The Sun.
London, England, 1823-09-01 00:00:00

COVENT-GARDEN THEATRE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR—I am directed by the Managers of Co-
vent-Garden Theatre td request your insertion of
the enclosed statement in your Paper to-morrow,
I have the honour to be, Sire your very' obedient Servant,
Theatre Royal, Covent Garden,HENRY ROBERTSON.
Aug. 31, 1823."

In consequence of the reports which have been circulated
relative to the discontinuance of Mr. BRASDON, as Box and
Housekeeper, at Covent Garden Theatre, the Lessees of that
Theatre feel it due to themselves to submit to the Public the
reasons which have induced them to dispense with Mr. Bran.
don's servicesi a disclosure they would willingly have ;welded,
had not the necessity of it been forced upon them by Mr. Bran..
don himself: When the present Lessees took upon themselVert
the lease and management of the Theatre, for the purpose of en-
deavouring to clear it from the unpleasant situation in which its
pecuniary affairs were then involved, they expressly declined to
bind themselvesto retain any of theservains then employed in the
Theatre, more particularly the Mr. 13randons. On examine.
tion of the books and _accounts of' the Theatre, as kept by the
Treasurer, Mr. John Brandon, they were found to be in. such
an irregular and unsatisfactory state, as to render it absolutely
necessary that another Treasurer should be immediately ap-
pointed, which was the cause of his dismissal. The prificipal
causes which have led to the discontinuance of Mr. James
Brandon's services are as follow

At the commencement of the present Management, the
former custom of paying to Mr. Brandon the weekly wages
of various servants of the Theatre was continued, and it was
of course supposed that the payments were as regularly made
by him. Early, however, in the lust season many of these set.
vents complained that for several weeks their pay had been
withheld from them by Mr. Brandon, who, when called upon,
denied the fact, but they persisting in the charge, Mr. Brandon
ultimately paid them by, instalments. It appears that there are
still owing to many of the servants of the Theatre various
small suns which have iremained for years unsettled, and which
the present Lessees have been anxious to liquidate for the
credit of the Theatre, as well as on account of the distressed
circumstances of the parties, but have been unable to procure
from Mr. Brandon any account whatever of thetn, he having
at times promised such an account, and at others denied hnv.
ing the means of furnishing it, although he was the person by
whom the servants were then paid, and therefore the only one
who could give any information, on the subject—Another
ground which rendered the change necessary, was the total
neglect of his duty as Housekeepers no controul whatever
was exercised over the servants, and m consequence a system
of depredation prevailed to the serious injury of the concern.—
A further ground of complaint against Mr. Brandon was the
sale by him of a Free Admission to the Theatre, in the name
of a Gentleman who had never authorised hint to do so—the
produce of which he retained for his own use, and which was
proved by the Gentleman himself in the presence of Mr. Bran.
don. The Proprietors also accidentally discovered that admis-
sions to the Boxes of the Theatre were selling clandestinely, at
Ss. each, and they directed one to be purchased, which proved to
be a card transferable nightly, but it was ofe description the pos.
sensor had no title to, and came to hint through the medium of
Mr. Brandon. No information on subjects connected with the
Theatre could be obtained by the present Lessees front Mr. Bran.,
don, but, on the contrary, there appeared such a constant system
of tieception, that it en t irely destroyed the possibility of confidence
in him—lnnumerable complaints from the most respectable
quarters have been made to the Managers, of the difficulty and
even impossibility of obtaining boxes, while it was well known
that they were not occupied. In fact, it appears to the
Managers that without an annual fee to the Boxkeeper,
there was very little chance to the Public in general in ob-
taining places. To remedy this, the Managers have decided
upon a thorough change in the Box.alice, Which they trust
will prove an etfectual accommodation to the public, and it is
now arranged that no presents shall in future be received there,
conceiving that it ought to be opened to the public, without any
partiality whatever. It is scarcely necessary to contradict the
assertion of Mr. Brandon, that their present Treasurer has pur-
chased the situation of Boxkeeper, further than to avoid the
possibility of misconception.
The above are the principal reasons which have actuated the
Managers ; bat in consideration of Mr. Brandon's long set-
vice, and of his dine of life, the present lessees uttered to him
an annual allowance, to be oaid solely at their charge, of 140/.
during the period of their lease, although in their capacity of
lessees- he had only been since the 1 lth of March, 1829, in
their service, leaving it at the expiration of that term to the
general Proprietary of the Theatre to take his case into
---Everyconsislera tai tent.i.i,maurntiottinot
its:tit aus,asm
tiglittrettilletno bileirt.halgrlllair ul"eitirt.
reiTard to his removal ; he, however, ultimately reiected their
offers, anti reflised to quit their premises, repotaiessang himself
of them by force, and maintaining them by means du party
consisting principally of discharged servants of the Theatre.
—This course of proceeding was adopted by the advice of
Mr. George Robins, a Proprietor, and one of the Committee '
of Drury.dane Theatre, who has publicly stated that "he acted
for Mr. Brandon--that every thing was done by his advice..-,
that he was his friend—that he would support him—that he
should not be in want of money—and that he would listen to no
treaty about Mr. Brandon, but with time house over his head."
—The Lessees therefore submit, whether, under all these eiN
cumstances, they could, with a due regard to the accommoda-
tion of the Public, and to the security of the immense property
under their controul, continue Mr. Brandon In a situation so
important, and electing so deeply their interests, and those of
every person connected widathe Theatre. The Lessees feel
that no stronger proof of the correctness of their conclusion re.
specting Mr. Brandon can be adduced, titan his letter dated the
2tith, published in the Illorning Papers of the 27th instant.
The Managers cannot conclude this statement without ex-
pressing their sincere regret that it has been forced upon them,
but they rely confidently on the justice of the Public, that it
cannot be expected they should sacrifice to the decision of Mr.
Robins, one of the Oommittee of the rival Theatre, that cons
trout over their own servants, which is the undoubted right of
every person ; nor that they should be forced to continue in
their employ, at the command of one without the slightest title
to interfere in their concerns, a man whom they consider to
have entirely forfeited their confidence.
Theatre Royal, Covent-Garden, 21Nr. 31.