The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-10-20 00:00:00

V, ST Al'M


than ro impalatima in any other eause.
We have het owe—other atatecratlon to make; and
that is, epos the '4. free aderissfon" hint of onr
Correspondent—to whom be it known, that the
Gentlemen interested In* raE STA T1.A31./ v, depend
nut no reporters for their information—they sec,
*ad judge, end 'write for lkeesseires; end kilos in
nu instance mated any particulars reape•rtleg the
Theatre, which they have not seen or heard, or
%villa they do not believe to be true. When it
is considered fur how eery trifling a snot tulnsix.
sions to the Theatres far the 'lease(' can be pure
chased, we are surprised at the weakness of our
Correspondent, in supposing us to be such dolts,
as for a free admission to solder ottrselres to
the. block tin of a theatre. We must, however,
plead guilty to the charge of having availed our.
selves of a free admission in one solitary is.
stance,. and in one instance only ; we allude to
that in which the writer of these cursory re.
marks obtained admission to the lift by an
artier from Mr. Harris, Junior, received frees
the hand of the new uffiduoit.man, DANIEL
MENDOZA, and conatertigned with the letter
D. by that pugilistic accredited CRITIC.

M A 1.

• ~•s;f,F.'
• • _

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or otherwise, was jestilied in seising the person j
of another for o breach ott the peace—unless
such person was, at theilaus of the orienrr, is they
foci uul commission of seek brmtels at the peace—.
Without the atithorit," of a awned from a Ma-
&trots.
The result of this principle of the law of gag
toed, as laid down by authority se trills river—
table, is, that the seizure of any asaa, not in the
actnal commission of a breach of the peace, is ille-
gal, finless by virtue and under the authority of a.
warrant. The painting oat, therefore, of a man
who hisses—or who exhibits a placard—admitting'
(which we deny) such acts to be illegal, and at.
tomer& emoting him to he apprehended, =hen
not in the act, is, we hsvi.• no doubt, illegal.—
'fence the lying in :oit at the doors for those
who bate been marled, and then takieg thtia
withoit a warrant, is illegal—the party seized
woold be jasylled in resisting. And if in such
attempt the Officer kill the party, each Officer
'mild be eats of oroivier.
The general doctrine oat the subject of chewing'
disapprobation in a Theatre seems to be this
that every one has a right to hiss, to groan, to'
I hoot, to cry of, off; in short, to do any act,
lannoy or itsterrept the performance, with a view
lof expressing disapprobation, so that no part of
the substance, or any of the appendages of the
Theatre are destroyed, injured, or damaged ; and so
that thuindividasi,expressingdisapprobation,donot
hurt or assault his neighbour, bat confine himself to
the exertion of his natural orgarriond does not com. j
bins with others More he enters the Theatre. Bait
from at least 50 Prologues and lipilognes delivered
in our Theatres, the Proprietors and Nianagers
hare not only recoguixed the right of the audiessec
by prescriptive custom to exercise disapprobation
by their natural organs, but by C.st-calls, which
appear to be a pure Theatrical instrument, and
•inknows in any other place. The manner in'
hich the subject of expressing the sentiments of
an andimice is mentioned in the Spectator, must
be in the recullection of every Reader—the right
of the unk -maker to thunder, does not appear
at any lime to have been called in (location--
I
Garrick, Johnson, Tom Brown, 'Palo Wil-
kinson, Moore, and many °anus, have so he.
quently alluletl, in Prologue!, Epilogues, and
Dramatic History, to Cat.calts, that it appears
to us alk:iir.l now to question the right to ow that
iiistruineut as au expression'of disapprobation.

C IT-ell LLB.

" The Poet, wilhextu sec.ire the Pit.
(Leos nut, hi± May has humour, Wk., ant wit 6
The cau-e claws on. nowt while the jaitgrs tr).
Each grata, and CAT-CALL give.. the bird the lie."
Epibigrae to as Lying ?'stet—.Cinnateit, U.

" fie tick at least his praise, be dd. his pride.
To force :srpListie rut at Arra arts are tried.
Should pmecosl c tr-c t 1.1.1 all his hop s euefi,undl.
lle bids eau trumpet quell the rod Nowt."
Profugase to /rear...JO nisos. 4.19
Ave you an ready—berg's oar MUSIC, lerre•e
Author —meak oti—ar'll lickfr ton. my J..ar."
Probsgus to GY illas—M oust, 1731
Spoken by Wooowalia la the character of a %jib
a cjia.cA Li. is ki4 Med.
• Bitillist bit cAt•4:•114•

a 211 t,:g d.
ig nett sehtbes•s of spire, Ihr isivet'4 Ns; Coma
1111 lii it &A sit reAes 111 tete Aver may hies."
Prete:or tissitootersit Mail —J ctiaxse 11118.
Ti digit ost flit. the pert apprretice cries,
Lire et our kit —ire hiss his, s be dirs.

swot ism.
lirMe 10414 fllesrafta play %%UM pobik mote
flektp vie Wein. awe atestlia rotor Tile: STAGE."
reispa toe 1111114 t. M. Wipe—Jou ssos If 7 .

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That Veleta/It TAte WI Littastrt, hell! there was
46 no kicking agaisigt an audit:lieu, without kicking
against the thorns."
Opposition has never yet boon confined to the
powers of the yoke only. A century ago the
faCetioof Bitwlrf describes 66 cat.ealls so
dreadful the house they alarm;" and TOLL CI is-
st:n mentions " the harmonious discordant concert
of rat.eall, whistle, &c. Fcc. begun to play be.
fore the curtain drew up."
On the subject of

THEATRICAL RIOTS,
we beg leave to present our Readers with an His-
tory of the Great Contest in the year 17W, in
the Haymarket, from a dramatic publication
coned The Curtain, *implied by Air. T. D! 'sot y
anti Mr. WAl.naox, the one at tbit time the Art-
tellifc of Mr. Joust PwLtr Krmatr., and the
other, at this moment, an avowed supporter of
the Proprietors in the present contest.
ct The year 1719 was Ike date of a riot at the
Haymarket Theatre, which a contpa.)y of French
Performers opetscd, and put the %. ords—
.lu/iturke," at the top of their advertisement ;
awl as several English Perfurnters at that time
wanted brettl, from they shutting up that very the.
:fire, and the Itun4e in Guudmen'i.field., it could
not have been attempted more inopportunely. Mr.
Victor, Who, on the night of the disturbance, WAS
hitnself its the pit, gives the followiug exact ac.
count of it :-»

' People went early to the theatre, as a crowd-
' cd house was certain...l was there in the centre
' of the pit, where I soon perceived that we were
visited by two ‘Vestmiaster Justices, I)eveil and
Manning. 'rite leaders that bail the conduct cif
the opposition were known to be there, one of
' whom called aloud for the song in praise of Cog.
' lish Roast Reef, which was accordingly snag in
' the gallery. by a person prepared for that putt-
' pose; iindilsc whole horse, beside joining in
the chores, salhted the close with three bones !
Justice floral was pleased to say was a
' riot ; apon whit disputes commencer, directly,
' whic were carried oil with some degree of de.
' cency on both bide,. The Justice at first in.
formed us, that he was come there as a Magis-
• trate, to maintain the King's authority ; that
Colonel Pulteney, with a full company Id the
' Guards, were without, to support Mm in lite
etectstion of his office ; that It was the Khtg's
romniand the play should be acted ; and that the
obstructing it was oppreing the Kittg•a &mho.
' rity ; and, if that was doer, he must read rite
• preelatuatlon, after witisk all &renders would h.•
' metered directly by tie guards in waiting. To
' all thew twist arbitrary threatening% hod this
abuse of bis Majesty's name, the etc!, was 611
the felle eneet t....-That the audiesiCa had a