The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-25 00:00:00

BO W-STREET.

THE CRUSADE AGAINST LICENSED VICTUALLERS.
—Mr. Salter, the landlord of the Hampshire Hog,
next door to the Adelphi Theatre, was summoned by
Inspector Medlicott, of the F division of police, for
keeping his house open after twelve o'clock on the night
of Saturday, the 16th inst. The offence was clearly
proved. _ _

The defendant, in answer to the charge, stated that
his house being next door to the Adelphi Theatre he
kept it open later than usual for the accommodation of
i,crsons leaving the theatre, the performances at which
seldom terminated before twelve o'clock. His house:
had always been conducted in a respectable, quiet, and
orderly manner ; and during the fourteen years that he
had kept it only one complaint had been made against
it.—[This the police admitted.]—He thought it a very
hard case that persons on leaving a theatre could not
obtain that refreshment which they required before
going to their homes ; and it would be the ruin of him
if he were not alloaed to furnish it, for he did more
business in the quarter of an hour after the theatre
' closed than all the rest of the day put together.
Mr. JARDINE said he was quite aware that the Act
of Parliament in question was one of very great hard-
ship on the licensed victuallers generally, but particularly
on those whose houses were in the neighbourhood of the
theatres. He was sure that the great body of licensed
victuallers had no idea when the Act in question was
under the consideration of Parliament that it was in•
tended to compel them to close their houses at twelve
o'clock on Saturday night, and that, on the contrary,
they believed its object was to prevent their opening
them before one o'clock on the Sunday afternooa„ and
on that view of the case they supported it.
Dcfcndant—l did so for one, being anxious not to
have my house open on the Sunday morning.
Mr. JARDINE said he knew that many respectable li-
censed victuallers were anxious not to open their houses
on Sunday morning, and believing the object of the Act
to be to prevent public-houses from being opened on
Sunday mornings, they gave it their cordial support ;
but, notwithstanding the opinion he (Mr. Jardine) had
just expressed, it was his duty as a Magistrate to admi-
nister the law as he found it. If he was wrong in iii in-
terpretation of the law he should be very glad to he set
right, but fortified as he was by the opinion of eminent
counsel on the subject, be should fee it his duty to con-
vict the defendant, but he would do so in a very lox
penalty—viz. 10s. He had no doubt that the licensed
vctuabers wuuld have opposed the Act had they known
the object of it, but that they were deceived by the am-
oguity of the phrases adopted by the trainers of it.
Tice delcodatit iminedoitely pail the penalty,
Mrs, Giddmis, ”C the Bedford Head, Maid•:.u-lane,
was summoned for refusing to admit the police to her
house after twelve o'clock on the same night.
The waiter swore that he did not know it was the
police, or he would have admitted them, and the case
was dismissed.

Mr. Abbs, of the Lamb, in Houghton-street, was
summoned for keeping his house open after twelve
o'clock on Saturday night, but he proving by several
witnesses that the parties were all private friends of his,
the case was dismissed.

After the above cases had been disposed of, Mr. JAR-
DINE said he wished the police would keep a sharp look
out after those k:nd of public houses which were meant
to come under the operation of the Act, instead of sum-
moning respectable landlords, against whom there was
no real ground of complaint.