The Statesman. — London, England, 1809-10-20 00:00:00

To vas or Vlit STAVES JI4N Ss R—l am a dales maa, fade constant reader of your Paper, and sin therefore sorry to see your pagVs now assume that purtiaiity with r s. luxe to the Coveet.Gardeit Theatre blanagurs, so contrary to the hitherto *sown seutinseats in ge nem' of your . paper. It is an old adage, " Give a dug au mese, sod hoot hint." Thai do I think you have Acted towards the Mlaeagers, for not till the " actual rota" arising from the eon feuding parties, did you think of Saying a word about the " rise of prices ;" and then, right or wrong, you set of barking, and, having once pro. flounced yoar opinion, it seems you are deter. Mined not to be open to convictive. I should like to know, Sir, why the price of newspapers was raised ? You will no doubt say that Govimunsmst would nut allow the usual discount, died the Mils price of paper, and printing materials in general, were sufficient ceases for an &fresco...certainly esey were ; but I will maintain that the Managers have equally as good arguments on their side ; and that those who condemn the " Managers" for raising the prices of admissine to their Theatre, condemn themselves at the same time by raising the price of their papers. You sill also plats, to obcerre, that there is one paper which supports itself in a proper manner, yet sells for one Benny less titan the othcrs. The Proprietors of Yawl. hall Gardens raised their prices of admission this season, and uho was agaiust it ? Certaittly not the Proprietors of Newvapers, aid that for a very good "free admission" reason. if a 44 rise of prices" is tolerated in one in. stance, I certainly think it ought io another, but a as Mob" never discrituinates. Loot ronaiks being astinst you, it is • doubt with ute whether you will give thee insertion in your Paper, ur nut ; at all ur , a'. you have the upittioas or A CONSTA READER. fled-erect, Ott. as Gur Clrrtspondent his safely pet eseil out ob. SertationS on thu disylitv bstitans the pubtie sus! the Prupti ittrs, tsith a 'lay ineraricci attention. I' We general °Veal()); lc rim et/induct of the Pro. priuturs, arises out of this important eostsWera. tiun—roe theatAteat T he alesust weekly incrusts of Newspapers, feeders ass ob. ter vatiun on the absence ur monopoly in that petsult enitecessary. Oer Correspuntlant's argu. mint with reference to the &dressers' rift of those publications, is therdora obviously inapotieseok. Tits Monopolist* of Govs:set Gartluu bating erected a Priaikgeil tier itf &mar, o Melo, with the two Royal Roses, are estimated at the annual produce of 13, f001....a suns equal to the interest of 268,0001.—tshich is 118,001$. more titan the PropricieW alledged disbursements—the Public are, in addition to the insult utfeted by their esclit. sion from that part of the Boole, called @ppm to pay an advanced peke. la plain Englidt, it Como to tbis..-" We have erected," sar the Managers, " the most splendid Theatre in Europe. The approach to the Private Mous, the Ass g 6 Chambers, the Buses dielellalres, are repkte N with deserve s meitirsOitifil69llllVansvesi. 11 cacti. The Saloon, for ntagoificence, :plea. " door, sod expensive decoration, may " sal um' ,the abode of our Monarch at 66 Winisur. The arrangement and deeora. " tiun of this part of the Theatre, have added at enormously to the expence of the building ; " au advance of price is therefore reasonable." Upon bin is the remuneration attempted to be levied? On indiridools, from whore profane eyes these splendid voluptuous mnissions in the ' third heave n,' must ever be concealed. The insult offered to the People of England by the Proprietun of the Theatre, can only be (Knelled by that of those individuals who have the dimpicable meanness to enrol thennselves in the list of inhabitanti of that Privileged Tier—or of thane alio have the servility or the folly to e)ouuso a *lntern sup inconsisteal with the chor.scier of the peorie. Oar Corrrspendent .aceusrs us of not havinj drsan to bast till ate actaal rod'—ots the first night, wu ether words, be accuses of not haring described the l'heetre, or stated the cometnieneisi, or inceavessieneiee a it, until ;se had actually sees if, which tinpreannt to be on the first night that it was eisibk to the \% hat we rev we have tieeeribed—•whet VC felt, end what we yet feel we hear continued, sled shot! continue, to etym., and we Inlet that nor Mamie? con. slier the continued barking of The Statesman to be that of the vigilant defender of the eights, foterests e 3.1 happiness of tAt People—in no de. gree resembling that of the ferrite, pansiant, yelping of " dunghill curs," anJ the pampered pit4s of hired, interested, Paining sycophantic , serrility. thir Cqrrespondent observes, that a " mob" n•nm. discriminates. We presume, that under the term " mob," he includes all those wire have ventured In express their disapprobation, and-that the respectable part of the audieuce has hitherto consisted of Jew and Christian prise.fighters, Itile.slrt•et (Men, and other enVestetood critics, u: the same school, who hose so widely Criticised languaAe and behaviour of the 6 4 ,aob," that is the public, the people of England. The accusation of partiality by this " Plain Mon owl constant Reader," is surely lucensistent. To the itemisation of partiality in the cause of the %Kopk o we can, homier, more readily submit, V, ST Al'M than ro impalatima in any other eause. We have het owe — other atatecratlon to make; and that is, epos the ' 4. free aderissfon" hint of onr Correspondent —to whom be it known, that the Gentlemen interested In* raE STA T1.A31./ v, depend nut no reporters for their information—they sec, *ad judge, end 'write for lkeesseires; end kilos in n u instance mated any particulars reape•rtleg the Theatre, which they have not seen or heard, or %villa they do not believe to be true. When it is considered fur how eery trifling a snot tulnsix. sions to the Theatres far the 'lease(' can be pure chased, we are surprised at the weakness of our Correspondent, in supposing us to be such dolts, as for a free admission to solder ottrselres to the. block tin of a theatre. We must, however, plead guilty to the charge of having availed our. selves of a free admission in one solitary is. stance,. and in one instance only ; we allude to that in which the writer of these cursory re. marks obtained admission to the lift by an artier from Mr. Harris, Junior, received frees the hand of the new uffiduoit.man, DANIEL MENDOZA, and conatertigned with the letter D. by that pugilistic accredited CRITIC. M A 1. • ~ •s;f,F. ' • • _ - . or otherwise, was jestilied in seising the person j of another for o breach ott the peace—unless such person was, at theilaus of the orienrr, is the y foci uul commission of seek brmtels at the peace— . Without the atithorit," of a awned from a Ma &trots. The result of this principle of the law of gag toed, as laid down by authority se trills river— table, is, that the seizure of any asaa, not in the actnal commission of a breach of the peace, is ille gal, finless by virtue and under the authority of a. warrant. The painting oat, therefore, of a man who hisses—or who exhibits a placard—admitting' (which we deny) such acts to be illegal, and at. tomer& emoting him to he apprehended, =hen not in the act, is, we hsvi.• no doubt, illegal.— 'fence the lying in :oit at the doors for those who bate been marled, and then takieg thtia withoit a warrant, is illegal—the party seized woold be jasylled in resisting. And if in such attempt the Officer kill the party, each Officer 'mild be eats of oroivier. Th e general doctrine oat the subject of chewing ' disapprobation in a Theatre seems to be this that every one has a right to hiss, to groan, to' I hoot, to cry of, off; in short, to do any act, lannoy or itsterrept the performance, with a view l of expressing disapprobation, so that no part of the substance, or any of the appendages of the Theatre are destroyed, injured, or damaged ; and so that thuindividasi,expressingdisapprobation,donot hurt or assault his neighbour, bat confine himself to the exertion of his natural orgarriond does not com. j bins with others More he enters the Theatre. Bait from at least 50 Prologues and lipilognes delivered in our Theatres, the Proprietors and Nianagers hare not only recoguixed the right of the audiessec by prescriptive custom to exercise disapprobation by their natural organs, but by C.st-calls, which appear to be a pure Theatrical instrument, and •inknows in any other place. The manner in' hich the subject of expressing the sentiments of an andimice is mentioned in the Spectator, must be in the recullection of every Reader—the right of the unk -maker to thunder, does not appear at any lime to have been called in (location-- I Garrick, Johnson, Tom Brown, 'Palo Wil kinson, Moore, and many °anus, have so he. quently alluletl, in Prologue!, Epilogues, and Dramatic History, to Cat.calts, that it appears to us alk:iir.l now to question the right to ow that iiistruineut as au expression'of disapprobation. C IT-ell LLB. " The Poet, wilhextu sec.ire the Pit. (Leos nut, hi± May has humour, Wk., ant wit 6 The cau-e claws on. nowt while the jaitgrs tr). Each grata, and CAT-CALL give.. the bird the lie." Epibigrae to as Lying ?'stet—.Cinnateit, U. " fie tick at least his praise, be dd. his pride. To force :srpListie rut at Arra arts are tried. Should pmecosl c tr-c t 1.1.1 all his hop s euefi , undl. lle bids eau trumpet quell the rod Nowt." Profugase to /rear...JO nisos. 4.19 Ave you an ready—berg's oar MUSIC, lerre•e Author —meak oti—ar'll lickfr ton. my J..ar." Probsgus to GY illas—M oust, 1731 Spoken by Wooowalia la the character of a %jib a cjia.cA Li. is ki4 Med. • Bitillist bit cAt•4:•114• a 211 t,:g d. ig nett sehtbes•s of spire, Ihr isivet'4 Ns; Coma 1111 lii it &A sit reAes 111 tete Aver may hies." Prete:or tissitootersit Mail —J ctiaxse 11118. Ti digit ost flit. the pert apprretice cries, Lire et our kit —ire hiss his, s be dirs. swot ism. l ir Me 10414 fllesrafta play %%UM pobik mote flektp vie Wein. awe atestlia rotor Tile: STAGE." reispa toe 11 1 1114 t. M. Wipe—Jou ssos If 7 . - That Veleta/I t TAte WI Littastrt, hell! there was 46 no kicking agaisigt an audit:lieu, without kicking against the thorns." Opposition has never yet boon confined to the powers of the yoke only. A century ago the faCetioof Bitwlrf describes 66 cat.ealls so dreadful the house they alarm;" and TOLL CI is st:n mentions " the harmonious discordant concert of rat.eall, whistle, &c. Fcc. begun to play be. fore the curtain drew up." On the subject of THEATRICAL RIOTS, we beg leave to present our Readers with an His tory of the Great Contest in the year 17W, in the Haymarket, from a dramatic publication coned The Curtain, *implied by Air. T. D! 'sot y anti Mr. WAl.naox, the one at tbit time the Art tellifc of Mr. Joust PwLtr Krmatr., and the other, at this moment, an avowed supporter of the Proprietors in the present contest. ct The year 1719 was Ike date of a riot at the Haymarket Theatre, which a contpa.)y of French Performers opetscd, and put the %. ords— .lu/iturke," at the top of their advertisement ; awl as several English Perfurnters at that time wanted brettl, from they shutting up that very the. :fire, and the Itun4e in Guudmen'i.field., it could not have been attempted more inopportunely. Mr. Victor, Who, on the night of the disturbance, WAS hitnself its the pit, gives the followiug exact ac. count of it :-» ' People went early to the theatre, as a crowd ' cd house was certain...l was there in the centre ' of the pit, where I soon perceived that we were visited by two ‘Vestmiaster Justices, I)eveil and Manning. 'rite leaders that bail the conduct cif the opposition were known to be there, one of ' whom called aloud for the song in praise of Cog. ' lish Roast Reef, which was accordingly snag in ' the gallery. by a person prepared for that putt ' pose; iindilsc whole horse, beside joining in the chores, salhted the close with three bones ! Justice floral was pleased to say was a ' riot ; apon whit disputes commencer, directly, ' whic were carried oil with some degree of de. ' cency on both bide,. The Justice at first in. formed us, that he was come there as a Magis • trate, to maintain the King's authority ; that Colonel Pulteney, with a full company I d th e ' Guards, were without, to support Mm in lite etectstion of his office ; that It was the Khtg's romniand the play should be acted ; and that the obstructing it was oppreing the Kittg•a &mho. ' rity ; and, if that was doer, he must read rite • preelatuatlon, after witisk all &renders would h.• ' metered directly by tie guards in waiting. To ' all thew twist arbitrary threatening% hod this abuse of bis Majesty's name, the etc!, was 611 the felle eneet t....-That the audiesiCa had a To the g DITOIL of TUE ST4TES IEI N. Stu—lt is, I think, impossible for any reflect. ing mind to view the nightly exhibitions at Covent Garden Theatre, without serious apprehensions , isf-ttir-ronsreptitees. There k Marty a seed sow. kg, which inay spring.up, and ripen into bitter trait. I love the laws and .constitution of my ' country, and wish hot to survive their total liver. throw. Whilst those laws are purely and wisely administered (and with a general reference to our Judges and Magistrates, they were never more so Mau at the peewit moment), are have not much to fear. Yet wo mast not ?target that the citadel, Owlish sound sad soh in itseif,nsay be endangered by successful attacks ow the outworks. You wkll observe, sir, that it is not liberty en this sub i.ct alone that I consider is danger, by an 'endue ezerogi.e of Magisterial authority, but the vital existence of the very laws themselves. I mean nut to affirm that the itlagistrates, in the recent commitments, have exceeded their authority, but I think there have been some extremely aggra. voted cases—in which, if they haat iseen a titti, .more itsflueneed by the spirit cif moderation, with' sagard to bail, they *arid hare meted inure con. foriaahly to the spirit of the British .Constitution than the poblie sera to think they have ilone.— That a man commits a breach of the laws of the land by hissing, hooting, whistling, or speaking, in disapproval of any thing brought forward at a public Theatre, is to me quite a new, and indeed a dangerous adrift ; but the Neer, arrogated to themselves by those very igiorant, brutal, sad self-swfiteient men, the Police Wirers, under Ms sanction of their superiors, becomes truly Silisting. Lord llatastield, on foes-mho' of the riots fel 1790, laid it down as the laW of the land, that leery: man was a constable, and had authority to Fsorrels those found in ass actual breach is? the pewee; and I apprehend (hat the Bow.ttreet °Marrs are radioed with no higher authority.— Yet it is asserted, that in many instances, they hare lately deprived the subject of his 'abet.. ty, a considerable time after the fact, or sup posed breach of the peace, • withowt a warrant or any authority, save their ou-n mill. ILI this he so, I of before the tribunal of she public, and of the country, thit they have giossly violated the lew. But to put the matter at ogee to the test, I ask Outs publicly, by what authority was Sa muel Dudfield deprived of his liberty on Tues. day night, at the corner of Cieil.street ? lied the officer a warrant i33ueil in consequence of em In. 'formation upon oath? Should she liberties of the subject continue to be thus violated rsith ha ! punkt', there is ass and of our busted Constitu. lion, amt.. therefore have I truubleJ you on the prcacal UCCiiiivl3. 81. N I:X. On the subject of Ilb+s Letter, we think there can bc• very Mils doubt that Mr. Samuel Diadfield will recover in an action fur false impri sonment. Ha& he been sei:rd in the act for which he was conernitted t the sacra was justified— admitting, for the sake of argument only, that the address to the audience was a breach of the race. But whether a breach of the peace was or was not committed by that Act, we perren but a c.instable armed with a warrant, which could only limo upon the oath of some person to the Ger, had authority to seize Samuel Detrik•hi at lay period sabrepcnt to the commission of the act♦. And we are convinced that if he had made resistance, and in such resistance killed the man who seised him, he would not have been guilty of ashler. In corroboration of this opinion, we beg to quote a ease that was tried a few years aka at! the Old Bailey. At a public house in Nightin.' releaufse t a person of notorious bad character, after having knocked down and ill.treated many persnos in the room, at length became so out.. ravens, that the landlord scot fir a constable; bet wilco the constable arrived, the man (whose name dues not occur to as) having exhausted hi s rag e, was perfectly quiet ; the constable, however, took hint into custody. As they were proceeding to the Magistrate's house, OUD Prisoner drew a pen-knife, and stab red the constable in the breast ; and, twist_ in; the knife in the wound, exclaim ed exultingly, 46 There, you bloody villain, I have done fur you he After the evidence fur the prosecution .was closed, Mr. Justice Govs.n inquired whether, 4141 COrittibt4l had a sarrant p To whit+ it wad seswered, that he had not. 64 Then," -says Mt. Justice GOULD, "sorry I am to say, 1114 font and cruel as was this killing, the Prisoner cannot be found guilty of Murder; for ac was st/t/nw. full" deprived of his freedom" Mr. Jestica Gom), oat tha occasion, laid it Mews as lam, that ne man, whether a Constable 4 fest, illhele . • their dlalska lb Amp play er 4 actor ; that An jadieitture of the pit iredlieen I ecknowledgiel and acquiesced to time immemo. • riai ; and, as t 1 present set of actors were to g take their fate front the public, they ware free 6 et I r ease thou as they rfresej. Bar this time the hour of six drew nest—the mi— ‘ French am! Spanish Ambassadors, with their • Ladies, the hate Lord and Lady Gage, and Sir Thom.. itnbitigint, a Cuminissioaer of the Ea. cise, all appeared in tile Stage.boe together. At that instant the curtain drew tip, and dis. the Actors standing between two files • of grenadier., with their bayonets fixed, and • resting on their firelocks. At this the whole * Pit ruse, and unanintonsly returned to the Jas. 6 lives, who rat in the middle of It, to demand 6 the reason of such arbltsary proceedings ? Tho 6 jOcliCeg either knew nothing of the soldiers A being placed thae, ur else thought it safest to ' decisre so. At that declaration thy demanded ' of Justice Deveil (echo bad owned himself the ' commanding officer in the affair) to order them ' off the Stage; he did so immediately, and they ' disappeared. Then began the serenade, DOi only 6 col.calls, hat all the various portable &stns. 4 weals that could woke a divagreeabk noise, !4 were brought upou Ibis occasion, sod were con. ' tumidly tatting in all parts of the hoes.; an ' attempt at speaking was ridiculous, the actors !' retired, and they opened with a grand dance of I' twelve men and twelve women ; but even that ' was tempered for, and they erre directly sa. 6 Inted with a bushel or two of peas, which made ' 6 their capering unsafe.. After this, they at. 4 tempted to open the comedy ; but had the actor 6 the swiosof thooder, it ovoid have bees loot la -• the confused strains from a thousand various Wes • stremetits. Uwe at the waving Deved% hat, all • were silent, and (stawding up oil his seat) ho • made a proposal to the heave ele this Watts ► 6 That if they persisted in the opposition, IN Mist 6 read the proclamatiou; that if they woad Ohs • .unit the play to go on, and to he SCOW nllOllOl 6 that night, he would promise, et his hottewr l to • lay their dislikes' and resentments Were the • King, and he doubted not but a speedy sod ' would be put to their acting. The answer to • this proposal was very short, and very tepees. • site.: No treaties! Jr. t.eaties! At this the • Justice called for candles to read theprocisma. . 11 tint., and ordered the guards to be In remlluesei II but a geutleinan seized Mr. Detail's hand, • stretched out for the candle ; begged of him ' to coasider what he was going to sle, for • his own sake, for ours, fur the King's I . • That he saw the insanithous resolution of the 6 'louse; and that the appearance of statelier, in . 1 Lb' Pit would throw 119 all into a tumult, •MO must end with the lives of many. This * Menem remonstrance made the Justice turn pale 6 and parlor. At this value, the actors made a • second attempt to go on, and the uproar revived, • which conti.teeiog some time, the Ambassadors 6 and their Ladies left the box, which oceaaloned 6 an universal buzz* (rum the whole Howe) mad 6 after calling some time for the curtain, dime it 4 fell.' '• The glorious independent spirit as British " audience was, perhaps, never exerted to batt' 46 purpose, nor in a hems mine s than the above; " may that august tribunal, Authors and Amore, " ever remain the same ! Jealous of Its peony. " live, and impatient of contempt, may k two. " tinue to raise merit and difickstee from the " ignoble situations too freelanced, allotted them " by envy, prdosaice, or ignoranca" .. r .......u....................... To the EDIWR 4 l'illi STJTSSifallf. —.....—. Sta—Seeing in the Papers ef this day an aids. sit of Daniel Aleaw do, in which he Mates, that he " slid not receive orders from any penes con. 1 " nected or neterested In the property or concerns " of the Theatre itopd, Covent.ge:den," I beg. leave to trouble you with the following statement, by way of e'ucielalleen. Qn the IRh of the present month I called ea Mr. Mendoza, nho had two half sheets of paper, sin which DOUBLE Gauen* for admission to the Pit were written ; each paper Calillintil about 40 of these orders. Illendoza cut of tiro, which having indorsed with the letter D. be gave to me. Butch Sens was in the Ilulse boasting of his et.. pluits in the Pit of the Play House on the preceding evening —and upon a person asking him for an or. der ? he replied, " Yes, yes, damn year eyes, if you will fight well." One of the. orders I gave to Mr. J.inies Powell, and alio, a note to Mendoza, fr. gin:sting more ; the messenger who look the note brought back one double order, which, he said, Mendo:ainduried in his presence ; he requested the messenger to wait the return of AU son, who was gone Is; Me Theatre for orders. Oct young Mende:es return, he said that he had been sup. plied *lib orders, n hieh he had distributed as he came along. With one of the orders given one by Mendoza I went to the Theatre, accompanied by a friaid, and was admitted, after the duor.kerper hail examined the order atop thu indorsement; with the other, Mr. Powell sod his (mod were: likewise admitted ; and the order brought by the messen. ger is now in Mr. Powell's possession. I am, iir,jour's, C. OliComptorrstrect. Od. It JOON Rf OLE IP. P. i. The orders contained the folios/mg w o rds :....." Two Pit. It. Harris.... Welly." ....—....r---.... 1 To the Roll'a It I f l'Ilii: Sl4rEsx.m. SlR—The pnf.lie nught to knew that on tEe nights the Jewish 1(coli•k took possession of the pit, and committed such alseatefel ()strops ow, were prestoo.d7 mtfuered at a Imams its Strafed. loos, where th e y received frets the bonds of two Retulkis Jew ueden Sdßisteien, sign. Urendon, and verbal oidore for their conduct ; M feet, crders were distributed ssot web profs. ,ion, that most of the Mermen ;dying at the itrand.lono Stairs, prorated them. It in sai,l that thole respectable critics, in eddi. time to fret odeoloision, received/he shifting,: epteh, ler their leas of Ilse; the item of sere( arrive assikeim the Theatrical Accounts would eapiejo • Ns. ONE IN THE SECRET. 4;; i .