The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-12-22 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STATESMAN.

tita—l understand •eseral Gentlemen are about to inter-
fere is behalf of Ntr. Brandon, late liox-keeper at Covent-
garden Theatre, in order to obtain fur boo his old post. These
Gentlemen sorely cannot he aware of the conduct NW. 'Win-
dom was guilty of during the disturbance : he constant', visit-
ed the different public-houses, de. in the neighbourhood of
Covesit•gardea, making o &nest of the number of rioters be
oiled, and jesting no the brutal *y in which Jlies .were
drama- to Ike relict. Mice, Lesiifn iunuuserable other as-
sails be ha offered. Such a mail • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • •

A REAL. FRIEND TO THE DRAMA.

We have nu wish to revive the recollection of
past grievances, and shall, therefore, abstain
from giving publicity to the narrative of any
such at the present moment. The only prudent
course for the friends of Mr. lirasidon to perdue,
is patiently to wait until the Treaty shall have
been faithfully executed by the Proprietors---for
it is truly absurd to appeal to the extension of
that candour and liberality which the public have
already shown, while the absence of these qua-
lities in the conduct of the Proprietors continues
to be so justly the complaint of a generous but
indignant public.

In our account of the late dinner at the Crown
and Anchor Tavern, we only gavo the conclusion
of Mr. Clifford's speech, which ralatell to the at-
tack made upon him by Mr. Jacks; but as we
understand there has been some misapprehension
of what was said by Mr. Clifford, on the subject
of the trial in the Court of Common Pleas, we
deem it proper to give a concise statement of that
part of Mr. Cliffonl's speech, which we omitted to
give in our account of that Meeting.
Mr. CLIFFQR9, on rising to return (banks
to the Company{ tur the honour thAt bad been

conferred on him, said, " That allhoaah he had
been much accustomed to address public meet.
ings in the County of Middlesex, and In the City
of Westminster, and therefore might nut be
suspected of being at a loss upon such an occasion
as the present, he was, ueverthcless, constrained
to confess, that he was at that eminent under ex.
treme difficulty to find words in which he could
acknowledge the very flattering attention which
had been paid to him by a company so numerous
and so respectable as that he saw before him, Ind
which had assembled on an occasion so truly im-
portant. He had hitherto bad 'Wicket nerve to
resist tyranny and oppression, which be trusted
would be the case to the last hour of his life; but
he was at a loss to express his thanks for the distin.
guished manner in which that company had given
countenance to his efforts in a contest iii which the
personal rights of every individual were so deeply
concerned. It was not his intention to have no.
ticed the transaction in which he had been per.
sonally attacked by the agents of the Proprietors
of Covent-garden Theatre, but after what hail al-
' ready passed at that Meeting, he felt that he should
be acting contrary to his duty, were he to be en.
tirely silent on that subject. The great attentieit
which had been paid to him, he might, be trusted,
attribute to the appeal which he had deemed it
proper to make to the laws of his country—in
doing which he hail been less influenced by per.
sunal considerations than by an anxious desire to
vindicate, by such an appeal, the general rights
of individual'. Fur that appeal he had been at,
tacked in various ways, and from various gear,
tors; but, regardleu of every other consideration
but that of the principle on which he had acted,
he persevered in full and certain confidence of the
• result of an appeal to the laws of his country.
In the Report of what had passed at the Trill he
had Cecil it stated that a Learned Scrjeant (Mr.
Serjeuat Shepherd), wku was the leading Coen.
set for the Defendant, in his truly elegant address
to the Jury, and against which he had not one word
to say, had stated, that if in that Address any thing
which fell from him, should be hurtful to his
(Mr. C.'a) feelings, he had himself, by his coil.
duct, courted such observations. But, Gentle.
men, continued Mr. Clifford, Idu assure you,
that in that eloquent Speech of the Learned Sir.
' jeans, there was nothing hurtful to my feelings,'
he must, huts ever, at the same time observe, that
he was nut consciuus of having done any thing to
court severity of observation from any quarter—
and he trusted he might be permitted to say, that
it is the person who makes a thing necessary who
is answerable for the consequences that may fop.
low. Oa that principle ho fully agreed in tho
propriety of the language held by the Learned
Serjeant—keeping in view, as he hoped the Cons.
palsy would, that the blame of having rendered
that meeting necessary, should be imputed to those
who had provoked the imperious necessity of
such a meeting. Ile would chearfully admit
the correctness of the position, that if he bad
possessed that share of learning, urbanity, and
extent of knowledge, which lie greatly feared had
been unjustly attributed to had Made
those qualites instrumental to riot, by his acts—
or by encouraging acts of riot in othete, lie
should merit nut only the indignation, but
the contempt of mankind—but his own heart
acquitted him of haring, at any period in the
course of his life been instrumental in exciting
or encouraging riot, either in or out of the
Theatre, at any time, or •upon any occasion
whatever. He felt great reluctance at ap-
pearing as a Plaiutiff in any Court, or upon
any occasion, but on an occasion of such high
importance to the general liberty of the sub.
.
ject, he felt it impossible to hesitate one mo.
Scut, on the course it was his duty to pursue.
Whatever might be the extent of his ta,
lents or his knowledge, they were alike at the
service of his friends and of his country."
Mr. Clifford then adverted to the attack made
upon him by Mt. Jacks, of which, having al,
ready given an account, and Mr. Jacks having
subsequently made a public apology in the Court
of Common Council fur the expressions respecting
Mr. Clifford, we deem it unnecessary to repeat
that part of Mr. Clifford's speech.