JAN. 19. 1850.] 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
179 
princesses were present on the 21st repetition, but 
that was by no means one of the fullest houses, 
The very bill sold at the doors on the occasion 
has been preserved, and hereafter may be fur- 
nished for the amusement of your readers. It 
appears, that when the nun of the Beggar's 
Opera was somewhat abruptly terminated by 
the advance of the season and the benefits of the 
actors, the “takings,” as they were and: still are 
ealled, were larger than ever. The performances 
commerced on 29th January, 1728, and that 
some striking novelty was required at the Lin- 
coln’s-Inn-Fields theatre, to improve. the prospects 
of the manager, may be judged from the fact that 
the new tragedy of Sesostris, brought out on. the 
17th January, was played for the benefit of its 
author (John Sturmy) on its 6th night to only 
581. 19s., while the house was capable. of holding 
at least 2007. 
In the following statement of the receipts to 
the Beggar's Opera, I have not thought it neces- 
sary to insert the days of the months : — 
a Sd 
Night § = = > 169 12 O 
2 - - ~ 160 14 Q, 
(Author): 3 = * - MpzarzZesG 
4 - - - Tos» one G: 
5. - - - 475 19 6 
(Author) 6 = - > 189 11 O 
7 - - - 161 19 O 
8 - - ~ 157 19 6 
(Author), 9 - - -~ 165 12° @ 
10 - - - 156 8 O 
11 ~ - - 171 10, O 
12 - > . 170. 5 6 
13 - - > 164.8 0 
14 - - - L714; © 
(Author) 15 - - > 175 18 .O 
16 : - - 160,11 © 
17 - - - ay SG; 
18 - - 7 163 16 6 
39 - = - 158 19 O 
20) - - = 170 & 6 
21 - - - 163 14 6 
22 - - - 163 17 6 
23 - “ - VI9 68) 1G 
24 - - > 161 7 O 
25 ” - _” 169 3 6 
26; - - - 163 18 6: 
27 - - - 168 4 6 
28 - - - LSS), Sr Gi 
29 ? - tad 165 2 6. 
30 - ~ ~ 162.18 .6 
31 - r - 183 45.0 
$2 - - - 185, 8 6 
Therefore, when the run was interrupted, the 
attraction of the opera was greater than it 
had been on any previous night, excepting the 
6th, which was one of those set apart for the 
remuneration of the author, when the receipt 
was 189/. tls. The total sum realised by the 
32 successive performances was 5351/. 15s., of 
which, as we have already shown, Gay obtained 
6931. 13s. 6d. To him it was all clear profit ; but 
from the sum obtained by Rich are, of course, to 
be deducted the expenses of the company, lights, 
house-rent, &e. ; 
The successful career of the piece was checked, 
as I have said, by the intervention of benefits, 
and the manager would not allow it to be repeated 
even for Walker’s and Miss Fenton’s nights, the 
Macheath and Polly of the opera; but, in order to 
connect the latter with it, when Miss Fenton 
issued her bill for Zhe Beaua’s Stratagem, on 
29th April, it was headed that it was “for the 
benefit of Polly.” An exception was, however, 
made in favour of John Rich, the brother of the 
manager, for whose benefit the Beggar's Opera 
was played on 26th February, when the receipt 
was 184/. 15s. Miss Fenton was allowed a second 
benefit, on 4th May, in consequence, we may 
suppose, of her great claims in connection with 
the Beggar's Opera, and then it was performed to. 
a house containing 155/, 4s. The greatest recorded 
receipt, in its first season, was on 13th April, 
when, for some unexplained cause, the audience 
was so. numerous that 1984 17s. were taken at 
-the doors. 
After this date there appears to have. been con- 
siderable fluctuation in the profits derived from 
repetitions of the Beggar's Opera. On the 5th 
May, the day after Polly Fenton’s (her real name 
was Lavinia) second benefit, the proceeds fell to. 
781. 14s:, the 50th night produced 692, 12s., and 
the SIst only 262 1s. 6d. The next night the 
receipt suddenly rose again to 134/, 13s. 6d., and 
it continued to range between 53/. and 105i. 
until the 62nd and last night (19th June), when 
the sum taken was 98/. 17s. 6d. 
Miss Fenton left the stage at the end of the 
season, to be made Duchess of Bolton, and in the 
next season her place, as regards the Beggur's 
Opera, was taken by Miss Warren, and on 20th 
September it attracted 751. 7s.; at the end of | 
November it drew only 23/., yet, on the 11th 
December, for some reason not stated by the 
manager, the takings amounted to 112J. 9s. 6d. 
On January Ist a new experiment was tried with 
the opera, for it was represented by children, and 
the Prince of Wales commanded it on one or more 
of the eight successive performances it thus under- 
went. On 5th May we find Miss Cantrell taking 
Miss Warren’s character, and, in the whole, the 
Beggar’s Opera was acted more than forty times 
in its second year, 1728-9, including the perform- 
ances by “ Lilliputians” as well as comedians. 
This is, perhaps, as much of its early history as 
your readers will care about. 
Dramaricvus. 
