The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-02-07 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL SUBSCRIPTION CONCERTS.

To M. JAUES ASHTON.
SIR,—In the Standard of' yesterday, in reply to a letter
which appeared in the last Albion, relative to the system of
" packing" which has been pursued at your concerts, you
have, with more cunning than wisdom, confined your'expla-
nations to the entertainment of the 28th ultimo ; and, in ex-
tenuation of the charge of undue preference, you are pleased
to say, that on that occasion the best seats were occupied
before the time announced for opening the doors, by parties
who had obtained admission. through the stage door, you
could almost have said without your knowledge, hut cer-
tainly without your consent. And this circumstance you
give us to understand was purely accidental, and attributable
to your casual absence from the Theatre—on your return to
which, to use your own words, you " found the lobbies com-
pletely filled, and on the private door being opened, the
crowd rushed in so eagerly, that it was useless to offer re-
sistance; and a great majority being ladies, it was impossible
to indulge in such an act of cruelty as to turn them back into
the street. There was then no alternative but to open the
front doors, which was done with as little delay as possible'
Now, sir, without adverting to your awkward confusion of
the ladies with an eager rushing crowd, by which I do not
think they will feel flattered, I will simply call attention to
the statement which you have been pleased to make.
1 am aware that it would be drawing too largely on human
virtue, to expect that a man should be gratuitously candid
when candour would condemn him. But you had your choice
of two courses, viz., either to remain silent respecting, or to
reply to the letter of " Fairplay." You adopted the latter
alternative, and having done so, and ventured to offer ming-
led apologies and excuses in your defence, it is only reason-
able to expect that such vindication should be consistent
with the circumstances, as they are known to the public,
which it is meant to palliate.
If this be admitted, and I do not think you can deny it,
your letter ought not to satisfy the subscribers to your con-
certs. You drop half the cause of complaint, and what you
do condescend to notice, you rather mystify than answer.
You must speak out in plain English, and to the question.
They who have paid you their money have the right to re-
quire this of you.

It is not by any means probable that ladies who proceed to
the theatre as subscribers only, and not enjoying the patronage
of any fiddler or other member of the orchestra, would seek
admittance at the stage door. Indeed, it seems that you
lacked assurance to assert this, for you content yourself by
observing that the parties who occupied the best seaN had
obtained admission ALMOST without your knowledge. What
you mean by this phrase I cannot understand, but connecting
it with the subsequent statements, that the lobbies were
" completely filled," and that there was an irresistible rush,
it is pretty evident that the people, " principally ladies,"
who had gained clandestine access almost without your know-
ledge, were rather numerous.

Since explanations seem to cost you such little trouble, I
wish you would inform us from what circumstances it hap-
pened that all the good places in the house were occupied
before the public doors were opened on the two former occa-
sions, which are curious coincidences. Why were Mrs. and
the Misses A. B. C. and D. allowed to enter by the stage
door half an hour before the public doors were opened? And
why were Mr. and Miss E., who, seeing the entry of the fa-
voured individuals, 'natty in number, and following them,
told, (Per inquiry of their names, that they could not be
admitted by that entrance. but must return?

As to your offer of private explanation to any subscriber, re-
garding the "apparent" partial admissions at the first two
concerts, as limited to ten persons on one, and twenty on the
other, occasion, I cannot allow such a flourish to pass, though
charity induces me to refrain from commenting upon it. An
illnatnred man might have seized the opportunity to recom-
mend greater attention to facts in your future statements.
The truth of all that I have alleged can be attested by many
who witnessed the circumstances. And whether or not you
may deem it prudent to attempt a reply, I presume that at
least you will take care that similar causes of complaint shall
not exist at the concluding entertainment. Should a third
of the audience again obtain surreptitious entry almost with-
out your knowledge, and completely fill the lobbies, I would
suggest either that the private door be not opened at all, or
that there may be less delay in opening the public one.—
Yours, &c., A SUBSCRIBER.
Everton, sth February.

EFFECT OF MILD TREATMENT OF LUNATICS.—It will be
recollected that we lately gave extracts from the last report
of the visiting justices forming the committee of the Hanwell
Lunatic Asylum, in which reference was more particularly
made to the great changes in the management, since the ap-
pointment of Dr. Conolly to the important office of resident
physician. • It Words to us, as we are sure it will to all the
friends of Dr. Conolly in this part of the country, very great
satisfaction to learn that, at the recent Westminster sessions,
the chairman (Serjeant Adams) stated from the bench, "that
the old system of coercion and restraint adopted at the Han-
well Lunatic Asylum had, since the appointment of the
present physician (Dr. Conolly) been altogether abandoned,
and one of mildness and kind treatment substituted. The
result had been that many unfortunate patients, whose re-
copery was deemed hopeless, had been cured and restored to
their friends." Who can estimate the feelings of the bene-
volent physician of such a result of his humane and enlight-
ened experiment ? May Providence prolong his life and
and prosper all his endeavours to
health for mans' years,
ameliorate the sufferings of those of our unfortunate fellow-
creatures who are visited by the most calamitous affliction of
human nature—an affliction to which all are liable, in the
mysterious dispensations of heaven!—Warwick Advertiser.
ONE OF FATHER MATHEW'S MIRACLES !—The " Apos-
tle," as he is styled, visited Kilkenny on Saturday for the
purpose of administering " the cure" in that district.
Thousands congregated to have a view of his " angelic."
countenance ; but it appears the pressure was so great that
a stout peasant, of about five-and-twenty years of age, was
forcedinto the pasage which had been cleared for the pro-
cession. This enraged one of the members of the society to
such a degree that he struck the unfortunate fellow a violent
blow on the head with his wand. The blood of the assaulted
rose, and he was about to take vengeance for the blow, when
Father Mathew, hearing the noise, suddenly turned about.
The young man's arm was uplifted to revenge the injury, but
the moment he perceived the rev. gentleman looking at him,
the arm, dropped motionless by his side! " A miracle ! a mira-
cle shouted the people, and, what is more, the local journal
of the people harked in with the cry ; and thus has the fact
been narrated, in almost the very words we have used, for
the edification of the faithful all over the kingdom ! Will
succeeding generations believe that such a story as this could,
have been credited by any one in so enlightened au era as the
nineteenth" Century ?—Limerick Standard.