The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1815-09-06 00:00:00

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To the EDITOR-erns BRITISH PRESS.,

Stn—lt is a fortunate circumstance. that the law:,
of literary property differs so essentially from pre-
party pf.every other vorti and that what is detiottii-
-liated stealing in the latter, is only styled borrowing
iii the former. I rrjoiev at this, on :IC(.ollfit of OM'
modem Dtramatists, who, having given up all i‘leni
of in composition, are now entirely hosier! in
luireowing from the French. The worthy 31.mager
olCovent-Garden Theatre, Mr. I lARall HARKIN
who must be allowed to be a judge of gold and
hail pieces, has been so occupied of late in search-
ing-after French originals, that he had nearly gone
to the bottom of the sea in hunting tiller them--
hut I do not understand he brought up any thing,
" rle prglandis" with the smallest particle of attic
salt in it.

Having, however, neither "a nen, nor an old
Magpie" to offer, in the place of it I am induced to
submit Me skeleton of a new piece to the manage-
ment of either Theatre which may first adopt it.—
The proposed title will chew it is- not taken from
the French; and Vimagiui they will not copy it
from us. I propose to call it, The IVaverings of
.Waterino.

The FIRST ACT shall opeti-with A larghangtiet,.
in which. Le IleSirie is enjoying, himself to the
full, with all his Court in attendance. Arterwhich
a exhibition of4nost loyal dancer and
singeta shall be introduced, who shall chorus and
applaud hint to the Hettveloi; and Le Desiree shall
retire witl,u au immettsdncisegity of national udinira-.
tion.

The St:crtrirs Amshall introduce a little fellow,
covered a ith snuff mid dirt, who shall call himself
the father of his people, and 'swear that he is their
proper Emperor. On their doubting the truth of
this, he shall fly into a violent passim', and cud*
and kick all the personages ou the stagy, which
satisfies them he is the very person they Asshed to
appear, and after tlw lissom pr,r-., of attach-
ment to this new comer, the Act shall close with
i.e Desire going away upon an ass, and his nose-
gay bring thrown in his face.
The under plot in the THIRD ACT shall
consist of a most interesting and delicate French
girl of twelve years of age (Miss S. BOOTH,
or Miss FooTE), who has fallen desperately in lose
with a handsome Polish lancer, of six feet four
iswhes (to be represeuted by Mr. CONWAY), and
whom s!:e wishes to marry; to which he has only
pule, or rather two objections, alz. that lie has a Coil-
*of wives already. Thus circumstance will pro-
duce a most heart-rending scene, close
by his two wives (to be represented by Mrs. C.
K FILE and Mts. JotiNsoN) rushing together
upon the stage and insisting upon their respective
lights, and the act shall terminate in .a general
strngsgle ter the lancer and his lauee.
The FOURTH An . shall discover Le Desirie at
a splendid ball and supper, at Brussels, with
Marshal Blucher (represented by GRIMALDI), and
the nuke of Welliogion (by FARLEY', waltzittg.
with a conple of countesses, rouge•et noir, in •the
most engaging meaner, all eewe and plenty, when
'suddenly a most dreadful disainge of cannon is
heard !! ! LeDesiri, , in swallowing the leg of a
turkey, is pearly elsroalscd. The fiddles all stop,
the woancis run out, screaming Oda/ion! The
French War-Minister gOs under the talsle,As bile
one of the loyal Marshals. puts the tri-ealonsed
ccekade in Isis hat, by way of precaution. Drums
now bent to anus: a couple of quoins bring in two
elm rgers, fully caparisoned, which :ire mottOted Lt
Vila EY and (.;I: ,nasal, who, after a war like pas
de dear, gallop at to the combat.
The VITTO Act discovers the th•ld of Waterloo,
with the little surf& fellow newly dre•,:sed in stars
and feathers,'with a FlemiSh peasant tied to Isis
horse's dapper, who blubbers mid gives directions
about the battle, with hais eyes 410. Various troops
of soldiers are driven on and off the stage, till at
length The French enirhssiers snake their appear-
' ape! and 'carry all before them, when suddenly
they are charged by the English Life Gourds, who
trample them under foot, break their coirasees and
iarisible steel petticoats; and the piece concludes
with the-intrceltiction of Le Desirie in a triumplidl
car, who havihg finished his supper, deioutly re-
turns thanks, and joins in the chorus of

" Sce ! the Cuwittering Hero comes !"

This outli►e, when filled up by Mr. ITAnny
Mattis and Mr. ARNOLD. in their revectiie dia-
logues (or rather dialect:4), will, I haye no doubt,
have a great effect opus the public. The charge
of the Life Guards, if properly inatiagvd, vould
surely justify the charge of the additional vixpence
into the Pit, and be considered, very property, us
national contribution : and when thhe• piece shall
have rust twenty con►lilete uights, I shall not blush
then to own myself

THE A uTnort.

ir child of about three years of ,ige was crushed
to death, on Rtooday night, in it mother's arms, in
o.roime throu.rh Rirtliuloincw Fair.
THE (4110 ST AT ST. A N narw's.—The fiction of
the Ghog at St. Andrew's church SeelliA to gun,
ground siw.e the F:tir. linlborn•lnd. niolttls
crowded, slid, to spite of the constables,:thepiek-
pockets reap :t tine harvest.
Tlu.Tr has 10.1e1,1zSeen a .cpti;iderable intP ortaiinii
of timber at Bernick, and prices haVe fallen nearly
on,. shilling per fuct since lag year.

PA !I r 0 • d P

4r • 4,1 k

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••,_•••lkuPlii•Ait.l!ol‘

'‘..w-t^

. SUB.CIVPTION.

Yesiesday it meeting of the Noblemen and Gen-
tlepieti of the %Voterloo Association, took !thee at
the Thatched House Tavern, 'St. James's-street ;
His Royal Higlinesa the Dike of YORK is the Chair.
The business of the day was commenced .by Nfr
W. G. Carter, the Secretary, who read the Mintites
of the iVestminiter Committee, detailing the par-
ticulars of the last day's meeting.
Mr. litiusfutot LONG, frow the City of London
Committee, rose to propose to the ineetin; the 141111:)-
tioit of a certain scale, for the regulation of the
quantum of relief to be afforded to the sufferers, in
it hose behalf the general subscription was instituted.
Ile had had the honour, a kw day s ago, ofsubmitting
this scale to the 16).81 Chairman, who was plcused
to confer upon it his full approbation.
The Doke of nett here expressed his approval
of the scale, which Innd been submitted to hint.
Mr. Low; reamed, and stated, that from the
general appearance of the Waterloo Subsciiption,
there could be no doubt it would exceed the
amount of relief atkrded by the Patriotic Fund ;
it was thought right, however, lit the first instance,
to adopt SOllleWilat a a similar scale to that institu-
tion, in the mode of distributing relief—it was now
time to adopt such a course, and he (lid not know a
better way of carrying it into effect, than to pro-
pose, that some of the members of the IVestinin-
ster Committee should unite with the London
one, in arranging the general distiibution of the
fund.

The Archbishop of CANTERBURY had no doubt
that the scale of relief alluded to had been well con-
sidered by the Loudon Committee ; it also hail iuet
the aitprobatiou of the Royal Chairman. lit his
Grace's opiitiou, there was, therefore, no necessity
for the attendance of the Westminster Committee,
for that purpose. The otter from the Gentlemen
of the City
ing by the Co,mnittee of which he (the Arch-
bishop) was a memher— mud indeed it must be look-
ed upon as higlify honourable to both. The pub.'
lie could have no better security for the proper Hp-
plicat of its subscrii , than the equitable•
scale which was nroiltraed fur its regulation; nor
rould they, he was persuaded, consign it to better
hails than those in wlncli it now stood,

Mr. Row 'tour iiliserved, that the scale of the
Patriotic Fuistl, so lar as it referred to rank, was
doubtleso /I proper one; lint the fact was, that, al-
though it hod 'teen sug4ested iu the city as a pro-
per one, the matter was not specially consideled ;
it bring deemed proper, in the first instance, to
submit it to this meeting. Great cure, of course,
would Ire taken to snake the relief apportioned to
that already provided 111 the War ()aim

Sir H. OA KLS suggested the necessity of pro-
rhling some temporary relief fiir • the cluimants at
the present moment.
Mr. ROWC ft OFT begged_leave to say that this
had been douse, and although advertisements were
given to that effect throughout the-entpive,iliewas
surprised to filod so few applicationslsere forward-
ed. The member transmitted were ,fill mush less
than nor hundred. As to thelteer.sity of imme-
diate relief, the soldier could not require it
in the military ;tot could their female re-
. halves (except to a smolt extefit),.tifistif tliy-lach-
ed their dimiestie destitiatimi. , .The AS-ovation
was, however, itnXinsis to give instant relief, Where
it might be deemed necessary. The scale which- was
acted upon fur the last 13 years would, lie trusted,
be • found the best to limn the basis of thlity chef—
as to its extent, it would lie premature to -strike a
J 11114,111161 the nature of their funds, as well as that
of their claimants, (mild be more definitively avrer-
tinned. They tiiit not • pl'efena to istufer
rudua-
we all they aimed at oaS, to relieve fusses and
prism ions.
Mr. IkEsvciti LONG felt it proper to observe,
that the colluetion in the City was for BritiA sta.
ferers in the late actions, and that it would.lie fight
to have the co-operatiou of the WestiniiisterSieet-
ing, fir the puriinge or urratigi lig the mode of . apply-
Mg the Kencral 1..1111.
31r. RowcuoFT said, the amount already sub-
scribed, in the United Empire, was nearly
300,0004 with the interest arising nut of this sum
in the funds, together with other expeetancics, there
could be no doubt it would amount to 400,000 f.
Mr. 1-IAMPiTEAD wished to know whether any
and what difference existed in the formation of the
London and Westmiuger Associations. Collections
fool also been made by the. Church of Scotlind,
besides parochial ours—there would of course be
transmitted to tot% h, and it was importaot to know
the objects of the Societies ia the 'Metropolis,
which, in his opinion, ought tolie amalgamated.

Air. ROWCROFT relined, that the collections by
the Kiiig's Leiter in the churches .throughout the
kingdom were for the British, the Prussian, and
Belgian troops, but that those of the Associations
in the !Metropolis were generally for.the British, it-
serving until a future moment the point of making
them more general. In the city collections the
wishes of each subscriber were consulted, and the
subscription inserted accordingly. From the re-
turns of casualties in the late actions, there appear-
ed 10,000 British sufferers, and abort 5,000 Bel-
gian and Hanoverian.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURY was of
rtpi-
uiott, that considerable diflietilty would arise in
arriving at the fact of the distinct objects of the seT
rrral sidiscriptions. They were no doubt ititended
for the saute purpose; and it would be ill mime at
this moment to institute particular inquiring*: The
church collections under the King s Lettnrwere
fOr the illitish, Prussians, and Belgians; but the
other collections were certainly understood to he
for the British—the sufferers of the Prussian and
Belgian armies bud their own countries to look to.
l'he matter in this respect ought to remain as it
stood. When the general alumna of the stibscrip-
tions was ascertained, it was evident that a liberal
appropriation would be made to the sufferers in
that part of the Allied army v.:6,1%yd duri:.g the
late emit s!.
Mr. 11. I.ONQ repeated the nature of the plan
adopted by the London Committee.
i•Mr. LowNoEsstated, that a mistake hail, in his
ow it case, arisen relative to the London and Wt st,
pinster funds, to both of which he was a subset' ,
the Bankers emit and west of Temple-bar feeling,
perhaps, sotue jealousy Oil that point. It was a ri-
valry to do good. The occasiou of the subsaiptiots