The health of Mr. Favell, to whom we are greatly indebted for the existence of this Club. Three times.

Mr. Favell returned thanks.

A bumper benefit to those Gentlemen of the Theatre who have favoured this company with their society.

The Votaries of the Muses,-Wit, Humour, and Good-nature.

May we never murmur without occasion, and may we never have occasion to murmur.

Prosperity to the Sheffield General Infirmary.

Mr. George Dixon proposed the health of Colonel Wortley, and the Sheffield Yeomanry Cavalry.

May genius and merit never want friends.

A speedy revival to the Sheffield Assemblies.

When the curtain of life is about to drop, may we enjoy the consequences of having well acted our parts.

On Mr. Rimington's quitting the room, Mr. Jackson was called to the Chair, and the conviviality of the Meeting was kept up to a late hour.

Many favourite songs were well sung by Mr. Larkin,

and others.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY

OF THE

SHAKESPEARE CLUB,

December 26, 1820.

DR. YOUNGE IN THE CHAIR.

AFTER the cloth had been drawn, the Chairman gave— May good digestion wait on appetite, and health on both:

Our liege Sovereign-may he so govern these united kingdoms"That nor peer nor peasant may have cause to say,

"Heaven shorten George's happy years one day."

The Queen and Royal Family-may their conduct prove to all the world that virtue alone is true nobility.

The Chairman addressed the company in an elegant speech, of which the following is an abstract :

"I rise, Gentlemen, to address you on the subject of our present Meeting, and this I shall do in a few words: for surely it cannot be necessary, nor would it be proper in me to take up your time, in "telling that which you yourselves do know." I need not expatiate on the excellence of dramatic writings and representations, as your admiration of them has been the foundation of this Club; I would only observe, that the drama, directed according to its noble design, to shew the beauty of virtue, and to expose the deformity of vice, has been approved of in all ages, by men of the wisest Heads and the best Hearts. Good things may, no doubt, be sometimes corrupted to bad purposes, but with the abuse this Society has nothing

to do, the proper use only we mean to countenance.Even Shakespeare himself, that prodigy of nature and genius, in honour of whom we are here assembled, occasionally hurried away by the luxuriancy of fancy, or yielding to the taste of the times in which he lived, has sometimes fallen beneath himself; but in his wondrous works there is such a rare assemblage of excellencies, that no writer of his time can, on fair ground, be placed in competition with him. But, Gentlemen, I would go one step further; take all the dramatic writers since Shakespeare's timeweigh them together, and Shakespeare will not lose by the comparison. It is needless to recount to you his beauties. Those who can reject them on account of blemishes that occur in his numerous writings, would find fault with the glorious Luminary of heaven because there are spots upon his disk, or because a few passing clouds sometimes obscure his Brightness; but well I

"His good remembrance, Sirs,

"Lies richer in your thoughts, than on his Tomb."
Therefore,

"The rather will I spare my praise towards Him;
Knowing him is enough."

Rise, then, Gentlemen, and drink to the glorious memory of William Shakespeare, and let this Toast be distinguished by three times three. Cheers.

Some of the other Toasts were :

Our glorious Constitution, formed by British wisdom, supported by British Laws, and defended by British Valour.

Our Townsman, the Lord of Hallamshire, and Duke of Norfolkthree cheers.

Our Venerable and illustrious neighbour, Earl Fitzwilliam, and the House of Wentworth-three cheers.

D

Shakespeare in his writings has frequently compared human life to a performance on a stage; and no piece is better known, nor has been oftener quoted than

"All the world's a Stage,

And all the men and women merely players."

In which, with much pleasantry he describes different characters from youth to old age. Now we may not boast in our Club of many Soldiers seeking the bubble reputation-e'en in the cannon's mouth," nor of Justices whose "fair round belly is with good capon lined;" yet each of us has a character to support, and the eyes of the world are upon us.

May each Member of the Shakespeare Club so perform his part, that he may be respected on the stage of life, and regretted when he makes his exit.

May those Members of the Club who are in the Way to get Married, find a Cure for the Heart Ache.

The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding, and the House of Harewood.
The County Members.

May the representatives of the people always do their duty, unwarped by interest, and unawed by clamour.

The Chairman then said: one thing, which must endear Shakespeare to every Englishman, is the enthusiastic fondness he loses no opportunity of expressing for his native land:

"This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle,

This earth of Majesty, this seat of Mars,

This other Eden, demi Paradise!

This precious stone, set in the silver sea!

This blessed spot, this earth, this realm, this England!"
With a prophetic spirit he exclaims-

"This England never did, nor never shall,

Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror.

Come the three corners of the world in arms,

And we shall shock them. Nought shall make us rue,

If England to herself do prove but true."

After two hundred years this prophecy remains in full force. In order to continue it to the latest posterity, let every man do his best-let him endeavour to fulfil the wish exprest in the toast. I shall now give :

May Britons be ever united and free.

Money, means, and content; he that wants these is without three good friends.

May blessings attend our steps, and afflictions know us not.

"It is held," says Shakespeare,

"That valour is the chiefest virtue, and

Most dignifies the haver: if it be,

The man I next shall speak of, cannot in the world

Be singly counterpoised. By my hopes

I do not think a braver Gentleman,

More daring, or more bold, is now alive,

To grace this latter age with noble deeds."

Then "Give me the Cup;

And let the kettle to the trumpet speak,

The trumpet to the cannoneers without,

The cannons to the heav'ns. The heaven to earth."

The Duke of Wellington-Three cheers.

It is too much the fashion of the world to forget dangers that are past, and not to be sufficiently grateful for the means by which a deliverance was achieved. To judge of the importance of the victory of Waterloo, let us change the scene, and suppose a reverse of fortune.— What would have been our situation, prostrate at the feet of the tyrant, who considered Britain as the only bar to his universal empire. The sons of Britain must have been thrust down to the lowest state of degradation, and all hopes of liberty lost indeed. By the sanguinary but decisive Battle of Waterloo, these evils were averted from us.