Star.
London, England, 1830-03-29 00:00:00

THE LAST APPEAL.

" A Urn, a Isom ! lay Kingdom for a hers !"
To hone 1 to have ! the monarchs ay—
The people's hope aspires too high,
And power—unless we an—must die :
To bone ! to house !

To horse ! to horse ! our subjects freed
From Gothic notions, cease to heed
Old bugbears of the past—Tm AZAD I!
To horn ! to basso !

To horse ! to hone ! the mass disowns
That rights divine trim priestly gowns.
They weigh our mitres—judge our crowns t....

To hone ! to hate 1
To horse ! to bone ! right cripples might ;
Our lieges hold the purse too tight,
And strike our ruling tools with fright :
To horse ! to horse !

To hone ! to horse ! ye whom the past
Bath bless'd with honours bright, amused
By tricks of Court—defend your caste :
To horse ! to horse !

To born ! to horse ! ye who endure
The weight of place and sinecure,
Now is the time to make them sure,

To horse ! to hone !

To hone ! to hone ! ye tonsured knaves,
Greedy as seas.—thick as their waves—
Now, now or never—bind our slaves :

To horse ! to hone 1

To horse ! to horse ! ye blest allies,
Be ready now—the people rise
With Veto:—and Majorities,

To horse ! to horse
To hone to horse! Kings stout of heart,
Shout till both camps and Senates start,
Full power or nothing I HOZIX or CART
To horse ! to hone !
W.

THE DRAMA.

Is it not singular—is it not
Mennen of the two great Theatres of this capital should condole
to recriminate upon the public for what they consider a brush it
duty in deserting their houses and starving their treasury, who the
true cause is in their own destructive monopoly, prodigal expenditure,
and general system of mismanagement, which have so fatally mill.
tated against the drama of the present day; nay, reduced Meipo.
mene and her laughing sister to a state of reprobation and neglect t
For abusing an unjust and mischievous patent inconsiderately granted
at a period when theatrical licentiousness, and the yet rude and un.
formed taste of a metropolitan audience, may have rendered some
such restriction necessary, have they not—first—with a cupidity
carrying its self.punishment along with it, erected houses of such
stupendous magnitude that they seem to have been built to contain
the population of the whole capital at once ? Have they not, in
paramount solicitude for the' Cam," neglected to consider public
gratification and comfort, and by the vitiated stage over which they
preside, and the wretched trash of their dramatic repertory, proved
that it is " So Sara As penny," and not to promote purity and taste
that they have assumed the arduous task of directing our thea-
trkals ? Does not their ungrateful perseverance in an erroneous
system, both before and behind the curtain, in defiance of public
censure, as well as the bill of spurious fare with which they daily
present the town, to the disgust of all true lovers of the Drama,
clearly demonstrate, that It is quantity and not quality of audience
they would attract to their benches t—whllst, fearful, like the dog in
the manger, lest any other theatre should presume to catch the
smallest ray of public favour. In whatever province of stage exhibi.
tion, have they not illiberally strained their inordinate and grievous
pretensions of exclusive right to perform all and every species of re.
presentation which the stage embraces, until they neither can satisfy
the town themselves, or willingly permit others to undertake the
task, or participate in the profit. Tragedy, Comedy, Drama,
Melodrama, Farce, Interlude, Passional**, &trio and Buffoon
Ballot, Spectacle, Slight of Hand, " Tour de fora," Concert and
Opera—all ! all ! are professed in their highest perfection
by these admirable directors of universal genius, who
view with jealousy the very mobs which assemble in the
streets round Punch's show—and look: upon every dog.dancer.-.
bear leader—fire eater—monster—and blind fiddler—as a rival and
interloper_ in their market ! In order to uphold so abominable a
monopoly—they are compelled to maintain a corps ds reserve of
sinecure artists in readiness for a call ;—that corps being in itself
sufficient to supply an efficient dramatis persona for a dozen
successful theatres :—and this, too, an expenee, be it cabs reed,
which is heavily saddled on their patrons;—for when the pi&
can be induced to witness the performance of a piece—they mutt
pay, not only to remunerate the artists then before them, but also
to defray the enormous salaries of a legion of tragedians, comedians,
singers, dancers, minuet' painters, and decorators, kicking
their heels behind the scenes—or killing their time is pus.l
suits of private pleasure. In addition to all this °mamba.
ing expenditure—they have necessarily been led by their
direct and exclusive rivalry to manceuvre in opposition, in the hope of
out-vying each other, by granting enormous and ruinous salaries,
until the leading performers, now popularly designated Stars, are
remunerated beyond all precedent. The mutual obstacle and inter-
ruption occasioned to each particular branch of the Drama in this
vain attempt to cultivate them all, on the same stage, stints and
represses improvement In every department ; subverts the
dignity and importance of the Stage, by confounding all
distinctions of histrionic talent, sensibly degenerated amongst us,
from the impediments offered to particular assiduity in any regular
and distinct school; while, alienated by this notorious decadence
and corruption of our stage—the polished and intellectual portion of
the community have long ago abandoned the national theatres to the
lovers of mummery and spectacle—to the prostitutes and lobby
loungers, whose Dutch orgies (hideous remnant of gross times) are
encouraged in spite of public indignation, from the predominance
of mere selfish and sordid considerations. Would that this were the
whole extent of the evil !—but an injury arises from all this de.
plorable abuse—still more disgraceful to the present generation, and
wrongful to posterity ;—for it too long has been, and threatens yet
to be, an insuperable bar to dramatic literature.
( To be austinued)

that the

The Earl of LUDLOW was on Monday last thrown
from his horse, by which accident hip Lordship's collar-bone was
seriously injured.
Sir P. MALCOLM has received a letter front the Rev.
Mr. Wot.r, requesting a vessel to bring him away from Cyprus,
whither he has escaped from the Jews at Jerusalem, who attempted
to poison him and Lady 0101011.X.4 WOLF. Her Ladyship Is
dangerously ill. The Wasp sloop has, we bear, been sent to their
assistance.

Mr. WESTERN, on presenting a petition on the sub-
ject of the beer duty, the attention of the CitaxcELLon of
the EXCHEQUER to the situation in which the public might be
placed if some regulation were not adopted as to the stock oa hand
of beer in October next, when the duty would cease. If something
be not done to secure the brewers and others from loss of duty for
the stock they may have on hand at such period, they will be liable
to the present duty if it were brewed even so late as the oth otOct.,
and the consequence would be, he contended, a complete a toppage
to the trade, as the period for the repeal of the daty app I ur
who would, brew with the chance of having a stock on hand on
which duty may have been paid, but on which parties could not
charge the amount of duty atter October 10 ? The Casicaza.oa
of the ExcHIQUZit admitted the isn of the Nubian, and he
was uadentood to state that it s have anxious and Immediate
consideration.

DRURY-LANE THEATRICAL FUND
FESTIVAL.
--,1..--

Saturday Mr. Harley, the indefatigable Muter of
of Drury-laps Theatrical Fund, in instituting which Garrick ob.
tained royal charter in 1777—the committee, and several of the
members of the Fund, consisting of Messrs. Postal, (the father of
the stage,) Hughes, Webster, Tom Cook, (Master of the Musical
tof Festival); 0. Smith, Bedford, Thompson, Fits.
wi sod Younge, attended in Kean's private room, for the pur-
pose of receiving the report of Messrs. Webster, Parley, and W.
Bennett, who had been delegated to wait upon his Royal High.
nees the Duke of Clarence to receive his Royal Highness's commands
respecting the Fund Festival to be celebrated on Wednesday nest.
Mr. Webster stated, that in obedience to the request of the Com.
mime, he and his colleagues proceeded on Friday to Busby Park ;
on their arrival, however, his Royal Highness was taking a ride in
the Park, but immediately he received information of the deputation
being in waiting, his Royal Highness returned to his mansion, and
taLinig equipped himself in his dinner dress, ornamented with the
Star and Blue Ribbon, received the deputation in the
7.lCdience Chamber" in the most gracious and condescending
mariner.

Webster presented an Announce Bill, printed upon satin, to his
Royal Highness, which contained a list of above 100 of the principal
Nobility, who had enrolled their names as Vice Presidents, and
many of them had signified their determination of 'attending to sup-
port his Royal Highness in the chair on Wednesday next. His
Royal Highness appeared delighted at the communication, and in
alluding to the excellent support which vu given to the Covent
Garden Fund at the recent Anniversary, was pleased to observe,
that the drama had always met his best wishes and support,
and in furtherance of these views, he should attend at the
Tavern, precisely at a quarter before six o clock. ' His Royal High.
near expressed his satisfaction on learning that the assemblage was
likely to be exceedingly brilliant, and the subscriptions liberal. The
deputation expressed their thanks to his Royal Highness, and
took leave.
Mr. HUGMES read communications from his Grace the Duke of
St. Alban's, the Marquis of Clandearde, the Earl of Roslyn, Earl
Cassilis, Earl of Belfort, Lord Saltoun, and Lord William Lennox,
accepting the office of Vice-President. He also read letters from
Lord Glengall and Colonel Berkeley—the former stating his inter.',
tion of attending the festival, and the latter enclosing a draft of 101.
to the fund.