The Sun.
London, England, 1821-12-25 00:00:00

FOR THE S.

THE BRITISH DRAMA.
MR. EniTog,---While the British Public is
gazing with disgraceful apathy orrthe • infamous
degradation of our country's Stage, it may not
be amiss to hear what foreigners say of us. I f
there oxist one spark of shame among English-
men, surely it must burst into flame,' when the
countrymen of SIIAKSPEARE are told that their
best theatrical performances are the Farces and
Interludes which they have borrowed from the
French !! ! I translate the following literally
from the " Constitutionel;" The Author is called
by the Editor his English Correspondent ; but
that he is an Englishman is at least, doubtful,
froth the mariner in which ,he speaks of the
French drama, in a part of his communication,
which I have not leisure to insert.
" Oar Theatres are in the most wretched state. Good taste
and common sense are totally banished from the two great
houses, Drury Lane and Covent Garden, At the latter, the
representation of " The Exile," is sure- to draw crowds; a
Melo-drama, in which, magnificence of ornament appears to
the worthy Public a sufficieni compensation for want of inven-
tion and idea; while the great works of our elder Poets, and
the excellent acting of YANNY,* are superseded. Crowds are
attracted, night after night, to Drury Lane, by. the monotonous
excitement of the ceremonies of the Coronation—you MORE
THAN SIX WEEKS NEITHER COMEDY NOR TRAGEDY HAS
BEEN PERFORMED. Painting and gilding, those are the
things which captivate, which seduce, which attract the people
of London !"

Any comment on this 'were'superfluous.
pudet hoc opprobria nobis
Et dici potuisse, et non.potuisse
- While I have my pen on paper, I will just
add, that I saw some time since a letter in your
Journal concerning me, signed 11. 11. The
writer's object, I confess, 1 am at a loss to com-
prehend : but he seems totally to have mistaken
mine, in objecting that I have indicated no re-
medy. I never professed to do so. All I wished
was to call the attention of Those persons to the
subject, whose experience might suggest, and
whose influence effect, a salutary reform of the
Stage. But if 11. IL will do me the honour to
give my former letters another perusal, I think
he will find that, whatever might be my pro-
fessed object, I certainly did point out several
remedies, the efficacy or expediency of 'which I
do not by any means, however, positively 'main-
tain; having merely thrown them out to excite
discussion on a subject of . vital importance to
British literature.

Before I conclude, allow me to express some
surprise that the Westminster Prologue and
Epilogue have not found out YOUR Poets' corner.
They have already appeared in the " Chronicle"
and the" Press," and I trust even yet to see
them forming no mean irradiations of THE SUN.
I am induced to notice them, because the Epi-
logue bears particularly on the point on which I
have troubled you, which it treats with all the
bitterness of insulted and indignant taste.
DRAMATICUS.

P.S. I should have stated that I have not
translated that part of the letter which ac-
cuses the English of bprrowing their best dramas
from the French, because it alludes to the manor
theatres, in which I feel little interested. These,
however, are stated by the French Journalist to
be the last asylum of persecuted and desperate
taste, and that, because the best French dramas
are acted on their boards !

** Want of room prevented the insertion of the Westmin-
ster. Prologue and Epilogue, but they shall forthwith appear.

So in the original. I suppose YouNo is meant.

NEWCASTLE BANK. —The following is the
total statement circulated of the affairs of the
Bank of Sir F. BLAKE, REED, and Co.:—
Amount of debts . . £406,164 14 8
Assets . 229,798 17 0

Deficit

176,365 17 8

Col. Reid's property valued at . 180,000 0 0
Sir F. Blake's do. do. 100,000 0 0

280,000 0 0
176,365 17 8

Leaving a balance in favour of the Dank of £103,634 2 4
(Durham Chronicle.)

The following notice appeared on Saturday in
the Discount-office at the Bank:— .
" Rank of England, Dec. 20, 1821.
" The Court of Directors have resolved to discount, froni this
day; bills and notes not having more than ninety-five days to
run, instead of sixty-five days, as heretofore."
HOAXING.—The system of lIOAX11•10 has been very con-
siderably extended of late through the labours and ingenuity of
" the Haera/ Pless." The ‘‘ big-radical writers have for some
time past been in the habit of complimenting each other on the
principle, " If you'll scratch me I'll scratch you ;" but the sys-
tem has latterly been carried to a much greater extent, and it is
now no uncommon thing for a writer of that school to prL•pare
an article complimentary to himself for insertion in a distant
paper, and to bribe the Editor of such paper to adopt the article
as his own. The system can be best e.ucidated by an example :
if, for instance, a newspaper be published in Durham, which,
after a long series of libellous attacks, should at length be
threatened with the penalties of the law, the writer of such pa-
per would (particularly if he desired a subscription in his be-
half) not only write a defence in his own paper, but in others
also. He would probably send an article into Devonshire, or
some other distant county, and after it had been published
there, copy it into his own Journal, with the addition of a pa-
ragraph recommending it to the notice of his readers, and as-
suring them that it would repay the task of perusal. Thus, in
the true style of a lottery puff, would they be drawn into the
reading of an article recommending the wished-for subscription.
After they had thus been put in possession of the Editor's de-
sire, he would carry on the hoax.in his next paper with a shew
of modesty, and would very likely declare that tinder no cir-
cumstances (perhaps, however, with the saving clause—except
of unavoidable necessity) could we accept the intended.kind-
ness." It is thus that the simple are gulled by the mock-pa-
tripts of the present day !—(Durham Advertiser,Dec. 22.)
We regret to learn • that party spirit has arrived at such
a pitch in Sunderland, that the friends of Mr. Lanibton
are withdrawing themselves from the Exchange, with an in-
tention to establish a separate News Room. Mr. Lamb-
ton has already disposed of his shares in the Exchange at
half their original cost, and his friends, we understand, are fol-
lowinghis example. This we suppose to be the reply of that
party to the wish expressed by Lord Stewart at Sunderland,
that all parties (without any sacrifice of their principles)
should unite hand and heart, and observe a neighbour-like and
gentlemanly conduct towards each other."—(lbid.)
We are sorry to find that the unprincipled labours of
certain dealers in deception have rendered the character of this
city somewhat notorious. We have observed of late, in several
of the London newspapers, paragraphs sent from this neigh-
bourhood, describing circumstances that never occurred,persons
who never lived, and buildings which never existed. There can
be little doubt that the authors of these falsehoods and forge-
ries consider themselves amazingly clever, in having thus un-
posed upon the London Journals ; but the time, perhaps, is not
far distant, when they will be held up to the execration of the
public ;_ for the publisher of one of the papers in question has
signified his intention to forward to Durham the letters he has
received, in the hope that the writers may be discovered, and as
strong suspicion attaches to certain individuals, the plan adopted
by the London Journalist is likely to lead to the wished-fbr
e xp osure.— (Ibid.)
NVe are glad to find that the gentlemen of this city, who
have been hitherto divided from the want of a sufficient news-
room, are about to unite in a large room in the building lately
erected on the scite of the old gaol. This union, which we trust
will add to the harmony of the town, will at least afford to the
subscribers the opportunity to read treble the number of news-
papers which they now see in any. one of the present . news
rooms, without mew:sing any additional expense,—(lbid.)

FasnioNABLE ARRIVAT.S.—The Duke of St. Alban's, in
St. James's-square, from Gatton, Surrey ; the Earl of West-
meath, at Buckingham House, Pall-mall, from Ireland; Lord
Glammis, in Great Cumberland-street, from Surrey ; J. Ding-
wall, Esq. in St. James's-street, from Scotland ; Sir Robert
and Miss Barclay, at the Bath Hotel, from Scotland ; Lady
William Bentinck, in Park-lane, from Brighton ; John En-
niker, at Long's Hotel, from Oxford ; Mr. and. Mrs. Hamil-
ton, in Weymouth-street; Mr. and Mrs. Patterson, and family,
in York-place.
DEPARTURES.--The Right Hon. Thomas Grenville, for
Althorpe, Northamptonshire ; F. Balfour, Esq., from the St.
James's Hotel, for Harts: Mr. and Mrs. Hodgson, from the,
London Hotel, for Acton Hall; Mr. and Miss Smith, from
Hodgson's Hotel, for Bath ; Spencer Kelderbie, Esq. from
Fenton's Hotel, fur Midford Ilall, Suffolk ; Captain Jones,
10th Hussars, from ditto, for Bath ; Earl of Clanricarde,
froip Long's Hotel, for Hampshire ; Augustus Newton, Esq.
from ditto, for Weymouth ; Colonel Willoughby
,Cotton, for
Lord Craven's.

His Royal Highness the Duke of York left London this
day for the Earl of Westmorland's seat at Apthorpe, North-
anivonshire; on a shooting party.
I esterday the Duke of Gloucester left town for Bagshot.
His Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex entertained a large
party to dinner yesterday at Kensington Palace.
The Marquess and Marchioness of Londonderry are on a
visit to Lady Suffieid, at Gunton, Norfolk.
Count and Countess St. Antonio are spending their holidays
at Brighton.
Sir S. Hulse entertains a laity at Chelsea College this day.
The Earl and Countess Temple leave Town to-morrow for
the Marquess of Buckingham's seat, Stowe, for the holidays.
Count and Countess Lieven have issued cards of invitation
for a dinner party, on Thursday, at their residence in Harley-
street.

Lord Eardley has invited a large party to keep up the festi-
vities of Christmas at- his residence, Brighton. -
The Marquis of Hertford has invited a large party to Sud-
bourne, Stiftlk, to spend the holidays.
The Earl. and Countess of Galloway are keeping up the fes-
tivities of older times, at Galloway-house, North Britain.
Messrs. Chapman and Co. of the North and South Shields
Bank, have purchased the extensive premises lately knoWn as
the Tyne Bank, at Newcastle, where they are about to be joined
by one of the Messrs. Gurney, from Norfolk.—(Durham Ad-
vertizer.)

Sir henry and Lady Emily Hardinge passed through Dur-
ham city on Wednesday evening, on their way to IVynyard,
where, we understand, they arc engaged to participate in the
festivities of Christmas.

. . ,
- THE NORTHUMBERLAND MASONIC FESTIVAL.—A Pro-
vincial Grand Lodge for this province will be held on Thurs-
day next at Newcastle-on-Tyne, by command of the R. W.
D. P. G. M. Sir M. W. Ridley; Bart. M.P.
The GATESHEAD UNION LODGE, No. 41, meet on the
27th instant, to instal the Reverend Brother Wasney,
and the other Officers of that Lodge. ,

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