Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. Fifth Night of She Stoops will be Thursday Next. Charges #69 17s. Profit to Mrs Mattocks #122 7s., plus #45 5s. from tickets (Box 151; Pit 50). Paid one year's Assurance on 10,000 in a Sun Fire Office to 25 March 1774; #50. Paid ditto on 5,000 in the Royal Exchange office to 31 March 1774: #12 10s. (Account Book). Receipts: #192 4s

Event Comment: Paid Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #4 1s.; Mr Serres, for painting & rigging ships #63; Mr G. Garrick's note for Mr Weston #44 2s. (Treasurer's Book). [Serres is probably Dominique Serres, 1722-1793, brought to England 1752, apointed marine painter for George III, member of Royal Academy and its librairan after 1792. See Bryan's, Dictionary of Painters and Engravers.] Receipts: #253 11s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Paid 1 year's Assurance on #3,000 in the Royal Exchange Office to 15 Dec. 1774, #6 (Account Book). [Query: The insurance policy probably extended to 15 Dec. 1775?] Receipts: #105 3s. 6d. (Account Book)

Event Comment: Paid for 2 extra Flutes & Guitars (29 ultimo incl.) #2 5s. (Treasurer's Book). [This month was published Bell's edition of Shakespeare's acting plays, 'as performed at the Theatres Royal in London, requlated from the Prompt Books of each House, by permission of the managers, with notes critical and illustrative by the author of the Dramatic Censors, 5 vols. 12 mo. Price 15s."] Receipts: #246 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Mattocks. Mainpiece: Not acted this season. Charges #76 17s. Profit to Mrs Mattocks #84 5s., plus #69 15s. from tickets (Box 279) Paid one year's Assurance on #5,000 in the Royal Exchange Office to 31 March 1775 #12 10s. Receipts: #161 2s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: By Permission of the Lord Chamberlain, for one night only. A Scots Musical-Pastoral Comedy. Not acted this season. Benefit Walker and Stewart. [The Hartrys from Theatre Royal, Edingburgh.

Event Comment: Afterpiece: A Pantomime Entertainment not acted these eight years. [See 20 Oct. 1768.] New Scenes, Dresses and other Decorations. Doors open at 5 o'clock. To begin exactly at 6 o'clock. Theatrical intelligence, Covent Garden: Mrs Hunter, lately returned from Ireland was very well receiv'd in Mrs Oakly, and to do her justice she played the part throughout better than it has been performed for some time at either house. The labourings of Mr Wroughton's jealousy in Oakly reminded us of the progressive workings of a fatt of small beer, when inflated with powerful yeast....Orpheus and Eurydice was reviv'd after the play-the dullest of all dull Pantomimes (Harlequin's Jacket excepted). The two additional scenes we were summoned by the bills to behold, are two of the late memorable regatta:-The first is a perspective of Ranelagh Gardensv to the water, illuminated with party-coloured lamps, which terminates with the temporary obelisk erected on that occasion:-Behind this we just catch the streamers of the barges and etc., supposed to be rowing up to the stairs, and landing their company, to martial music and under the discharge of cannon, imitated by the unnatural slamming of one of the Green Room doors. This scene, however, had a tolerable appearance, but being on too confined a scale, its intended effect must have been lost. The other represented the inside of as much of the Temple of Neptunev as was possible to give the spectators in a theatre:-we cannot extol it by any means as a perfect representation:-and to prevent it coming too near the original, Harlequin, Perot, Pantaloon, and etc. were made to lounge in the orchestra instead of its being occupied by a good band of music:-in short the whole pantomime went off rather flat. It is recommended to the managers here never to suffer the scene shifters to appear again in such garb as they did; old greasy plush waistcoats, with red-stocking sleeves!-such a habit may be in keeping with a blacksmaith's forge, but not for a theatre royal in the metropolis of a polished country (Folger News Clipping)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Tickets to be had and places for the Boxes to be taken of Mr Fosbrooke at the Stage Door of the Theatre, at Half a guinea each. Pit 5s. First Gallery 3s. 6d. Second Gallery 2s. Doors to be opened at Half past Five. To begin at Half past Six. N.B. Those ladies who have had boxes for the Oratorios and who intend continuing them are humbly requested to give notice to Mr Fosbrooke at the Stage Door. Rec'd Stoppages #1 1s. (Treasurer's Book). [The Westminster Magazine, Feb., p. 75, contained an article on the "Origin of Oratorios," followed by one on the Musical Powers of Handel, particularly relating to his Oratorios. The Morning Chronicle for 24 Feb. commented as follows on Miss Linley's performance in Acis and Galatea: "Miss Linley...gave every delight that the ear, the heart, or understanding could receive from Music...Miss Linley's manner of delivering Recitative is peculiarly distinct and sensible; a circumstance of infinite importance in a performance of this nature. Her voice is clear and melodious, and capable of truest expression as was peculiarly evident in the song of 'Must I my Acis still bemoan?'...Their Majesties' presence and apparent satisfaction lead us to hope that the Royal countenance and encouragement will never again be withdrawn to grace the innovations of foreigners on the only musical ground which is left for English genius to take root and flourish"( (Quoted in Hampden, Journal).]

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Afterpiece: A Comedy of two Acts never performed. Dr Thomas Francklin. [According to the Biographia Dramatica, "This is a poor performance, founded on Destouches' L'Amour Use, and met with no success; being nearly condemned, nothwithstanding the King and Royal family were present. Foote told his friends, that, when he lighted the King, to his chair, his Majesty asked who the piece was written by: 'It was written (says the wicked Wit) by one of your Majesty's Chaplains; but it is dull enough to have been written by a Bishop.)'"]

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. [For Fanny Burney's pen and ink sketch of the royal box and her written description o it, as it appeared on this evening, see List of illustrations these volumes. Receipts: #261 14s. 6d. (260.14.0; 1.0.6)

Event Comment: The Royal Convert [announced on playbill of 7 Nov.] is obliged to be deferred on account of the Indisposition of Wroughton. Receipts: #87 18s. (87.15; 0.3)

Event Comment: By Authority [of the Lord Chamberlain]. Benefit for a Gentleman, who, through unavoidable misfortunes, is reduced to take this method of soliciting the patronage of his Friends and a Generous Public. Tickets delivered for the 26th of April will be admitted. The Doors to be opened at 6:30. To begin exactly at 7:00

Event Comment: [This was Mrs Hitchcock's 1st appearance in London. Miss Farren was from the Manchester theatre. Miss Twist is identified in playbill of 14 July.] Because of Foote's acting scarcely anything but his own plays "a relaxation of discipline has been fallen into at the Haymarket... The audience last night, however, were not less surprized than pleased at the very regular manner in which the Comedy and the Burletta were exhibited. All the business of the stage perfect, all the little parts smoothly given, and the whole rather superior than inferior to a performance at either of the Winter Theatres" (Morning Chronicle, 10 June)

Event Comment: "[Henderson] appears to have cultivated the gifts of nature, with great industry; he promises better to attain the character of a player of consummate judgment than a great player, properly so called. Edwin, in spite of his thin voice and disgusting articulation, is at least equal to half his London contemporaries; and exhibited proofs that neither his conception, nor style of playing, is limited to a particular cast of parts, or mode of acting" (London Magazine, June 1777, p. 288). [ Miss Barsanti was from the Crow Street Theatre, Dublin.

Event Comment: [Digges refused to make use of "the too familiar modern manner of speaking blank verse" (London Chronicle, 30 Aug., which also identifies Fotteral, although misspelling his name as "Fotheril").