The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-02 00:00:00

sion

[FRost A CORRESPONDENT.]
It cannot but be gratifjing to the British public to learn
that the principal leader in the memorable onset last night
at the Opera House, was his Royal Highness Prince
George of Cambridge. As soon as the curtain drew up
for the ballet, the row began. The stage was crowded with
pei formers, the opening scene of Une Neil deßal, bring-
ing forward nearly the whole of the corps, male and female.
Toe fiddles squeaked, a forest of legs was upraised, the
first twirl was just about to commence, when, from the om-
nibus boxes on either side, a terrible cry uprose, and the
watchword of Tamburini " scared the terrified orches-
tra. The legs on the stage remained for a few minutes
transfixed with dread, trembled, executed a few
involuntary shakes, and slowly rejoined their fel-
lows in an unwonted position perpendicular to the horizon.
The pit was amazed, the principal part of the boxes looked
forward in eager wonder. " Laporte, Laporte," was now
the cry. Laporte came forward, and with the amiable
simplicity usual on such occasions begged to know their
pleasure. " We want Tarnburini" cried the omnibusites.
Taniburini," shouted a portion of the stalls. " Tambu-
rini" was faintly echoed from partisans in the gallery. The
poor Lessee endeavoured to explain why Tamburini was
riot engaged ; but the party of the omnibus would hear no
explanation. Laporte retired. Again the faint notes of
the trembling fiddles began to be heard ; and again the legs
of all th#, co,ps de ballet assumed their natural position pa-
rallel with the plane of the horizon : and again and louder
than before the patriotic band in the omnibus boxes
drowned all other noises with the cry of " Tamburini."
The performers now seeing how things were likely to go
quitely seated themselves round the stage and chatted over
their private affairs. Laporte again appeared, and endea-
voured to explain, but the "Tamburinites refused to hear
him. Ia his despair he turned imploringly to the omnibus
box, in which his Royal Highness Prince George of Cam-
bridge, the Duke of Beaufort, Lord Castlereagh, Lord
Gardiner, and others, appeared, and from which the loudest
outcry proceeded ; and a sort of dialogue, highly dramatic,
took place, between the Li ssce and the Prince.
" Lessee—l could not engage Signor Tamburini, be-
cause—

" His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge—
Humbug !
" Lessee—l couldnot, because—because—
" Ills Ro}al Highness Prince George of Cambridge—
No go'

"les-iee—Because—
" His Royal Highness Bine° George of Cambridge—
Cock-a-doodle-di,o ! (ur words to that etket).
" LessN"---If you would only hear—
" llis Royal Highness Prinec George of Cambridge—
Gammon l"

Whither it was the genuine Saxon in which his Ro.al
Highness was pleased to express himself—so grateful to
the ears of a British public, which brings back to them
recollections of their forefathers, and remnants of which
language are still in use among the unsophisti-
cated portion of her Maj,,sty's subjects—or whether
it was the energetic manner of his Royal High-
ness, that roused the mai tial feelings of his fol
lowers in the omnibus, it would be difficult to deter-
Jinn° ; lya at this moment the excitement seemed to
reach its climax, and in a sort of plirenzy of enthusiasm,
five legs belonging to five different bodies were pro-
truded over the bo:, as if their Royal and Noble owners
meditated to take the stage by storm ; thrice were the
legs thrust forward and thrice were they withdrawn, the
ardor belli and the fear of the police by turns prevail-
ing. Their distinguished leader, however, shouting
the war cry of his Royal House, and emulous of the
charge of the Duke of "Wellington at Waterloo, boldly
iet the onset ; the five legs in reserve joined their fellows
_and his Royal Highness made his hest appearance on
the stage—not waiting to bargain about terms—at the
head of his devoted followers. The whole corps of female
dancers immediately executed a movement not contem-
plated by the composer of the ballet, and skurried off the
stage without minding steps or time; the curtain dropped
and his Royal Highness remained master of the field,
having, like the great Henry IV., achieved a bloodless
victory over the Parisians. It is said that behind the
curtain his Royal Highness was invited by policeman A
No. 30,489, to retire once more into private life ; with
which his Royal Highness was pleased with great dignity
to comply, the policeman with much courtesy attending
him all the way. The retirement of his Royal Highness
was followed immediately by his omnibus troops, and
there being no more fun, the remaining boxites and pit-
tites went away too, their bosoms beating with emotion at
the sight of the heroic achievements of a Prince of the
Blood over= the Manager of the playhouse.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sta,—The occurrences of Thursday night, and the utter
impossibility of my then obtaining a patient hearing,
render it necessary that 1 should convey the following ob-
servations to the subscribers and the public, through the
medium of the public press. I was hooted, yelled at, and
ex...crated as though 1 had been guilty of the most heinous
crime. And why? The sum of my offence has been
that, in the exercise of my discretion, as manager of a
largo and expensive establishment, I have not engaged
Signor Tarnburni, or rather that I have substituted one
bass for another.

Some time before the commencement of the season I
published a prospectus of my arrangements. In no place
in that prospectus does Signor Tamburini'; name appear.
The engagement of that gentleman, therefore, forms no
part of my obligation with the subscribers.
With respect to Signor Tamburini himself I have to
observe that, since the year 1835, his salary has been ma-
terially increased, so much so as to exceed in amount that
of Signor Lablache, though upon what principle I have
always been, as I believe the public will now be, at a loss
to understand. My applications for easier terms were al-
ways unsuccessful, and last year, when Signor Tambu-
rini superadded to his engagement onerous conditions, I
determined to engage another, when a coercion, certainly
of a calmer and more calculating nature than that prac-
tised on me last night, was used. Another servant of the
public, although engaged to me by the Paris manager, Ic-
gardless of the consequences, threatened to break his en-
gagement if Tamburini was not engaged. I was placed
in a cleft stick, and was forced to yield.
In November last 1 received a letter t'rom Signor Tam-
burini, the purport of which was to inform me that, unless
I gave him an immediate answer as to my intentions, he
would accept other engagements. I replied by the letter
which appeared yesterday in the public papers. And here
allow me to explain to those not conversant with the usages
of the stage, that when a time is named which is allowed to
pass without the negotiation being brought to bear, that ne-
gotiation is at an end, and accordingly at the expiration of
the week w hich I had takerif or all delay, no communication
having, on my part, been made to Signor Tamburini, he was
quite at liberty to accept any engagement that had been
offered. Why Signor Tamburini did not engage elsewhere
when in no way bound to me ; why he kept himself in rea-
diness to receive any engagement which might be forced
upon me, the public or himself can, probably, best deter-
mine. Independently of these circumstances, and of inter-
nal difficulties which exist in consequence of the temper of
parties, and other circumstances, w hich a manager is con-
tinually made to feel, I was influenced in my determination
by the following considerations : —When my management
was unshackled, ten years ago, it was the London theatre
which had the supremacy over every other in Europe. I
brought Lablache from Naples ; and he appeared before
Easter, and as early as January; and Pizzaroni, and
Donxelli ; and it was I that let his engagement to the
Paris manager for the part of the year in which he was
oot required in London, Of late years complaints of a
serious, and, if the circumstances under which 1 have been
placed Ste not considered, of a just nature, have been made
in consequence of the dearth of talent and shortness of the
season before Easter. The five performers being en-
gaged in Paris till the Ist of April, and Me. Persiani
being the only one I could obtain, it was incumbent on me
to seek for talent elsewhere : I consequently engaged
Signor Colletti.
It was not from any blind obstinacy or affectation of

firmness that I stood the moral torture to which I was put
last night, but fi um the necessity of refusing to make an
unconditional promise, which the resources of the house
would not allow me to fulfil, and the serious and inter-
minable consequences to which a blind submission would
have placed me and the subscribers themselves. It is im-
possible to foretell the consequences which would result.
Are the parties who are now engaged never to be
changed?
Is no new talent to be gradually introduced ?
Is a monopoly to be created in favour of particular
artists ? and if not, are the wishes of any particular party
to be conveyed in the same mai.ner as last night ?
Is it inten3ed that any particular individuals are to tz:ke
upon themselves the engagement and management of the
performers, without being responsible for the consequences?
Is the manager to be called upon to contract fresh en-
gagements which he knows he cannot fulfil?
Is he at one moment to be eenswed for not fulfilling his
engagements, and at another time for not contracting en-
gagements which he cannot fulfil? Is it now right to com-
pel me to a supernumerary engagement when parts are
distributed and all arrangements have been completed, par-
ticularly when no complaint is made from the publication
of the prospectus in the month of January, until after
the arrival of Signor Tamburini in London, in the month

of April ?
Let me ask, also, in a company unequalled in Europe,
are objections to he urged upon a point like this ?
From the flattering manner in which Signor Colletti's
efforts have lx.en received by the public, I confess I am at
a loss to underAand from what circumstances other than a
personal feeling this entente could have arisen. On former
occasions, when any party of subscribers thought there ex-
isted any cause of complaint, it was customary to s. nd to
the manager the particulars of their complaint ; and he could
not be so regardless of his own interest as to allow their
remonstrances to pass yr ithout being re-ractfully considered.
The first intimation, however, I had of the wishes of the
party was the hootng and yelling with which I was assailed
wl.en I was brought on, not to be heard, but to be cruelly
insulted. .In the vices, however, if possible, of giving
satisfaction to all, arid in discharge of the promise 1 made
on Thursday night, I beg to state that I am ready to enter
into an engagement with Signor Tamburini, either nightly
or Ain the same terms which Igave y
or permanently, it, him
in 1833—viz. 323/. a month—and that he accept the same
engagement for next season, commencing in
the month
of February.
Having made this statement of the above circumstances,
I respectfully throw myself on the justice and good.feel-
ing of the subs.iribers and the public.-... 1 am, &e,
F. LAPORTE.

The Earl of Chesterfield, we hear, intends giving
up his fine pack of hounds at Northampton, and, We under-
stand, Mr. oAaldeston offered to take them if an adequate sub-
scription could be rai,ed. The Northamptonshire sportsmen
are much indebted to the Noble Earl for the excellent sport he
prov.ded for them during the past hunting season ; and we feel
tatisied the retirement of his Lordship W 11 be much regret d.