The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-04-24

1 WUTU7I1 ETTUTTOW WNGW
! ton OF the Steaks, was found among the ruins
| after the Covent Garden fire. This gridiron is
preserved in the ceiling of the room wherein
| the Society now dine.
Among the celebrities who came early to
| '"The Steaks were Hogarth and his latheT-in-
| law, Sir James Thornhill, stimulated by their
love of the painters art, and the equally potent
charm of Iconviyiality. Churchill was intro
| duced by his friend Wilkes, to whom he writes
| on one occasion :-"Your friends at the Beef
steak inquired after you last Saturday with
the greatest zeal, and it gave me no small plea
sure that was the person of whom the inquiry
| was made" Charles Price was member, and
| 1t is related that he ana Churchill with their
| wit, often kept the table in a roar. Mr.. Justice
| Welsh was frequently chairman at the beefsteak
| dinners: and Mrs. Nollekens, his daughter,
acknowledged that she often dressed
the Yeomen of the Guard. The
| Justice was a loyal man, but discontinued his
membership when Wilkes joined the Society,
though Wilkes was the man at "The Steaks"
10 The Steaks" Wilkes sent copy of his
infamous Essay on Woman first printed for
| private circulation; for which Lord Sand
wlch (Jemmy rwi- cher), himself a member of
the S0clety, moved in the House OF Lords
mat wilkes should be taken into custody.
Horace Walpole writes in the same year,
l76S:-"Ihe wicked affirm that very lately at
a club (The Steaks) held at the top of the
playhouse in Drury Lane, Lord Sandwich talked
so protanely that he drove two harlequins out
OF company" Toe gTossness and blasphemY OF
the "Essayn disgusted "The Steaks" by whom
Lord Sandwich was expelled; aud Wilkes never
dlned there after 1853; yet when he went to
| france tneJ hlpocntically made him an hon
Orary member.
Garrick was not fond of clublife, but he was
an homo ed member of "The Steaks;" and they
possess among their relics the hat and sword
which DAVID wore, probably on the night when
ne stayed too long after dinner, and had to play
Ranger" at Drury Lane. The pit grew restless;
the gallery bawled, Manager manager!" Gar
rick had been sent for to THE Steaks" at
CoVent Garden.
Carriages blocked up Russell street, and he
had to thread his way between them. AS he
came painting into the theatre, 81 Think said
Ford, one OF the anxious patcntees, consider
ing the stake you and / have in this house, you
might pay more attention to the business"
True, my good friend, " returned Garrick, ''but
l was thinking OF my steak in the other house,
At '"The Steaks" Garrick was reconcled to
Coman, to which the following note refers:-
my Dear Comap: Beckett has been with me,
and tells me OF your friendly intentions towards
me. should have been beforehand with you, had
l not been i'll with the beefsteaks and arrack
punch last Saturday, and was obliged to leave
the playhouse.
He that parts us shall bring a brand from
Heaven,
And fire us hence"
ever yours, old and new friend,
I'D, GARRICK.n
At "The Steaks" one night Garrick was boast
ing OF his regularity in ticketing and labelling
plays sent to him for acceptance for perform
ance, when Murphy said across the table, "a
Y,
mislaid my tragedy two months ago, and l
make no doubt you have lost it."
YES" replied Garrick; 'but you forget, you un-
grateful dog that offered you more than Its
value tor you might have had two manuscript
farces III it's stead" This is the right paternity
of an anecdote often told of Sheridan and other
parties.
Jack Richards was never absent from '"The
Steaks,n unless arrested by the "fell sergeant"
eout. He was recorder, and had to pass SEN
tence upon those who had offended against the
rules and observances of the Society when he
| put on GarricB's hat, and inflicted long wordy
harangue upon the culprit nor was it possible
| to see when he meant to stop. He was most
| eXuberant talker but would as soon adulterate
| his glass of port wine with water, as dash his
| talk with an ungenerous remark.
Mrs. Shendan's brother, William Linley often
| charmed the Society with his pure, simple,
| English song, to melody OF Arne's, or Jack
sons of Exeter or a simple air of his fathers.
| He had written a novel In three volumes, which
| was so schooled by 1.-The Steaksn that ne wrote
| no more. member brought volume OF the
| work in his pocket and read passage from 1t
aloud. Yet Linley never betrayed the irritable
| sulkipess of wounded author, but bore with
| good humor the pleasantries that played around
him, and used to eXclaim:-
"Ths is no lattery; these are the counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what am"
Dick Wilson, whose complexion had for many
years been crimsOring over the port vine OF
the Society, was a solicitor, and long dignided
| as Lord Eldon's "port-wne-loving secretary.
| humor. Another good-natured butt was Old
Walsh, the Gentle Shepherd" Rowland Ste
| phensOn, the banker, was another beef
steakeI," as was William Joseph Denison, VINO
sat many years IN Parliament for Surrey, aud
died millionaire. He was man of cultivated
tastes; we remember his lyrics in the KeepSdkG
annual.
IThe golden period of the Society i:
generally considered TO be that when
Bubb DodnRton, Aaron Hill, Hoadley
| (Who wrote " The Suspicious Husband")
LeoDidas Glover, Bonnell Thornton, and
Tickel we're members. John Beard, the
rich tenor, who sang in Handel's operas, was
| President of the Club in 1884 In 1855, Wher
the Society had been instituted just fifty years
the Prince of Wales was admitted; there was nc
vacancy, but the number of members was IN
| creased from twenty -four to twenty live. The
| Dukes of Clarence and Sussex we're also of "ThC
| Steaks; y these princes were both much attached
to the theatre-the former to one of its brightest
ornaments, Dorothy Jordan.
Charles, Duke of Norfolk, was another cele
| brity of ''The Steaks" and frequently met herC
the Prince of Wales. The Duke was a grea
gourmand, and used to eat his dish of fish at
neighboring tavern, and then join THE Steaks
The Duke took the chair when the cloth wa
removed: it was place OF dignity elevated
some steps above the table, and decorated witt
the insignia of the Society. For the dinner, a
the clock struck 8, a curtain drew up, dis
covering the kitchen, in which the cooks were
seen at work, through a sort of grating with
: this inscription OF Macbeth
, 'If it were done when tits done, then 'twer
, well
, | 1t were quickly DONE"
His Grace of Norfolk would eat two or thre
e ! steaks, fragrant from the gridiron; and wheI
t his laboIs we're thought TO be over he nigh
t sometimes be seen rubbing clean plate with