The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-05-11 00:00:00

"ME 9TATESMAK

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, MAY MAY 10.—Artived the Leonidas,
from the West Indies.—Sailed the Euphratee,
Aurphion, Prometheus, and Contelie, for tke coast
of France.

FALMOUTH, MAY R.—Arrived the Friendship,
Elizabeth, Quaker, Renown, Sincerity, and Mi-
nerva, from London ; and the Phenix and Park,
from Guernsey.—Sailed the Caroline and Good
Friends, for London.
llAnwicit, MAY 10.—Sailed the Diana packet,
for Holland; and the Earl Leicester packet, for
ilimburgh, both with Mails.
DEAL, MAY 10.—Came down from the River the
Juliana, Mindua, Lucy and Mary, Ganges, and
the Margaret, for Batavia—the Ganges and the
Lucy and Mary have sailed to the Westward; Ceres,
for Jamaica ; Susan, for Baltimore; Prince George,
for Quebec; Pallas, for Gibraltar; Golden Grove,
for Genoa; John, fur Surinam; and the Trowbridge
East Indiaman, for India.

EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM THE AGENT TO
LLOYD'S AT ANTIGUA, DATED 13TH APRIL, 1815.
I send a Copy of a Letter from Roar-Admiral
Durham to the President of the Island of Barba.
does, by which it appears he does not conceive a
convoy necessary. I am, however, inclined to be•
lieve one will be appointed at the usual time :
" His 11colest)'s ship Warri .r, CorlLle Ray,
Bcorimoloes, Marc h 29, 1815.
44 From the 2d Article in the Treaty of Peace,
the time for reprisals is expired ; I have, therefore,
to acquaint your Honour the trade will require no
further protection, and they are at liberty to sail, as
far as relates to me, whenever it is most convenient.
" I have the honour to be, &c. &c. &c.
" CHARLES P. DURHAM,
Renr-Adiairal, Commander-in-Chief." I
" Tco his Unctour, John Spooner,
PrestJeot of Barbed. es.

DRIIRP-idNE MEETING.

attraction of great talents, well rewarded, would
continue to secure to them the same success which
bad hitherto crowned their efforts. Many persons
had subscribed their money with the single view of
upholding the Drama ; and what description of per-
sons would wish to deprive them of the object for

Iwhich they embarked in the concern ? Sorely not
the persons whose claims on the old Theatre lind
Yesterday a numerous Meeting of the Proprietors I been rescued from a state of annihilation be the act
of Drury-lane Theatre was held at the Crown and 'of re-building' They would have got nothing, but
Anchor Tavern-- for the disinterested efforts of those who schsctibed
SAMUEL WHITBREAD, Em. in the Chair, only from the motive of upholding the Drama. And
Mr. WHITEHEAD stated the object of the Meeting therefore ha trusted, that though they %) ere to loaf
to be, to take into consideration a suggession that the distinguished and Herculean services of their
had been thrown out, respecting the propriety of the Honourable Chairman, to whom alone he aserilaed
Committee acting on the provision of the Act, by the good fortune which had attended them
which they were empowered, if they saw fit, to let they ought not to despair of Omitting a siuh-Com.
the Theatre upon lease. Though this was a matter mittee that would act on the system %%Lich he had
left to the discretion of the Committee, yet it laid deem • •
was a matter in which they would, of course, be, Mr. PETER A100EESO;(1, that:being a 'mile* ote_
desirous to have the opinion of the Proprietors at pointed ender tile Art, he was steaks,,, to deliver. iris
large—and on this being started at the regular
,Meet- ; sineimeets on this of *'lion. it might he Reseed
ing, held under the Act on the preceding Wedues. that being a Trustee', and as such a vonnaneot Mere.
day, this Meeting was appointed, with a more dis. ber of the Committee, he toir,lit he sopposeci capable
.tinct notice of the matter to 'be discussed; and he of giving the Meetine informterm .en the sultject of
was rejoiced to see the most numerous Meeting that their finances ; but he knew nothin4 exrept from the
had ever been convened on any former occasion, so prihted Reports. He agreed with the lion. Mr.
ahat the sense of the Subscribers would be properly Kinnaird, however, within a few hundred pounds,
taken. To bring the whole question at onto before as to the estimate of f
them, he had dole's op a few words in the shape of fore he rose to learn from the hoer. Gent. whet me.
a motion, which went to express—Thnt this Meet. tive had induced him to think of the extraordinary
ins are of opinion, that if the Committee shall re- proposition of letting the Theatre on a lease. Ile
drive an adequate offer from a responsible party, it had never heard a syllable of tie suggestion till half
may be advisable for them to let the Theatre on lease an hour before the former Nicotine, and he *weed he
:for a term. was struck with astonishment when he heard it Bug.
The lion. D. KINNAIRD expressed, in a warm gested. lie therefore put it to the lion, Gent. to
and eloquent speech, his astonishment at any such el, how and %by the notion had come into his head.
proposition having been made, and could not ac- It surely was not from any necessity—foe they fia,l
; count for it. An alarm had been excited thereby, made near 30,0001.f00t/elms they had divided. Lt
las' if the theatre was in a doubtful, a declining, or was not from any want of persons willing to cnele
even a dying state—the doctors had given it over, forward and take the situation, which the 11. M.
and the undertakers were called in. Now, he could Gent. and his colleagues had so honourably filled—
not see any ground for this alarm. In his mind the since Mr. Kinnaird had named a Noble. Lord. et ey
Theatre had been eminently successful, for not way qualified by talents and teal to fill the `i-
merely had all the estimates of produce upon which tuation—and whose name would girls spierdo.o.
they had been induced to subscribe their money been to any literary concern with which he was con.
realized, but they had been greatly exceeded, As he fleeted. He hoped alsO that the Honourable
should show them from their Reports; for though Mr. Kinnaird himself, whose eloquence on that day
they had not divided more than 5 per cent. on their had convinced them all of his ability, would also
capital, yet they had gained what would have entitled come forward as a Member of the Sub-Committee—
them to divide 10 per cent. if they had not wisely and there could be.no doubt of others. He had al-
chosen to convert the excess into capital. That haw. ways spoken of the services, the Herculean labours
ing subscribed more than 240,0001. out of the of the Honourable Chairman, with gratitude. He
300,0001. which they were entitled to raise, they suspected himself when be differed from that lion.
had kept down the dividend to five per cent. and Gentleman, but he must differ with him on this
had applied the remainder of the profits to the per- point. He had been the first person himself, in con.
poses of the Theatre, which was, in other words, junction with Mr. Jones, of Dublin, to digest the
applying it to the increase of their capital.. The plan of settling with the creditors of eld Drury-lane,
calculation of their receipts had greatly exceeded the when that Gentlemen offered to take a lease of the
estimate in each of the two first seasons ; and it Theatre at 18,0001. per annum. The design was
would, no doubt, be nearly the same in the present defeated by the burning of the 'Theatre; but it
season. That was not yet brought to a close ; but was upon that , plan that the new Charter was
even if it were 30001. short of the two former, and founded, which the lionnurable Chairman had so
that they were again to divide but five per cent. wonderfully anti so successfully carried into effect.
there would be an excess of profit of no less than Nothing but his masculine mind, hi- eltracirdi-
from 27,0001. to 30,0001. which would be added nary perseverance, and his commendina talents
to their capital. The calculation had been made could have carried it through. Dot those very tae
on a receipt of 66,0001., and they had actually lent, had made the task easy for those who were to
I received for the two first seasons more than 76,0001. come after him. lie had ,put everyething in such
while their expenditure had only exceeded the esti. order that a new Committee could net go wrong.—
mate by less than 10001. If then the estimated re. Every thing was written, arranged, and docketed in
ceipt was calculated to pay them a dividend of 5 per such mercantile order, that his successor could, at a
cent. the actual receipt would have been equal to a moment lake flown his rule and precedent for every
dividend of 10 per cent.; and if they had chosen thing that could occur. NN'hy •then think of letting
prudently to reserve this as an addition to their ca- it i—He would Aral that in this respect the
pital, they had not made it the less. Why then, he Gent. was at variance with himself— he.would Ault
must ask, with this prosperity, hold out the idea of that his present conduct was in direct contradicti in
• a necessity for letting it ?—Why the degrading idea to his language last year.—Upon that occasion (he
of turning it over to speculators?—They hovered meant at the meeting in Sept. last,when pee eeitiee
!.round him like ill-omended birds of prey, as if iu- of his design of quitting the direction at the end of
tent to fasten on the carcase of their defuuct pro- this year) he said, the Theatre was put on a roadie;
party, and devour the spoil. Since he came into of permanent security, so that a new Committee
that room he had beard one of the candidates say, might safely carry on the concern; and he recoin-
that the thing was settled—that the Theatre was cer- mended that such a Committee would do well to
tainly to be let (and he supposed the Honourable trust to one person, who should have the chief bin--
Gentleman was to be one of the lessees), for he had theta of the direction, for he considered that as most
offered him a bet of 20 guineas that it would be let. essential to a judicious and able management. Why
He trusted, however, that the Proprietors .would be then did he now wish to see it put into the hands of
more careful of their own interests than to let it a lessee ? lie had heard it said, that perhaps
slip through their own hands. If it had been let at fire money might be wanting occasionally to carry
per cent. at the commencement, the Proprietors it on, and he had heard it stated that the
would clearly have lost 30,0001. by the bargain, Honourable Gentleman had, at times, made ad-
which they now actually bad in possession, though vances for its support. Ile did not think this en oh-
they had not divided it. Ile lamented, in common jection that ought to weigh. In a concern of this
with others, the misfortune of losing the Hon. Chair- vast magnitude the Banker of the Theatre would
Man, to whose distinguished, and, indeed, unparal- feel no difficulty in making the necessary advances.
leled talents and exertions they owed the success In a concern where he was one of the Board of Ma-
which he had described; but it was a libel on the nagers, the Banker had readily come forward with
Proprietors at large to say, that five Proprietors could an advance of 80001., and it was for such purposes
not be found who would not take upon them the• that a Banker was useful. lie knew that the lln.
gratuitous task of fulfilling the duties of a Sub-Corn- pourable Gentleman had had much trouble, and that
mittee. It was agreed that the first years of the es- he had done wonders. lie alluded to the sum he
tablishment were the most expensive; and if they had obtained from the Opera.liouse for the old pa-
had gained what was, in truth, equal to 10 per cent. tent, and to other sersices, for. which he was most
in the three first years, they might fairly look for- grateful to him, but he could conceive no reason for
ward to the same success hereafter, particularly as putting the Theatre into the hands of speculators.—
they had the able system upon which the lion. Gen- He was sure that if this had been suggested, Parlie.
tieman and his Colleagues had acted before them, as t ment would never have granted the Act ; .and he well
a guide for their future conduct. If it should, be , sure, that if it were doWe, it would be a -reason for
said that persons could not be found disposed to take ; their granting a third Theatre.
upon them this trouble, he should only say that he ; Mr. WHITBREAD said, that he did not feel it
did not anticipate any such difficulty. He was autho- necessary to go into all the matter that had bee:t
rind to say that he knew of one distinguished per. urged by the two Honourable Gentlemen, because in
son (whose name, he was sure, would he received truth there were not two parties in this business.--
with the most cordial welcome, because it was asso-; There were no candidates, or, as they had been caller!,
dated with every thing that was brilliant in English ; no undertakers that he knew of, ready to settle on
literature) who was ready, if called. upon, to act I the dead body of the Theatre. The Theatre was
for one in such Committee—he meant Lord Byron neither dead nor dying. They had truly shown Re it
[Hear, hear, hear! universally], and he had no it was in a very prosperous condition, and they lind
doubt but others might easily be named, if only 48 been merely called together, because a suggestion had
hours were given, after the sense of this Meeting been thrown out, that if a gond offer were made her
should be pronounced as to the continuing the pre- I responsible persons, it might. be advisable to accept a
sent plan of conducting the concern. That the present it : and the Committee wished to have the sent;‘
plan ought to be continued, to preserve the Theatre talents of the Proprietors on the point. But there was
from falling into the grasp of mere pecuniary specu- no party in this business, and no desire, that he knew
lators, no man, he thought, who reflected on* the of, either one way or the other. Mr. Moore tied
subject, could doubt. It was material to the up- asked who had suggested the thought of a lease? its
holding of the real Drama—to the interest of the had asked this question, and had answered it hievelf.
profession, which had been so materially served by Mr. Jones, of Malin, had suggested the idea. lie
the re-building, since it had brought forward the saw that such .an idea had been enteertained by !Ira
splendid talents of Mr. Kean ; nay, to the rivalry in Hon. Gentleman himself—Why, if It was so mil-
the legitimate Drama, they might also ascribe to it oas now, was it thought to be fitting tbeti ? lint I
the appearance on the English Stage of Miss O'Neill, says, the Legislatere would not have granted the Art
whose fine talents had given lustre to the other if they had thought it possible that it should ha
Theatre. And they had as right to trust, that the been leased out: Yet, the Legislature did cr.': tit
. .

wlth.stich a view—for there was a clause in it, ef'l.
powering the Committee so to lot it if they s'lont,l
see proper. The irynourahle Gentleman alluded to
his having orcasioisilly made advances for the coy cern
in the dull part of the season, and hp says, that trir
Banker would have made such advances. Ile