The Sun.
London, England, 1824-10-25 00:00:00

FOIL THE SUN.

THE DRAMA:
M. EDITOR—.I do not suppose that your
'leaders take much interest generally in the pro.t
ceedimigs of the minor 'Theatres; the recent dis.
cossion, however, of the subject which took piacci
at the Surrey Sessions, when their several pro:
prietors applied for the renewal of theit licences;
sin ws that the subject is not altogether unworthy
of public attention.

Dramatic exhibitions have always had a power-
fm y
ett:ithe lowerd
ecrleads sta sti
otifitrircibeotyok.
the examples of. which they draw their modes of
s Theyfrom
thought and action ; and hence the preservation
of the purity of the Stage is an important instru-
ment by which the morals of the inferior classes
are purified and strengthened, and their more
generous feelings called into action by a tempo-
'racy glance at society, in which their station
would not allow them to mingle, and a contem-
plation of virtue and vice in their action and
effects, thus appealing to their hearts far more
forcibly and effectually than by any process of
reasoning whatever. To maintain that great 0b..;
ject, the purity of the. Stage, our legislature was
formerly extremely circumspect in the regulation
of, the Patent Theatres : of these there were but
three ; they had the privilege of acting playsi
and so high a privilege did they esteem it that
they never dreamed of compromising it, especially
by rendering the boards of the Theatre a mea
nagerie. Houses of amusement were occasionally
licensed, but with the greatest jealousy and can«
don ; but the amusements, if they attempted
anything dramatic, were never allowed to be
other than singing and dumb skew.

Matters are- now completely changed. The
minor Theatres, from dumb-show, Venture to
introduce placards ; and when this was found a
very clumsy and awkward method of elptessioni
a few words stole cautiously over the scene.—
Emboldened by impunity, they now proceeded
to regular dialogue, and when this was unnoticed,
they invaded the province of the regular Theatres,
and, however imperfectly, performed plays !
Meanwhile, the regular Theatres, less valuing a
privilege which they saw was not exclusive, in
their turn made an inroad on the territories of
their minor brethren, and the stage which GARa
RICK and KEinur.c had consecrated to SHAKS-
PEARE and sense, became the reign of shew and
folly, an exhibition of horses and un amusement
for asses.

The horses and asses, however, paying well,
the managers of the minor Theatres began to
think they might return to their melo-dramas adj
vantageously—and in this they were not disap-
pointed. But the minor Theatres had now be-
come really objects of importance ; without the
circumspection which had marked the conduct et
the legislature towards the patent Theatres, they
were exercising all the influence of regular Thee.
tres on one portion of the public mind ; and were
producing, not regular plays, but morbid abor-
tions, corresponding to and promoting that de-
praved system of feeling, now unhappily so
general, as to be denominated the public taste !
and in this state these Theatres now remain.

I do not, therefore, hold the minor Thetttreg
to be markets of mere neutral nonsense ; they
fomented and they continue to maintain that ht.
mentable depravation of the public tastev—at
least of the metropolitan, to which the bills of
the Theatres Royal bear palpable and disgrace.
fut witness. They were first to break the link
that connected the sympathies of the high and
low, by sharing in those generous excitements
which taught the one the virtue of humility, and
the other the humility of virtue. And when they
had substituted for natural and intelligible action,
a system (if any thing so chostic deserve the
name) of unnatural anti exaggerated feeling, it
was soon found, as in all depraved constitutions,
that more powerful stimulants were necessary.
Crescit indulgens sibi causa morbi. Hence it was,
that, before the late Martell Was brought to trial,
the horrible transaction in which he was impli•
rated was DI ELOD ILA MATIZED AT ONE MINOR
THEAfitE ! and that the same horrid story,
after its full catastrophe, furnished amusement
for the public at another.
I think therefore that the subject of the minor
Theatres deservedly received much notice ut the
Sessions, and that .Mr. llor.Ai SUMNER very
justly observed, that the granting of these li.
cences had been taken too much n$ matter of
course. The indisposition of the Magistrates to
injure the property of individuals has embolden-
ed them to take courses which they never could
have done, had the letter of the Act been ad-
tiered to. In proportion to the great liberty
which is now allowed to the Managers of tlw
minor Theatres, should be the vigilance of the
Magistrates in examining whether that liberty is
discreetly exercised.
I have lately seen it trumpeted forth as an
eminent merit on the part of a minor Theatre,
that the Managers had assigned a separate part
of the house to the accommodation of prostitutes,
that they might not interfere with respectable fe.
males !

I hope the lute discussion in Surrey will not
be without its effects on all these establishments,
anvil that their conductors will be taught, that
however public taste may be debased and debi-
litated, public decency and public morality mny
not be violated with impunity.

IM**

TILE ACCIDENT AT MU. GOUGH'S FACTORY.-
None of the persons who wore wounded have died since our
last ; and there is reason to hope that they will all recover. A
subscription for the relief of the sufferers is going on very
praTerously.
-4 Mane-kat& Paper.)

FRENCH PAPERS.

(Frans the Constitutionnet If Thursday.)

-PARIS, OCT. 11.—The journal of Lyons of.
the 17th of this month contains the following ar.

sticle

" For some time a 'great deal has been said
among the manufacturers of Lyons of attempts to
-seduce workmen to go to foreign countries. Fine.
.pro Mises are made them if they will consent to
transfer our manufactures to our eternaltivals, the
English. -Proceedings .have been commenced at
Boulogne against Messrs. Guillotte, Marmin, and
come others, accused of this criminal attempt.
Mr..Tontierieux, a merchant, one of their pc-
- complices, has just been brought by the gen-
darmes before the tribunal at Boulogne. Most
of the persons accused have fled. Some honour-
able names, well known eV Lyons, are spoken of
as impliCated in this affair : we refrain from men-
tioning' them,- for reasons that will be easily un-
derstood. Whatever may be-the speculations of
- vapidity, we-do not -that it will be• possible
to deprive our city of the sceptre. of• industry in
the manufacture of silks. To effect this, it would
be necessary to deprive it, at the same time, both
of the water of its rivers for the colours, and of the
taste of its designers, and its mechanicians, &c.
Other similar attempts have been made without
- success: let us hope that this will meet with• the
same fate."

( From the'Journal des Dfbats. )

PARIS, OCT. 21.—M. de Chateaubriand, whose
• return has been announced in several journals,
arrived at Paris only yesterday. The Countess
of Chateauhriand has come with him, and has
just placed herself at the head of the infirmary
eßtablihhed by her cares, and in which an annual
fête to Maria Theresa is celebrated. The poor
ttromert and old men taken care of in this in-

lirmary strewed on this occasion the greatest joy
at seeing again their benefactress. It has been
said in the journals that M. tie Chateaubriand
had sold his works for 400,000 francs, which has
probably originated in the following circum-
stance :—Near the infirmary of Maria Theresa
there was a spot of ground, which was lately sold

• for one
,hundred and eighty thousand •francs,
which was to be divided into different lots, on
• which certain speculators proposed to establish
public games for the people. This would have
compelled the abandonment of the infirmary.
M. de Chateaubriaml, it is said, in order to pre-
- serve this work of charity, has re-purchased the
• ground, and •he found a bookseller who will ad-
• twee him, at different periods, 180,000 francs for
• u work which M. de Chateaubriand is to furnish

him at fixed periods. .This isAnaking a generous
WO of talents; but we wish, for the honour of
France, that M. de Chateaubriand had ,other
• means of paying such a noble debt.

( From the Moniteur If Friday, Oct. 22. )
NOTHING OFFICIAL.

NunumnEno,, OCT. 18.—We have letters from
- Vienna which say :—The accounts that are re-
ceived from the frontiers of Turkey, are of such

• e nature RS to make it. probable that Constant...
nople will :tom' be the theatre of important events.
lt seems that the party of Janissaries, which is at
the head of latirs since- the deposition of the
Grand Vizier, Glialib Pacha,bas farther projects.
Besides the Reis Effendi, whom the Sultan has
been forced to -send into exile, it was expected
'that several other persons, even among the chief
- • officers of the Seraglio, world be dismissed, se.
veral of them having personal enemies among the•
Chiefs of the Janissaries.

Our Court expects with impatience the next
regular courier from Pere, who will bring dis.
. patches from Baron Ottenfels, the imperial In-
ternuncio, which will- come down to September
24 or V,5.

The last courier from Bucharest hasibrotrght
to the Foreign Office letters which state that no
change has taken place in the position of the Ot-
toman troops, on the left bank of the Danube.
Foreign emissaries have endeavoured to pro-
pagate a report at Jassey, that the Russian troops
in Beisarabia would shortly make an irruption.
into Moldavia. The Ilospodar has taken care
immediately to contradict this report.
I From the Constitutionuci of Friday.)

PA ntsi Oc v. V.—Tile, desperate situation of.'
affairs in Spain is attributed to two causes,—the fanaticism inhe•
rent in the Spaniards, joined with themachievelism of the clergy ;
and the impolicy of the French Ministry, who would not assume
alrault and open demeanour, who, After applauding the success
-of our troops against the Revolution (a success, of which, all
the world knows, they are quite innocent), took no measures td
direct and moderate the counter-revolutionary explosion. In
. . more closely examining these two causes, it will lie seen that if
the Ministry are to blame on account of the, latter, they are --not
innocent altogether of the former. In fact, if any power were
capable of opposing the mischievous disposition of the clergy
• it was France, which, strong by her victories, might.and ought
to have traced the live which the counter-revolution should not
have passed. These limits were pointed out in the Ordinance
of Andujar. No- man of good faith will deny that it was, if
, not easy, at least possible to fix the rules by which-the restore-
- thin was to be consolidated, either in reclaiming a new mixture
• of ancient laws -and new 'ideas, or in seeking among the an-
cient archives of the Spanish Monarchy the titles to the ancient
11U:riles of Spain. See what a strange spectacle Spain now
-
offers.

The i'rench armies occupy the Peninsula, and the Pc-

ninsolu. is a prey to constantly reviving disorders. We pay
immense subsidies to pres?-tve tranquillity, and tranquillity leas

never existed for a moment.. When are so ninny sacrifices fin*
mere toys to cease ? What trouble have our Ministers
taken to suspend these enormous expenees They have other
thoughts in their heads. aust they not intrigue to maintain
their places against the will of all the world ? Must they not
-attract to themselves the fruits of a new reign, the dawn of
which is so luminous with-hope ? .Of what consequence is it,
so that they remain in office, that the fruits of our expedition
to Spain are entirely lost ? The Ministry indeed trouble them-
, selves little about the situation of the Peninsula, the expenee
of the occupation, and the losses Prance every day suffers at
Madrid. If we have wasted in vain so much blood and trea-
sure for such an object—if, in place of restoring the Spanish
Monarchy, the Ministry has only restored civil war—if we have
by our own fault, and by a pretended disinterestedness, which
is only folly, allowed the legitimate influence which we ought
to exercise over Spain to be lost—if,- finally, we have no-hope
.of being ever repaid our advances for Spain, of what come.;

queues is ell this to the -Ministers, if lihey still preserve their
places ?

LISBON, OCT. B.—f P,ivals Correspondence.)—l informed:
.you in my letter
.of the 29th September, that a conspiracy was
to break out on the 26th—that the Government had discovered.
•it and prevented it—that several persons had been arrested,..
that the Queen was suspected—and that the Patriarch was the
director of all this. The Portuguese Government, which sub-
sequently acquired a more perfect:knowledge of the matter from
the justificatory papers, felt its weakness to be so great that
it dared not take any rigorous measures. Seeing, however, at
a later
.period the urgent necessity of taking some decisive
part, it resolved to act.with the greatest severity. The Queen
has been arrested at Queluz, four leagues from Lisbon, and
nobody is allowed to enter the town, either men or women,
,without being closely examined, and obliged to declare his or
her business. The Military commander entrusted with the
guard of the Queen, is obliged to sleep in a chamber close
to that where she sleeps. Several persons who were going to
Queluz having been examined as to the object of their visit,
have also been arrested. The Patriarch, who has constantly
kept himself out of sight, even while managing and directing
the conspiracy, is not treated with. so much rigour. The Go-
vernment, however strongly it may be convinced of his being
an accomplice, has been obliged to content itself with ordering
him into exile. But such is the weakness of the,Reyal Govern-
ment, and the audacity of the party by which he is supported,
that he replied openly that he would not obey the order for
going into exile, and yet no ulterior measure has been taken
with regard to him. All the preparatory steps for the •meeting
of the Cortes of Lamego are .!finished, but the apparent power
of the Queen's party is so great, that the Government does not
.dare to give positive orders for the meeting of this assembly.;
and it seems more than probable that this state of things will
continue for some time, if we do not receive from some other
source an increase of vigour, which will enable.us to silence
the exaltades. The Intendant of Police is himself-one.of the
coterie, which opposes so strongly the intentions •of the Go-
vernment ; and yet it dare not dismiss shim. The trade of
Lisbon is much diminished, great misery reigns in the City,
and particularly among the sailors, who, finding no occupation
inconsequence of the slackness of trade, and the little demand
at present for labour, and who entirely want the means of sub-
sistence, .with which the trade to America formerly supplied
them.

(From the Etoik of Friday.)
PARTS, OCT. 22. 1 t is said that M. Hiesching,
formerly:Editor of the German Obrerver, has been arrested at
Stuttgard, and sent to the fortress of Asperg.
All Paris continues to talk of the horrible murder at Vin-
cennes. It appears that no information r;n be obtained that
Papavoinc has ever had any connection whatevetwith the pa-
rents of the unfortunate children who were his victims.. It is
quite . unknown what induced: him to, commit the crime, but
weighty circumstances are against him Herrin, the hat
of the assassin, with an umbrella, and Papavoine'S hat is.broken
on the upper part. The knife with which he struck the chil-
dren has not been found, hut the person who sold it has still
eleven left, and all fit the wound like a sheath. As .to
Clotilde Maservait, there is nothing to prove that she.was ac-
quainted with Papavoine. Time will aid in clearing up this
terrible uncertainty.

VIENNA, OnT. t I.—We haVe received news from Corfu,-of
' September 22. The Lord High Commissioner, Sir Frederick
Adam, who went to Napoli de Romania, in , the Sybille, re-
turned on the 26th. The object of his voyage was to obtain
the revocation of the Decree passed by the Greek Government
on May 27, against the vessels of the European Powers.*
Admiral O'Neil (Sir H. B. .Neale) commands the British
squadron cruising in the Archipelago. The Government
at Napoli, on the threatening representations of • the Lord
High Commissioner, revoked its Decree of May 27, with
regard to. all neutral vessels which have not Turkish troops
on board; whatt,Ver may 'be their cargo. • But Admiral
O'Neil (Sir 11. 11. Neale),. not sullied with this resolution, de-
manded the complete andmineserved revocation of the whole
Decree. In consequence of this another resolution was taken
on Sept. 15th, anti as there is no printing press at Napoli de
.Romania, it was published and stuck up in manuscript.t

PARIS, 0CT.•22 —VRENCIL Furrns.--Five per 'Cents.
102 f. 60c.—Bank Stock, I,97.sf.—Neapolitan Jfive per Centn.
(Falconet's certificates), ON.—ltente d'Espagne, 17; Royal
Spanish Loan for 1823, 64—Exchange on London, one
month, 26f. 16c, ; three months, 25f.—( Cour: uthentiqus,
Oct. 22.)

* Either the letter from Corfu contains an improperlihrase,
or the Austrian Observer has translated it incorrectly by the
word handelssehtft. Have the Greeks ever. confounded mer-
chant vessels under a Christian flag with transports under
Turkish colour, loaded with armed men.and ammunition ?
(Note of the Editor of the Et,ii/co
t If the letter from Corfu may be believed, the English
Commissioner is not satisfied by freedom of trade, he requires
also that the vessels of his nation may have a right to carry
Turkish troops. It belongs to the :Government to decide on
such pretensions.—.(Note of the Editor of the..?loile.)

,'G -IL E E..~

[From the Verman and Italian Papers,l

CORFU, SEPT. 22,—The Lord High. Commis-
sioner, General Adam, who on the Bth of this month went to
Napoli de Romania, on board the Sybille frigate, returned the
day before yesterday. .The object of his voyage.was, according
to the proclamation issued on the Bth, (see Austrian Observer
of the 28th of September), to obtain the revocation of the Greek
decree of the 27th of May, against the merchant ships of the
European Powers. Admiral O'Neil (Sir H. B. Neale) com-
manded the British squadron which had entered the Archi-
pelago on this occasion. The Government at Napoli di
Romania, on the first menacing representations of the Govern-
ment.of the lonian Islands, had published, on the 27th of
August, a resolution which declared the decree of the 27th of
May revoked, with regard to all neutral ships that had not
Turkish troops on hoard. Admiral O'Neil (Sir IL B. Neale),
not satisfied with this resolution, demanded, on .his arrival
before Napoli, the unconditional and complete revocation
of the original decree. Hereupon, within a few hours, on the
3d ( lath) of September, another resolution was taken, which as.
there is.at present no printing-oflice at Napoli, was published
and posted up in manuscript, and which, in short but precise
and positive terms, revokes the decrees of the 27th of Ma .
Y
( Austrian Observer, Oct. 110

. 'ivaix, Oct. • 14.—The .Uiario di 'Roma of the .Gth has
the two following statements, which may be compared with
that from Florence of the 9th, in our last number.
Nant.'B, OCT. 2.—An English brig, from Corfu, has
brought the important news of the revocation of the Greek De-
cree. The Captain says, there had been great tejoicings at
Napoli di Romani for a naval victory over the Turks.
CORFU,SEPT. 22.—1 t was announced on the Bth of thi,
month, that the Egyptain fleet had been obliged by the plague
to return to Alexandria. We now know, from an authentic
source, that this operation of the Egyptains was a feigned re-
treat, which Adruiral.3littulis perceiving, resolved to attack it ;
and though his ships were much inferior in number and size to
those of the enemy, he succeeded in dispersing.the fleet, after
having burnt a frigate, two corvetts, a brig, and fourteen tran-
ports.—(Gazette.Pientonlcse,' Oct. 14.)
FRANKFORT, OCT.. is.reported that ,the. Marquis de
Ribeaupierre, the new Ambassador from Russia to the Porte,
is commissioned to signify to the. Divan . that Russia, Austria,
and England, have received communications from the present
Government of Greece, and that it is the intention of those
powers that negociations shall be opened to put an end to the
sanguinary struggle which desolates that country, and to secure
to it an independent existence..-(Drusla, Papers.)