more favored brethren can do it there ought to be but one opinion as to its propriety and yet i fear the issue of this project the world is by of and who have taken to literature as in another age they would have taken to the highway � to procure an easy they write because they are too lazy to work or because they would scorn to live on the product of manual toil of genius they have mainly the � that is to say a strong to late hours hot and a profusion of gin and water though they are not particular about the water what needs above all things is from this regiment who should be taught some branch of honest industry and obliged to earn their living by it so far therefore am i from that every one who wishes cannot rush into print and joining in the general of for their to merit that i wish no man could have his book printed until he had the earned the cost thereof by labor that no one could live by until after he had practically both his ability and to earn his living in a different way i greatly fear the proposed even under the wisest will do as much harm as good by the tendency toward among thousands who never asked whether the world is likely to profit by their but only whether they may hope to profit by them if the should tend to increase the number of to the honors and rewards of it will more misery than it is likely to overcome however this is an attempt to mend the fortunes of unlucky british authors and as we americans habitually steal the productions of j and deliberately refuse them that protection to which all are justly entitled i feel myself fairly indebted to the class by the amount of my reading of their works to which in america is denied i meant to have attended the first dramatic entertainment given at house in aid of this enterprise but i did not apply for a ticket price � till too late so i took care to be in season for next time � that is tuesday evening of this week the play as before was not so bad as we seem or many sides to a character written expressly in aid of the by and performed at the town mansion of the duke of one of the most wealthy and popular of the british nobility on the former evening the queen and royal family attended with some scores of the nobility this time there was a of c but largely and the hour of was changed from to j p m the apartment devoted to the performance is a veiy fine one and the whole mansion though commonplace enough in its exterior is fitted up with ai wealth of im at carving c which can hardly be imagined the scenes were painted expressly in aid of the and admirably done the duke s private band played before and between the acts and nothing had been spared on his part to render the entertainment a pleasant one every seat was filled and at each and no expenses out a handsome sum must have been realized in aid of the benevolent enterprise the male as is well understood are all literary the ladies alone being by profession charles had the principal character � that of a though sound hearted young lord � and he played it very fairly but sits ill upon him and his best scene was one wherein he appears in disguise as a tempting the virtue of a author old was for the a young mr and seemed quite at home in the character it was better played than s the were indifferently or rather indifferently bad � and on the whole the performance was indebted for its main interest to the personal character of the i was not sorry when it was concluded after a brief interval for liberally proffered a comic mr s was given with far greater spirit the principal character � or rather the four or five principal characters � for the life of the piece is sustained by his appearance as a lawyer a servant a vigorous and active gentleman relieved of his by water cure a feeble invalid c c it is long since i saw much acting of any account but this seemed to me perfect and i am sure the raw material of a capital was put to a better use when charles took to other characters were fairly presented and the play heartily enjoyed throughout the curtain fell about half an hour past midnight amidst thb dinner tumultuous and protracted applause the company then mainly repaired to the supper room where a tempting display of luxuries and was provided for them by the of their noble host i did not venture to partake at that hour but those who did would be quite unlikely to repent of it � till morning thence they were gradually moving off to another superb apartment where the were beginning to give note of coming melody to which flying feet were eager to respond but i thought one o clock in the morning quite late enough for retiring and so came away before the first set was made up i do not doubt the dancing was maintained with spirit till broad daylight the dinner a entertainment was given on wednesday last evening by the ancient and honorable company of � this being their regular annual festival the is among the oldest and of the of london having acquired by or otherwise real estate which has been largely in value by the city s extension originally an association of actual for mutual service as well as the cultivation of good fellowship it has been gradually transformed by time s changes until now no single dealer in fish i understood 