Star.
London, England, 1820-05-04 00:00:00

DRURY-LANE THEATRE.

Yesterday, pursuant to Act of Parliament, the
Annual Assembly of the Proprietors of Drury-Lane
Theatre, for the purpoie of electing an Auditor, took
place in the Saloon. Mr. CALCRART in the Chair.
The SECRETARY then read the official notice of the
Meeting, and stated the demise of John Hosier, Esq.
the late Auditor.
Mr. GEORGE ROBINS then rose to propose Mr. Al-
derman Wood, as a Gentleman every way qualified
to succeed the late Nlr.-Hosier, in the office of Audi-
tor. He 'observed, that it was a situation probably
not very much to be envied, and yet, strange to say,
it was a sinecure, though void of any sort of pecu-
niary emolument, so little time was required to fill it
honourably and satisfactorily. In the management
of this concern, every other•sort of sinecure was en-
tirely abolished. •
The nomination of the Alderman was then put,
and carried without a dissentient voice.

The accounts, as audited, were then laid upon the
table for the inspection of the Assembly ; but as they
could only be made up to the present period, the
examination was deferred to the close of the Season.

According to the practice of former Assemblies,
the CRAIRMAN thought it right to state, that every-
thing that has been held out to the Proprietors and
Subscribers was realising ; that the rent was most
punctually paid by Mr. Elliston, and his management
was in every respect highly satisfactory ; that the
balance of rent due to the Trust of the Alteration
Creditors would be discharged in the course of a few
days; and that the ground-rent and all outgoings
were regularly paid by the Committee ; the rent
due at Lady-day last was paid in ten days after it
became 'due.

The CHAIRMAN embraced the opportunity of ob-
serving upon the extraordinary success of Mr. Kean,
in King Lear,- which was now amply rewarding the
management for the taste displayed in bringing it
forward, and that the general representation was
highly flattering to the talents of the Company.
Mr. Rooms could not allow the Meeting to sepa-
rate without congratulating them on the happy dis-
tinction that might now be drawn, as compated with
the meetings of the last four years. Instead of at-
tending to condole, as heretofore, the Chairman had
nothing but cheering intelligence to communicate.—
In lieu of excuses, before indispensable, the creditors
of the Theatre were now absolutely required to apply
for payment of their claims. As far as Mr. Elliston
was concerned, he could add his testimony to that of
the Chairman. He had witnessed his hiclefatigablel
exertions—he had seen the correctness with which he
met all his engagements i and be was therefore most
happy to say, the prospect of ultimate and complete
success was likely to cr•wn his Herculean efforts.—
Before he sat down, he should take the liberty to
propose the sincere Thanks of the Assembly to Mr.
Calcraft, whose zeal and attention to their interests
eminently entitled him to this mark of respect.
This was carried unanimously ; and the Meeting
separated, with feelings widely different to those
which are in the recollection of our Readers.

Monday being the Birth-day of Lord BRICLIJOCE,
on the completion of his twenty-first year, the Noble
Marquis and Marchioness of CaMDZN gave a grand
fete iltampdre in celebration thereof, at their seat, the
Wilderness, in Kent, to which upwards of 300 of the
Nobility aid Gentry were invited.

8110CJITAI OeCURREN CEB.

~~

At the New Bethlem, St. George's-fields, a most
horrid circumstance took place on Sunday morning
last. A lunatic, named Patrick Walsh, an incurable
patient, who has been confined in Bethlem upwards
of eight years, by some means obtained possession
of the blade of a long knife and One side of a pair
of scissars. Walsh had for several months shewn a
spirit of enmity towards another incurable patient,
named Dennis Leonard, who has been confined in
Bethlem for thirteen years : they had frequently
quarrelled upon teligious and political subjects, and
several times had fought, but were immediately
parted by the keepers. About a quarter past eleven
on Sunday morning, acsy of " Murder rpmceeded
from the airing ground, the place where the lunatics
who are not outrageous are allowed, from ten in the
morning till six in the evening, to walk for the beue.
fit of their health, but always guarded by a keener.
One of the keepers, named Robins, who was on the
ground, about ten yards from Waltle but whose
back happened to be towards him, turned rcund oa
hearing the cry, and saw Walsh cutting and Etai)bing
Leonard with a knife. He ran to the spot, and saw
Walsh thrust the knife into Leonard's neck, and be-
fore he could possibly separate them, Leonard had
received several other deep wounds, one of ;silica
split his nose from the bridge to the end, and down
the lip completely into the mouth ; Walsh then ran
away with the knife in hishand, and swore that he
would kill the first that attempted to take it flora
him. Smith and Banks, two other keepers, came up,
and in vain attempted to secure him, when another
lunatic, named Collins, went behind Walsh, and
putting his arms round him, dragged him to the
ground, en which one of the keepers took the knife
out of his hand, and also the part of a scissars, and
finally secured him in his cell. During this tin e
Mr. Wright, the Superintendent of the Hospital, had
been called to Leonard. He found him in a situa-
tion dreadful to describe, with no less than serea
mortal wounds in various parts of his body, and t! e
blood pouring from him like water. One wound on
his back was six inches in depth. He was removed
to a bed, and expired in about fifteen minutes.—An
Inquest was summoned to sit on the body on Tue
day night, which met in the Committee-room of the
Hospital, and investigated the affair .horoughly.--
The officers of the Establishment, whose chief duty,
for their own safety, as well as for that of others, is
to prevent dangerous weapons fiorn getting into the
hands of lunatics, were completely acquitted of all
culpable negligence. It was stated in evidence that
there were no knives allowed to the patients, except
those made of bone, but that some gravel and rub-
bish having been given by the Commissioners of the
Roads to the establishment of Bethlem, to raise the
airing ground, it being previously as low as the
water in the river Thames at low water mark, and
very damp, a number of articles had been picked out
of this soil, and it is believed that Walsh found the
knife blade and scissars there. The knife had evi-
dently been recently sharpened on a stone, it is sup-
posed by Walsh himself. The Jurymen went to
Walsh's cell, where he was lying on a bed of straw,
with a blanket over his body ; he was chained, and
ironed hands and feet. He was interrogated by Mr.
Wright, and his replies convinced the majority of
the Jurymen that- he was insane. He" said he was
glad that he had killed Leonard, and then talked of
his having been burnt to death several times, and had
come to life again. He said he was an Algerine, and
then an Irishman; he had been born many times and
killed many times, &c.—Mr. Wright and three other
witnesses deposed that Walsh was insane at the time
he inflicted the wound which produced the death of
Leonard, and the Jury returned the following ver-
dict: " The death of Dennis Leonard was produced
by his being cut and stabbed in various parts of the
body with a knife, by a man named Patrick Walsh,
who was insane at the time he committed the act."
' Another dreadful affair, almost unparalleled in
this country, took place the 23d of last month, a:
Stropsley, near Luton, in Bedfordshire. A man of
the name of Bean, by trade a wheelwright, took out
his two children, one aged about three years, and
the other fourteen months, in a small child's chaise-
cart, into a lane at a short distance from his house,
where, having almost severed their beads from their
bodies with a razor, he cut his own throat with the
same instrument. The children were found dead by
some neighbours a short time afterwards, and near
them the wretched father, who unhappily surviveso
and is likely to recover. A Coroner's Inquest was
held the neat day on the bodies of the infants.
when the Verdict returned was—" Killed by their
father while in a state of insanity."—No cause has
been hitherto assigned for the commission of the act.

MATRIMONIAL Faacas.—Yesterday, a very well-
dressed woman was taken to the watch house, at
Somers' Town, charged with having bitten off the end
of her husband's little finger ! The offence charged
arose out of the following circumstances : the husbar d
was at a house where his presence gave offence to his
wife, who persuaded him to leave it, and, on finding
her entreaties unavailing, threatened to break the
windows; this threat enraged her husband to so great
a degree, that he beat her about the neck in a most
brutal manner, as her appearance shewed ; this treat-
ment occasioned the woman to bestow some oppro-
brious names on her husband, to stop which he thrust
his hand into her mouth, when, from pain or retalia-
tion, she bit off the erul of one of his fingers.

MARRIED.
At Rdinbergh, on the 19th ult. John Gibson Lockhart, Fs.
Advocate, to Sophia Charlotte, eldest daughter of Sir Waher
Scott, of Abbotsford. Bart.
At Clutch on the 20th ult. Lieutenant-Colonel 'Bethune, of
Bleb°, to Miu Maria Low, fourth daughter of Robert Low,
Esq. of Clam.

COAL MARKET,
Skips at Market. Ships Sold.
32i Newcastle 23
14 Sunderland 11

5.
Price.

30s Od to 3Os 64
54$ 34 to 40s 64

MAILS Ms DAY.... 41111.

♦*s. wag;

_
Dublin 0 0 I Lisbon 0 0
Winerford 1 1 Inee I *
Guernsey andJorsey 0 0 Hansitsrib • 1
Holland • 0 Gotteabargh 0 1
Flanders 0 0 Malta 0 0
Jamides 0 0 New-York 0 0

HIGH-WATERat LO NDON BRIDGI TO-MORRO'
Morning - rt minutes after 6
Attention - - - SS ........ ...... 7

ICINDONThinted and published by LP'S& kin, 1).•
Plane, Temple• Bar