52 The Theatre—Its Literature, and General Arrangement. [Juty; 
ragdmufiias who are let in, nightoafter night, without paying them, :With’ their» 
tradetor-with their manner of conducting it, the public has no claim to interfere, 
The patent ” right, asitis called, is virtually pretty nearly revoked; atheatrey. 
without'any patent’privilege, patronized by the town against the patent theatres, 
would: rainthem ‘in a season; and, if the public felt itself ill-treated,: there dre: 
sucli theatres, standing ‘empty, which might be opened; and would be opened 
to-morrow., But, if the existing mode-of carrying on the trade be inconvenient » 
to ‘the publie, and unprofitable to those who are engaged in it, there isno reason: 
why it ‘should be ‘persevered in. Some: changes must take place, before, 
puttig aside’ any state in which they have been, our dramatic entertainments, | 
in’ England, will be placed upon a more popular footing than they are. Among 
thefirst of these:should be that change of law or regulation which would give!’ 
the dramatist a fair proportion, or, to speak more strictly, leave him the meaiis 
of obtaining a fair proportion, out of the product of his own labour—a right 
whicphe does not possess at present. This is the business. of the legislature; 
and> the: cause’ of taste‘and learning will be indebted to those who may be 
inélined to stir'in it. The second necessary change, and one at least as impor- 
tant/as‘the first,’ will be such a reduction in the prices:of our theatres, as willy 
efiable persons of respectability to frequent them systematically ; and supersedes 
the necessity—when a gentleman does:come into the boxes—of putting a chim~ 
ney sweeper by his side, that he may not appear to beleft quite alone, For the 
production of eminent actors in greater numbers, that is an object certainly 
which it would be difficult to point out any distinct means of compassing; 
the production, however, of better plays would have this advantage, that it 
would render their ministry less indispensable. And there would be one other: 
result; in which, if the public has some interest, the interest of the manager 
himself is deeper ten’ times over—that very comparative independence of: 
his actors would render them less impertinent, and more amenable to reason, 
when they did appear. 
Supposing, then, that an arrangement of this nature would do something 
towards mending that decline in the popularity of our metropolitan theatres 
whieh arises’ out of the offensiveness, or imbecility, of their new productions, 
sull' another question remains to be considered, and one, if not quite of equal 
importance, perhaps of greater perplexity ; the way in which we should proceed: 
to obtain a more copious supply of leading actors. The increased demand for’ 
talent (within these few years) of our provincial theatres; the demand from 
Aimeiica,—which is altogether new; and the additional number of theatres 
opened (or advanced in their pretensions) in London ; leave the patent theatres, 
as regards their array of performers, very bare of attraction, just now, indeed, 
“At Drury-lane, there has been no company at all. Mr. Wallack, an actor pro-, 
perly only of melo-drame, was the hero both in tragedy and comedy. And Mr.: 
Wallack, Mr: Dowton (who is not so good as he has been), and Mr. Harley— 
here is the whole effective strength of the house. : 
“At Covent Garden we were better; but still weak. Charles Kemble and Jones 
do well in genteel comedy, with Miss Chester, who is the best successor to Mrs. 
Davidson that has appeared. There is a Mr. Warde too, who will stand as.a Lon- 
don actor. Fawcett, occasionally very valuable; and Farren, now perhaps the 
stiOngest actor, in his walk, upon'the stage. But no low comedian of eminence 
at‘all; no leading actor in tragedy—for Charles Kemble, though always pleasing,’ 
does not reach the first rank; nor any /ady of eminence in tragedy, at either,, 
or Indeed at any, house. The fact is that, in some departments of acting, we: 
have an absence of considerable talent just now. We have scarcely a) high 
comedy lady; not a high tragedy one; not a Yorkshireman or an Irishman, no 
man like Johnson or Emery, upon the stage. And of the performers, that 
we have, here lies the novelty ! two-thirds of the leaders—Kean, Young, 
Macréady, Liston, Terry, Mathews, Wrench, Yates, and Miss Kelly—are, getting) 
their money, or the greater part of it, away from the patent theatres}; oh bux 
*Then if the supply of leading actors, as well as of powerful plays, in the: 
prévént day, isnot equal to the demand, this isa fact rather »puzzling to.deak 
eit bali 
