Star.
London, England, 1824-02-26 00:00:00

DRUIIY-LANE THEATRE.

The Merry Wives of Irixdsor attracted a crowded
audience last night, and the whole Comedy went off
with infinite eclat. Madame VErrats performed Mrs.
Page for the first time, and acquitted herself with the
greatest credit, her songs and duets were given with
great sweetness and .effect ; the mellifluous STEPHENS
WAS as charming as ever, while Miss POVEY'S liquid.
tones fell sweetly on the ear, particularly in her beauti•
lul duet with BRAHAU
° Love like a shadow Ales."

BRAIIANI sung all his songs with uncommon power,
taste, and expression. An additional movement to his
cantata of

" A loses eyes can gaze ap eagle blind"
was introduced with the happiest effect and success.

SLAVERY.

The first Annual Meeting of the Edinburgh Society
for the mitigation and gradual extinction of Slavery,
was held on Monday, the 15th instant, at the Waterloo
Tavern, in that City.—Walter Brown, Esq. acting Chief
Magistrate (in the absence of the Lord Provost), in the
Chair, supported by the Rev. Dr. Davidson and John
Waugh, Esq.—The Report was read by the Rev. C.
Terrot. The object of it was to establish three points :
I. That moral and religious education applied to a Ne-
gro population, even more degraded than that of the
iVest Indies, will effectually improve them in all the
good qualities of human character—proved by the ex-
perience of Sierra Leone, where there is now a popula-
tion of several thousands of liberated Negroes, and
although that population has increased, crime has de-
creased. Q. That the alarm ofa gradual emancipation
is groundless, seeing that, in St. Domingo, even a total
and instantaneous emancipation, produced none of the
evils that are dreaded ;—and, 3. That the happiness
.Ind interests of proprietors and slaves, even under the
present system, and in the Islands themselves, may be
effectually promoted, by a system of kindness and hu-
mane treatment, proved by the experience of Nlr. Steele,
and other similar ones referred to. From all of which
considerations, the Report inferred, that it was the duty
of the British nation to second the wishes of the Minis-
try, by supporting measures calculated thus to benefit
all interests, however apparently opposite. With re-
ference to he clamour which has been ixcited in the
West India Islands themselves on the subject, the Re-
oport observed that this was limited to Jamaica and Bar-
adoes alone, in which Islands all concession had been
systematically, however unwisely, opposed ; while an
Opposite and most pleasing spirit had been evinced in
the islands of Tobago, Grenada, and St. Lucia, the le-'
gislattnes of which had passed laws highly favourable
to the improvement of the Negroes.—Speeches were
delivered by several Gentlemen present, and a pe-
th3en to the House of Commons was agreed to, and
numerously signed.

HENRY ANDREWEs who for many years edited Moore's
Almanack, received only 201. or 251. a-year, for his la-
bours. They order these things better in Russia, where
Messrs. KorztEcw and VON BESTUSCHEW, the editors
ii the first Russian Almanack, The Polar Star, have re-
ceived magnificent diamond rings from their Majesties
the Empresses.
Thursday an explosion took place in Bumton Col.
lery, by which one man was killeJ, and a boy se•
I;eusly hurt.

.•/ • •
. - -