The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-10 00:00:00

HISSING AT THEATRES.

The following letter upon the above subject is extracted
from the columns of a contemporary :
Sir,—To afford a strong motive for hissing and yet to
forbid a man to hiss is, to my thinking, a gross inconsis-
tency in a manager. It is absurd, not to say inhuman. The
right to hiss is inherent in a British audience, and in
every unit of it. Hoar what a groat judicial luminary has
laid down upon the subject. Sir James (afterwards Lord)
Mansfield, summing up in the fatuous case of Clifford v.
Brandon, reported in 2d Campbell's Report, p. 365, thus
disposed of the matter:—" The audience have certainly a
right to express by applause or hisses the sensations which
naturally present themselves at the moment, and nobody
has ever hindered or would ever question the exercise of
that right." Such is the law of sibilation, and, for my
part, I mean to stand upon the law. If a man gets in
upon an order it is perhaps desirable that, as a
matter of good taste, he should pocket his indignation
with the cash ho has saved. The rule which
Precludes beggars from being choosers may also dis-
qualify them from being hissers; but surely the
man who pays his money may have his hiss.
It is all nonsense to talk about giving back their money
to people discontented with the performance ; a man
doesn't go to the play to have his money returned ; he
goes to be amused, and if he is not amused he has a griev-
ance, whether ho is a pecuniary loser or not. Besides,
even regarded from this point of view, the remedy would
not be complete unless one's cab hire and incidental ex-
penses wore refunded as well as the price of admission.—
I am, sir, yours very obediently, SIBILATOR.
Feb. 4.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The Spring half-yearly change of quarters will
be made on the 4th of next month, viz. :—Grena-
dier Guards—First battalion from Windsor to the
new wing of the Wellington Barracks; 2d battalion
from Chelsea and St. George's Barracks to the old
wing of the Wellington, Buckingham Palace, and
Kensington Barracks ; 3d battalion from the Wel-
lington Barracks and out-quarters to Dublin. Cold-
stream Guards-Ist battalion from Dublin to Chel-
sea and St. George's Barracks ; 2d battalion from
the Tower to Windsor. Scots Fusilier Guards-
-Ist battalion from Chelsa Barracks to the Tower;
2d battalion from the new wing of the Wellington
Barracks to Chelsea Barracks. _ _

It is expected that the sth Dragoon Guards will
leave Colchester for Aldershot some time next
month. It is not yet known what regiment will
succeed them.
The examination of candidates for commissions
in the Medical Department of the army com-
mence at Chelsea Hospital this morning, under the
superintendence of Major-General W. C. E. Napier,
Vice-President, and the members of the Council of
Military Education.
Yesterday an order was received at the head-
quarters of the Ist division Depot Brigade, Royal
Artillery, for a detachment of 180 non-commissioned
officers and gunners to proceed from the 3d divir
sion, at Warley, to augment the strength of the
Ist division.
On Saturday Major-General R. Wilbraham
C. 8., Governor and Commandant of the Royal
Victoria Hospital, at Netley, paid a visit of inspec-
tion to the General Hospital at Fort Pitt, Chatham,
together with the Lunatic Hospital and medical
establishment, over which he was conducted by the
medical staff attached to the hospital.
Her Majesty's Indian troopship Euphrates left
Bombay on the Ist inst., with troops for Suez.
They will be brought from Alexandria to England
in the Serapis.

Her Majesty's screw iron troopship Simoom,
Captain Thomas Lethbridge, arrived at Spithead
early on Sunday morning, on her return to Ports-
mouth from a round of troop relief service on the
home station.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge
entertained a largo party of military officers at dinner on
Friday, at Gloucester House, Park-lane.
His Excellency the Marquis d'Azeglio relin-
quishes his appointment as Italian Minister Plenipotentiary
at the Wirt vi §t. bum uot Louth.