The Sun.
London, England, 1809-11-17 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN,

srn, •
There can hardly be a man of refletiicin and libe-
rality among us, who deee wit look .with alarm, as
well as mortification, atehe disgrace which is likely
to fall on the national character, in consequence of
those scandalohs outrages which have occurred so
many weeks. in Covent-garden Theatre. _lf the
Proprietors of that theatre had been disposed to act
upop mean and narrow. principles, they would not
ham exposed themselves to the unworthy treatment
which they have experienced. Theta was no call
upon them to build such a magnificent edifice as
they. have ereaed ; but they were evidently im-
pressed with a due sense of the national character,
and they •resolved to bring forward a place 'worthy
of our Dramatic Muses, and suiteble to the- dignity
of the country. That they have.been guilty of iM-
prudence, even their friends must be ready to ac-
knowledge. They were imprudent in engaging Ca-
talani at such an enormous charge, but it :was an int,-
prudence of , which the public had no reason to
complain, for they would have had an opportunity
Of hearing, at, a cheaper :rate than they could any
where else, one of the first vocal performers that
the world has ever heard. . Considering the vast
sum whieh the Managers were to have paid this
performer, it is impossible to supposeehat the Pro-
Prietors would have profited by her services, so that
the risk would have been their own, and the public
would have enjoyed all the pleasure. The Proprie-
tors may also be thought to have aced wrorgly, in
not announcing their intention ot raising the prices
of admission for some time before the opening of
the theatre, and submitting some statement to the
public, which might have prepared them for such a
Measure; as, upon a due statement, it might be con-
ceived that there would be found too.much regard for
justice and liberality among our countrymen, for
therri to resist a regulation which, if . successful,
would mill have only afforded the Proprietors an in-
terest mutt) below what is known to be the fair
rate in mercantile transaatioos , But how was it
possible to conceive that such brutal outrages would
have prevailed, and have rendered such a statement
necessary ; coill'd• it he imagined, that,
after an explicit submission of their aacounts to a
body of as respectable and as able Men, as the coun-
try can produce; and having obtained a decision in
their favour, those brutal outrages should have been
increased ten-fold ? Toe scenes that have taken
place every night are so shOcking, that we ought to
be ashamed of a people who can quietly suffer them
to continue. Never can it be supposed that the wild
herd who every night assemble at that place, who
utter the most offensive language, and are guilty of
the most riotous ptoceolings, are of the legitimate
race of Ehg:iiilimen No, they-..must be impreg-
nated with every (out noeeeeehat could arise atom
low democratical feeling., ;Web es levelled the
Throne Of France with the diest,emurdered her vir-
tuous 'Agonarch, his uefortunateConsort, and other
members of hie illustrious family, and spread blood
and desolation wherever they appeared. We see
that the unmanly tribes who pour in at ball price,
force'their way to:the centre of the pit, and • push
elown, without mercy, every body in their nay,
without having the least .regard to that sex •which
has always found protection among true English-
men. Such brutes, it-would be a profanation of the
word to call them men, might be expected, if there
were an opening for the full indulgence of their
feelings, to gratify themselves in ell the excesses of
the Gallic Ile:vs:Action. 'We may naturally asle,
what is become of Tue Tow N, when such persons
can, night after night, be suffered to proceed in so
riotous a course. Once there was a body o€ reso
lute but candid melt, eharaaerised by the name, of
THE TOWN, who stood up in defehce of the proper'
rights of the public, :n who,
..iliOugh they firmly
resisted any attempts or the Managers to fence dull-
peas, insipidity, or empty show upon 'them, would
not suffer the secret enetniea iirihe theatre, or of
any individuals, to coetroul their judgment, and
disturb their entertainments. If such a body DOW
existed, • thopgre they Might resist the intention of
the Proprietors toraise the price of admission, 'or el-
fefl any other novel regulation, they u ould not ma-
nifest their repeosition.ie the haae and brutal mariner
which the-party who' now rule- the theatre have,
adopted. No, Siie if Tuts-Town,-as it formerly ex-
isted, were now. to exert ~itself in cpposition to the
Proprietors, they would employ manly ways. We
should then see men of
.sense and education step
forward as champions for the pehlic cause, require
the Manager to co:ee forward, eropose their com-
plaints with temper and digeityj'eulasecure for him,
in answer, a candid and entiant i;eariege:We should
noothen have bee:, dhgestee Hitt: theignorance and
noesense of those weo hale
.ttitherto appeared as
speakers, but who, it' otus: be ieltreeeledged, were
suitable to-their audience, _ since all weir senselesi
harangues were receie'ed with the loudest shouts of
applau-e, from the surrounding rabble. That the
Denroctatical Juurhais of this country should-abet
the cause of these rioters is not wenderful, because
the latter arc only carrying into_ practice the aims of
ate writers, and none will deny that the cloven-foot
of Jac' binism has been
,Seen amidst_ the tumults.--
The City of Bath has set a proper example :to the
Metropolis. A few- malignant persons attempted.
to raise a dist urbatice.in the theatre ot that. place, on
the appearance of Catalani, but the good sense, the
justice, the liberality of the audience in, general,
subdued the malecontents at once, and obliged them
to as with propriety, or leave the theatre. It is
indeed probable that hardly any place would have
suffered such disgraceful proccediege to continue,
but-the Metropolis, which might. rather have been
expected to hold forth an example of decorhm,
candour, and justice, to the whole 'kingdom.—
Surely THE TOWN cannot be dead, difficult as it is
tee suppose that it sleepeth amidst such a scene of
nightly uproar. Let us then hope, S:r, that Trig
Town will rouse itself from its present torpor, and
not suffer its , name to be usurped by noisy and ig-
norant blockheads, but that •it will. pet an end to
proceedings which are so disgraceful to usettedweic
it permitted to continue, Will justify toe appellation
that Voltaire to iMpudently cast upon us, ween,he
deoonneated the British people the SAVAGES of Eu-
He indeed admitted that his own coontry-
Ince are a mixed rare of tygets an.; monkies, a lace
that may .welt be though: to have sent a colony
among es, by those who have e itilessed the treat-
() eut which wo. en _have received in the it of Cu-

it OPE.