Star. — London, England, 1810-09-18 00:00:00

- - SEITEMBERI4. . .ItON GRAHAM AND A SPECIAL JURY. , LIVERPOOL THEATRE. THE KING v. LEMON AND OTHERS. This subject was brought before the Court upon a criminal information against Mr. Abraham Lemon, (the nephew of Dr. Solomon), and four othet persons, ch.trging them with intendiag to injure and impoverish mr.William Thomas Lewis and Mr. Thomas Knight, the Managers of the Liverpool Theatre, and for that purpose conspiring to compel them, by riotous and tumultuous proceedings, to admit persons to theThea tre at half-pr ice. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Mr. Serjeant Cockell) s tated to the Jury the nature and object of the . prose. ca tion. He observed, that the public had, by design. i ng persons, been grossly deluded with respect to the l a w upon the subject of the conduct to be observed in Theatres and places of public entertainment. They ' r id, he sai.l, an undoubted right to express their dis ,vrobatien of a theatrical performance, or the per !Jrmers, provided it was done bow fide and fairly ; but anv tumult which . was the result of previous con cert and conspiracy, either against particular Actors or the Managers, was on offence of equal magnitude with that of conspiring to injure any other individual in his person or property He severely censured those who had been ins.rumental in deluding the unwary, describing then , men, who, under the pretence of liberty,were in dispo,ition theveriest tyrants. He point ed ont, in torcitrle language, the danger whichwas to b e apprehended from a lawless mob, whatever might be the suppn,e I cause for exciting it; and he cited as an instance the dreadful riots in the year 1780. He r tid a higrr compliment to Mr. Lewis, and re gretted that the evening of his life, spent in the ser vice of the public, should have met with the return it had. Having stated that persons had never been ad mitted at half-price to the Liverpool Theatre since , ts c , iginal establishment, and commented upon the ppyriety of such an exclusion in that populous and turbulent town, he proceeded to detail the facts, which were deposed to by the witnesses ; and con cluded his address, by expressing his firm persuasion that the verdict on this occasion would convince the defendans, and the public at large, of the illegality of that conduct which had called for the present pro secution. A vast number of witnesses were examined, who t reved a variety of acts of violence, and the evidence completely implicated all the rioters named in the record. Mr. Ram addressed the Jury with great ability on the part of the defendants. The scope of his ar gument was chiefly directed to repel the charge of conspiracy. Mr. Baron GRAHAM was of opinion, that the evi dence went sufficiently to the proof of a conspiracy; but, as the consequences of a conviction for that offence were so highly penal, he recommended that the count in the information for the conspiracy should be given up. This proposition, after some discussion, was we ceded to by the Arronten-GENERAL, who observed, that the prosecution was not carried on by Messrs. Lewis and Knight, but by the Magistrates of Liver pool. _ _ The defendants were then Acquitted of . the Con spiracy, and found Guilty of the Riot. • THE KING V. CARTER. This was a prosecution of a similar nature, and the iendant was also found Guilty. The trials occupied the time of the Court from ten in the morning till six in the evening.. The REDBREAST, Sir GEORGE KEITH, has arrived at Yarmouth with the convoy from Heligoland. By this conveyance we learn that some apprehensions are entertained there of a visit from the enemy in conse quence of the embargo in the Dutch ports. When the convoy sailed the inhabitants were all training to the nse of arms, and were busily employed in remov ing their goods to the upper Island for greater security. FRENCH EMIGRATION.—A French Gentleman hired a small boat at Havre, under pretence of going over to Caen for the shooting season. He embarked his taily and his most valuable effects, and sailed for cur squadron. He was received in the Moan, and brought over to Portsmouth a few days ago. We have not been informed of his name or rank, but Go vernment are, no doubt, in possession of the particulars. Wednesday last, Si GEORGE M'KENZIE, whose de prture for Iceland on a scientific tour, we lately an ntuneed, returned in safest to Edinburgh. He was accompanied by Mes srs . H OLLAND an d B RIGHT , two s: . entific Gentlemen, whose researches have been at tended with ample success, in consequence of the fine las of the weather during their stay on Iceland. - Mr. COLMAN, Serjeant at Arms to the House of Commons, is now, to relieve , the tedium of the vaca °°n"4"'"g in t he Portuguese army with the rank i Brigadier-GeneraL --- On Wednesday last arrived at Coins the Secre dry at War, Lord PALMERSTON, to survey the prison !hips, preparatory to their being removed to a more )n7enient situation in the river. BR cAo.—There was Court of Aldermen to-day, the Lora) MAYOR, after inspecting the returns, ordered it to fall Id. per peck. A very fine vein of silver has lately been discovered in Cornwall. fiaturday afternoon a Gravesend-boat, coming to 4ushaw's Wharf, Wapping, ran foul of a wherry, ' Ihich immediately sunk; fortunately no person was 4 board except the Waterman, who swam to the shore. A soldier's wife dropt down dead at Berwick, on liday morning. She was opened, by the }acuity, to ascertain the ca use o f h er d eat h ; their report was "the effect of bad whiskey." FIRES. —Sunday evening a fire broke out at the use of Mr. Hart, chinantan, in Petticoat-lane, )iteehapel, which nearly destroyed the premises, . stock in trade. A fire broke out early on Sunday morning, in a yneumaker's wo r k s h op , i n Steisart's-rents, Drury. but by the timely arrival of engines, and a itiful supply of water, it was got under without ig further damage than destroying the shop. It inated from a candle having been left near some fings, which com mun i cated to the same. A Gentleman, who purchased T wo Ti c k ets o f N o. . in the Last Lottery, obtained Forty Piot/sand of mat cc Wilt;On. A vas Treved a completel record. Mr. R, on the pa gument s conspirac Mr. Bh di-nce we but, as I offence the count be given This p ceded to that the Lewis an pool. The d spiracy, This I defeidan The tr in the me Then at Yarmc this corm entertains quence the convc the nse o ing their FRENC a small h to Caen family at c.ur squa brought have not vernmen Wedn future I winced : accompa r:entific hded ItSS of t; Mr. C Commoi se r i Brigs On V tarp ;it ' ships, p i otrrenit BR CA LOED hl to fall I A vet it Corns 8a tur alinshas vtlich. it bparc A sol trid ay 1 to afa , "the ell nut s louse c Whited id slo t A fir abi n e t ., ; lentifu , 0i n ; f t aving A G e 469, oundi :v7 COIOMET GARDEN rHE.CRE. #rotlf , • Theatre the commencement of the disturbances at this _ - 1 ist year, until the third repetition of them last Friday night inclusively, we have never witnessed so decided mid overbearing a majority of the malcontents as predominated last night. It had been the practice, at least latterly, for the opposers of the managerial regulations to keep back during the early part of the performances, and not to enter vigo rously on the attack until their numbers were rendered formidable by the influx at half-price ; but, last night, in consequence of the Address from the Proprietors of this Theatre, published itt - the STAR of yesterday, there was a general expectation that some expla nation would take place relative to the existing dispute, and it was supposed that an amicable adjust ment might be the result. The house therefore, with the exception of the fourth circle of Boxes and the Pigeon-holes, was nearly filled when the curtain drew up. At the commencement of the play (repeated calls having been previously made for Mr. Kemble) the noise became tremendous, in consequence of the Manager not appearing, and a person whose name we could not learn, but who, we are informed, is a Navy Agent, stood up in the Pit, and said the apolo gy which they expected from Mr. K. would better come then than afterwards. There was a loud call for Kemble, but he not appearing, the row immedi ately commenced. " Kemble! Kemble! Manager Kemble ! and Off ! off ! off!" Were continually vo ciferated, and not a word of The Suspicious Hushand could be heard. • A Gentleman in the second circle of Boxes exhibi ted a Placard, inscribed, so We demand nothing but the Contract," which was loudly cheered, and which he pinned to the front of the Box. A person in the third circle, who had just before rendered himself conspicuous by quarrelling with two or three Gentle men in an adjoining box who had called for Kemble, descended to the box where the placard was fixed, and it having in the mean time been thrown into the Pit, he, in the most extraordinary manner, climbed over the front of the box, lowered himself by the lus tre and the pillar of the box below, jumped into the Pit, obtained possession of the placard, marched off with it out at the pit-door, and returned to his lot ma situation in the third circle of boxes. The noise continued without intermission, and not one word of the Comedy, from beginning to end, could be heard. The cry was still for Kemble, and he not coming ferward, it appeared to be determined that no other person on the stage should be honoured with a hearing. The Concert before the curtain, consisting of vociferation, roaring, bellowing, groan ing, lowing, barking, and almost every other descrip tion of noise of which the human organs of voice are capable, was kept up with a spirit that set at utter defiance every attempt of the actors to be heard.— The green curtain was let down at the end of the se cond Act, and then it was said that Kemble was cer tainly coming ; but it was merely to make prepara tion for, the first scene of the third Act, and the row again Eotnmenced. A few minutes before the curtain fell, a dispute of a ludicrous nature occurred in the lower boxes : Mr. W—h— It, who was so actively employed during the first O. P. war, had taken his seat in the front of a box, and, by his veteran presence, and vehement and incessant hissing, cheered his legions in the pit. A young man, who sat behind him, tired out with his long-continued interruptions, spoke sharply to him on the impropriety of his conduct, and avowed himself a friend to the Ma nagers. Mr. W—h—lt observed, " That he was a ; dirty dog for making such a declaration." The 1 Gentleman inquired of Mr. W. 44 who he was ?" Mr. W. replied—" My name is W—h—lt ; I am very well known;" 44 0 1 Sir," rejoined the stran ger, " if you are Mr. W—h—lt, I do not wish to know any thing more about you." An old Gentle-. man, however, who had also been much annoyed, spoke in a very manly and spirited strain to the offender. The altercation drew on them the eyes of the Contrucinten, who, of course supported their champion ; who, in the heat of his gesticulation, having chanced to strike his hand against his hoary opponent, the latter informed him, brandishing at the same time a stout oaten towel, that though he was 77 years of age, he would not permit 44 man of woman born" to lay a finger on him ; and added, 66 Your hiss reminds me of the most silly and most venomous crea tures in the universe—the goose and the serpent."— " You are right, Sir," answered Mr. W. gg I have been a rattle-snake before now." 7.RV4 ►(IC At length, at the elese-ef the fourth Act, Mr. Kemble came forward. There was a loud tall for silence, bat tome time elapsed before it c•nld be ob tained. He began by saying—".lAdies and Gentle men, it was hoped by the Proprietors, that the 7;t14 dress which they had the honour of meting to the Public this day would have been deemed satisfac tory."—A great noise was again made, and some one called for explanation respecting Nightly Boxes. 1 A Gentleman in the Pit indicating a wish to address Mr. Keenble, the latter intreated silence, that he might hear what was said to him. After silence had ' been again with some difficttlty obtained, the Gentle man in the Pit requested, in the name of the audi ence, that Mr. Kemble would explain what was meant by the term " Nightly Boxes "—The latter, after some interruption, again obtained a hearing, and said" The boxes which, after the present sea son—" A loud clamour again prevailed, and silence was for some time called in vain. Mr. Kemble at length caught an opportunity of stating, that " what is meant by the term is, that they will be thrown open to the Public the same 23 the other boxes."—This explanation was received with loud applause. , The Gentleman in the Pit again addressed Mr. Kemble, but there were so many interruptions and so much noise, that it was extremely difficult to collect what he said. The substance, however, was, that as a given time was now fixed by the Proprietors for the performance of the contract with the public, and as the additional price of admission to the B oxes had been conceded by the public upon the express condi tion that the private boxes should be thrown open, the Proprietors had no right to that addition until they performed the contract; it was therefore deman ded of them, that they should again reduce the price of admission to the boxes to 6s. until they threw open to the public the number of private boxes stipulated in the contract.—A great clamour followed this Ad dress, and " Yes, yes !" and " No, no !" and ap plause and hisses were so intermingled, that it was im possible to discover what the opinion of the majority of the audience really was. Mr. Kemble, after wait= ing some time, was at length, by an interval of si lence, obtained with great difficulty, enabled again to proceed.—" Ladies and Gentlemen, I have now to entreat from your candour a patient hearing. Some persons who now compose part of the present audi ence, were probably present on the last night of the late season when I addressed the house. I had then the honour to state—" Here the clamour was re newed with redoubled violence, with loud cries of Off, off !" and Kemble, after waiting a short time, bowed and 'withdrew. It is scarcely possible to describe the uproar which ensued. The pit was up in arms, and the gallery and great part of the boxes joined in the clamour. In short, it was a row of rows. 64 GOD save the King," " Rule Britannia," 4 ‘ Arise, Arise, Britannia's Sons arise," and" Hearts of Oak," were sung. The 0. P. and Con-Tract dances were as usual resorted to. A ring was formed in the pit for the purpose of running over the seats, pushing one another down, and other sports as practised last year. Mewing, braying, barking, howling, as usual diversified the enter tainments of the evening. From this they proceeded to boot and point at those in the rrivate boxes.— These were succeeded by shouts for themselves and grolns for the Managers. Five or six watchmens' rattles were sprung at the same time in the pit ; to these were added a post horn, and another horn in the• upper boxes ; to these again were added a number of shrill catcalls and whistles ; and to all this noise was superadded a continual roaring, screaming, and bel lowing, and every other vocal accompaniment that could be suggested by the inventive ingenuity of the most in- - amateurs of noise. Con-tract ! Con- During part of the third Act, and after the close of it, a Gentleman in one of the lower boxes on the King's side addressed the Pit. He was received with infinite good humour by the Pit, who now gathered to the side where this pantomimic orator raged against the degeneracy of modern days, the implacable obsti nacy of Managers, and the feeble acquiescence of the people. The purest enthusiasm may, however, become obsolete, and the audience seemed gradually seceding to the opposite side of the Pit, where a trumpeter from Bartholomew fair was performing a solo on his instru ment with infinite intrepidity. The Orator made one last and desperate effort for his sinking popula rity, his voice became more harsh and his gestures more heroic, until, unluckily, he grazed the ear of a Gentleman in the same box with him ; this produced a species of discussion, in which the Orator, exhausted as he was by his labours in the public service, neces sarily gave way ; and was, we are afraid, finally obliged to retire. Some of the transactions on the stage caught for a moment the attention of the performers in the pit. Where Ranger kisses Mr:. Strialand, there was a shout of applause, and the cry of " that's what they will be doing in the private boxes." One of the scenes was a building with some resemblance to the portico of the Theatre, and the words, " lodgings to let," on the door. This was instantly caught, and cheered with bursts of applause. Several placards announced the coming in of the half-price. Among these were some scarcely legible denunciations against the Managers. " No P. B. or 0. P."—" No nightly Boxec."--" Contract."—" I come upon my Bond."—A • 'tile was sprung, and handed round the pit with a-, congratulation. A horn succeeded to the -, - ;Pp:1: ; but _a cat call player, who stamp., t. the side, con. trived to attract a ••n pi 4 Ettha t Way threw both into the shade '• • s;''rsrtl l / 4 .fr. ( ll l ?rnble's ap pearance, wl:iLia d at iblsrvals, Was now become re7 , ii.:.• 14, .1. , - . ••- - - • • Cowan Warriorsfort* idifirered over the benches, danced C and played over again all the 0. P. gambols, with all the accompa niments of rattles and horns continually at work—" Keep moving" was their motto, and not a moment were they idle. Amidst this most uproarionarow the curtain drop ped about twenty minutes after ten o'clock. " Goo s:tve the King" was then sung, cheers and groans given, and Con-tract again danced. A pirrant in one of the Boxes in the second circle on the King's side, kept up for some time a sort of Vituperative contest with the Contract Warriors ih the Pit, some of whom pelted him with half-pence and Fenny pieces. The latter at length became so enraged. that several of them stepped from the pit into ate front boxes, for the purpose of going round to the box in which their assailant had taken his station. He, however, with his friends in the mean time withdrew, being probably of opinion, that " the better part of valour is discretion." This terminated the fourth night's performance of the new row, and the performers se parated, promising to be at their posts again to-mor row evening. *** Since writing the above, we have learnt, with great satisfaction, that the roprietors of Covent- Garden Theatre have determined to accede to the de mands of their opponents, viz. to give up to the public four private boxes on each side, according to the con tract agreed on at the Crown and Anchor last season. The Theatre will necessarily be closed till Monday, in order to make the requisite alterations. Letters from St. Petersburgh to the recent date of the 31st ult. state, that an important change had taken place in the Russian Ministry. It is said that the French party has been removed from power, and its opponents admitted to favour. On obtaining in formation of the appointment of &RENA DOTI% asCrown Prince of Sweden, we are told this revolution in the Cabinet aas produced, and that the utmost activity prevailed in the war department. A considerable body of troops had been sent to the frontiers for opera tions, offensive or defensive, as circumstances should require. The same letters mentirn, that negotiations fur peace between Russia and the Porte had not only commenced, but that the terms had been agreecrupoo between General Kasterrsxt and the GRAND Vaunt, and that the siege of Schumla and Rudschuk had been raised. It is alto intimated on the same autho rity, that orders had been transmitted to Riga. di recting that the execution of the decree of sequestra tion of the Tenerife ships and cargoes should be post poned. In addition to the causes of complaint with respect to IlcaNattorre and the restitution of Finland. it is asserted, that BONAPARTE% has requited that all the ports of the Baltic, including those of Russia, should be garrisoned by his own troops. There have been many failures at St. Petersburgh, generally consisting of houses in the French interest, and among them are two native French merchants of great eminence, connected with the Legation of that Empire. ESCAPE OF DR. JAMES ROBE RTON.—From the nature -of the offence with which Dr. Roberton stood charged, and the privacy observed at his examinations, the public are altogether in the dark respecting him. but as he has fled to Holland, a correspondent has favour ed us with an outline of the charge against him, and some interesting particulars relative to his escape.— The charge exhibited against him was, that he bad prematurely delivered Eliza Ann Layton, with whorl he had cohabited, of two children after four or five months pregnancy, and by which deliveries he bad caused the death of the infants. It appeared that Dr. _lgenious . I . tract ! was sounded on all sides, and was danced al- Roberton was a surgeon in the army When he became most without intermission in the pit. The fifth act acquainted with his accuser, who was in service at was gesticulated like its predecessors and closed Ipswich, Suffo.k, and he was her protector a conj. amidst a roar that never was exceeded by the 0. P's. derable length of time, but a separation at length Brunton came forward to announce the play for to- took place. Some time after the young woman, by morrow evening, but was not suffered to be heard ; her frantic conduct in the street, attracted the notice he moved his lips, bowed, and withdrew. of two gentlemen, who followed her. She was ;inane, Unlike some former nights no interval was given and the cause could not be ascertained until she reach to the row. It proceeded between the Comedy and ed the door of Dr. R. in Burlington -street, when she the Pantomime with all the uproar and noise which threw her arms against it in wild despair, and it was it was possible to accumulate. Several placards were then ascertained that she had cohabited with the elevated in the pit, some of which were thrown from Doctor, and the facts which led to the prosecution the boxes. Amongst them we noticed the following were got from her with considerable reluctance. This inscriptions : temporary derangement, it afterwards turned oat, u Ladies and Gentlemen—These approved evolutions will be was occasioned by the prosecutrix having taken lan- • repeated every evening till the 0. P. Contract is fulfilled by danum, with intent to destroy herself. Her evidence Black Juk." was unsupported, and she confessed that she thought This was also again exhibited after the curtain had dropped. One placard exhibited an admirable Dr. Roberton was acting for the best in prematurely instance of the Bathos. It was this : delivering her, and she never meant to complain of ill-treatment, as she did not at the time suspect it, " The cause fur which Cowlam shed his blood, and Weinliok lost his bat." I —The first delivery was proved by the mother of the Three groans for shuffling Jack." pr osecutrix , who did not appear to think wrong of the " A Public Contract made with a private determination notl Doctor's conduct at the time. Under these =cura te fulfil it stances, and the extreme high character some Gentle .. What do you want ?—Answer, six Private Boxes instead of fourteen." men of weight and consequence gave the Doctor for " We demand the Contract." humane conduct, the Magistrate admitted him to bail, " No nightly boxes to cheat John Bull." hi mse lf i n 4'2,000, and four sur"ties in £l,OOO each, " I come for my bond." to answer a capital indictment at the next Old Bailey " Six snug Private Boxes, " For cunning old Foxes, Sessions, for cutting and maiming a child.—From the 66 Is all that we will let remain; frank and open manner in whim Dr. Roberton pro " Johnny Kemble bad best claimed his innocence at the last examination, four " Quickly open the rest, Gentlemen immediately became bail for his appear " Or the six he shall never retain." " A liar is not to be believed though ha speak the truth." ance to take his trial, one of whom is a Colonel in the 4. fie Nightly Boxes." army, another a physician of the first practice, and " John Kemble and Boney are both growing wild, the other two Gentlemen of fortune. The prisoner " One can't get new prices, the other a child." I was an accoucheur in very extensive practice, and by " A branch of John Kemble's creed, no faith with heretics." " Reduce the public boxes to six shillings, or throw open the his conversation and manner, he appeared to be alai, eight ceded to the public immediately." . .. • ous for trial, that an acquittal might wipe away any An elegant drawing of a gallows was also exhibited, imputation on his character. His escape was not with a figure in a Theatrical dress pendant, and an known for four days to any of his bail. It was dis inscription " The end of a Liar." I covered that he embarked on board the Pacific fish- The Afterpiece was the Pantomime of Harlequin ing-boat at Gravesend, on Saturday night, the Bth and Mother Goose, which, it might have been supposed instant, by the name of James Bishop. By the state was not liable to be much interrupted by the uproar ment of Captain Barnett, of the Pacific, when he met before the curtain. Such a supposition, however, the Dutch fishing-boats, his passenger was desirous was proved to be very erroneous, for the combination of getting to the Dutch coast, and he assigned as a of noises was so powerful, that every sound anper- reason that he had estates in Holland, which had just . tanning to the Pantomime was overwhelmed, l'hat been disposed of, and if he did not arrive at a certain the band in the orchestra were performing on their part of Holland at a certain time, his property would instruments. might very rationally be conjectured from all be lost. Nose of the Dutchmen woeld take him their motions, but to hear them was impossible. The on board for a less sum than a hundred guineas, and signals for changing the scenes either could not be consequently not having such a sum in his pommies, heard amidst the continued uproar, or were mistaken he remained on board the Pacific until early on Tea. in the confusion that pievailed, and the most incon day morning; when, in consequence of his pleseieg* gruous jumble of scenery was frequently observed. entreaties, he was conveyed on shore on the s to ma Of the little singing and speaking there is in the Pan- Holland by a small boat; rowed by same of the mew tomime. not a vestige was heard. The most up- of the Pacific, for which he paid f a, s u b l ig i ng t il o .roarious and discordant din pervaded the Pit, the he possessed excepting ses, atter paying his passios Gallery, and several of the Boxes. In the Pit the out to sea. 2MIU MN