The Statesman.
London, England, 1815-10-14 00:00:00

port in future wooI•1 he left at the Secretary's Office
for the use of Proprietors.
It concluJed by observing, that the Proprietor of
the Lyceum having announcer) an ittlefinite eaten( of
theatrical speculation, the Committee hal test no
time, in conjunction with the Proprietors of Covent.
garden Theatres, in petitioning the Throne, through
the medium of the Lord Chamberlain, to protect
their interests, and they knew they sht;tliti dispel any
fears which might he entertained hy the Proprietors,
by stating, that they had the fullest reliance on the
justice of the Prince Regent, who had taken so warm
as interest in the re-erection of the two Tkentres,
after they had bee,. deatro)rd by calamitnos occur.
fence., —[ Loud applause fulluued the Report.]
Mr. COCKER made some observations, which were
inaudible; end
A Norms:Toe reminded Mr. D. Kinnaird that he
had, at the last meeting, promised (liens a dividend
of ten per ret•t.
Mr. KINNAIRD explained, and said, such wni)d
have been the rase hail the whole receipt been applied
to torment receipt and the dividend.
Mr. COCKER complained of the expenses of alter*.
(ion, and the want of a scene room after the Thole
bad been built.
Mr. D. ktstwaran said, the sum for the new scene
room was limited to 50001.
Mr. P. Moore, in a speech of some length, ex-
plained what had been formerly said on the subject of
dividends, and also the reasons why the plan of Mr.
B. Wyatt had been preferted to the more nagnificent
one of Mr. P. Wyatt; ns also the reasons which in-
duced his honourable and departed friend to sanction
-the recent alterations in the Theatre, which altera-
tions he hoped to have paid for by the additional
private boxes ; this indeed had been effected to the
amount of 12,0001. The evil of Joint Stock Compa-
nies was, that their sulontription capital was usually
on paper ; their suhscriptiou bad never been full,
'and therefore they were obliged to revert to that for
capital which ought to have been applied as dividend.
lie felt gratitude to his departed friend for his Her-
culean labours, and only wondered that with such
slender meant; he had effected so much. The lion.
Gentleman then siened the concern, not in his ca.
parity as Member of the Sub-Committee, but as the
only surviving 'Trustee under the Art which gave it
birth ; and he contended, that notwithstanding the
little difficulty under which the concern lahoured,
that it was in a healthy and flourishing state ;
12,0001. worth of bonds had been paid piiil off, and
large sums of money had been expended in stork or
furniture, all of which should now be considered as
property, or clear profit to the concern, which had
really improved 50,0001. while its whole debt was
b r 23 0001. The lion. Gentleman entered into some
further financial details, and said, so far from feeling
any depression, he was sure the shares would look
up after the prosetit statement t indeed, they were
already ri-iag. If the credit of 51,9(101. which the
concara had with the public, could he rai.ed by the
present P. Oprii,tnr.:, a dividend above ten per cent.
sn'ght roas .nably the esl,ected.
Mr. Cote tut thrtuked ti.e Sub-Committee for the
R Eh had hero r
Mr. l'Et.ar ceneuried in gratitude to the Commit.
toe ft.r the Repstrt. By the clear statement of the
alTatis of thr Taeatre, the Sub-Committee had ren-
dered an ievaluable service to the Proprietors ; and
before he sit down he should take the liberty of
moving thanks to the Committee for the Report.—
He was not of opinion that it would be advisable to
raise any further sum of money ; for, with the system
of retrenchment wale!, had taken place, and also by
forbearing a dividend for a year or two to come, it
was probable they should secure a productive pro.
pertv to themselves and their heirs. Ile should also
take the liberty of moving the confirmation of the
nomination of the present Sub-Committee, which gave
such rational grounds for hoping the must extensive
and permanent success. He then moved that the
Report just read be approved, and that the Committee
Im thanked for the same, and also to confirm the no-
mination of the Sub-Committee now acting; which
motions, after a few words in approbation from Sir
T. TLIFITON, were both carried in the affirmative.
Mr. PERRY also moved the cottlitinati.ii of the
Duke of Devonshire and Mr. Pascoe Gietifell, as
Trustees.

PALACE COURT, Ocr. IS.

RIGHT OF WHARFAGE.

CHARLES AND JOHN JOHNSON D. E‘VL SAUL.

l'his case came no to he argued yesterday, before
Mr. ItEvaot,us, the Jodie pro fernpurc. .1 lie action
ass brought by the Plaintiffs, woo ate opulent
wharfingers, in the Wapping Docks, ngaiti,t the De-
fendant, who is an eminent butcher, residing in Old
Gravel-laste, for the recoter) of 51. 16s. the sum al-
leged to be due for lighterage, wharfage, ssarehouse-
room, &c. at the Plaintiff,' *ha if.
Th.. right of wharfage ass held ii,der the authority
of the Bride*(-11 llo.pital Compant ,by a grant made
to them by liing Ilenry VIII. and it appeared that
the Ph ttttt ins and others, who had held the *hail
under a Iroise from the Bridewell Hospital Company,
hail regularly repaired the stairs (callcd %Wapping
Stairs). and thereby considered themselves entitled,
by the special grant of the Crown, to demand wharf-
age for such heavy and sui stantial goods as were
brought to the stairs to be shipped. Pie Defendant,
trot was in the habit of ?Mitring It great quantity of
meat for the use of vessels Is log in the river, defended
the action, on the ground that many of the charges set
forth in the Bill were for the wharfage of meat which
had been taken down to the boat, or barge, upon a
tray—therefore, as he conceived, the Plaintiffs
could not he justified in taking wharfage for articles
conveyed through the medium of a public foot-path.
--s Many others, it appeared, had resisted similar
demands.

Mr. AGAR opened the case, and in concluding said.
that the Defendant had not admitted the debt, but
had pleaded a general issue by denying any know-
ledge of it. lie called
Mr. John Stubbs, who deposed, that he had lived
Clerk with the Plaintiffs sixteen years. The De-
fendant was in the habit of shipping meat from their
wharf. The bill produced, amounting to 51. His.
was a rea,,onable charge. Witness made all the en-
tries himself.

Cross-examined by Mr. ll.snr.
Said there oft, ft foot-path down by the wharf,
hut every OW who carried goods down it paid wharf.
age by the terure of the lease, by virtue of which
the Plaintiffs repaired the steps regularly. NViiter-
men plied there, and the font-path might have been
repaired by the parish, but tie stairs hail always
been repaired by the Plaiotilf4. The I)•fendatit's
men sometimes took the Meat down to the beat in
trap'; but the witness cn'.ld swear the) had taken
ran load from the tooth-path down upon ►he
wharf.

Re-examined.