The Sun.
London, England, 1811-11-22 00:00:00

A .11ERICd ri T 1 1 .14:: 4:lldari 1.5.....,

The sol)joioed Letter, lola an Aator of v±ty
reqpeoable talenti, gives a very ineleinch,lly picture
of A.41.544M1 Titcatr4c4iikiii.ce 7 7:

.~...-..

" New Yotic, tSit
" It bai,iong ben my inteniiith tiaM6stribe tai t tip
different- Cortilianies it Great P,ritsin, the state. ut
Theatricals in this country, and as it has fallen
A.,-r the lot of. a more persrin, think it, a duty
I owe ,Eny Ountrymen to prevent their beitig
swindled and unposed upon in anyengagement they

!nay, maltefirr this Continent. The oppEesiion of
Managers, who by a vile combination, are enabled
to distress
,and insult Performers of the fir,t abili-
ties, is dreadful ; and 0)641 the citizens ewou,se
the part of•Actofs (which is seldom thecae, inflOs
he is an American) the Managers pnrify them by the
proMise of London Atiors of superior_ talent. The
delusive hope of gain may tempt many, a,; it did
me, to Wave their country, who, it th 6, knew the-
variou4 difficulties _they have to enconntet, wodid
prefer in-England the meanest situation in a Provin-
cial l'hentre.
•

In my engagement for. Charlestown, Theatres
were tnentioned which were.not in extstoce;
at thesend of six months the Company had to,tr.,-“:i
Several hundred piles to the Nol th, Oleic to cnj,,)
;' a bare existence and on returning, what thcir
situation, after a journey of IW'rlVe hundred rr4es

in a state of povert) ? The• Managers not arri'qd,
left ,to the, mercy of, a brot.ll' Captain, who derlideo
the baggage for payment, who would scatetly.ati4w.
the women a change of 'men tor their chikiren; 441 e
yel:ow fever, which that
,season—eatriect-otf every
strainer in the city, had scarcely subsided"-erstn „in
the month- of November

" Poor Hatton, Etta elf the flayinarket, died about
IS week before 'we Art and stcti,. is the nature
of the strangers'level, that temper: ace is nn prol.
tedion, as Frenchmen and were the:. first
that died, and the natives dare.not move from: town
to country.

Philadelphia Theatre, which was the only
comfortable one on Continent, has now, by a
change of management, become completely there-
verse.; none but sycophant sneakers and latqueys,
ate encouraged ; per,one .of ,an independent spirit
are discharged, wild have been fourteenlears.. in
the Company ; salaries greatly reduced, and the re-
mainder in dingerof confiscation, by excessive fines
and regulation, ; for example, any Gentleman who
,speaks to the Manager about businesi, in the Green-
room, and does not take off his ,hat, • must •pay. one
•

" The number of Performers of talent now out of
engagements, who 'have been discharged. to make
room 'for novelty, who in their turn share the same
fate; is so great, that they 'have been endeavouring
to raise another Theatre„,' but from want Of -funds,
the-business has dropped, andibose who' promised
their assistance have loa their •situations. Theafri-
cals are wholly excluded. from• many parts of this
count ry, . and where there are Quaker conibitiatiOtiS;
or Methodist corporations, pooi Thespis finds
protection, although in some places they hiVe no
objection to receiving the Wages ,of sin, and any
person, by paying for a lieense, is at lihetty togive
a Lecture on Phibisophy, or chi?ice a Monkey. In
one place, an artist for .exit ibiting A pitittre v. as threat-
cried by the colleetor. wills a proNecutiGn ; the painter
who knew the 'American GovdrnMent, boasted of
encouraging home manufaattres, replied, it was ex-

eeuied in this country, and That paining was one
Of the arts ; he waS informed they knew. of no:art,
but that of making money. An untettnnate Vine-
rintand his bear passing through the same place,
!and innocently amusing-the company, were seized
on by the unmerciful claw olihe Corporation Losir,
and both sent to prison, as the.,/ lisd .not paid:,2o.dol-
lars for a license; however, they compromised, arid
•by-presentlng what they.receiVed, these iroor'Come-
dians were both set at liberty, singing %"-Hair, Co.
happy! 'Land," and Yankee Doodle," An
P.:nglishinnuidarenot speak 'on navies, tur of
ioSrilti•and •is tteatedt with trore linerality by. a
Frerichnian, though on enemy, thani ib6,e •who
area' iffort of conntrymen,
Aritericrins it) the Southern States, possessing
staites,open their tnbuths the widest, on tilt cry of
liberty. Hospitality. is !known hut 'in few 'parti, and
avarice, which; in a -degree, exists in every Country,
hei: seems to absoeb all other •paistons,-friendship,
and even lnve itself;! so much for the land' Of liberty.
The profession of en Atter," except by some few
Gentlemen, is held in contempt; .but an • Ae.tress,
hOWever virtuous, is getleinny -shunned by ladies ;
se‘jecal London etiors•have in 'part 'failed in thiS
country ;• Mr. D. Min!, performed at Trrniy-lane,
and who, I understand, is now going to the West
Indies, did eery little in Philadelphia, as the audience
had been accustomed to see a American Aelor, and
Who is now Manager, play in the same line, and
whom time and address had enablecilii-form rimy
frietids.; for generosity and goOd inatnre,lhongh
linked to Merit, are here fiver'-watched by fraud and
intrigue. ' •
If the report of` Mr. Cooke's engagement the
correta, viz.-twenty-five gnitteait per week, from
the day lie sailed, to play firr •a few months in any
Theatre he was required, he was grossly. imposed
noWn.• • Mr: Cooke played to gond houses at Phila-
delphia and. Baltimore; hut at his' fast benefit in
New Volk,' I understand he had not the xpences.
Any London ACior of eminence, who might wish
to visit:this country, had better nm•make Isis
gagements till he arrives on thesipot. ln Baltimore,
last season, every perforther but one lost by their
benefits; and it often happens that a.stt of Tum-
blers or Floro-tiders, ruin the benefits.
" first season I was in New York, every one
(the'ntatei-excepterl), lost, and the salaries are
net_serlicient to live on, as they have but one The-
ailfe,sl.Viiia is 6tcised three months in the year.
'Th'elleeessaries of life are exoi bitantly dear ; a coat
0s 'near antne,Poutt(ls sterling ;! and I frankly own
'ici.roThr, that with two professions, and five years
'experience,, my circutnstaiices are not -near so gi4Xl
,64-Ithey were in England, and I believe those who
are ac*ainted with me must know, that extrava-
gance, or want of indestry, cannot` be laid to my
charge.., I paid my-passage-Ira' this country, and
`w_ilhrit.44.aii. in my power to,. pay_ it back' again.. If
an Aaur tirkilas'a thousand tIOILITS, little more than

4

• .
MAS W 001), a No. 35, N141,1c3;.
; bv \V ILLIA \-1 Alt NI IcER p! • sunlit 1,,71,3it0n. sm., et, GNsvc.,„.v°r,i_..-scit,a-r!'----''
Stra4d. vlitaa--:Livolistiner.44. 0 i4t, s
e Ler,c.... for tbe. litsr.. -: . - k