The motion was agreed to without a divi- fion, and to enable him to charge it upon the fion. The order of the day was now read, for a Committee of the whole Houfe to confider further of the charges againft Sir Elijah Impey. aggregate fund-It was refolved that the meffage fhould be referred to a Committee on Friday next. The accounts of the expenditure of money on Somerfet-place, were, on the motion The question being put, that the Speaker of Sir John Miller, ordered to be printed. leave the chair, The Attorney General recommended to the gentlemen concerned in bringing forward these charges, that the further difcuffion of them be deferred till the next feffion. This was particularly advifeable with respect to the charge propofed to be next brought on, namely, that which relares to the Patna caufe. This caufe would foon be enquired into before the Privy Council, in confequence of an appeal to them. Mr. Anftruther replied, that there was no reafon for the appeal to prevent the Houfe from deciding on the criminality of Sir Elijah Impey, with regard to his conduct in the determination of the above cause in India.There was fufficient time to go through this charge in the prefent feffion. The Chancellor of the Exchequer hoped that the learned Gentleman would confider, that if this charge fhould be commenced, it could not well be compleated in this feflion. Mr. Grenville recommended delay, and made fome remarks on the Patna caufe. Some altercation afterwards paffed between Mr. Burke and the Minifter, who were feveral times on their legs. On this occasion Mr. Dundas took an opportunity to contradict an affertion made fome time ago by Sir John Miller, that the houfes and apartments at Somerfet-place were to be furnithed at the public expence. MAY 30. Sir William Dolben's bill, for limiting the number of flaves to be carried at once in a fhip from Africa to the Weft-Indies, was read a fecond time. Mr. Sheridan gave notice, that on a future day he would move for leave to bring in a bill for a reform in the Scots boroughs. Mr. Pitt wished he would declare on what day he would make his threatened motion refpecting the Commutation Act. Mr. Sheridan afked, if it was fair to preís him at prefent, when the Right Hon. Gentleman knew he was fo bufily employed elfewhere, that he really had no time to devote to the confideration of the fubject. However, he affured the Right Hon. Gentleman, that if the feffion fhould last much longer than the fitting of the Court of Peers in Weftminster-hall, he would be ready in three or four days to go into the fubject. Mr. Fox wished to know why fome pro The question for the Speaker's leaving the ceeding was not founded upon the papers re. chair was then decided in the negative. Another question was immediately put, on the motion of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, purporting that the further confideration of the charges against Sir Elijah Impey be deferred till this day three months. Adjourned. MAY 28. The refolution of the Committee of the whole Houfe for allowing the Eat-India Company to borrow 1,200,000l. was brought up and agreed to; the Houfe then ordered a bill to be brought in agreeably to the faid refolutions. The Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered to the Houfe a meffage from his Majefty, the purport of which was, that King Charles 11. had made a grant out of the duty of logwood to the then Duke of St. Alban's, and to his fucceffors in that title; that in the reign of Queen Anne, in lieu of the fluctuating produce of this duty, a penfion of recol, a year had been fettled on the Duke, and had ever fiice heen paid regularly out of the civil ut to his defcendants, the Dukes of St. Alhao's: his Majefty propofed to his faithful Commons to cafe the civil lift of this p-n lative to the expences attending the trial of Mr. Haflings, which had been moved for in a manner that marked a doubt about the propriety of those expences. Mr. Furgefs faid, he waited only to fee if fome more able perfon would take up the business; but, if no other fhould, he gave notice that he himself would, on the firft open day, move for a Committee of the whole Houfe to take thofe papers into confi. deration. Sir John Miller, for the purpose of paving the way for the confideration of the flive trade in the next feflion. moved for an ac. count of all laws now in existence in this country for the regulation of that trade. Ordered. The Houfe then went into a Committee to take into conûderation his Maj.fty's meffage relative to the Duke of St. Albin's pension; and it was refolved that the chairman fhould move the Houfe for leave to bring in a bill agreeable to the meffige. The Houfe was then refumed, the refolution was reported and agreed to, and a bill on this fubject was accordingly ordered in. Adjourned (To be continu.d.) ACCOUNT of the THEATRE at BIRMINGHAM./ THEATRICAL exhibition in Birming As ham is rather of a modern date. far as memory can penetrate, the Stroller occupied, occafionally, a fhed of boards in the fields, now Temple-street. neral converfation turned upon theatrical exhibition, and the town was converted into one vaft theatre. In 1752 it was found necessary to erect a larger theatre, that in King-street, and we multiplied into two London companies. It was afterwards found that two theatres were more than the town chofe to fupport; therefore that in Moor-street was let for a methodist meeting, where, it was faid, tho' In about 1730, the amusements of the ftage rofe in a fuperior file of elegance, and entered fomething like a ftable in Castleftreet. Here the comedian strutted in painted rags, ornamented with tinfel. The audience raised a noisy laugh, half real and half it changed its audience, it kept its primeval forced, at three-pence a head, In about 1740, a theatre was erected in Moor-ftreet, which rather gave a fpring to the amusement. In the day-time the comedian beat up for volunteers for the night, delivered his bills of fare, and roared out an encomium on the excellence of the entertainment, which had not always the defired effect. In 1751 a company arrived, which announced themselves" His Majesty's Servants from the Theatres Royal in London ;" and hoped the public would excuse the ceremony of the drum, as beneath the dignity of a London Company. The novelty had a furprifing effect; the performers had merit; she house was continually crouded; the ge ufe, continuing the theatre of farce. In 1774 the theatre in King-street was enlarged, beautified, and made more convenient; fo that it hath very few equals. About the fame time, that in New-ftreet was erected upon a suitable spot, an extenfive plan, and richly ornamented with paintings and scenery. An additional and fuperb portico was erect ed in 1780, which perhaps may cause it to be pronounced " one of the first theatres in Europe." Two bufts in relief, of excellent workmanship, are elevated over the Attic windows; one is the father, and the other the refiner of the British ftage, Shakespeare and Garrick. THEATRICAL JOURNAL. JUNE 4. MR. SEYMOUR, who performed Mac. beth at Covent-garden the beginning of the present season, (fee Vol. XII. p. 315)once more was a candidate for public favour at Drury-lane, in the character of Hamlet. His performance fhewed that he had made fome improvement during his abfence from London, but not fufficient to excite the flighteft wish to see him again at either of the winter theatres. 5. Mifs Davies, fifter of Mrs. Wells, who formerly appeared at the Haymarket, (fee Vol. X. p. 122) performed Louifa Dudley, in the West Indian, and Miss Kitty Sprightley, in All the World's a Stage. In the latter fhe played with fome degree of fpirit, and met with encouragement enough to warrant her perfeverance in her prefent purfuit. 9. After the performance of Charles, in the School for Scandal, Mr. Smith took leave of the stage in the following addrefs to the audience : Ladies and Gentlemen, After having devoted five and thirty years to your fervice, I now beg leave to retire. VOL. XIII. You have received me with candour, in dulgence, and generofity. You believe, I hope, your kindness is not lost on me. Actors you have had-you will havewith better powers to please you. But this I must be bold to fay, none can be found more properly ambitious of your favour-more ftudious at getting it-more grateful when it was got, This is the last time I am to appear before you in my public character-May I hope the patronage and protection you have vouchfafed me on the ftage, will be followed by fome small efteem when I am off. Ladies and gentlemen-farewel! We have received the following from a correfpondent. THE retirement of Mr. Smith from the theatre may in fome meafure be confidered as a demife; it is at leaft a feceffion from public notice, and therefore, as a voluntary departure, ought to be accompanied with some memorials of his life. Imperfect as these now tranfmitted are, they will be acceptable to future hiftorians of the stage. Mr. Smith is the fon of a perfon who car. ried on the bufinefs of a grocer or tea-dealer, Mmm in in the city of London*. He was born, we collect from circumstances, about the year 1730 or 1731; and after an education at Eton he was fent to St. John's College, in Cambridge, probably with a view to the church. At the Univerfity his conduct was marked with fome eccentricities, which, though deferving cenfure from the fuperintendants of education, not unfrequently accompany good talents and laudable difpofitions. A little extravagance, deranged his finances, and an unlucky elevation, occafioned by liquor, brought him into a fituation, which requiring conceffions soo humiliating for the confidence of youth to fubmit to, he abandoned his profpects of College advancement, and threw himself on the Public for fupport and subfiftence. The caufe of his difgrace at the Univerfity is faid to have arifen from his joining with other young men in an evening frolic; when, being purfued by the Proctor, he napped a piftol unloaded at him.-For his offence he was doomed to a punishment which he refifted, and, to avoid expulfion, left the college and came to London, where he engaged himself with Mr. Rich, then Manager of Covent Garden TheaBre. At this period Mr. Barry and Mrs. Cibber were the principal performers at that mation, however, arofe less from his pūklic performance than from the propriety of his private character, which commanded the respect of those who were not acquainted perfonally with him, and recommended him to the friendship of those who were. When Churchill published his Rofciad in 1761, Mr. Smith had no other notice than the two following lines: Smith, the genteel, the airy, and the smart, Having continued twenty-two years at Covent Garden Theatre, in the winter of 1774 he engaged with Mr. Garrick, and remained at Drury-Lane during the reft of his theatrical life, which expired on the 9th inftant in the manner already men. tioned. During the courfe of 35 years Mr. Smith never was abfent from London one season, nor ever performed out of the metropolis, except the fummer immediately after Mr. Holland's death at Bristol, whofe fhare in that theatre he held for a feafon; and again in 1774, when he went in the fummer to Dublin. The following character of this gentleman by Mr. Kelly, has been pointed out to us as no bad portrait. Where well-bred ease and sprightliness co- The fparkling force of brilliancy and fire; drefs, Superior rank must certainly poffefs; Houfe; and from the former Mr. Smith feems to have received the rudiments of his new profeffion. His firft appearance on the ftage was on the 8th of January 1753, in the character of Theodofius. It is recollected at this time that many gentlemen from Cambridge were auditors of his first performance, being brought to London by a defire to fupport their fellow-collegian. As it was not then the custom for young performers to start at once into the most ardu⚫us characters, we find Mr. Smith for fome time performing in the fame plays with Mr. Barry, and in fubordinate parts. His fecond performance was Polydore, in The Orphan; the third, Southampton, in Jones's Earl of Effex; and the fourth, Dolabella, in All for Love. He had not long been on the stage before he attracted the notice of a lady, fifter to the Earl of Sandwich, and widow Of breast-stamp'd lines, and breast-explorof Kelland Courtnay, Efq. whom he in a hort time married. She died December 11, 1762, and Mr. Smith fome time after united himfelf to his prefent wife. On Mr. Barry's quitting London, Mr. Smith performed many of his characters; and by being conftantly before the audience, fome fingulari. ties in his mode of acting became familiarized, and his general manner approved. His efti choice ing voice; There, tho' we all immediately behold Mr. Smith, the father, was unfortunate in bufinefs; he failed after his fon's appearance on the ftage. It is to the honour of his fon's filial piety, that he amply and liberally provided for his father's fupport during the remainder of his life. He fhewed no lefs kindBe and attention to his filter while the lived. Mr. |