The Sun.
London, England, 1818-03-12 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRICAL FUND.

A grand,dinner was yesterday given at the City
of London Tavern to promote the imerest of the
Fund of Drury-lane Theatre, which was numer-
ously attended.
At a quarter before seven the Duke of Yoax

entered, accompanied by the Earl of Essitx, Lord
HOLLAND, Lord YARMOUTH, Lord MONTFORD,
and other Noblemen and Gentlemen. On thro
cloth being rent used, the usual loyal and patriotic
toasts wet c given, and " Nun Nobis J)onzine,''
" God save the King,'' " Ha,', Star of Bruns-
wick,— &c. were sung by ALs!.l , NNE,
BROADH U RST, TAY Lott, and other vocal per-
formers, who gave their attendance.

The health of the Duke of York was proposed
by the Ea►l of Essex, and drank with three times
three.

The Duke of Yofte, in returning thanks, pressed upon the
company the importance of lilteraily supporting the Institu-
tion in !what f of which they were that day assembled, as he
knew of none better entitled to their patronage. He con-
cluded by proposing as a toast, " Success to the Theatrical
Fund of Drury-lane Theatre, together with the health of its
worthy Master and Treasurer, Mr. Edmund Kean."
Mr. KEAN, in his own name, the !relines of his brethren
present and absent, ia the names of those who in the re-
treats of poverty silently invoked the blessing of Heaveu on
the proceedings of that day, and in the names of those un-
fortunate persons who might feel interested in the future
prosperity of the Fund, returned thanks for the kind man-
ner in which the last toast had been given from the Chair,
and for the generous reception it had met with from the com-
pany. The circumstance of his name having been coupled
with the Theatrical Fund induced him to enter upon a task
which he was sensible he should very inadequately discharge,
and this he felt the more while speaking in the presence of a
Gentleman, whose talents had graced, whose private vittues
and whose name had long shed lustre on the situation which
he (Mr. Kean) had now the honour to hold. The Gentleman
he alluded to was his immediate predecessor, Mr..lislin Ban-
nister, who, for nearly eight-and-thirty years, had contri-
buted to the Theatrical Fund, as he was still determined tie
do to She end of his life. fle had retired front the stage, and
each actor lost in bins a brother, though he retained a friend.
But he (Mr. Kean) knew of no reason why be should not,
even now, resume the situation which he had so long filled
with honour to himself and with advantage to the Fund. He
then entered into a history of the Drury-lane Theatrical Fund, •
front its foundation by Garrick up to the present time. From
this it appeared that its affairs had gone on prosperously up
to the year 1793; but from that period, not only had there
been no increase in its property, but there had been a la-
mentable falling off, and the Committee had been compelled
by hard necessity to take ten or twenty per cent. from the
scanty incomes of their annuitants. In IAI3 they had had
recourse to a benefit ; and in tele, by the kind permission of
the Committee, the same thing had been done again, and the
success of this appeal to the public had enabled them to re-
store to their annuitants what their poverty had before com-
pelled them to take from them. He begged to return his
sincere thanks to the Royal Chairman and the company there
assemblechfor their kind patronage on this occasion. Again
adverting to the distressed situation of those whom it was
their object to relieve, he powerfully enforced their claims on
the Public, and remarked that those who had admired the
picture of misery drawn by one of our most distinguished
Poets in the stanza of his Poem, (" Ode on a distant Prospect
of Eton College"), beginning
" Ambition this shall tempt to rise,
Then hurl the wretch from high;
To bitter sewn a sacrifice,
And grinning infamy,"
would find the realization of it in the history of those who
were annuitants on the Theatrical Fund.

Mr. Bannister's health was drank with three times three.
Mr. BANNISTER thanked his Royal Highness and that Noble
company for the high honour he had just received. Whets
he retired from the stage, he had considered it a great hap-
piness that he had the opportunity of resigning the situation
of Master of the Theatrical Fund to Mr. Kean, whose ex-
quisite and original talents were calculated to render it most
important services. He expressed the highest satisfaction at
seeing so splendid a company assembled on the present occa-•
sion. If heretofore the Committee of Drury-lane Theatre
had experienced any feelings of disappointment while oon-
templating the superior patronage enjoyed by the Theatrical
Fund of Covent-garden, he hoped, after the experience a
this day, Mr. Kean might be allowed to say in his usual c,''
cellent manner—

" Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by the sun of York."
(Loud applause.)

" The Vice-Presidents," " the Committee of Drnry-lane,
Theatrt' " " the Performers," " the Ladies of the Stagi..
" the Memory of Garrick," " the Memory of Sheridan, and
the Duke of Bedford's health," and " The Covent-garden
Theatrical Fund," were among the toasts which followed.
Thanks were returned by Lord HOLLAND, the
Earl of YARMOUTH, and others. A variety °fp-
diciously selected songs and glees diversified the
entertainments of the evening. The Duke of
YORK left the room before eleven o'clock, amidst
the plaudits of the whole company Mr. KEAN had
previously teported the subscriptions to amount to
neatly 1,0001.

THE ORATORIO.-ThiS truly sublime entertain•
mcnt concluded last night at Drury-lane
We regret that we cannot enter into a detail of
the merits of the season, but it would he injustice
t Sir GEORGE SMART if we did not bear testi°
mony to the liberality with which he supplied the
Orchestra with the best Performers, vocal snit
instrumental, and the judgment and skill with
which he conducted a species of amusement well
suited to the solemnity of the period of the
year, and we hope he will long be enabled to
afford such a refined annual gratification to the
Public. Theatre.

During the night between Wednesday and
Thursday, the barometer in Glasgow was unu•
sually lOW, In some tubes the mercury was un-
der 28.

SUDDEN DEATH.—Tuesday, PnittAPAR,
Esq. of Park-street, Grosvenor-square, went 1°
bed in a good state of •health, and next morning'
not getting up at his usual hour, a person carve
to his bed-room, where he was found quite dead'
The family immediately sent for a surgeon, but
his efforts proved unavailing. The body now lies
for a Coroner's Inquest.
MURDER.—On Monday morning last the bodY
of a new-born child was taken out of the River
Thames, quite naked, and in a putrid state. It
drifted up with the tide, and is supposed to love
been thrown in by its unnatural mother. The
body was carried to the bone-house at Poplar for
the Inquest.
" Where in the name of Fortune are you go-
ing ?" said a tradesman to another whom he met
running through Cheapside the other day with the
utmost expedition. " Why," said the other, "I
am not going any where in the name of Fortin',"
but I am, going in the name of 131sH, to order
share of the Port Wine that I am entitled to, t()r
you must. know I hare got part of his lucky Num:,
ber which is to have Four Pipes."—" Well, bat
said the other, " why in such haste ?"—" lie
cause I am afraid all the good Wine may begone,
and you know I hate slow (sloe) juice;" anti awl
he ran.

LONDON: Printed by J. B. CARSTAIRS, of No. 29, Great
Ormond-street, Queen-square; and published by W.
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