The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-09 00:00:00

CITY OF LONDON THEATRE.

Mr. Wilsone, late of the Haymarket, has become
the lessee of this pleasant little theatre, and has very
j udic iously placed it under the management of Mrs.
Walter Lacy. Free trade in the drama is already
begirming to produce its effects. At Sadler's Wells
Shakspeare has extinguished Ainsworth. Lessons of
virtue have superseded lessons of crime—genuine
poetry has taken the place of bombast and absurdity—
Jack Sheppard has been deposed and Hamlet reigns
in his stead. At the City of London a change of a
very similar nature has taken place, the only differ-
ence 1 that while Melpomene is the goddess to
vvhos worship Sadler's Wells is devoted, the City of
London Theatre is the temple par excellence of her
sister' Thalia. An excellent comedy company has
been, engaged, and the theatre opened on Monday—
not as of yore with Dick Turpin, nor any drama of
the flush, swindling, or blue fire school—but with
The School for Scandal, with Mrs. Walter Lacy as
Lady Teazle. In making these observations, it is far
from .our intention to cast any reflections on the
former managers of these establishments: they did but
as the then law compelled them to do, and the law
and it 3 makers and upholders were alone in fault. It
was said by the supporters of monopoly that the
people have no taste, that they preferred spectacle and
nonsense, and that the legitimate drama would never
pay at a minor theatre. Let the brilliant success of
Sadler's Wells, raised solely by the legitimate drama
from the very depths of ruin to respectability and
prosperity—let the crowded audience at the City of
London on Monday answer the calumny. The fact
is, the people have infinitely more taste for genuine
poetry than the aristocracy. They love, they
understand, they appreciate Shakspeare ; they
are proud of him too—he was one of
themsdves ; he speaks at once to their hearts,
for they have hearts to speak to ; while, for
the lu;curious and the super-refined, Shakspeare is as
a sealed book—he is too intellectual for them ; they
require excitements more sensual to rouse them from
their apathy. We were delighted with the attention
which was exhibited on Monday during the whole of
the performance of the comedy. It was acted through-
out very respectably—in parts admirably. Seldom
has Sheridan's chef d'ouvrc been performed to a more
crowded, never to a more attentive, audience. We
shall watch the progress of Mr. Wilsone's praiseworthy
experiment with great interest, and he has our best
wishes for its success.

A HUNTSMAN'S ADVENTURES.—A couple of goblets
worth 501., with 251. in addition, were last week pre-
sented. to " Will Long," the celebrated huntsman to the
Duke of Beaufort, at a dinner at Petty France, by a
number of gentlemen in the habit of joining the Bad-
minton hounds. In returning thanks for his health
having been drunk, Long said—" For thirty-six years I
have been connected with the noble pack of hounds be-
longing to his Grace, and I amused myself the other
day in making some calculations on the subject. The
result is that, during the years mentioned, I have ridden
100,000 miles.—(Cheers.) The number of leaps and
hairbreadth escapes I have had are beyond calculation.
—(Laughter.) I have been in at the death of 3,000 foxes.
But, gentlemen, this is not all. I have a favourite old
horse, which you all know well—he is now twenty-five
years of age—who has carried me seventeen seasons,
and over a distance of 12,000 miles and more ; and
though he is now, like myself, somewhat the worse for
wear, he was all right last season, and those that kept
his company did not lose much of the fun."— British'
Mercury.

SIR JAMES GRAHAM AND SUNDAY TRADING.-
From our report of the last meeting of the Sheffield
Town Council, our readers are aware that Sir James
Graham objected to several of the bye-laws passed
by the Council, and submitted to the Home Secre-
tary for her Majesty's approval. Amongst the
rest, the one referring to Sunday trading was
rejected, in consequence of which memorials were
forwarded from the officers of the Wesleyan
and Congregational Sunday School Union, praying
the Right Hon. Secretary to confirm the decision of
the Town Council. The following is Sir J. Graham's
reply :—Whitehall, 17th September, 1844.—Sir, I am
directed by Secretary Sir James Graham, to acknow-
ledge the receipt of your letter of the 26th instant, in-
closing a memorial from the officers of the Wesleyan and
Congregational Sabbath School Unions in the borough
of Sheffield, on the subject of Sunday trading within the
borough ; and I am to inform you, that Sir J. Graham
has felt it his duty to object to the bye. law proposed by
the Town Council of Sheffield on this subject, as the
existing law is sufficient to prevent the practice com-
plaineEl of, and renders the enactment of local regulations
unnecessary.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,

H. MANNERS SUTTON..
To Alder= G. Tatou. --Shcificid