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

MR. BENJAMIN WEBSTER.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE OBSERVER.
Theatre [royal, Haymarket, January 20.
Sir,;---4 regret having to trouble you again, but in stating in
my letter to you, which you were kind enough to insert on
Sauday last, that "that great fosterer of the legitimate drama"
(meaning, of course, Mr. Macreafy), " never gave mote than
3061. tor a five act play," I did not make it appear that I al-
luded only to Mr. M.'s memorable moral management (de-
lightful alliteration). of Old Drury, and which was preceded by
an oration at the Literary Fund dinner, remarkable only for
egotism and misstatement, and that awfully virtuous and re-
fulgent squib, otherwise the preliminary circular pre-
paratory to opening the previously desecrated temple
of Shakvcare, where the really beautiful scenic effects
of Attie and Galatea, and the Anglicised Italian opera
of Sappho (not taken from the French), restored it to its pris..
tine and originally-conceived glory. What with the plated
encomiums attending Mr. M.'s retirement from Drury-lane,
and I had forgotten " the blaze," as one of his friends termed
it, with which he went out of Covent-garden, where Shak-
speare was so painted and guarded with copper lace, that he
" smelt April and Nay" as much as any master of ceremonies
to a sweep's holiday. Talk of resuscitating Shakspeare! why
he would not have known himself, his eyes would have been
" worth all the rest o' the other reuses." and he would
have exclaimed, with Neil in the Devil to Pay,
dream'd of Heaven, and this is it." But to the point
in question. lam informed by the Argus-eyed friends of
Mr. Aiaerearly, who guard the Hespertan fruit of that
dramatic garden, that he cid actually pay .•;00/. for t e plsy
of Richelieu, having had the Lady of 1,y0,s giv. n
which, according re my caicula:u,n. w s ra: nig the two at
eat:: ; and that. " ..bove o.i. I. ha. been pai.l tor
more than ore oilier p;ay." Th s., co:yet t ions upon asse:txm
haling efet eh,. • n'y. I heliese, to :he ntragem..ll: Coveht-
garde of which I was not t inking he tint-. I wrote. It
I am in err.r :t was tiggesti'd that I h,d better e co:Tre-
t.r ~f t:-a' er or rays, .f, it y.. 0 would anon- me ; though Ido
the party Ito fa,our, with 11. e same glace that the
great l•rn oci: actor Le Call,, sboae statue ;rands side by side
ar.4 T,,luta in ttr,, hall of the Theatre
d, compulsion, to a provi,e'al arrbence. and
wilt a sign.fieint expression, •‘' I never felt de
rai. ti 10! au.: ," bait f rcibie appeal ix a, e,n•i'ete.l
eknt am, wi, h every rC pC , your obedient servant,
11. WI:II3STi..R.

;s to Invt:. 11'41;
sime intaTsting notes and documents relativ, to his government
of St. Hetetia, anti ci/stiiiiicrship of its it'ustrious prisoner,
cludieig the writien iiisiructiolis of Lord Bathurst concsrning Ads
important charge, wine, have b.:en, it is further said, intrusted by
him to a frie:4 i•xpressiy tom pub•ication, with a view to his own
justification agains,. the curi,ure which has SO long weighed upon
his nam,..--.itheneeum.

A. 05 AFTI:tf POW:TEEN YEARS.
—AhotE fourteen years ago a most brutal murder was committed
in the tow,. of Mai yboreugh, in the house in which Mr. 1 urpin
now resides, the perpetrators of which have been arrested, and, it
is hoped, will be nreughr to justice As the circumstances of the
case may not be known to many of our reader., we ma) here give
them as concise yas posslsle. A respectable old couve, named
Cowen, resided iu the house, with their net hew, and a servant
girl named Grimes ; a man and his wite,nameo Drennan. who were
in the habit of working for them, also resorted to the house. A con-
spiracy was entei Lel into betwe: n the nephew and these hers to take
away the lives of his relatives, that he might get their property;
and on the evening of the murder he took his ureic to evening
prayers, leaving his aunt alone in the house. Grimes took the
dogs out of the way, and Drennan entered by the back door, and
with a loaded butt drove the poor woman's spectacles into her
brain, as she sat reading. He then dragged her towards the ha I
door, that it might appear she had fallen down stairs. Drennati's
wife then went over to see that the foul deed was accomplished,
and ending that she still breathed, she chopped her face
nearly off with a spade. Circumstances came out which at.
cached suspicion to the nephew, and he was tried, but for want
of evidence was discharged on his own recognisance. Grimes
has since led a wretched life; and having been some time ago ar-
rested for some crime, she was put in gaol, fell dangerously ill, and
has made a full confession of tLe foregoing facts. She has since
got better, but still persists in her statement; and on her deposi-
tions Drennan and his wife have been arrested. For two years
subsequent to the murder, Drennan, though repeatedly sought for,
could not be found; and it is reported that Cowen, the nephew,
was killed in s drunken row shortly after the crime. But it is
earnestly hoped that the perpetrators of this diabolical deed will
soon be brought to deserved punishment.—Leinster Erpress.
EXECUTION AT YORK.—Between twelve and one
o'clock on Saturday Joseph Dobson, who was 25 years of age, was
executed behind the Castle at York, for the wilful murder of his
father, by shoting him at Mount Tabor, near Halifax, on the 4th
of July last. The usual procession accompanied him to the scaf-
fold, the burial service being read in an impressive manner. On
the termination of the funeral prayers, Mr. Salssn shook hands with
the culprit, saying, " Good by_ God bless you. Dobson ;" to which
he distinctly replied, " I am in His arms now." His lips con.
tinued moving in prayer until the executioner placed the cap upon
his head, and after adjusting the rope with much minuteness, the
bolt was drawn, and the poor fellow launched into eternity. His
struggles were scarcely perceptible.

.
60 LOSSAL. LONDoN.—AII admit Lor4:11 to be en-
titled to the appellation of " the great Metropolis ;" and yet few
arc, perhaps, aware of its really immense and colossal extent,
From a curious calculation it has been estimated that, to make
another metropolis, it would require 534 towns as large as Hunt-
ibgdon !-534 towns to make one city! Further, that 69 of the
principal cities and towns of England (including Liverpool, Bristol,
Birmingham, Nottingham, &c.) would not produce a popula ion
equal to that of Giant London, It is also calculated that a pope.
tion equal to that of the city of Salisbury, is added to London
every three months I.

PtBRIGHT.—DISCr/VERY OF OLD COINS.--On
Thur,day, the 4th instant, as William Russell tee, digger,
was boring for stone on the common, at the foot of the hills,
running from Itagahot to Fatni,m, he saw what he tLought,
on the surface, a button, but on ex,irritiation it pioved to be a
• ce•in of Eizaholt, 1505. On removing the earth, he toned
several others waich caused him to search digi.,nl.;3, arm he
discove,e:l Ititi pieces more in a god stale 01 preservation.
'they are all ,•1 Elizah-t It, L 65 and 1567 ; soiz e ”1 the size of
hall•crov.ns, others shill:ogs kixpene,s, all 4ver, but
much thinner than the prcsern. p.-rsol., hate
seat cheo since the 4th abo hive f.urirt twvio other
pieces. —ll,aidetune Gazette.
The. Berths Gf,zette of the 31 inst. publishes a
Cabinet order forbidding Prusian subjects to }lay at the gam-
ing-house of Coethen. The following are the. provisions
All such persons as shall play, or cause stages to be I,ayed for
their own account, whether for gain o not, shall he I.able to a
fine of from lu to 100 cr:iwt,, and on non-payment to itw iison-
ment for from 15 d.lys six months. Alt civil and military
officers may, in addition, accorduig to ci•cumistanee-, be•dis-
u. arged. . All students who shall play at the same house, er
shall cause any one to play for them, hall be expelled from the
University. •
SOUTH SEA FISHERY.—The Foxhound, of Lon-
don,-24th June, out twenty-6ve months, with 1,900 barrels. in
the Mozambique Channel, by the Charleston packet, arrived
at St. Helena. The Euphrates. of New Brunswick, nas at
Gallapagos in August last, with 300 barrels of sperm oil, leaky,
and with loss of sails.

CoALs.—The official returns show that the quantity
of coals imported into London. during the month of Decernher
was 295.700 tons, carried in,1,003 vessels. In comparing the
return of the present month with the eorresponJing month of
last year, we find an increase of 6,779 tons, but on the whole
year there is a decrease of 9440b0 tool!