The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-09-10 00:00:00

THE DRAMA..

Miss fluddart's benefit took place at the Theatre fast night.
The performances were, M "The Bride of Lammermoor," " r.
and Mrs. Pringle," and "The Fails of Clyde." On this occa-
sion, Mr. Mackay, from the Edinburgh Theatre, made his
appearance as Caleb Balder.qone, and was loudly greeted on
his entri on the stage. This character is one that requires
scarce any other talent in the performer than that of speak-
ing "guid braid Scotch," a fairgaaye that Mr. Mackay appears
perfectly master of; but we must take some other opportunity
of seeing him in a more prominent one. Miss lluddart's Lucy
.Chton was exceedingly good. Soon after the commencement
or the performances, the pit filled, .and the boys presented a
tolerabiy good show of ladies. For Miss -Huddart's sake, who
is really a good actress, we could have wished to have seen
them more crowded—as dines gó, we suppose we must call this
a good benefit.
Miss Huddart, in the character of Millwood, in the play of
"George Barnwell," received, on Saturday, a compinnent
from a sailor that reminds us of the painter who copied fruits
Si) naturally as to deceive even the birds. Thoroughyood, having
been informed by Millwood's servants that. their mistress had
persuaded Barnwell to murder his uncle, enters tier
_house to
expostulate with her on this act of wickedness; immediately
before his entry, Millwood had quitted the scene, and on his
impatiently and indignantly asking where she was, honest
Jack exclaimed from the gallery, "The has nut left the
house, there she is!" pointing to the place where she had
made her exit. A loud laugh and a round of applause followed
this unpremeditated, natural, and. therefore, genuine ebullition
of feeling, which was as flattering to the actress as it was to
the unsophisticated character of her nautical auditor.

MORE SWINDLING LETTERS.
The indefatigable parties who have rendered No. 178, Fleet-
street almost as celebrated as ever was No. 37, have again made
their appearance before us in a new garb. In our last number we
exhibited a Mr. W. H. Morris inquiring the character of a M r. J.
Spencer, from an eminent mercantile house of this town, on the
25th April last. This Mr. J. Spencer roust have been of the
übiquitous genus for we find that, whilst he had been residing
"for eighteen months, commencing in the early part -of 1830,"
with the parties last referred to, we have him also living pre-
cisely "for eighteen months, commencing iu the early part of
1830;" with another eminent house of this town, whose letter is
now before us. This also bears date the 23th of April. Mr.
Morris's acquaintance among members of the honorable house
would seem to he rather extensive; as on the 27th of April the
first mentioned letter was passed through the Post-office, "free,"
under the real or forged frank of Sir J. Campbell, his Majesty's
Solicitor-General; and on the same 27th of April the letter to.
which we now more particularly refer had the seine good for-
tune, bearing the frank, also real or forged, of " Grantley F.
Berkeley. How or where, if real, these franks were obtained,
think deserving Of inquiry. If forged, the evidence,of Post-
ofli..e clerks on ,ifsnatures. will be of diminished value in
Goats of Justice.

Sta,—An opinion has become very general amongst the mer-
chants that the profits arising from the publishing of the " Bill
of Entry" at this port are distributed in a manner advantageous
to the Customs' clerks here, and which has arisen principally
from the ad captandum vulgus of the motto, " Customs' Bene-
volent Fund." I therefore deem it necessary to undeceive them
on this point; and the more especially from the well known
fact that such an opinion has been 'a fruitful source of emolu-
ment to the patentee. lam induced to do this on the ground
of justice both to the clerks and merchants; the former being
traduced, and the latter deceived thereby.
That the patentee, or those now interested in the "Bill" have
aright to publish,,is not disputed; but it is doubted, and they
have yet to prove, that they have a vested right to expose the
private transactions of the merchants, by giving written infor-
mation of the exports, including the names of the respective ship-
pers, such information not being given in the " Bill' itself, and
therefore not being public information. This kind of informa-
tion, however, having been found highly beneficial to the fund
and to the clerks who are connected therewith, it is not difficult
to know why their authority has never been made public, nor
why they have evaded inquiry into the subject. In the year
1822 the " Bill of Entry" was simply stated to be published
"by the autlority of the King's Letters Patent." In the year
1833, since the death of the late lamented Mr. Cruickshank,
this authority is omitted, and it is stated to be published for the
benefit of the " Customs' Benevolent Fund." The new agent
probably will inform the public why it has assumed the character
of benevolent. The yearly revenue arising from the%ind in
question, at this port, is about £3000; and the question now
before me is, how and in what manner it is appropriated.
It is admitted that, after the expenses of the establishment
here are paid, the surplus money, upwards of £2OOO, is remitted,
to London for the benefit of an " annuity, fund." Now it can
be proved that no clerk at this port ever has of can benefit by
the said " Customs' Annuity and Benevolent Fund;" and the
reason is evident, for the rate of insurance in it is so much
higher than any of the insurance-offices in this town, that, to
them, it remains completely a dead letter. Besides, were you
to insure your life (at the option of the directors) it must be for
the benefit of your widow or near relations, who can only obtain
half the amount insured in cash, the other moiety being laid out
in an annuity which could be had on better terms anywhere
else. Every clerk, however, is obliged to contribute one penny
in the pound of his salary, which may be considered an official
robbery.. If, therefore, there be a loss in insuring, why establish
such a fund ? You must know, Mr. Editor, that it is managed
by nine directors, five trustees, three auditors, and a secretary,
many of whom are directly. and all are indirectly, connected
with the Customs. These persons have the power to refuse any
clerk insuring his life in the fund, although they compel him to
pay the poundage, so that, in fact, the benefits accruing there-
from are confined to a select few. TheSe directors, &c., every
third year ascertain the state of the fund, and finding, as they
always do, that they have more money than the limited number
of those insured will ever require, themselves being of the num-
ber, they have' the, power of distributing the overplus among
their respective selves, in time agreeable form of bonuses; which,
power is defined by the 27th rule male by virtue of the act
5d Geo. 111, c. 73, which establishes the fund.
This is the grand secret; and, front what I have stated, it
appears evident that: this fund ought to pass through the ordeal
or reform. The information should-be confined to the published
Hill itself; and any other information given gratis to those per-
sons who subscribe to the Bill, and the profits arising therefrom,
should be exclusively confined to the officers here,. and I trust
the time is out far distant when such will be the case.
Yours, &c. JUSTUS.
Liverpool, Aug. 31, 1833.