The Sun.
London, England, 1812-11-17 00:00:00

THE GREAT NATIONAL THEATRE.

ADDRESS

.FOR THE OPENING OF THE GREAT THEATRE, ST.

STEPHEN'S, INTENDED TO BE SPOKEN BY

SIR FR-NC--S B-RD-TT,

IN THE CHA,RACFER OF CASSIUS, IN, " JULIUS C:ESAR."

TRANSMITTED BY SPURIUS VARIUS.

2ijon tali auxillV" itee,d efensoribus istis
7C?ittpUS -e4 et.

When conflagration whelm'd Mom,o's farie,
And burnt abuses out of Drury-lane, -
-Wide o'er the wave I saw the blaze aspire,
As if, like are,..'twould set the .I:haines on are.
.ytartel I ma: I'd-the flames sO pure,
Fur4e the r toe place, APOLLO'S sinccure,•,
- • Saw fierce ..fan the fiery storm,
I And nail'd the omen of complete reform! - , •
-Lo! on that scene of ruin and affright,

Another play-honse.greets admiring sight;
Itais'd by a public fund, a public care, •
And the snug prospect of a public share.
Oh be it manug'd by the,pubiic stiil !
Let the holeigalliries try their critic skill I.
The cause of taste were basely lost indeed,
If none iii.t;ht ceiticise who cannot. read.
-No! the ace Drama's auppier age is nigh,
-The Saturnalia.-of the rows on high : ••.
Ilowe'er eitclow'd, let all direct who pay,
and ei+ir i cast the play. •
:Etc ..carer's elang, i;incher'S bone
tune th'ikrcnc,tra fu a finer tots : • •
'ait er:i• barrow-%NeAcio-s teach our tage
tit and what deportinent-chaste
tailor, with his ewose, assume'
Ibe cart..-;,t titeorailoo and costume.
Oh if the peoi:te's choice might also fix
Laws for the wretclicii stage of, politic,
welt wouic deign to play the leader still,
great conductor ti the public will.'
LiLa the nth current of some city drain
That grows from gutters in each greasy lane,
un its tide, whatever meets its flow,
111:4 resistles: to the sewer below !
Dot, in the present venal state of things,
I and my friends can be but pow'rless
L'eu taverns give vie but an empty boail,•
• but at diluters that I rale the roasZ.
Then far from use he all the toils of state,
Let ate retire, and seek a homelier fate ;
4,11 in .at with bottle and with hook,.
And toa3t-the names, of CATILINL and Touitt

STREET ROBBERIES.

The following extract from the last charge of
I\lr. Justice MAJNwAitiNG, is respectfully submit-
ted to the consideration of the Magistrates : •

• " Gentlemen, Another matter to which I shall
Call your attention, is, the gate in which thel.
Metropolis now is, -in regard to street 3•obberies. To
what cause this i4icreaseti attack upon the comfort
andoecurity of the ptiblie is to be attributed, I
01011 not conjecture but certainly so the faCt is
to a very alarm;ng degree. WC must hope that
it is. not from s Wilful ceglect, , or relaxation of
necessary vigilanee yet surely if the existing
laws were properly enforcedpsome stop might be
put to the daring robberies- daily" and niOtly
committed. An Act Was
_passed in the 32d year
of his present :Majesty; authorising the appre-
hending s:isperted peisons and reputed thieves, in
theia perambulationS about the streets and places
of public-resort, in. clued of their prey, before
they had the oppdrtunity of carrying their felo-
nious designs into execution. It was made at the
time when. bands of robbers associated in such

numbrs as to set the civil power at dAance ; and
immediately after the passing it lrAd a very visible
. effect; many disappeared, and many were taken
into custody ; much good was done, and many
robberies presented : and I think that if that
wholesowe law wa,s now 'acted upon ivith vigour
and perseVerance, it would be found one of the
best securities, provided in the whole code of
clifi criminal laws, for the protection of our per-
sou from felonious assaults and depredations.—
, :Many years experience and attentive observation
satisfy me, that no pains oyght to be, spared to
give this law its full effect. I am at a loss to
point out a more effectual means of obtaining this
most desirable object. The severities of punish-
ments ordained for particular crimes, act very
feebly on the minds of hardened thieves ; the
chance of. acquittal upon trial, arming from vari-
ous circumstances, reader the severity of conse-
quent punishment of little avail. Prevention is
the great desideratum. But now, when we meet-
a gang., of thieves in the streets, as we frequently
dO in mid-day, insultingly staring us in the face
as they pass, and the populace gazing at them
with fear and, wonder, one is pointed out to us as
the first pickpocket on the town—another as a
famous housebreaker, that has been so many times
tried, and always got off—and so on of others, ac-
, cording to their adroitness in tie different lines of
their proltission. A stranger to these matters
would suppose that such well-known characters
must be licensed robbers." .

The I,Vestrninster School Vlay .for this year is
to he The Eunuch. . .

. Thursday, being Winchcomb annual hunt, a
singular circumstance occurred during the morn-
ing's sport : . whilst Mr. Ashniore's harriers were
rim ping a hare, a fox crossed them, when the dogs
divided, and after a capital run with each, they
killed both.

On Sunday evening; last, .as Mr. Thomas Mer-
-cer and Mr. J. L. Maud, of Andover, were re--
timing home from Winchester, in a gig draWn
by two bOrses, Mr. Maud, who bad been driving,
requested Mr. Mercer to take the reins, whilst he
put on his gloves : it was then" about half past
eight o'clock, and very dark ; Mr. Maud ob-
served that the horses were close on the ridge of
the bank, and noticed the circumstance-to Mr.
Mercer ; the latter gentleman, intending to ob-
.Viate the danger, pulled the rein, but unfortu-
nately on the wrong side ;. the horses and gig
were, t.l.irown en tie side of the road, and Mr.
Mercer was killed on the spot. Mr. Maud was
rune!' bruised and • stunned try
,the.fall, and en-
ta.:gled a considerable time in the naracss, but at
length be disengaged himself., and got ~back to
Winehester. several persons then repaired-to the
fatal snot', where they found the dead body of Mr.
Nt.reer of the horses had, broken loose ;
the •otbei• wis pressed down by the carriage, and
nearly exhalu;ted, but soon recovered on being
rkticesed,

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