The Sun.
London, England, 1844-01-23 00:00:00

MR. BENJAMIN WEBSTER.

As there are several inaccuracies in the letter ad-
dressed to the Observer, and copied into The Sun
yesterday, we now publish a correct copy :
Theatre Royal, Haymarket, Jan. 20.
Sir,—l regret having to trouble you again, but in
stating in my letter to you, which you were kind
enough to insert on Sunday last that " that great
fosterer of the legitimate drama" (meanirg, of course,
Mr. Macready), never gave more than 300/. for a
five act play," I did not make it appear that I
alluded only to Mr. M.'s memorable moral
management (delightful alliteration) of Old Drury,
and which was preceded by an oration at
the Literary Fund dinner, remarkable only for ego-
tism and misstatement, and that awfully virtuous and
refulgent squib, otherwise the preliminary circular
preparatory to opening the previously desecrated
temple of Shakspeare, where the really beautiful
scenic effects of Acis and Galatea, and the Angli-
cised Italian opera of Sappho (not taken from the
French), restored it to its pristine and originally- con-
ceived glory. What with the plated encomiums at-
tending Mr. M.'s retirement from Drury-lane, &c., I
had forgotten" the blaze," as one ofhis friends termed it,
with which he went out ofCovent-garden, where Shak-
speare was so painted and guarded with copper lace,
that he " smelt April and May " as much as any
master of ceremonies to a sweep's holiday. Talk of
resuscitating Shakspeare ! by he would not have
know n himself, his eyes would have been "worth all
the rest o' the other senses," and he would have ex-
claimed with Nerin the Devil to Pay, " I dream'd of
Heaven, and this is it." But to the point in question.
I am informed by the Argus eyed friends of Mr.
.Macready, who guard the Hesperian fruit of that
dr,auntic garden, that he did actually pay 600/. for
the play of Richelieu, having had the Lady of Lyons
given him, which, according to my calculation, was
rating the two at 3001. each; and that "above 300/.
has. bt en paid for more than one other play." These
corrections upon assertion having reference only, I
believe, to the management at Covent-garden, of which
I was not thinking at the time I wrote. Ifj I am in
error it was suggested that I had be: ter be the corrector
of that error myself, if you would allow me; though Ido
so, owing the party no favour, with the same grace
that the great French actor Le Kain, whose statue
stands side by side with Yoltaire and Talma in the
hall of the Theatre Francais, apologised, upon com-
pulsion, to a provincial audience, and commenced
with a significant expression, " I never felt degraded
till now ;" which forcible appeal was considered suffi-
cient.—l am, Sir, with every respect, your obedient
servant, B. WEBSTER.

THE CONTEMPLATED DOG BILL

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—I am rejoiced to find that you have espoused
the cause of those much persecuted animals, the pet
dogs of this metropolis, by opening your columns to
the several statements that have been forwarded to
you, with a view of exposing the nefarious traffic in
canine flesh, carried on with such unblushing effrontery
in open day by organised gangs of dog stealers. If
there be a quadruped more deserving than another of
protection and kindness, it is that most faithful and intel-
ligent ofall dumb companions—the dog. His sagacity
and devoted attachment to man, should teach a lesson
of gratitude ; for, setting aside all feeling of fondness
for a cherished protege, the bare thought of a help-
less and confiding animal falling into the hands of a
lawless plunderer, should point out the necessity of
checking the growing evil. To cite the numberless
instances of fidelity and attachment, on the part of
the canine race to man, were an endless task, neither
is it necessary to broach any philosophical disquisi-
tion on the very slight connecting link between
instinct and reason ; I, however, feel disposed to
yield to this noble animal the higher of the two
attributes, for I could 'adduce some staggering facts in
favour of the reasoning power of these faithful four-
footed dependents. I may, however, be permitted to
advance an opinion, that the dog was intended by
nature to be our companion. Take one or more pup-
pies from any given litter, the moment their eyes are
open they will run to man, and from that moment
they attach themselves to his person. Of late years I
grieve to observe that the destroyers have been
abroad, and have contrived, with too much success,
to sever the tie that nature determined should be
formed, and our favourite animals are torn from their
legitimate protectors by the unfeeling vagabonds who
are permitted to infest the streets of London. There
is no punishment t.,(0 great for these scoundrels; and
their nefarious traffic, so long carried on with im-
punity, calls loudly for legislative interference. That
some stringent legal enactment has not been put in
force long (re this, I confess surprises me ; for
years past the evil has been complai]ed of, and
has of lz:te grown to such a pitch that the public
are about to seek for redress. Horse-stealing
and sheep-stealing are denounced as felonies ; the
law protects their owners; and why, in the name of
humanity, I ask, should not the same penalty be
awarded to the dog-stealer? The owner of a dog
has as great a right to be screened from the depreda-
tions of these miscreants as the possessor of beasts of
burthen. To the sportsman and the shepherd the
faithful dog is an invaluable ally ; the animals which
administer to our diversions in the field, and are so
pre-eminently useful in the sheepfold, are surely
worthy some consideration. The same rule should
apply to the domestic pet and the house dog. Some
of the latter class of favourites, kept for amusement,
or the indulgence of a kindly feeling, are of a high
nominal value ; but whether the cherished object be
a spaniel, a pug, or a poodle, the feelings of its owner
are not to be wrung by the acts of a miscreant, who
robs for the purpose of extorting money, and
who tampers with the m eakness of compas-
sionate persons ; for in ninety-nine cases
out of a hundred those individuals so robbed
would at any sacrifice recover their dogs by the pay-
ment of large rewards, rather than allow a cherished
favourite to be subjected to torture and cruelty. I
have at this moment a list, comprising the names of
noble and influential families in the metropolis, who
have paid their smart money to some tune by this
species of " black mail" being levied upon them; and,
startling as it must appear, no less a sum than 6961.
has been paid by different parties, for the recovery of
their stolen favourites, during the past year. This
is really monstrous; and I most unfeignedly hope
that Captain Rous or Mr. Liddell will bring the sub-
ject before the House in so tangible a shape as to in-
sure the passing of the Bill in contemplation ; and I
sincerely trust that one or other, or both, of these
gentlemen, will introduce the subject seriously as
well as emphatically, and point out the abominable
nuisance as it really exists. Some unthinking few
may scoff at the attempt, and deem the subject an un-
fitting one for so sage an assemblage as the House of
Commons ; but I could tell these unreflecting beings, if
any should be found, that it is not a subject to be
treated with levity or indifference, and that, more-
over, it is one which calls loudly for redress. Mr.
Bishop, the gunmaker of Bond-street, is entitled to
the thanks of the community at large for his humane
exertions in affording protection to the owners of va-
luable dogs. A petition has for some time been open
for signature at his establishment, and I have seen,
with equal pride and satisfaction, the names of the
great and good enrolled in this important document.
The object of this petition, which will be embodied in
the Bill to be brought before the House, is to ensure
a proper meed of punishment to all dealers in canine
flesh ; that the crime of dog-stealing shall be consti-
tuted a felony; and, morever, that the receiver of any
dog, known to be illegally obtained, shall be consi-
dered as an accomplice, and be visited with a similar
sentence of transportation—and, of a verity; the sooner
such heartless wretches are sent out of the country the
better. London swarms with these pests to society;
and when these inhuman outcasts receive the measure
of puni,hment due for their iniquity, we may hope for
something like undisturbed possession of our little
favourites. The heavy contributions levied weekly
by the whole fraternity exceed belief ; the sums de-
manded and paid for the recovery of purloined ani-
' mals are positively enormous, and the sooner such
flagrant acts are effectually stopped, the better.
AMICUS CANIS.

THE KING or SAsorr.—The banner of his Ma-
jesty the King of Saxony (who was invested with the insignia
of the order of the Garter, at Dresden, in October, 1842, by the
Earl of Wilton and Sir Charles Young, the Garter King at
Arms) has just been placed over the stall of his Majesty, together
with the crown, crest, sword, mantle, &c., in St. George's
Chapel, Windsor. The stall of the Saxon Monarch is situated
on the prince's, or north side of the choir, between the stalls of
the King of Wirtemberg and the reigning Duke of Brunswick.
The only stalls now vacant in the chapel of St. George are
those of the late Duke of Dorset and the Marquis Wellesley.
We learn from good authority that her Majesty is
about to create Lord Whamcliilb an I;al.—Lads Mercury,