The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-10-27 00:00:00


Td the RbiTOR of TUE ST.ITSSM4N.

[The name of Mr. Sssivu was inserted in the
Advertisement.to which he refers in the following
note...iii consequence of its appearing in the ma-
nuscript tra►i'smitted to us for insertion. We
shall pay due attention to Mr. S]ttvit's request, as
to the future iit.►ertion of his name—but Mat
Gentleman will doubtless perceive, that the error
which be has noticed, is not imputable to us :)
Sta.--An advertisement havin,, arises, e:1 in
7411111 Paper, on Tuesday, mention.-4 ..y name u
Treasurer for Subscriptions, to &post persons ult.
der prosecution, at the suit of the Proprietors of
Covent-garden Theatre, I must beg, in futere,
that no advertisement may appear, with my name)
unless signed by
Your's, ttc.

Oct. 26, 1809.
Dorset-street, Salisbury-square, Fleet-street.

JOS. SMITH,

To the EDITOR of THE STATESMAN.

Sta--If you think the following hint will be
any ways conducive towards restoring tranquillity
between the Proprietors of Covent Garden Thea.
ire and the Public, you may make use of it in any
way you think fit.
Suppose the Proprietors were to select five of
the Gentlemen who have been bailed, to examine
tbc• accounts fur six years—the three years pre..
ceding Mr. Kemble and family being engaged, and
the three first years of his enga•enent, and let
them make a distinction of the profits arising from
each of the trrinb. W 'lawyer may be result, the
Public, I think, will then he satisfied.
Tour's, truly,

October VI.

To rus EDITOR or THE STATESMAN.

October 96, Iso9.
SlR—Your Paper is the only one through the
medium of which an injured and insulted public
can, with any certainty, make known their um-
plaints ; fur I have frequently addressed letters to
other Papers, upon the subject of tee ruffian-like
means resorted to by the Proprietors of Covent.
Garden Theatre, without being able to procure
lan insertion of any one of them. The reason
of this despicable reluctance in the cause of
the public, for welch I wns at a loss to ac.
count, is now oevions. I early recommended
a sta,•cription" that was the head and front
of my offending," b:tt thanks to you, princi.
pally, one is now set on foot, which I have
no doubt will, in a few days, he fully ado.
quate to oppose the illegal and oppressive ince.
surer which have been resorted to by the Pro.
praetors. In better times, when the liberties of
Englishmen were better understood, and boldly
asserted, such treatment world not have been to
tamely endured by the People of England.
Their abject submission is, I fear, the effect of •
principle which has tor some yea/3 past been un-
dermining and impairing that noble spirit of ree
:Balance against arbitrary measures, which cha.
racterised the actions of our ancestors. These
observations, if pursued, would lead me much
beyond the limits I have prescribed for myself,
and I will, therefore, confine myself to the only
object for which I began this letter. I was at t•
Theatre last night, Wednesday, where I %views-
sed the following infamous transactiee,
which the leading performers were ste.ie ut
those who espouse the cause of the Proprietors.,
—A Gentleman, who presumed to express his die.
approbation by hissing only, was immediately
seized by two persons, Bow-street Officers, Cos.
stables, or some such worthy coadjutors of the
Proprietors, and, although he made no resist.
once, was dragged out of the bee with the most
brutal violence. The ruffians, seizing him by the
collar, the head and the arms, pulled hint over
the seats, au that he was knocked against the sides
of the benches and the doors, with the most fere.
cious unrelentiug violence. A gentleman who
witnessed this inhumanly outrageous behaviour,
observed to the officers, with great moderation of
manner, that he thought they were using the'
gentleman very ill. The answer which he re.
ceived was, "Oh, you think so, du you ?+" which,
without one word of further observation, was fol-
lowed by a blow ,from the officer with a largo
stick, which struck the gentleman across the fore-
head, knocked him down, amid gave Mtn two black
eyes. It wit!, however, be gratifying to the pub.
lic to know, that as soon as the gentleman got up
and recovered himself, he gave the ruffians a corn.
plete drubbing, and they were subsequently
kicked out of the pit. This must likely was a
punishment more satisfactory to the gentle-
man's feelings, and more likely to prevent such
atrocious conduct in future, than taking them be.
fore their masters, where the strong probability is,
that the Gentleman would have been outsworn ;
but it is no satisfaction to the Public, who arc
entitled to the protection of the Magistrates as
much as their own nefations satellites. One word
more—l also saw, on the same evening, a man
applauding, in a violent and vociferous tune and
manner, and occasioning as nevelt or more dis-
turbance than any man in the house. A Gentle.
man pointed out this orderly man to one of the
Officers, and desired hits to take the man into
custody. The Officer replied, he would not, for
that the man did not belong to the Opposition.
If the Public submit to conduct like this, they
have forfeited the name of Englishmen, and richly
merit the treatment they receive. One of the
duties of the Committee appointed to manage the
Subscription, should be to gu every night to the
Theatre to watch the conduct of these SHOULD-In
preservers of the peace, for if not, I think, from
the professed sample of swearing which we have
had, there will be nu chaise(' for those who are
taken up. In plain English, I perceive some
persons will swear any things and therefore an
honest man has but a pour chance.

0. P.

SHORT Watcorr.—A baker, of the name of
M'Cabe, at t,he corner of York-street and Queen
Ann-street, was on Tucsday fitted 23 shillings
and costs at Mc-lborough-stroet Police Office,
for a deficient"- of vreigbt to 10 q'iartcrn loaves.