ii s. viii. JULY 5, 1913. j NOTES AND QUERIES.
11
seems highly probable that it was at the same institution that Winsor had given his lectures, and not at the famous theatre of that name. It would be interesting if this small point could be cleared up.
Winsor, one of the pioneers of gas, lighted the Lyceum Theatre with gas experimentally in 1803. Further advance with the new illuminant was made in the following year.
In its issue of 2 July, 1804, The Times announced:
"Sir Joseph Banks, ever indefatigable in examining and promoting useful discoveries, went last Thursday evening, for the second time, with a large party of his noble and scientific friends, to the Lyceum, to witness the incredible effects of smoke; the whole Theatre was light with the same, in a novel and pleasing manner; the arch of lights above the stage had a very striking effect, and from the English grate on the stage (which may be fixed in every room) issued a very brilliant and fanciful light. . . .The noble and learned visitors. . . .expressed the liveliest satisfaction."
From this time the use of gas rapidly developed and spread, and by 1821, the date mentioned by your correspondent, the sight of a gas-lit theatre can scarcely have been a rarity. H. D. Ellis.
All the theatres in London, except the Haymarket, were probably lighted by gas before 1821, as the Lyceum was lit by gas as an experiment in 1803, and gas was introduced generally through London 1814-1820. The Theatre Royal, Glasgow, was illuminated with gas 18 Sept., 1818; the advertisement of this said that gas never till then had been seen in any theatre in the Kingdom. Frederic Boase.
Gas must have been in use in the London theatres as early as 1819. In that year it was introduced at the Theatre Royal, Cheltenham, and on a play-bill of that theatre, dated 22 May, 1819, is the following announcement:
"Mr. Crisp has directed his close attention to the general improvement of the Theatre, which is now LIGHTED with GAS upon an enlarged scale, after the most approved plan of the London Theatres."
Gloucester.
Seeing that the Chartered Gas Company of London obtained its Act of Parliament in the year 1810, there can be no difficulty caused by the expression (quoted by Mr. Henry Fishwick) being used in the year 1821. W. S. B. H.
In a note on the career of Mark Lonsdale, John Britton mentions a benefit night at the Lyceum Theatre, the programme being made up of Lonsdale's moving panorama of Egyptiaca, taken from Denon's 'Antiquities of Egypt,' and of recitations and songs given by himself and three friends.
"This [he says] was in the year 1802; and the event is memorable, as the house was lighted by gas, being, I believe, the first time that valuable light was employed within the walls of a theatre."—'Autobiography,' i. 101.
It would be interesting to know if there is any corroboration of this very early date. The Gas Company of London only obtained its charter in 1810, but Murdoch had lighted part of the factory of Messrs. Bolton & Watt in Soho in 1798, so that Britton's date does not seem to be altogether impossible.
[Mr. J. Ardagh and Mr. B. A. Potts also thanked for replies.]
" STAR-YPOINTING " : THE SECOND FOLIO
OF THE SHAKESPEARE PLAYS (11 S. vii. 456).
At the risk of another harmless Baconian
bomb from your correspondent I venture
to supply some of the guidance SIR E. D.
LAWRENCE seeks, although a few of his
questions appear to be already answered
on p. 496 of my ' Shakespeare Bibliography ' :
There are six imprint variants in the second edition of ' Shakespeare,' 1632, all of which may be seen in the Lenox Public Library, at New York.
A copy of No. 1 in list given, Cotes- Smethwick imprint, was purchased at auc- tion by the late Mr. Quaritch in 1887, another by Messrs Leighton in 1907.
A copy of No. 2 in list, Cotes-Aspley imprint, was bought at auction in 1893 by Mr. B. F. Stevens, and another with this variant by Messrs. Sotheran in 1894. A third copy, formerly belonging to John Lucy of Charlecote, was purchased at auction by Mr. B. F. Stevens in 1907. A fourth copy was bought by Mr. Quaritch in 1907.
Of No. 3 in list, Cotes-Hawkins imprint, two copies appeared at auction in 1903, one in 1904, one in 1905, and one in 1907 five in all.
Of No. 4 in list, Cotes-Meighen imprint, a copy was bought in 1890 at auction by Mr. Tregaskis, a second in 1902 by Mr. B. F. Stevens, and another in 1907 by one named Ryley.
Of No. 5, Cotes-Allot imprint, the copies are too plentiful to enumerate.
