs. Garrick, the relict of
f:aile,..-eellent founder of the
thetalnstiution.; and £5O from Mrs.
I;itu‘...tB. The total amount of bscriptions, he added, was
tilhcl4ious ! It exceeded (including the collection at 'the
4'5)
ikrll).l KIN 0
NAIRD had to announce a subscription, which,
giaCgn small, would not be the least acceptable. It was the
.111.Dv.f,its of what Mr. ean had reitted from America to
lueru for his family. - He K
could statem that Mr. Kean had left
!)pl,.enuntry with the most poignant feelings of regret. He had
quitted it with a view of establishing the independence of
the f'tinily, and Mrs. Kean had thought the first five guineas--
4 ,liro:hice of what he had remitted lo this country, could not
(;ocher applied than in sending it to the Theatrical Fund—
. lause.).
evening was spent in the utmost hail-no:1Y. A new song,
• *it, en for the occasion, was sung by Mr. Harley' and this
j,a mock Italian song, by Mr. Cooke, was rapturously
:red. Mr. Yates gave some excellent imitations. A va-
a,y,, of other songs 'and 'glees were sung, and the company
agreeably surprised by a, song -from the gallery (" the
i„Lno Song,") by Miss Povey, which called forth plaudits
'aid' enough to burst the cave
edwhere echo es. No entertain-
Int-nu could he better eonditii_ct. , and the convivial scene did
dt not finally close till n 4 nal night, The Puke Of-York retired
Half-past eleven.