The Statesman. — London, England, 1809-12-08 00:00:00

POLITICAL ST.IG6 JUGGLERS. LETTER I. " Serlitlanaad Faettan. a. all ether wards, may be saiscon- Word. attested. mad crier lied. If we sadergand by Owens breaking the peace 'ii Society, GIIiHS asew's mind, with jetting.). fonteeting pepteler rii.euvalevet, mu method.; are more likely twofers taw irregularities, lutn appres-i e practice*. stretclees of prerogative. arbitrary ttwasmrey, infrivements spew establishul eishb, mad the like." Sts,—The 'rem of Stage Politics, and Thee trice) government, has undergone, within these few years, a complete revolution ; before the time of Garrick we have seen wariness combinations and rebellions take plate on the part of the Pro prietors and Performers of a Theatre, and we have herd both parties complain of sari. ons grievances and onprehsions. In all their quarrels and animosities, the public hare been appealed to for redress ; that very public, Sir, whom the present Proprietors and Ma. nagers, of Covent-garden, have thought pro per to insult, have been by them made Judges, in all Theatrical disputes ; and as that is the fact, 1 bomb!y presume the Public still have a right to condemn, or acquit, the Performers, or the Pro prietors, and Managers, as they have heretofore done. It is true, that the decision in the Court of kin='s Bench, in the &Ise of !lacllin, was, that it is unlawful la .amesbine together, to go Mille play. house, to hiss an actor, or disturb the performance ; but is it not also unlawful f.or the Managers and Proprietors of a Theatre to combine together, to insult and beat the Public ? The co,lons of hissing and clapping, at particular persous and pas. ti4ges, has been practised time ionntemorial; and if we come rightly to investigate this circumstance, seashell hod, that rlippisig and hissing, in a Thee. tre, is more favourable to the Managers and Pro. . psiutors of such Theatre, than to the Pa hlic. The desire of novelty, is on uoth sides, great ; the Public, pour into the The 'lre, actuated by cu riosity, in the hope of gratification ; and the Pro. prietors and Managers, in order to fill their cof fers, produce, eiti.e; new Performers, or new • pieces, by way of drawing attrrction. lit nevi ',leers. as writ atl in new performers, the Managers and Proprietors have inure interest than the Public ; and to point out that, they take ; every advantage of an audience. l)ii they not send people into the Theatre, whose baldness it is to kpplaud any sow piece, or praise new per- I former ? That this has been the cause of our having juvenile actors, and actresses, forced upon the town, atid new plays crammed don.; the throats of thtl people, notwithstanding they have skews evident mat ha of disapprobation, cannot he denied; tits censure, or apphuse, attending both, are perhaps ill.jodir(l l and erroneous, They eta at hest, but favouring partiality, Ind more frequently mislead tile Performers, and the audience; than tend to the reforma tion of the Stage. It has been said, that staying away from an ill-written pi..i e, nr turning one's bark on a new perfori.ier, whose acting we do not like, will be a more effect& espression of our disgust, than any 'nark of disapprobation we ran show; but that, in my opinion, is a gross mis. take ) for it would be lbe means of etfaßlitig the mi. leetic touttetths to peke *heavy contribution Y ltun the public,—it would be the means of foster. ing apon the public the patchcd.up pieces of their Annuity Authors, and vitiating the taste of the town (already too much vitiate)), by their vapid operas, nalo.dramatic mummery, and gin. gerbread spectacle. It has been state), by the friends and parti. sans, of the Proprietors and Managers of Co vent Garden Theafte, that Jacobinisos is at the bottom of the uproar anti confusion which have nightly, for sear 60 nights, prevai!etl in the Thea. are ; but that is 64 nickJuing without their hoot." Shall it be said, Sir, that in a free country, such as England was, and such I trust as England is, and mill be—resistance to the principle of Private Roses is connected with Jacubittient ? Forbid it common sense. if there are any who will bow their necks to be yoke—if there are any who will yield to the moat flagrant in. fringements noon their liberty, or to the incroaei emits on politic and tiny rte rights; let them pause awhile, ere they irrevocably subscribe to that de teet.sl them reflect, that by their act they are deprivinz, ollters, of better hearts And •pirits, of all hope of successfully resisting privi:ege I distinctions, unwarrantably assumed power, and brutal violence. While cabals are nightly forming on one side, and murmur and complaint continue, and that justly, to he heaftl fr o m the ether; whilst frsad, hypocrisy, arro. gance, intrigue, and personal outrage, are op posed to justice and a nation's voice, it is high time for the Legislative Power of that nation to investigate the grievances of whit:4 complaint is Made. For the negligence of onr Governors, " as servants of the Pebbe, cannot be exempt from " eensure,secing that the higher thestation,t he more " exposed will their actions be toe strict scrutiny, " and this liberty a free people always demand for " the trust they repose in them." ilany, vt. ry many observations base been daily mule, r - especting the Paceit belonging to the Theatre, among the rest should be Bled-to be informed, w 11: a prrrogativo the Crown possesses, of it own authority, to grant Patents for a term exceeding 14 years, ens u pported by the sanction of Parliament 2" If any of yo u r numerous Correspondents can inform me, I 'lull he highly obliged to them. lii my nest, I pro pose to enter into some particulars of the Riot as well as more folly la discuss the Rights of the People. 1 remain, Sir, Your hatable Servant, W. T. At my Castle, Portugal-street. SVICIDE.—The wife of a respectable tradesman, in the neighbourhood of Duke-street, Manchester_ square, yesterdly morning. swallowed a large por tion of arsenic. The deceased has left a large fa_ wily and highly respectable connections. It is ►e. ported that 1011IC family differences was the cause of temporary derangement, which ltd to the catastrophe. The deceased was found dead in her bed by her servant maid, and only three days be. fore she was detected in the act of cutting ber thrust with a case keit*. TFIK STATESMAN.. Ma. COCHRANE JOHNSTONE. TxTRACT or A LLITUR laws •=RA cars, DATIL!) TUR 12TU or REPTRIARCIe. .. _ _ IC I duly received your valuable favor of the 10th or Alarch. —Your countryman the Honour able Coceaatra Jonerrosx, arrived here that of July. We had been expecting him fur some time before, as orders had been received by the Viceroy from the Supreme Junta, to slew him every respect and attention. • He staid bete about ten days, and thee proceeded to Mexico, at which place accommodations had been prepared for him in the Royal Palace. Six mile from Mexico he was met by a Deputation from the Viceroy, and Cabildo of the city, at. tended by a great number of the carriages of the Nobility. The ensuing clay he was re ceived in great state by the Viceroy, at the •relibishop's Palacd, he being at present the Viceroy ; there all the principal inhabitants met him, to hail the auspicious day of seeing, for the first time, one of your countrymen in the city of Mexico, which I can assure you afforded universal satisfaction. In the evening, the Vice roy's box at the Theatre was prepared for him, to which hews attended by a Dalutation from the Cabildo, where he was received with the most en. thusiastie applause; and an Address, wrote by one of our distinguished Poets, wets delivered, ex pressive of the inestimable union between oar two countries. During his stay at Mexico, which was about a month, all descriptions of persons vied in shewing your countryman every attention, and I believe he returns to his country much delighted with whet he has seen. While at Mexico he was constantly upon the alert, and has seen every thing worthy of notice. He was admitted, as a mark of particular attention to your countryman, into a Convent, where there are about four hundred 4 a. men, the revenues of which exceed half a million of dollars—there he went accompanied by the Viceroy's nephew, and was received in the Grant Hall by the Lady Abbess and all the Nuns...a magnificent repast and concert of music ' was prepared for him, and they staid until a late hour. At his departure from Mexico, the Vice roy gave a magnificent entertainment at his country-house; cud after dinner, presented him with the twelve celebrated pictures of the life of the Bay Virgin, by MAIIRII.I.O, which have been long celebested here, and are valued at a great sum a money. They are very lug-, and have arrived here, carried by two hundred Indians. " Your countryman was to have visited the mines, and preparations had been made by the Viceroy for his journey ; but iu consequence of the conduct of CoinmodoreMa el mo, of lois British Majesty's ship, Undaunted, which has occationed considerable uneasiness here, your countryman has hastened his departure, and he leaves this the day after to-morrow, having already embarked all Ilse specie he has collected on board 2 British brigs of war—fie refused to put any specie on board the Undaunted, because Captain Mature) declined complying, with his regime of receiving no money on board his ship, without leave from the Coverts ment. Our laws hero are particularly severe against any monies being carried off the country without leave, and Mr. JOHNSTONE'S conduct has been highly approved of by the Viceroy. Repre. imitations have been sent to the Supreme Junta by the Viceroy against Captain MALIN, ' for having established a guard-boat a few -days after his ar rival here, which marched all our ships coming in, and goieg out of the harbour ; one of them made resistance s in consequence of which two shot were fired at her to bring her to; this occasioned a con. siderable ferment a-shore, and the next day all the British ships quitted the port and anchored off the bitted of Saerificios. Captain MALIN, sailed front this on the sth instant. We do not know here he is gone; he has been about two months at anchor here, and has buried a great number of his officers and men." Last Term, JAMES FLoRANCE, of Chicestcr, Sussex, E.g. was called to the Bar, by the Ho nourable Society of Gray's Inn. On Tuesday, Captain !hots, of the Navy. a native of Norfolk, dined at the house of Mr. VI. HERS, in Southampton-street. Ile appeared in perfect health and spirits. He left Mr. VIGER'S in a _hackney-coach, accompanied by a Mr. OWEN, who separated from him at the end of Norfolk-street. lie appeared then to be in perfect health. The coachman drove hint to Catherine. street, in the city. On opening the door of the carriage, he found that Captain Ilicss did out move : thinking he was asleep, he attempted to wake him, but without effect : a candle was then brought from the hoes., and, on inspection, it was found that he was dead.—Captain Hies, had, the day before, been appointed to a ship. The Memoirs of CHARLES MACKLIN, Come.. dian, with th• Dramatic Characters, Manners, &c. of the age in which he lived, forming a History of the Stage during almost the whole of the last Cen. tury, is published in one large Volume octa►o, with an elegant Portrait, Price Bs. in boards, by J. Asrcn!t►, Cornhill, who has in his possession letters in comr).-ndAtion of it from Messrs. Acts. DIE, WRouGHTON, KING, LEWIS, POPR, HARRIS, MATToCRS, SIDDONS, JORDAN, HULL, &C. &C. —" The t uteri,. MOODY," says this book, 66 has, (ruin the beginning to the end, the glowing finger of thr master. His Digressions, by far the best part of the Work, are the Digressions of a Gen. tleman; and his Anecdotes and Stories are sup. ported by truth, as faa.as oral chronicle will per. mit me to say." We have been favoured with a copy of Mr. WAUD's letter to the Society, Craven-street, which we think entitled to insertion Gentlemen, to Me kleslant /tithe LORD CIII4IIIIIIIRLAIO • in granting me a licence, also to the Proprietor of the Pan theon, in letting me have the me of their linear, for one half the meal ma it Is generally let for on those occasions, and by mean of a liberal and grammes public (in sapporting the MasweemtAa IS Wednesday evenin.l), I am totally in debted fee Whig able to send you the inclosed sem of seventy petted*, for the general marrow of relieving prisoners coo- Seed for smell debts. I as. yenr obedient fumble Servant. Bendennie% Doe. I. CHAS. WACD. AMERICAN PAPERS. TROUBLES WI'T'H WILKINSON. EXTRACT FROIR GENERAL ORDILES. " Ihetd Qiiarters, Camp Terre-au-I:ate, July 13, 1809. " It is with extreme pain the General has Altars' of mush ., iicentions conversation in this camp, subversive of every principle of siebnrilisia_ thin and discipline, of patriwism, and honour, and tending to dissolve those high and solemn obliga tions by which every military mail is bound to the service of his country. " He is fully apprized of the arts which have been employed to seduce the incautious and inno. cent from their duty, to obtain their dig nrtu ris to a bond of infamy, and to involve them in utter dis grace anikruin. He knows that his life has been menaced by a traitor, but he is persuaded a great majority of the troops he commands, Americans by hirth and in principle, will sootier sutler mar tyrdom, than attach an ettrnal stigma to their names isial families, or raise their hands against the country that gave them birth. He knows also that this camp, like all others of equal extent, comprehends every species of human depravity, and on strict scrutiny will exhibit thevarions traits of character, frees the patriot and the herb to the coward and the villain—men of profligate lives, fugitives from justice, and deserters frum foreign service. 46 But were the General assured, that every MU of his camp had combined to violate their oaths, to abandon their duty, and defy the Government and the laws by an act of desperation, as foolish as it would be cowardly, wicked, and perfidious, they should march to the gibbet over his body, because his life; compared to the faithful discharge of the high trust confided to him, guild be but a feather in the balance ; in such a disgraceful ex. tremity, the Getizral would save his own honour by showing thu fir3t man who resisted his orders, in which he can have no doubt he would be gal. truly secuinlA by every gentleman who wears a eumai;ssion, and by every soldier of courage and honour. " The Officers of this army are commanded to exact the most prompt obedience from their in. feriors, and to punish, on the sput a any man sho may pause over an order, or utter a seditious ex. pression." COPY OF A LETTER FROM GEN. ARMSTRONG, DATED PARIS, JULY 4, 1809. _ _ " Sta—l have received your letter of the Ist of June, stating the case of the Carolina, &c. The fate of this brig and cargo will probably de pend upon the issue of a negociation now pending betwixt' the United States and his Majesty the Emperor and King, and which will, from thy pre. sent viewi of the subject, be terminated within a month or six weeks from the present time. " I can only add, that appearances are now more favourable than they have lately been. if there are any of your rouutr.vmen at Naples, in your situatiun, you will oblige me by ewmatuni. citing to theta the contents of this letter. " I am, Sir, very respectfully, &c. (Sigurd) A JOHN ARNINfRONG." " lir. R. Recir, supercargo of the American brig Carulioe." EITRACT OF A LITTER FROM • CELEBRATED PRY. 81CIAN IN MARSEILLES, DATED 115 MAY, To 1115 FRIEND IN CAMBRIDGE (11•51.). " Pour Cti,tat.cs IV. forme, ly King of Spain is still here; with feet, legs, knees, and hands, swelled by a gouty rheumatic affection. Hu has with him a Spanish Gentleman of the Faculty, but be has called fur my opinion, -aid I have paid him a few visits." EAS 1' INDIES. Ilia Majesty's ship Lion arrived in the amts. on Wednesday last, with The Bombay, which sailed from Bombay 15t't Jane = the Lord Castlereagh. and Upt:bn Coale, both country Mips, sailed flout Bombay about i,tb Jul). The Mirky, from China, parted on Monday last in a sale of wind ; she was then very leaky. They left St. Helena 11th October. _ ?►ccuuuts are said to have been received at llonahay, that of four extra ships which had sail. cd from Bengal, two were taken, one lost in Bengal River, and one arrived at Prince of Wales Island. The Expedition to the Persian Gillph was coon termanded ; the troops, iu 'enithcquence, were to he sent to Bcngal on board the Devaynes and Pe , veral transports, under convoy et his Slajesty's whip Drake. They sailed from Bombay the be ginning of May. The Expetlition to the southward was to sail from Bombay the latter end of June, under con voy of the Cornelia frigate. The Purser of the Lird Castlereagh (country ship) arrived yesterday afternoon with the follow. ing intelligence, which contradicts the former statement, viz.—That they spoke the Net-ride frigate oft the Cape, which ship had been off the Isle of Bourbon, where the Streatham and an other ship lay under a stron4 battery ; the Wands of Mauritius, ke. Were under ft strong blockad... Le Lirre Rouge; or, Sc.. and Extraordi nary Red Book.—Owing to the great demand for the aboie extraordinary Publication when it was first advertised, many persons that applied for it were uecessarily sent away without the Work, on account of the Binders uut being able to supply them quick enough; the Publisher, therefor•, thinks proper to acquaint the Public, that a num ber of hands have been employed, to prevent a si milar disappointment ; and the Work may now be had, by applying at No. 92, Cornhill.—ile thinks it also proper to state, that several persons have applied to other Booksellers, whose timid turn of mind, or their immediate connections lay. ing with some persons whose names are mentioned in the Pension Lists, have refused to sell them, therefore, if those Gentlemen who einnot get them by applying to the Booksellers in their own neigh. bourhood, wilt have the goodness to drop a line, post paid, as 'hose, shall have it forwarded to them. The Court Ca/tulles,- end Le Lim Roue forms one of the complaint things of the kind ewer before laid to public view. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KINUI BENCH, Dsc. 7. Sittings before Lord ELLEMBOROUGff and a Special Jury, in Westminster-Halt TIII KING P. TUE MOST ?WILE ALTIANDEIL DIME OF GORDON. This cause being the first on the list of Tuesday, was called on immediately on the sitting of his ',mishi t ', nine special Jurymen attended ; and there being difficulty on the part of the proem. Lion to prove a right to pray a tales, Thu ATTORNEY-GwirRAL said he should re lieve thou, and pray a tiles himself, on behalf df the Defendant ; a talus wal prayed accoedingly, and the Jury made up and sworn. Mr. WioLEY opened the pleadings, which stm, led, that this was au indictment preferred at the instance of Sarah the wife of Thomas Waite, against the Must Noble Alexander Duke of Gor.. don, charging him with an assault with an attempt to commit a rape epos her. Another coent was for a common assault, to which the Defendant hail pleaded Not Guilty, whereupon hiss was joined._ Mr. „ rastx opened the case on the part of the prosecution nearly as follows : " May it please your Lordship—Gentlentee of the Jury—lt very mildew happens to 'me to ton. duct prosecutions of a etimitial oatees in this place. Iu another part of the klitadma [the Northern Circuit] where it does sometimes de. volve upon me, it is my constant 'cede* , end if any Gentlemen are present who bite aßnessed it, they caii •ouch for the truth of what h say, raj Cher to underrate theft to over-state the ease, when I have to open one of a criminal nature ; I shall follow the LAW course un the present oCCSISisiII I shall barely state the facts which I am instroessd 1 shall he able, by evidence to prove ; and I shall then leave it to the Judge and Jury to draw their own conclusion. That has been lierakably my I practice. I altall lilac no difference its theassa. sent ruse front that practice, on neronsi of the Irank or situation of the parties on either ; I seall barely relate the facts a, they arc disclosed to me, and basing done In, I shall osideavosir to obiliate two or three objections which I ender. stand to be intended to be made to this provers. than. Gentlemen, the Proseciltrix of this indict meet is Sarah Waite, the wife of Thomas Waite. She is in a low situation of life; h. r hesband a journeyman carpenter ; and when the subject of this prosecution took p!ace, she was the domestie servant of Lady Margaret Stanley, and what I apprehend, to be sotnea hat in favour of tits cite. raster of this woman, is, that she had lived fore years with that lady. In the year 1806, whet the transaction upon which &is indict:neat WM founded, took place, Lady Steele, had gone eat of limn fur that part of the year, which it was her custom to enjoy in the country, on which occa l 'ion she ieft the care of her whole house, a Wiese did one, in Norfolk -street, Hy de-eark Cerner.to this Prusecatrix, thereby shelving a considerable degree of confiden.m in her integrity, and whisk tends to chew that she had maintained en irre. proacheble life. On going into the country, Lad, M. Stanley was desirous of doing that which many persons of diltinetion are in the titbit of doing, that of letting their houses to some per. sun of distinction dnriag their slay in the coin. try. The Duke of Gorden took it, entered epos and occupied it until the '2d of May, a day to which I desire you, Gentlette n, to direct your attention. His Grace of Gordon is a Neblemea whom I have not the honour of knowing, but I understand him to have attained the age of sixty year,, and that he has not, for a considerable time liv.:d with his Duchess. He took this house of Lady Margaret Stauley, and went to reside there about the 23d of March. It may be said that there is something singular in the conduct of his Grace of Gordon in this matter, if lie be actually guilty, for it could h.trsily be supposed that a man of his rank, character, and age, would make an attempt of an indecent nature. Ido not know how it wiR turn out on the evidence in this ease, but I ant afraid that the annals of Courts of Justice, and the history of mankind, has convinced all those who are but tolerably well se y .aiiited with either, that the age of sixty, or perhaps reventy, is but an iadifferent security, in steer cases, against these attempts being made. On the 23d of March, the Duke being resident in the house of Lady Marga. ret, lie manifested his disposition tawarte •eis wo man, who eas the servant of Lady Margaret—. his Grace had a footman, of the name ut Fleming, and by command of his Grace that footman came out to this woman, and told her that the Duke desired she would go into the room where his Grace was, and shut the window-shutters. She said she had nothing to do with shutting the window-shutters; that his Grace bad servants of his own,aud that they ought to do it ; she would oot, for that she was the servant of Lady Margaret ; but the Duke insisted that she should—said the girl should shut the shutters, and caused her to be so told. She obeyed ; came into the room where his Grace was. Ile spoke to her—asked her whether she was a town or a country girl. She said she came from the cauntry. His Grace was drinking whale He asked her to drink a glass of wine; she declined it, saying she never drank any. His Grace in sisted on her taking a glass ; poured it out, and made her take it. That was all that happened then. Two ur three days afterwards she stem on the same occasion of shutting the shutters, by the same command of the Duke, conveyed to her byes*. they servant of his Grace, who said he would have it so. When she entered, the Dukes poke to her, saying, 4 4 Come here, here are sonic hice apples, take a few." She declined; her:traria' h er w ine ; she said it was toile improper her to drink wine with his Grace; it ended in her taking some fruit. Tip or three nights after this, Fleming came to her again, saying, his Grace insisted on her cot:sine:l,e shut the windew.shutters. She came into the room where his Greese accosted her, and insisted on kissing her; she übjected. She was then just on the eve of being metaled to a person nearer her 0%11 age s and thesefore if any person should be induced Its suspect that this woman was • - d.•••••••••Aptioti• ... «..~y~.~ 1." ~i ci