M r . and Mrs. Cameron. Falchon and he, it was said, could not c o m e to terms. Davies did not at all relish this " turn of the tide," fancying, probably, that Coppin would prove a tougher customer than Smith in the " benefit" game, so he immediately not only threatened to start an opposition shop, but actually meditated the revival of the Pavilion. . H e m a d e a special application for a license to the Magistrates undertaking to put the old shed into a thorough state of repair, and to conduct it creditably. T h e application yvas opposed by Smith, yvho declared he had expended ,£5000 on the Queen Street premises (theatre and hotel) in the belief that if he established a respectable theatre he should be protected from competition, at least until he could be reimbursed some of the outlay ; it yvas also contended that one theatre yvas enough for Melbourne, and if a second yvas then allowed, the inevitable result yvould be the ruin of both. T h e Magistrates unhesitatingly refused the application. THE COPPIN MANAGEMENT.
And now Coppin was "Cock of the Walk"—the lessee of the new theatre, with the reins solely in his hands. It was no sinecure he had assumed, and he tackled to his yvork yvith skill and energy. H e endeavoured to place entertainments before the public suited to its taste, and one of hisfirstnovelties was a Mr. Hoyvson, " a neyvly-arrived performer on the violincello," and m e m b e r of a musical family yvhich came over with Coppin in the " Swan " from Launceston, and some of them (ladies) in subsequent years attained a European celebrity. But it yvas not always smooth water or favouring gales for the Queen's Theatre. T h e attendances were variable ; sometimes an overffoyving house, and the next night doyvn nearly to low water n m k . O n the ist September, though the " R e n t D a y " was very yvell performed, there yvas only one solitary paying individual in the boxes. Toyvards the middle of the same month Melbourne was astounded one morning by the terrible intelligence that the "Cataraqui" emigrant ship, from Liverpool to Port Phillip, was totally wrecked on a reef at King's Island, when there was a frightful destruction of h u m a n life, the only survivors being the chief mate, one immigrant, and seven seamen. These arrived by a schooner in the Bay, and their heartrending narrative produced the most intense consternation. Immediate steps were taken to raise funds for their assistance, as well as to reward a sealing party stationed at the time on the island, by which the unfortunates yvere saved from death by starvation. Coppin, though in a certain sense commencing the world, unsolicited offered a theatrical performance in aid of the Relief Fund. This yvas thefirstoccasion of the proprietor or lessee of a theatre giving a benefit for a charitable purpose in the colony, and it will be interesting after such a lapse of time to read the manifesto by yvhich Mr. Coppin m a d e the announcement:— QUEEN'S T H E A T R E ROYAL, Q U E E N STREET, Under the immediate Patronage of His Honor the Resident Judge and His Worship the Mayor. U p o n which occasion the proceeds ofthe evening's entertainment will be given in aid of the survivors from the late melancholy
SHIPWRECK OF THE EMIGRANT SHIP "CATARAQUI," A n d to reward M r . Howie's party for their meritorious assistance. N . B . - T h e manager does not think it necessary to solicit the support of the public for this evening, feeling assured (from the well-known liberality of the Melbourne inhabitants) the above announcement will in itself-without taking into consideration the attractive entertainment—fill the theatre for the relief of the unfortunate. On T H U R S D A Y EVENING, I8TH SEPT., 1845,
The entertainment will commence with Sheridan Knowles' celebrated play, entitled, THE HUNCHBACK; OR, N O MAN'S LOVE. T o conclude with the Nautical D r a m a of THE SEA ; OR, T H E OCEAN CHILD.
The public cheerfully responded to the call, and the house (of course much more restricted in dimensions than our present places of entertainment) was crammed. There were 177 persons in the boxes, 453 in the pit, and 313 in the gallery. T h e gross proceeds amounted to £9r us., which (less ^ 2 5 n s ! expenses) brought £6(> to the charity—a considerable help as things went then. This timely act of
