The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-30 00:00:00

PRUSSIAN DUTES.

Mr. M. MILNES seeing the Right Hon. Baronet at
the head of her Majesty's Government in his place,
wished to put a question to him with respect to a subject
that had excited great interest among his constituents.
It was with regard to the report which had been circulated
by the German Commercial League that the Prussian
Government intended to propose an increased duty on the
cotton and worsted manufacturesof England. He wished
to know whether the Right Hon. Baronet ,had re-
ceived any information from the Prussian Government
on the subject.
Sir R. PEEL said that he had received an intima-
tion of the report to which the Honourable Gentleman
had alluded ; it had come froth Frankfort, but not iu
an official form, considering the subject of great im-
portance, he had that day had an interview with the
Prussian Minister, who had stated to him that he had
received no intimation whatever from his Government on
the subject of cotton or woollen goods. He had, however,
received an intimation with respect to the article of iron.
He could give no assurance with respect to the future ;
but the Prussian Minister had told him a few hours ago,
that he had received no information from his Govern-
ment on the subject, while he expressed his concurrence
with him (Sir R. Peel), that he hoped there was no foun-
dation whatever for the rumour. He repeated, that he
would give no assurance with respect to the future,
but he should say that it would be deeply to be lamented
if, after the great favour shown to Prussia and the other
States on the borders of the Baltic, we were not met by
a corresponding spirit with that which had dictated the
alterations in our tariff.
JUSTICES JURISDICTION BILL.

On the motion of Mr. MANNERS SUTTON this
Bill went through Committee, was read a third time, and
passed.

THI DRAMA.

Lord MAHON rose to call the attention of the House
to the petition relating to the drama, which he had pre-
sented in the course of last month, and which had since
been printed with the Votes. That petition was signed by
all, or nearly all the dramatic authors of this country. The
petitioners stated that many of them were emulous of
pursuing the higher branches of their art, but
were deterred by the condition in which it
was placed. They had heard with regret, uni-
versal complaints of the decay_ of, the drama
and they despaired of its regeneration until the laws
which affected it had been taken into the consideration
of the House, and adapted to the intelligence of the age.
He should say that he thought the complaints of the
petitioners were well founded ; although he did not then
wish to pledge the House to any special remedy for the
existing evil. The origin of the evil was, he believed, to
be traced to the patents which had been granted by Charles
11. to his favoured courtiers for their emolument,
and without any reference to the public advantage
The Crown lawyers were consulted on the subject of
patents in the reign of William and Mary, and they held
that patents were not in the nature of charters. But
those patents served as the foundation for the statute-law
which at present regulated the drama, the first statute
on the subject was that of Geo. IL, commonly called the
Licensing Act, which was just in principle and objection-
able only in details. This Act provided that every actor
who performed without a certain place of residence,
should be treated as a rogue and a vagabond. The uext
Act was the 25th of Geo. 11., Chap. 26, and this was
the Act by which the drama was at present regulated.
It was called an Act for regulating disorderly houses. '
Such was the law under which the countrymen of
Shakspeare and Milton were willing that their drama
should be governed. The enactments of this law were every
was worthy of its title ; it inflicted a penalty of
50/. on actors not complying with` its conditions,
a penalty which the proverbial poverty of actors
rendered a dead litter, and only allowed two
theatres, Drury lane and Covent-garden, but allowed
houses for music and dancing. It was a law no longer
effectual for performing its intentions, but which might be
called into operation, in order to sanction acts of injustice.
The Noble Lord then referred to the Report of the in-
spectors of prisons, to show that the amount of crime,
particularly in Lancashire, was augmented by the
public entertainments exhibited in the country, and
said that it was most essential that some enactment
should take place for the better regulation of
the drama. It would be most desirable that no fer-
mentod liquors should be allowed to be drank in places
devoted to dramatic entertainments. The state of
morals in their theatres could not be attributed to the
morals of the country, for the drama was better regu-
lated in other countries, where morals were more loose.
He did not say that the two great theatres were not en-
titled to some privilege, but that was a matter for full
deliberation and inquiry, but of this he was certain,
that the mode in which the monopoly existed,
at present was against the public interest. A better
state of things was necessary. By the present arrange-
ment the small theatres were debarred from receiv-
ing certain plays because they could not perform them.
Sir Walter Scott was opposed to the monopoly
of the patent theatres. That monopoly was inju-
rious to all parties—to the proprietors, the ma-
nagers, and the public. It was well known that
Mr. Charles Matthews had lost considerably during his
management at Covent-garden, and Mr. Macready, it ap-
peared, was a loser during the last season at Drury-Line.
He therefore put it to the House whether this was a
state of things that ought to be suffered to continue.
He did entertain a hope that at a moment of
more leisure the subject would recieve the conside-
ration of the Government. But no measure
would prove satisfactory, in which the licensing depart-
ment was not also a matter of consideration ; he thought
the power of the licenser ought to be more limited,
and if maintained, it should at least be differently
exercised. lie also thought that the appointment ought
not to be in the gift of the Lord Chamberlain,
but of the Government. The manner in which
he was remunerated was also objectionable.—(Hear.)
He was desirous that the country should be great in arts
as well as in arms, and he hoped that her Majesty's
Government would do everything they could to rescue
the stage from its present state of degradation
and decline, and that that justice would be done to the
dramatic authors of the country which they enjoyed
themselves. The Noble Lord concluded by moving
for copies of any communications which have been ad-
dressed upon this subject to the Secretary of State for
the Home Departmen, in the course of the present year.
Mr. G. KNIGHT seconded the molion. The conclu-
sion to which the Noble Lord had arrived was nearly
the same at that to which a Committee, of which
he was a member, and which sat about ten
years ago on the subject, had arrived. With
respect to the law of Copyright relative to dramatic
authors, lie believed it subjected them to greater hard-
ships than any other class- of authors, because they
were obliged repeatedly to drive hard bargains, and then
they had great difficulty to get their money ; besides this,
they were subject to piracy from the provincial theatres.
The law in France was different from the law in this
country. In France no party was allowed to have a
piece acted at a theatre wtihout having pre-
viously had•the consent of the author. The Committee
which had sat upon the subject, had conic to the decision
that it would be advisable to pass a similar enactment
in this country. But whatever might be the remedy
for the existing evils which the House might adopt, there
could be no doubt that dramatic literature was entitled
to their countenance and protection.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM confessed that he had not
paid the same attention to the subject then before the
House as tha Noble Lord and the Hon. Gentleman who
had preceded him. The question appeared to be one
of some difficulty, as neither the Noble Lord nor the
Hon. Gentleman had been able to form any decided
opinion as to the course it would be desirable to adopt.
[LEFT SPEAKING.]