The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-18 00:00:00

PAUL-PENCE.
; TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. ,
Six,--Another see is added to the long list of ‘
which it has been the good fortune of the pre_
Cabinet to fill up ; the Bishopric of Llandaff
vacant, and with it the Deanery of St. Paul's, Th
appointment of a new Dean appears to be a fitting
opportunity for the compulsory abolition of the fees
by which the metropolitan cathedral is pre- eminently
disgraced. On a recent visit, the salutation I received
on the moment of my entry was, as usual, " Two-
pence, sir !" The twopence being paid, was it won-
derful that for some minutes I forgot to take off my
hat ? I was afterwards told—" To see the whole,
sir—four shillings; crypt, cupola, and library—half-
a-crown" (I almost expected, " and sixpence for the
waiter, sir F') Twopence more, however, was ex-
acted for a view of the clock ; but, setting a higher
value either upon eighteenpence or upon my neck,
I declined a most pressing invitation to the ball.
If in the temple of Jerusalem the selling of doves,
though in the court of the Gentiles and for the pur-
pose of sacrifice, rendered that holy place "a den of
thieves," where can the Chapter of St. Paul's find a
justification of their practices ? Whether it be ne-
cessary to continue a small fee for admission to the
more private parts of the cathedral (such as the crypt,
clock, and ball), may perhaps admit of a question,
but the present charges are monstrous ; and indeed,
as a matter of profit, I recommend to the considera-
tion of the Chapter the popular principle of " low
prices and large returns." At least let the odious

twopence cease to be exacted for an entrance into
the house of God, and let the seats of the money-
changers no longer profane the threshold of the fairest
temple in the land. _

Your obedient servant,
October 16th, 1849. X. O.

ARGYLL ROOMS.

In spite of the law the proprietors of the Argyll
Rooms, which have recently been erected in Great
Windmill-street, at the top of the Haymarket, last
night opened their establishment, not exactly as a
casino, but as an academy for the study and practice
of dancing, and judging by the crowds that flocked
to the place it would seem tbat this description of
amusement obtains increased favour in public esti-
mation. Mr. Laurent, jun., is the musical director
and conductor, and however illegal the proceedings
may have been, it is but justice to that gentleman to
state that they were conducted with strict order and
decorum. The building in which he now gives his
Soirees Musicales and Dansantes in size and magni-
ficence far surpasses anything of the kind that has
yet been opened in the metropolis. It is long,
broad, lofty, spacious, and convenient in every
respect; superbly fitted up, and decorated in a
style of splendour that is perhaps only to be
equalled by the dancing saloons which grace the
capitals of the continent. The walls are appropriately
embellished with lively tableaux selected from the
ballets that have created the greatest furore at her
Majesty's Theatre, and relieved at intervals with im-
mense pier glasses cased in elegantly carved frames,
set off with chaste gold ornaments on a white ground.
A gallery runs along either side, furnished with seats
covered with crimson velvet, while the ceiling is
papered and painted in the Louis Quatorze style, and,
if some improvement be introduced into the ventila-
tion, it will, no doubt, become a popular resort of
the pleasure-seeker. Nor are the musical perform-
ances inferior to the beauty of the place, since the
orchestra is unusually numerous and efficient, and
the finest music of the best composers is
executed almost with as much finish and per-
fection as even at the Opera itself. The
National Anthem was rendered last night in a
masterly manner, the audience exhibited their loyalty
by standing, and rewarding the exertions of the per-
formers with repeated rounds of applause. It would
not be in place here to discuss the objection urged
against places of amusement of this class—that they
have an immoral tendency, but this we may be per-
mitted to remark that if the objection be well
founded, it is rather an anomalous state of things
which permits a Casino to be opened in Holborn, but
prohibits one in Leicester-square, or the neighbour-
hood of the Strand. We have nothing, however, to
say against the Casino de Venise ; on the contrary,
we believe it to be most respectably managed ; but it
should be remembered that laws, to be respected,
must not only be sound and just in principle, but
equitably and impartially administered ; and now that
the initiative has been taken, all who ;re immediately
interested in the establishment of public dancing
places will find some means of evading the law.