346 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



Oxford Election. — The election 

 of Chancellor of the University of 

 Oxford concluded at ten o'clock on 

 Thursday night, after the most se- 

 vere contest ever experienced there. 

 The numbers were as follow : — 



For lord Grenville 406 



lord Eldon 390 



duke of Beaufort,..288 



Lord Grenville was therefore de- 

 clared duly elected, by a majority 

 of 16 over lord Eldon, and of 118 

 over the duke of Beaufort. 



This election was more warmly 

 contested than any former one re- 

 collected in Oxford. So great a 

 number of votes were never before 

 offered. The number that voted 

 amounted to \,0S'^, and the whole 

 that have a right to vote amount 

 only to 1274. There remained 

 therefore, only 190 persons who did 

 not vote on this occasion. All the 

 bishops who have a vote for the 

 election of chancellor in this uni- 

 versity, it is understood, voted for 

 lord Grenville, except two, who, 

 it is reported, voted for lord Eldon. 

 Account of the Riots at 

 CovENT Garden Theatre. 



16. In consequence of the great 

 expense attending the building of 

 the new theatre, the proprietors 

 found it necessary to make an ad- 

 vance in the prices of admission. 

 The whole rise, however, was only 

 one shilling on the boxes, and six- 

 pence on the pit ; the half price for 

 the latter remaining the same as 

 before, as well as the prices to the 

 galleries. 



The intended rise had no sooner 

 got abroad, than the people instant- 

 ly manifested a spirit of resistance ; 

 and previous to the opening of the 

 theatre, there appeared in different 

 newspapers various advertisements, 

 paragraphs, letters, &c. inciting 



the public to resist this advance of 

 prices, and tending to produce the 

 riotous combination of individuals, 

 for the purpose of carrying that 

 object into effect. Accordingly, 

 on the opening of the theatre, 

 there was a great number of peo- 

 ple collected in all parts of the 

 house, who, by their noise and ri- 

 otous behaviour, by barking, 

 shouting, groaning, catcalls, cries 

 of off! off! old prices ! &c. inter- 

 rupted the performances, or at any 

 rate, rendered them totally inaudi- 

 ble. A croud of people also as- 

 sembled on the outside, actuated 

 with like feelings and designs.— 

 This noise and riot having conti- 

 nued with similar or increased vio- 

 lence for five successive nights, Mr. 

 Kemble came forward andinformed 

 the house that the proprietors had 

 resolved to shut up the theatre, and 

 submit their accounts and the con- 

 cerns ofthe house to the inspection 

 of a committee of gentlemen of 

 the first respectability, who should 

 report their true state to the pub- 

 lic. This committee consisted of 

 the following gentlemen ; alderman 

 sir Charles Price, bart. M. P.; sir 

 Thomas Plomer, knight, the solici- 

 tor general ; John Sylvester, esq. 

 the recorder of the city of London ; 

 John Whitmore, esq., governor of 

 the Bank of England ; and John 

 Julius Angerstein, esq. The re- 

 port of this committee, was, that 

 the rate of profit actually received 

 upon an average of the last six 

 years, commencing in 1803 (the 

 period of the present copartnership 

 in the theatre) upon the capital 

 embarked therein, amounted to 6f 

 per cent per annum, charging the 

 concern with only the sum actual- 

 ly paid for insurance on such part 

 of the capital as was insured ; that 



if 



