Mr. Sothern agreed in September to act Brother Sam for
seven- teen nights, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, Birmingham, on pay- ment of half the gross receipts. He then became irritated by some slight and also had a sore throat and other disease, and conse- quently played only one week, but on the last day of the engage- ment played in Dublin. The lessee, Mr. Swanborough, thought the sore throat an exaggeration, and claimed damages, which he obtained to the amount of 501., shoat one-twentieth, we should say, of what he expected. It came out in the course of the evidence as to specific damage, that when a performance is postponed the holders of "orders" demand the price of their seats from the treasury. That is a genuine English incident. No matter how he obtained it, the order-holder has a seat,.and having it, will not give it up without compensation. Try and give away a shilling a penny light, and the beggar who takes it will insist on its being changed lest he should lose what is his.
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