The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-05 00:00:00

(FROM THE JOHN BULL.)

It has been said that Mr. Stephenson's pursuits
were incompatible with the profession of a banker—
that he encouraged and associated with theatrical
people and professional singers, that he expended
money in pictures, and that he frequented the play-
houses, in some of which he had private boxes; let
the man stumble, and there are never wanting those
who will dead him the helping hand.do►vnwards;
but without pretending. to know any thing of Mr•.
Stephenson's affairs more than our neighbours, we
cannot avoid expressing our firm conviction, thftt
however criminal the encouragement of the liberal
arts and professions may appear in the city, Mr.
Stephenson's patronage of either pictorial or histri-
onic artists could have nothing to do with the em-
barrassments into which he must have fallen to in-
duce such conduct as that with which he stands
charged ; and we must be permitted to add further,
that if the dispersion of a little of the profits of mer-
cantile life is t 9 be allowed for matters of taste and re-
finement, Mr. Stephenson's constant protection and
support of native • talent in both the professions
which he is said to have favoured, can surely be
little more blameable than the patronage, some-
what more costly and a' great deal less national,
which we find many others of his calling lavishly
beitowing upon the pretensions of foreigners. With
respect to Mr. Stepheirson'S association with actors,
it would greatly puzzle the most profoand searcher
for causes to discover how his receiving at his table
some of the leading members of the theatrical world
could condace to his difficulties. The actors who
were in the habit of associating with Mr. Stephen-
son, along with others of his acquaintance, were of"
the highest class of the profession; men whose
manners and conversation, perhaps enlivened by
physical powers, and a greater command of those
powers than falls to the lot of strictly private indi-
viduals, are unexceptionable; and whose private
lives would bear as strict a scrutiny as any others of
Mr. Stephenson's associates of much more lofty
bearing. It is due to the stage to say this ; and we
say it with the greater pleasure, because we know
that certain works of fiction, in which the low and
disreputable part of the theatrical profession, have,
in fictitious characters, and imaginary personifica-
tions, been satirized and ridiculed, have had the
effect, (or are said to have had the effect) of degrad-
ing the characters of the actors of the present day—
however irrelevant such a disquisition may appear
in this place to some, .to us it seems to he due to
those, to an association with whom Mr. Rowland
Stephenson's ruin is openly attributed in the city,
to say that such satire and such ridicule, however
well merited by the dregs of the p►•ofessiou—(and
what profession has not its " black sheep I;.'') never
can affect, as it never could have been intended to
effect, those actors who, treading in the footsteps
of the Kembles, (who began thq course), have raised
the character of the British stage to a point of respec-.
tability it never before mentioned. After saying

this, it would be invidious to uatne those actors who
were the personal acquaiutances of Mr. Stephenson,
we are therefore silent; and 110%N-ever little they may
need this explanation to that portion of society
which do not know them, we have sincere pleasure
in making it for own gratification, since we do.