The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-18 00:00:00

NE IV I'ol ICE R.

TO THE EDITOR.

Sin,—Most of your readers have probably no-

ticed, in their visits to the West-end theatres, that
members of the A Division of police are stationed
at the various entrances to facilitate the ingress and
egress of the audience, and they have, doubtless,
imagined that they owed this attention to the fa-
therly care and consideration of the authorities at

S2otland-yard. Such, however, is not the case ;
the item " Police," in an establishment like the

Theatre Royal, Drury-lane, forms no inconsider-
able portion of the weekly expenses, each constable
employed having hitherto received the sum of 3s.
Gd. for every performance, morning or evening,
and the inspector having been paid at the rate of
6s. Gd.

This " theatre duty," as it is termed, until
within the last two years, was always performed by
the officers employed as clerks at Scotland-yard ;
men, who by their superior education, intelligence,
and address, .were peculiarly suited to the duth s
required of them, and the extra pay was a great
boon to those men, who, r.fter finishing their °dice
duties at Scotland-yard, were glowed this means
of adding to the inadequate pay allowed them by
the Commissioners of Police.

All went well for many years under this system ;
but suddenly mighty changes took place in the
minds of
,the Commissioner:, and it was " borne

iu upon them," as itiutrant preachers say,
that some reform was necessary. The system
worked too smoothly, both for managers, officers,
and the public, to suit the peculiar idiosyncracies
of the late lamented Chief Commissioner ; and an
edict was issued withdrawing the services of the
body of men who, from their long experience, were
so thoroughly an fait in their peculiar duties, and
a body of the street police were inflicted upon the
managers, as entirely ignorant of the services re-
quired of them as even the authorities of Scotland-
yard could desire ; and, for fear that, by the " aid
of use," even those officers might become tolerably
efficient, a nightly change of men was insisted upon,

so that in each successive night it became a neces-
sity on the part of the official in charge of the front
of the theatre to instruct the police in the duties to
be performed.
i..-orne managers, myself amongst the rest, took
umbrage at these proceedings, and reduced the
number of police employed to three or four, instead
of the 12 or 14 previously engaged, supplying their
places by officers of our own, who soon became ac-
customed to the work, and performed it in a satis-
factory manner.

however, in busy seasons, such as pantomime

time, it was deemed advisable to have the aid of the I
men in blue, not only as a protection to our own
interests, but to guard the public from the preda-
tory effects of certain " chevaliers d'industrie," who
infest public places whenever a crowd is present;
and accordingly this season the usual body of
the A division, headed by particularly intel-
ligent and gentlemanly inspectors, have been
nightly on duty at the various entrances,
and all went smoothly as " marriage bells," not one
case of accident or robbery having been reported to
my knowledge during the present unprecedentedly
successful season. Imagine, then, my surprise when,
on Saturday afternoon last, I received a visit from
the worthy superintendent of the E division, who
gave me to understand that the existing authorities
of Scotland-yard had suddenly come to the deter-
mination to withdraw the A division officers, that
very night being the last time they would be allowed
to perform the duty, and to replace them the fol-
lowing night by men of the E division, who, most
of them probably never having seen the interior of
the theatre, would necessarily be entirely ignorant
how to act in the event of any emergency arising.
Not only this, but the said body of non-eflicients
were to be remunerated at the rate of ss. 4d. per
day, instead of the previous charge of 3s. 6d., and
I was required to bind myself to retain, until the
end of the season, the same number of men as 1 re-
quired at the present exceptionally busy time. In
fact, it was palpably a determination to fix the
managers, who, it was presumed, could not help
themselves. Fortunately, I had my own regular
staff of officials to fall back upon ; so I politely in-
timated to the Commisioners that, in future, I
would do altogether without their assistance.
Nov, sir, I ask you whether this is not a most
arbitrary proceeding—to take us at a non-plus, and
inflict upon us an additional tax of 50 per cent.,
at only a day's notice ? Why, Sir, if the principal
members of my company had come to me, and
insisted upon their broth,2rs and sisters--not one
of whom knew the business—playing their parts
in the pantomime ou the following Monday, at an
addition of 50 per cent. on their salaries, it would
have been a proceeding no less unjustifiable or
surprising !
As the public may notice, in future, the ab-
sence of the blue officials at my establishment, I
trust to your kindness to insert this letter, acquaint-
ing them with the cause ; and at the same time beg
to inform them that their comforts and interests
will be even more carefully studied by the officers
whom I have appointed in place of the police.-1
am, Sir, yours obediently,

F. B. CHATTERTON.
'theatre Royal, Drury-lane, Jan. 17.

THE EMBANKMEN7 RAILWAY.

It is stated that in less than three months the
Metropolitan District Railway from Westminster-
bridge to Cannon• street will be opened. This rail-
way will, when completed, form an important
portion of the inner circle system of metropolitan
railways, the construction of which was recom-
mended by a committee of the House of
Commons with a view to relieve the street
traffic. The district line will be seven miles in
length from end to end, and is designed to give
increased facilities of communication to pas-
sengers between the We6t- end and the City.
It is already open from Kensington to West-
minster, wheee it abuts on the Thames embank-
ment. The section thence to the City was com-
menced last February, though owing to want of
funds the work was delayed for six months. Al-
though the section is not quite two miles in length,
there are 2,000 men engaged on the works, about
300:being night hands. There 250 horses, 280 trucks,
130 barges, 20 steam cranes, with three locomotive
engines, two of 40 tons and one of 18 tons, daily
employed in the various processes incidental in the
execution of such an undertaking. The work, with
the exception of some 300 ft. from Essex-street,
throng the Temple property, is what is known as a
girder covered way. The tunnel is 25ft. wide, and
nearly 16ft. high. The first station will be at
Hungerford, the second at the foot of Norfolk-
street, and the third at Blackfriars. That at Nor-
folk-street, to be called the 'Temple Station, will be
entirely underground, but all the others are to be
built in the open ground, and will be similar in
appearance to the structures at Victoria and Pad-
dington. The contractors hope to have the line
ready for public traffic as far as Blackfriars,
and perhaps Cannon-street, by the let of March
next.

THE GARDEN ORACLE FOR 1870.—The spe-
ciality of this issue is a list of dessert fruits arranged in
the order of ripening for the whole year. Nearly 100
fruits are enumerated.
THE FIRE AT RICHMOND.—A careful examina-
tion of the bones found in the ruins of the Star and Garter
Hotel, Richmond, and supposed to be part of the remains
of the late Mr. Lever, has been made, and the result is
that they form no part of the remains of a human being.
The search has now bee❑ given up.
A telegram has been received from Malta stating
that her Majesty's Indian troopship Crocodile ar-
rived at that island at 7 a.m. on the 17th, and sails
at 8 a.m. on the 18th icst.
LADvErmsymENT.l—Holloway's Ointment and rills.—.
Counsel for the Delicate.—Those to whom the winter is a
protracted period of trial should seek the earliest opportu-
nity of removing all obstacles to good health on the return
of spring. This cooling ointment, perseveringly rubbed
upon the skin, is the most reliable remedy for overcoming
all diseases of the throat and chest. Diphtheria, relaxed
tonsils, sore throat, swollen glands, ordinary catarrh, and
bronchitis, usually prevailing at this season, may Is+ ar-
rested as soon as discovered, and every symptom banished
by Holloway's simple and effective treatment. The oint-
ment and pills are highly commended by the faculty, with
which they successfully contend with influenza.; they
allay, in an incredibly short time, the distressing fever and
A short cough.