The Sun. — 1859-10-20 (London, England)

KINGSTON.  Before Mr. E. Penrhyn,Chairman, and a Bench  of Magistrates.) The Court was occupied a considerable part o, the day in hearing applications for music and dancing licences.  all in his power to conduct the establishment in an orderly and respectable manner. Mr. Joyce addressed. the Court, and said that Mr. Lemaire had made many applications for a Licence, all of which had been refused ; and he had taken a defiant course and kept the place open as a "penny gaff," in spite of the magistrates. Three additional places of amusement had been licensed since Mr. Lemaire first applied, and the Rotunda 'was not only unnecessdfy, but would be a nuisance to the neighbourhood. Mr. Needham, in support of the Opposition by. the lessees of the Surrey Theatre, said it appeared to him that the present applicatiOn was quite unjustifiable, and that after so many refusals by the magistrates, the applicant ought not to perseveN and put parties to the expense °ran ounnsip tion. Ile thought it right to state that when Mr. Lemurs applied' fora licence last year, considerable surprise was felt at some of the signatures that appeared in favour of granting the licence, and among them was that of Mr. Pellatt, the late member for 1 the borough. He should not Le justified in stating 1 under what circumstances that signature was ohtainej g bit In would inform the court that on the present occasion Mr. Pellatt had signed a petition against the granting of the licence. He said, that although he could not give any evidence with reference to the case of Mr. Pellatt, he was in a condition to show the court how signatures to these sort of petitions were obtained in a great many instances. Mr. F. G. Wyan, a tradesman residing in Blackfriars-read, was then examined, and he stated that last year he signed the petition ;of Mr. Lemaire for a licence. for the Rotunda, and he did so under the following ciremustances. One morning, when he was engaged in his shop, a gentleman came in and introduced himself to him very politely, and said that he wanted him to sign a petition for the abolition of the Rottinda. He said he would do so very willingly, and immediately signed the petition without looking at it, and the gentleman wept out of the shop evidently very well pleased. (Laughter.) He discovered afterwards, very much to his annoyance, that he had signed a petition in favour of a lieenee being granted. (4 roar of laughter.) He certainly should not have signed the peti • tion if he had known its real objeet, because he considered the place was a nuisance to the whole neighbourhood, By Mr. Knapp—Witness was quite sure he did not mistake the word" application" for" abolition," (Renewed laughter.) Believed the Rotunda had been closed during the present year. Mr. Lilley and Mr. Charnock then addressed the Court, and the last-mentioned learned counsel caused a good deal of laughter by his observations upon the entire absence of the requirement for such a place of amusement in the neighbourhood: He said he had himself seen a lot of little ragged urchins, shoeless and shirtless, rushing into the Rotunda to see "Obi, or Three-fingered Jack," or the murder of "Hamlet ;" and each a place was only calculated to cause the commission of crime, and could not answer any real purpose of amusement or recreation. The Court unanimously refused the licence: The Chairman in the course of the day gave notice that at the next session the rules of the Court, with reference to licensing places of amusement, would be altered in this respect, that in future those persons who desired to take a transfer of a licence for music and dancing would have to give the same notice as though it was an original applieatton.