The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR. OF THE SUN.

SIR,—Every one will have observed with great pleasure
that the bankers and merchants are about to invite Mr.
Peabody to a public banquet. Would you allow me gently
to suggest to these gentlemen that, besides rendering
honour that is due to this more than princely benefactor
of the poor, they should fulfil the injunction, " Go and do
thou likewise." An opportunity of doing so is now offered
to them by this company, which has been established to
improve the dwellings of the poor in London itself, and has
the additional recommendation of holding out the prospect
of a fair remuneration to those who assist in the
good work. There is an enormous amount of improve-
ment needed beyond that which can be effected
even by Mr. Peabody's munificent gifts, and I cannot be-
lieve that the merchants and bankers of London will be
content that this benevolent stranger should have abso-
lutely divested himself of an enormous amount of wealth,
and not avail themselves of the opportunity of following
up the good work he has so well begun. The names of
the gentlemen at the helm of this company will, I hope, be
a sufficient proof, both to you, sir, and your readers, that
though it is wisely put its the form of an ordinary com-
mercial venture, it is a really bond-fide attempt to do the
work it professes to do, and merits the attention and sup-
port of all parties interested in the subject.—l am, sir,
your obedient servant,
W. 11. ROBINSON, Secretary.
Operatives' house Building Company (limited),
10, J ohn-street, Adelphi, April 11, 1866.

Drink and the Drama.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,—May I crave a few lines of your valuable space to
say a few words on, a subject in which the metropolitan
millions take a strong interest, and on which the present
Government has been driven to grant a Select Committee ?
As the managing director of a " music-hall," or theatre of
varieties, which represents one hundred thousand pounds
sterling of capital, employs more than three hundred per-
sons, and is nightly visited by an audience numbering more
than three thousand visitors, I am naturally anxious to dis-
pel an error into which many magistrates have fallen, and
into which many honourable members may fall, in common
with a large and influential section of the public. The com-
mon notion with regard to the Alhambra—the establish-
ment I represent—is that about sixpence is paid on the ave-
rage by each person for admission at the doors, and that this
is followedby an expenditure of about 2s. a head for drink.
No more mistaken estimate could possibly be made. Since
I have had the place, during a period of fifteen months,
with the best possible organisation for the sale and comfort-
able consumption of drink, my average receipts at the
doors for admission have been one shilling a head on my
visitors, and my average receipts from the sale of drink, eat-
ables, and cigars combined, have only reached about sixpence
a head. In other words, every person who pays a shilling
to enter the Alhambra only expends sixpence in eatables,
smoke, and drink in the course of an evening's performance
lasting four hours. Ea ster Monday and such days, the
holidays on which the " people" are supposed to hold their
" orgies," give even a lower average, about fourpence half-
penny to the shilling. These are facts that deserve to be
known for the credit of music-hall audiences. Should the
deliberations of the Select Committee end, as I presume
they will, in an act of Parliament giving greater freedom
of dramatic representation to establishments such as mine,
I assure theatrical managers, who have shown a great
regard for Shakespeare off the stage, that I shall not dese-
crate him by performing him before an audience supplied
with " refreshments" by waiters at tables, instead pf by
orange-women and pot-boys on forms, as at the Lord
Chamberlain's theatres. My turn will be served by the
permission to represent operas and vaudevilles, in addi-
tion to the ballets, which now form the staple of my en-

4ertainment. The acts of Parliament regulating, or at-
tempting to regulate, theatres and music-halls, compel
me to spend five thousand pounds a year in maintain-
ing a mere chorus, when I could get a good comin
opera compauy for two-thirds of the money, who would
be far more attractive. lam rude enough to regard this
as a fine of two thousand pounds a-year imposed by Go-
vernment on the mode in which I conduct my business•
Perhaps in proportion as I improved my entertainment,
my receipts from the sale of drink, &c., would be diminished,
and, if so, who would be injured ? Assuredly neither the
British drama nor the public.
April 11, 1866.

F. STRANGE.

THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY.—Yesterday after-
noon, at 1 o'clock, 230 members of the Conservative
party assembled at the Marquis of Salisbury's residence, in
Arlington-street, Piccadilly. The Earl of Derby was pre-
sent, and addressed the meeting. The Right Hon. Benja-
min Disraeli, and the leader of the Conservative party in
the House of Commons, was also present. The meeting,
which was called by circular, separated about a quarter to
3 o'clock. The subject under consideration was the Go-
vernment Reform Bill, and the course to be pursued by the
lA
ConservativesyiroFsinmAthLeufoOTHcoolnsipniugdeLbs._Yesterday pr.
debate.
Hillier, medical officer of health for St. Pancras, reported
to tho vestry that during the past month there has been
only one fatal case of smallpox in the parish, but there
were ten cases under the care of the parochial surgeons,
and he states the disease is very prevalent in some parts Of
the metropolis, and the Smallpox Hospital is quite fit'
One day last week a patient was sent from the neighbour-
hood of Tottenham-court-road to the Smallpox Hospital,
and was sent back because there was no room in the hoe:
pital. This is another illustration of the need of increased
hospital accommodation for the London poor. One small-
pox hospital with 100 beds for 3,000,000 people is totally
insufficient ; besides, the distance of any cne hospital froLt
parts of London is much greater than any sick poor ougebt
to travel. Although the existing hospital is only it's
across the boundary of the parish, yet it is a long journey
from the southern parts •of the district. What is it, then,
from Greenwich, Lewisham, Lambeth, St. George's-in-the
East, and other districts ? -