The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-29 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

On Saturday a public meeting of the creditors of
th'A tl'eatre was held in the lobby, about a hundred
gpntlemen bei ii pr,sent.
At hall-1,14 t‘valce, Mr. KEintLE addreised the
Al, tint, stating that hims, if an:l the t we) gentlemen
io whom lout been entrusted the management of the
theatre, were always anxious to afford those inte-
rested in it every possible information upon their
conduct, and upon the stive of the funds of the
es!ablishment. To forward these views the present
Meeting had been called, and he was only sorry that
he had not been able, as yet, to induce any gentle-
man to take the chair.

There was an unanimous call of Mr. liemh:c to
the chjr, but that gentleman (led tied the invita•
tiou, on the ground that it was inconsistent with the
other duties he had to perform.
Mr. ROBERTSON was that called to the Chair.

Mr. KEMBLE then stated the object of the meet-
in7, and proceeded to read a cotrespondence that
had taken place between the solicitors of Messrs.
Willett, Forbes, and Kemble, and those of Mr.
Harris and Mr. Const, calling upon the two latter
ntlemen to lay asi.Je the spirit of litigation, and to
co-operate fur the general irct rest of the proprietors
and of the shareholders and creditors of the theatre.
c correspondence being read, Mr. Kemble stated
to the meeting that the debts of the theatre were
25,000/ ; lint that since he, Mr. Willett, and Capt.
Forbes had had the mana cement of the theatre, in
1822, they had paid off 60,0001. They had paid
into the Court of Chancery, out of their own private
property, 24,000 L to the bencfit of the, theatre, in-
(l pendently of another sum of 19,000/. paid by the
Receiver, and ‘vhich the Master disallowed, in the
Receiver's accounts. An ejectment had been served
by the solicitor of the .Duke of Bedford for two
years' arrear of ground-rent, and other proceedings
at law were now taken against the theatre by creditors.
lie should beg leave to move a resolution containing
three points—First, that the theatre should continue
tinder the management of Captain Forbes, Mr. Wil-
lett, and himself, for two months, when another
public meeting should be called, at which they would
render up the fullest account of their proceedings,
and of the pecuniary stare of the establishment.
Secondly, that application should be made to the
Court of Chancery, for permission to pay the
ground rent claimed by the Duke of Bedford, out of
the funds of tile theatre in that Court. And lastly,
that in the interim, the creditors do agree to post-
pone all proceedings at law for the recovery of their
claims.—(A pplause.)—He could state, t hat since his
manawement of the theatre, in no one season, ex-
cept the last, had the establishment sustained any
lass ; and he was convinced that, the property of the
theatre was fully equal to the liquidation of all
demands. _

The speech of Mr. Kemble was received with
great and unanimous aprobation. In the cor-
respondence, Messrs. Coast and Harris declined
any co-operation with Messrs. Willett, Kemble, and
Captain Follies. Mr. Coast pro'ested against his
liab lity to any of the claims made upon the theatre
daring the management of Messrs. Itiemble, Willett,
and Forbes; an I Mr. Harris complained that they
should have paid the simple contract debts, leaving
unpaid the claim for grcrind-tent. lie intended to
appeal to the Loads against the recent derision of
the Chancellor, and he threatened legal proceed.
ings if his name were used as a sanction to the pre-
sent meeting. Upon the resolution being put from
the chair,

Mr. WIIITE ro,e to oppose it. He was convinced
that at the expiration of two months the creditors
would be in a still worse situation. Procrastim-
don was to be avoided, and they ought to come to
book now. It was better to meet the difficulties at
once. Ile was convinced that every shareholder
receiving his five per cent, was liable to the de-
mands upon the theatre. The shareholders, pro-
prietors, and creditors, ought to come to some
mutual settlement, and the Chancellor should be
applied to for his order to sell the theatre, or that
the Master should settle all conflicting interests.
Mr. REEVELY animadverted with great severity
on the conduct of Mr. Harris. The idea of selling
the theatre was most preposterons, x‘hilst the
course of litigation resorted to by some of the cre-
ditors was the only way to defeat their own ()Weer,
and to involve every body concerned in ruin. It
appeared to him that the only way to lessen their
difficulties, and to pave the road to prosperity, was
that proposed in the resolution.—(Applause.)
A creditor said that, as a professional person, he
would maintain that Mr. Kemble had a right to the
property in the Court of Chancery, as it had been
paid out of his private funds. Ile deprecated the
waste of time and money in litigation, and thought
that the resolution was the most conducive that
could be imagined to the general interests of the
theatre.

A creditor, who professed himself of the legal
profession, concurred with the last speaker. lie
maintained that the Chancellor could not consent
to the payment of the ground-rent out of the funds
in Court, if it were opposed by any of the credi-
tors : therefore, unanimity was essential. ne would
avoid the evils of a Chancery suit; and he thought
nothing could be more reasonable and beneficial
than the resolution proposed by Mr. Kemble.—
( A pplause.)
An interlocutory discussion took place between
several of the creditors, when the resolution was put
and carried unanimously, with the solitary exception
of Mr. White.
A conversation then took pt tee relative to the
execution which had been put into the theatre by a
creditor, in the course of which it was stated that
the name of the creditor who had so acted was
• Buckle, and that his claim against the theatre
utnounted to 501. in a 5001. share.

A creditor proposed that it should be recommend-
ed to Mr. Buckle to suspend proceedings for two
momths, in order that all the creditors should stand
upon an equal footing, and :,at Messrs. Kemble,
Willett, and Fo.bes might not be unrecessarily em-
barrassed in their course of proceedings.
In consequence of tlis suggestion a resolution,
recommending generally to the creditors not present
at the meeting to agree to act on the principle of
forbearance laid down in the foregoing resolution,
was unanimously agreed to.
Mr. WHITE said, if this could be arranged as the
resolution proposed, he should have felt no opposi-
tion to the first motion.

A creditor wished to know whether it would not
be wise in the meeting to appoint a deputation of
creditors, for the purpose of seeking a personal in-
terview with the Duke of Bedford, in order that
his Grace might be solicited by them to stay pro-
ceedings for the present in the matter of the eject-
ment.

In answer to this, it was conteqded that it would
be better to leave this affair, together with others,
in the hands of Messrs. Kemble, Willett, end
Forbes, instead of making any distinct resolution on
the subject, which might, from circumstances not
at present foreseen, shackle them in their operations
or place them in an awkward situation.
Mr. REEVELY thought that a communication
might be made with propriety to Messrs. Const and
Harris from the creditors, requesting them to co-
operate with Messrs. Kemble, Willett, and Forbes,
in their endeavour to release the property from its
present disastrous situation. What he wanted to
see was at least an armistice established between the
parties, if no hopes of a permanent peace could be
entertained.

No distinct motion was made on the subject, and
it appearing to be the feeling of the meeting that
such a step would he useless, the matter dropped.

Thanks were then voted to Messrs. g.Cmble,
Willett, and Forbes, for the candid statement of the
affairs of the theatre, which they had that day laid
before the creditors. Thanks having been also
voted to the Chairman, the meeting adjourned.

Prince LEOPOLD gave a grand dinner to a nu-
merous party on Saturdiy, at Marlborough-house, Pall-
man.