AMUSEMENTS AND POLITICS IN PHILADELPHIA,

1794.

CONTRIBUTED BY WILLIAM J. POTTS, CAMDEN, N. J.

[The original of the following letter is in the collection of Dr. Edward Y. Taylor, of Pittstown, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. As the events to which the letter refers transpired in 1794, the error in date of year may have been made by the writer or in transcribing. Ezekiel Forman was a member of the family mentioned by Dr. Wickes as giving several physicians of repute to the northern counties of New Jersey. In July of 1776 he, with others, gave bonds in five hundred pounds "in no wise knowingly or willingly to act inimically or unfriendly to the cause of the United States." On August 20 following he was fined three pounds by a Committee of Safety of the Congress of New Jersey. John C. Rockhill, to whom the letter is written, was a son of Dr. John Rockhill, of Pittstown, New Jersey.-ED.]

MY DEAR FRIEND.

PHILADELPHIA March 25th 1793.

It is now a considerable time since you and I have had the pleasure of receiving letters from each other-to what cause this interruption in our correspondence may be attributed I know not, except it was-chance, hurry and the pressing calls of business-this at least I would willingly flatter myself was the cause on my part and would fain hope it was so on yours. On whose part it ought now to begin I shall not pretend to determine and without standing on ettiquette punctillio or ceremony immediately begin to renew our long dormant correspondence. When I had the pleasure of seeing you last in Town the New Theatre was then expected to be opened in a short time which was done on Monday evening the 17th of February last with one of the most brilliant and numerous audiences I ever beheld on a similar occasionthe stated days or rather evenings of performance are Monday, Wednesday & Friday Nights in every Week and sometimes occasionally on Saturday evenings-the doors open at

five-the curtain draws up at six, [the] exhibition commonly finishes at about twelve O'Clock-I will however attempt to give you a short description of the House & Performers as well as my poor abilities are capable of.1

The Boxes run in the form of a semi-circle by which construction you have a full view from any part of them without having it obstructed by those near to the stage which was too generally the case in all the old Theatres-There are Three rows of the Boxes, two of which extend from the stage quite round the House & that part of them fronting the Stage is immediately underneath the Gallery, while the third & upper row extends only half way round on each side till it meets with the Gallery which is separated from it by a partition & and iron banister with sharp pointed spikes, and the front part of course forms the Gallery in the front of which and over the board wall is an iron railing of two bars so that a person is in very little risque of falling into the Pit-The ascent from the front to the back parts of both Pit and Gallery (but more particularly the latter) is very steep, which tho' it may appear a little inconvenient at the first entering of them still proves of great advantage to the persons in the hinder parts, as it renders their view of the Stage unobstructed by those sitting in front of them.-The Stage is large and commodious-the lights numerous and good and the Scenery and decorations may be justly said to partake of both of the beautiful and sublime, especially those used for some particular Plays almost surpass description— Of which those used in a new Opera lately introduced here

1 In later years called the Chestnut Street Theatre, or "Old Drury.” An advertisement in the General Advertiser of February 17, 1794, announces: "Will be performed, a comic opera, called 'The Castle of Andalusia' the original overture and accompaniments, selected and composed by Dr. Arnold and additional airs by Shields. . . Before the opera an occasional address: To which will be added a Comedy in two acts, called 'Who's the Dupe.' Ladies and Gentlemen are requested to send their servants to keep places, at half an hour past 4 o'clock, and direct them to withdraw, as soon as the company are seated, as they cannot on any account be permitted to remain in the boxes." Admission to "Boxes $1. Pitt 75 cents, Gallery 50 cents."

called "Robin Hood or Sherwood Forest" very much partakes. The Orchestra may justly boast of having a band of Music & Musicians superior to what any other Theatre in America ever did or does now possess.

Over the Stage and in full view of the whole House two beautiful and descriptive figures are painted one representing the Genius of Tragedy who sits in a mourning mellancholly [sic] attitude, and the other that of the Genius of Comedy who stands a little to the left of where the other sits and in her hand she holds a scarf on which these words are inscribed in large legible Characters "The Eagle suffers little Birds to sing," and over the heads of these two figures the American Eagle with extended wings is displayed.—I do not know whether it has ever been calculated what number of persons the House will contain; but it must be very great since there appears, to me, to be much more room in it than any other House of the kind I have ever seen.

As yet no Night has passed over without their having a crowded House, and if it should continue to be for two or three seasons they will certainly clear themselves of Debt.-But it is said the Old American Company are coming here from New York in the course of two or three weeks which may perhaps injure the new company a little especially if the report that the old ones intend to perform for half-price should be true (tho' for my part I do not believe it) and their having engaged in New York the celebrated Mrs. Melmuth to join their Company who is certainly a very great acquisition to them.

The new Company certainly contains the best the ablest and the most masterly perfect and accomplished set of performers taking them as a body that have ever appeared before in any part of America-but as time and paper will not permit me to enter into a detail of their different merits, I must defer saying anything farther of them "till a more

1 On Monday evening, March 10, 1794, "the Comic Opera called Robin Hood or Sherwood Forest," was presented, "with the original Overture by Baumgarten: the rest of the music and accompaniments composed and selected by Shields, with additional airs by A. Reinaglewith new scenery, dresses and decorations."

convenient season" when I will again resume the subject and endeavor to sketch an outline of the character of the principal and most eminent of these performers.—

I would just inform you that a "new entertainment" has lately been exhibited here.-it consists of two figures representing men as large as life called Automatons. By means of the works and springs within their bodies they perform the most remarkable feats of dexterity and activity immaginable and excel in agility any rope or wire dancer I have ever beheld-No person is near them during their performance nor do they touch anything except a bar of iron to which they suspend themselves by their arms and over which they play their pranks. The method used to set them in motion is by winding up [the] springs within them as you would those of a watch or clock and this must be done twice during the performance which last just one hour. One of these figures is intended to represent] an Aristocrat and the other a Sans Culotte The former cons[istent]ly refuses to dance the tune of Ca-Ira or Carmagnole which you know are Republican airs. In short they so nearly resemble human nature in looks, in gesture, in attitude and in action that as a person wittily observed they only want to be animated with some of the fire Prometheus stole from Heaven to make them perfect men in every respect. To a Philosophic or reflecting mind I consider these artificial men as one of the greatest curiosities ever exhibited in this Country as they are a remarkable and striking proof to what an amazing extent the powers of Philosophical mechanism may be carried. They are the work or production of the celebrated and ingenious Mr. Blanchard well known to the world for his airy flights and Balloon expeditions. He intends shortly to remove to New York with them after the shew is over here but the crowds of people that still continue to visit them is immense. I suppose on an average take one evening with another he receives a hundred dollars every night.-1

1"A New Entertainment

By Mess. L'Egalite.

"The citizen Sans Culotte and Mr. Aristocrat will have the honor to

After such lengthy dissertation on our pleasure you may probably be glad to hear something of Politics. Every thing seems in an alarming situation-The Privateers of Great Britain seem fully determined [to] seize every American Vessel they can come across treating the crews with rigor & severity and confiscating Vessel & Cargoe And to add to all, those worse than Devils, the Algerines, have carried some hundreds of our Seamen into Slavery and appear to be in a fair way of taking as many more unless a stop is put to their proceedings to do which and to protect our Commerce from them Congress have resolved to fit out six frigates to cruise in the Mediterranean. These (the Algerines) are thought to be but the "automatons of George the third" which combined with the rest of his loving conduct towards us has it is thought by some rendered War inevitable while by others it is thought to be a mere chimerical idea. God only knows how it will terminate. I wish for Peace but I believe the scales hang even and a small matter will turn it either one way or the other. A Motion was made a few days ago in Congress for laying an embargo on all our vessels with a view of starving the British West Indies but was lost by [ ] votes-tho' some imagine it will still take place.1

exhibit their talents before the public on Tuesday the 4th of this month, and will continue so to do every evening when there is no play. The exhibition which will not last above an hour, will begin at 8 o'clock precisely, at the Long Room under Mr. Poor's Young Ladies Academy, in Cherry Alley between Third and Fourth Streets, No 9 near the Synagogue and the sign of the White Lamb.

"Entrance half a dollar.

"These two Automata (the only ones which ever appeared on the Continent) exceed all that has been exhibited of this kind in Paris. If they give satisfaction to the Public, the views of the author, who remains unknown, will be fully answered."-General Advertiser.

"Great Britain either reposes an incomprehensible reliance on our tameness, or else she means to drag us into a war. Can it be conceived, that her last depredations upon our commerce could be tolerated by any nation that dares to mention independence or to boast of its resources. "Great Britain has half our seamen and vessels within her power; her privateers swarm upon the ocean, every pretext is exhausted that