The Sun.
London, England, 1837-04-04 00:00:00

THE ADELPHI.

A new serio-comic burlett;t, founded on the well-known
productions of " Boz," and called the Peregrinations of
Pickwick, was last night produced at this house. The dia-
logue is principally taken from the original work, but a good
deal of new matter has been judiciously interwoven to aid
the dramatic effect. Some portions of the new dialogue
are equally abundant in humour with the extracts from
the Picicwick Papers, and there is, taking the burletta
as a whOle, no want of wit or smartness in it. The
serious episode of the miser (0. Smith), his daughter
(Mrs. Yates), and her lover (Mr. Hemming), is also in-
troduced with tolerably good taste. The great fault is
the length of the piece, a fault which is almost invariably
attendant upon first representations, and which is easily to
be avoided on subsequent representations by an unsparing
yet judicious use of the dramatic shears. The difficulty
of dramatizing a series of adventures, of which the prin-
cipal merit exists in the subdued humour of the style in
which they are told, has been overcome ; and if the
piece be shortened at least one-third, it will be the best
thing which has been brought out at the Adelphi this sea-
son. The part of Pickwick was played by Mr. Yates, who
looked and spoke like an embodied representative of the
amusing gentleman, with whom most persons are in some
degree acquainted. Mr. John Reeve was Sam Weller ;
but as he had not taken the pains to learn, or had at least
forgotten, the works of the author, and had none of his own
to substitute beyond what he has been in the habit of fre-
quently repeating on former occasions, his efforts added
nothing to the general effect. Mr. Buckstone was Jingle,
and Mr. Sterling played Snodgrass. Joe, the fat boy, was
intrusted to Mr. Dunn, who looked the character to the
life ; and Dr. Slammer was most excellently performed by
Mr. Sanders. Mrs. Yates was as usual, in those scenes in
which her powers as an actress of domestic tragedy were
called into action, every thing that could be required ; and
Mrs. Fitzwilliam as Norah, an Irish lassie, amused the
audience both by her acting and singing. In the last act
a somewhat incongruous interpolation of Jim Crow was in-
troduced. Jim Crow is a great favourite at this house.
His antics were received with great applause, and he gave
his " Turn about, wheel about," &c., in his original and pe-
culiar style. The piece was received with unanimous ap-
plause. The house was filled in all parts.

CHURCH RATES.

TO THE YEOMANRY OF ENGLAND.

Fellow Countrymen,—At the present moment, whilst
the attention of the public is so engaged with the Church-
rate question, and the Government plan for providing the
means of repairing the Churches without taxing the pro-
perty of the people, I trust I may be allowed to address a
few remarks to you on the subject. Without entering into
any long details as to the history of Church property, I
shall content myself with stating, on the authority of the
best writers, ancient and modern, that the repairs of the
Church were originally defrayed from the income of pro-
perty given to the Church for this and other religious pur-
poses : out of these funds, for many centuries, the repairs of
the Churches were provided, but in the course of time, this
charge, as well as that of contributing a certain portion
of the income of Church property to the relief of
the poor, was thrown off, and shortly afterwards a
Church-rate was introduced and levied indiscriminately,
as well on those who were not members of the Church as
on those who were. This practice of exacting Church-rates
from persons who dissent from the Church, and who, at
their own expense, maintain chapels and ministers, has
caused, as might be well expected, great dissatisfaction ;
and this feeling has of late so much increased, that in many
parishes no Church-rates have been voted for several years,
the majority of the vestry having, if they are disinclined to
grant a vote, a power to adjourn the consideration of the
question from time to time, and thus, in fact, to defeat the
rate alto ether. It is clear, therefore, that something must
speedily be done, or the churches will become ruinous from
want of repair : either some other mode of repairing them
must be devised, or there must be a new law to enforce
the payment of Church-rates as now levied ; and here I ap-
peal to all honest men, whether it be consistent. with the
rules of common justice, that the property of Dissenters should
be taken for the repairs of a Church, which, from scruples
of conscience, they do not frequent. It may be urged, that
the rate might be levied exclusively on members of the
Church of England ; but in some parishes nearly all the
_ _

inhabitants are Dissenters. In the midst of these difficul-
ties, the Ministry have wisely and justly proposed a plan
for improving the value of property held by the Church,
and providing the means of repairing the churches out of
this increased fund, and so well and equitably is this plan
arranged, that the Church, instead of being injured, will be
benefited by it.

In addition to the tithe enjoyed by the Church, large
landed estates are held by the Bishops, Deans and Chap-
ters, Rectors, &c., who have a power, as long as they are in
possession of their benefices, of granting leases for terms
of years, and for lives : and for so doing, they receive large
sums of money as fines; the natural result is, that they are
anxious to lease every thing they can, particularly when
they are advanced in age, in order to obtain the fines for
the benefit of their families, as it is better for them in such
cases to take but a trifling sum by way of a fine, than run
the risk of losing all by their death before the estates
have fallen into hand ; and thus their successors fre-
quently find all the lives carefully filled up, and are
therefore deprived of their fair share of the profits :
but the worst consequences fall on the public ; the
uncertainty of the tenure, and other drawbacks which
attend the holding of these estates, deter the lessees from
expending capital on them ; no one is likely to build, plant,
drain, or make any other permanent improvement, for
which he might be called on to pay a larger fine at the
next renewal ; so that these estates remain for the most
part unimproved during the lease, and many of them at
the expiration of that lease are in a barren and exhausted
condition. The plan proposed is, to take the manage-
ment of these estates out of the hands of the Church ; to
sell the perpetuity at twenty-five years' purchase ; to give
the option of buying them to the lessees, and to allow
them the full value of their existing leases, whilst they
may either buy at once, or pay interest for the purchase
money, at four per cent., as a rent. By these means the
value and income of the Church lands will be greatly im-
proved, and the funds thus acquired will be appropriated in
the following manner :—An annual sum, equalling in
amount the sums now received by the Bishops, Deans and
Chapters, Rectors, &c., for rents and fines, will be paid to
them thus, instead of receiving the uncertain and fluctuat-
ing fines, they will have a fixed regular income, as they
ought ; out of the surplus remaining after these payments,
the repairs of the Churches will be provided ; the lessees
will get a perpetuity at a fair value, a permanent sum will
be raised for the repairs of the Churches, and a great
source of jealousy and discord between persons of different
creeds will be removed. But this measure of peace and
justice is opposed for party purposes ; the people are in-
vited to petition against it ; and are told that this measure
tends to destroy the Church, whereas, I think, none was
ever better calculated to support and strengthen it.
I trust, however, that when you perceive that the whole
intent and aim of this measure is, to improve the value of
the Church lands—to secure to the Bishops, Deans and
Chapters, Rectors, 4,c., the incomes which they now et jo.y—
to give Church lessees a power of purchasing a perpetuity
in the lands—to provide a permanent and sure fund for
the repairs of the Church—and to relieve
.you, CHURCHMEN
AS WELL AS DISSENTERS—front the payment of Church-
rates altogether,—you will not allow yourselves to be misled
by the misstatements of those who are opposed to all fair
investigation, but will agree with me that this measure pro-
mises much good to society, and instead of impeding it,
you will do your utmost to ensure its success.
I remain, your's, &c.
Leawood, Okehampton. C. P. HAMLYN.

Between 12 and 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon, infor-
mation was given at the station-house of the T division at Pad-
dington, that a pugilistic encounter was taking place on Old
Oak-common, on the left of the Paddington canal, in the pa-
rish of Acton ; a party of police was instantly despatched to
the scene of action. On their reaching the spot they found
several hundred persons assembled, who immediately on seeing
the police commenced a most furious attack upon them, beat-
ing them with sticks, brickbats, and other missiles, and there
is no doubt some of the constables would have fallen victims to
the fury of the mob, had not Spillman and Denton, two of the
mounted patrols stationed at Hanwell, galloped up to the spot,
when the ruffians fled in all directions. Spillman, with the as-
sistance of other constables, however, succeeded in taking
three of the ruffians into custody. Denton pursued two others
to Kensington, where with the assistance of Sergeant Kelly,
T 8, they were secured, hid behind the door of the Artichoke
station-house.
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