Licensing In The County O...
The Times, 1824-09-24T00:00:00

On Tuesday last, the Sessions House in lIorsennonger-lane was crowded with'persons who applied to the benich of IMl;wistratvs for licences to retail beer. &c., in various parts of' the county. At a I little after 10 o'clock, Iti; M,aistrates were in the great rnom non tihe saime floor with tite Court, and TIhOMAS |ETT, Esq., was eICetell Chiairmnn. The anxiety observable in tile countenanceS zisndI con- duct of tle 3f6 applicants, dluring the discussions whiichi took place anterigst those wvho were to decile upon their tate, was worthy of the pen of' Smollett or tite pencil of' flogarth. 'fhere swas aiotiter group of' persons, witose feelings wcrc not very enviable (luring the (leliberationis of the magistrates-tite victuidlers whose lirences were susptctided on the last licensing lay, in conseciticc of ihe vio. lation of' some of the reiulations which liave been considerel oftpa- raotinunt necessity. The eases of'tthose indivitduals werc first lls- posed of; a great fecal of leInity was exercised, anrd there teas not a single inistatice of loss of' licenice, althougli s,,ine ot die cases were postponled to the adjournnient lay. 'ilte suibject of' continuing a licence to one house ofrespectabi!ity in theliine was disputed for some length of tiie,thte victualler to wholn it liad been gratited not liaving been able to establisl, thie fact of' Iis occupancy, anti it beintr currentlv reported thait he teas the proprietor ot' nother house of the same description. Titis circunistance inaY operate as a caution to these wi(t are disposed to teid te/Iolesale in public fiouses; tfr i; must operatc to show thtat tite Milagistrates arc determined to opptse any traffic wliici their votos may be instruniental in carrying on to the etolument of any victualling adventtirer. Indeedl, a very strong instanice of'this lecterrmiriation took place upon a fohitier licetising day. An applicant, whose house stoodf favosirablY for business. weas called before the beitclt withi Itis securities, and informed by the Cthairman that lis licetice wits grantedl. lie retuneLl hiis wartl;est thanks, antI said " fte should remenilher the kiniiness of' the Mflt- gistrates it his last breath..'." Yes,'" said the Citairmai, " bhit we wish tor soite otlier protnie-we wislt that ito vill preserve good order atid goot liotIrs '-" " Oh ! certairlyv," replied the ap- 1 plicant; " atiti what's more, I'll promise the satile tbr the gentlemaL w(ho SuccCeds IRe." '"Oft, then), probably," said the Chairman. you intend to sell the house :" " es. vcur weorhip," feplittd tl:e publican smiling, " an1l 1 have it purchaser rcady )utSidhe." Very well." exclaimed thic Chairman, " you ma y go to ihim, as sOon as you petias, anti sell him tile liouse bttt wec'il take good care that vou sltar't sell him the licence." The pett was inittediateir drawn across the unfortunate appilicant's name, and lie dlealings in public-houses, exce it untler thic rose, is comipr letely -a ani end. Thie application of' the proprietors ot' Vauxliall-gardens (for a public-house license is indispeiisable eveti in the case of this fashtion- able place of atitusetlent) gave rise to soni0C conversatio i' of an iti- teresting naturc. On Fritay last, the magistrates appainteI tO visit the several houses ftbr triclt licences '.ce sougftt pattd a eisi to Vauixitall-gardens. Thev did so, itt contscqfuence of the representa- lion of a reverentl gentlemtan who sitr. on theb bench, tiztt the wealks to wlhichi itc iiflueLtice of the lamps dif not extetitl, were liable to be tiftilmnro 1: W y llilt el -,-.-.,t, I .tr .o i,,fh, t PDect- ed, or was originallv intentleni. Tteisiting Imgisirates perceired tirat possibilitiCs presetited themselves it those shatdy groves, inot mit dll consistent witil strictlv mnoral or teligious cn:crtainulents; and upon questioning some of thtc constatiles wlho perfiormeid dUty ill thc gltrtileis, tiey asecertaintel that titere often were pfrties in the garlenis to wholtia gcneralaiudstrongtlifiusiont of ligtit tvould be cxtremelvin- convenient. Tiisof'course formcdone pointofdiscussion. It was 'Sug- gestedtithata cotititlete aitd imlpartial ligittiimg tilt twoulld tendt to tlelecf.a moral credlit upon the establtsfirneit-tftat darkness shtotld b, secn tl whiere witlitii thi walfs-ttat watchmtnen shlitld be so dis,psed about tire walks as to prevent aniy coiitttct of ant oflensive a'ature and that if those wvatcliitin were tbuntd compromrloieills their duy, thiey should be immediately disiliissed bv the chief constabi. Thtc late hiours at which ithe spirit of cotiviviality an-d preme- nading was kept upf, also forniled a subject of discussion. It was ai:recd by the reverend ilMagistrate svitc intriluced the thetfe, thtat to set a positive limit to the period of etay in a pi.lce to vhich 10,000 or 12_00(1 persniis of all rauils and ttgee teerc tifitttel on eact !night of cntertitinilient, would be mltter of great dtlliculty, alid thit sucii confusion ntight arise in the effbrt to clear the gardens before tinorning as would then counterbalance the inconvenience arising fromn the pres.nt syste,t. ile, flowever. argued that visiters shiould not le adlimitte,l aftLr a stated hotir. By a regulation to titis chect. jtic object of cfiecting a chanlge in thc buttrs of atimeeinent at Vallt. flall tnighit be accornplisicd,as it Was a nlotoriTluS fact, that those wito entered soonest went away soonest, amnu the objectiontble characters trlio issued forth Iroil the tieatres at a lfate iour were those who remained itmtovetible uiitil daylight appearedl. It was likewise con- tendeti that tiere existed a necessity for insisting ulroti a inorc modest arrangenlentotfdress atllongst tlte telirles of a certain decrivftion, whlOmitwould biicettto ilossible altogethier to excaltcledfromit(egar- dens. Tite licencewas granted wibhaout anv conition, howver cxccpt, we believe, (tiat of lighting utl the various recesseC , and miliniig .a- tisfflCttrry reguliations withi rcspect to the WtCatChImen statiined in the least fretfuetlteti parts of the gardens. The proprietors acquicsced in the suggestions, as far as the implied directionis weere practicable, atith iost readily adopted that of adding to thc splendotir of thte yar. tietis, by a vast addltion of lamps, wbiichi would halvc the double cffect of improving the getieral appearancei of the pflace, anitd cxluting its moral character. We iclilderstatid that witeti it becomes necessary to apply tor tite music licenice for those gardens, the subject ot atlitt itng tip to a stated hour, ati( otilier alterations. weill form topics of discusstor,. LICENSING IN TIlE COUNTY OF SUI??EY'.