An account of the riots by Charles Makay

First Night, September 20th. -- The performances announced were the tragedy of "Macbeth" and the afterpiece of "The Quaker." The house was excessively crowded (the pit especially) with persons who had gone for no other purpose than to make a disturbance. They soon discovered another grievance to add to the list. The whole of the lower, and three-fourths of the upper tier of boxes, were let out for the season; so that those who had paid at the door for a seat in the boxes, were obliged to mount to a level with the gallery. Here they were stowed into boxes which, from their size and shape, received the contemptuous, and not inappropriate designation of pigeon-holes. This was considered in the light of a new aggression upon established rights; and long before the curtain drew up, the managers might have heard in their green-room the indignant shouts of "Down with the pigeon-holes!" -- " Old prices for ever!" Amid this din the curtain rose, and Mr. Kemble stood forward to deliver a poetical address in honour of the occasion. The riot now began in earnest; not a word of the address was audible, from the stamping and groaning of the people in the pit. This continued, almost without intermission, through the five acts of the tragedy. Now and then, the sublime acting of Mrs. Siddons, as "the awful woman," hushed the noisy multitude into silence, in spite of themselves: but it was only for a moment; the recollection of their fancied wrongs made them ashamed of theiradmiration, and they shouted and hooted again more vigorously thanbefore. The comedy of Munden in the afterpiece met with no better reception; not a word was listened to, and the curtain fell amid still increasing uproar and shouts of "Old prices!" Some magistrates, who happened to be present, zealously came to the rescue, and appeared on the stage with copies of the Riot Act. This ill-judged proceeding made the matter worse. The men of the pit were exasperated by the indignity, and strained their lungs to express how deeply they felt it. Thus remained the war till long after midnight, when the belligerents withdrew from sheer exhaustion.

Second Night. -- The crowd was not so great; all those who had gone on the previous evening to listen to the performances, now stayed away, and the rioters had it nearly all to themselves. With the latter, "the play was not the thing," and Macheath and Polly sang in "The Beggar's Opera" in vain. The actors and the public appeared to have changed sides -- the audience acted, and the actors listened. A new feature of this night's proceedings was the introduction of placards. Several were displayed from the pit and boxes, inscribed in large letters with the words, "Old prices." With a view of striking terror, the constables who had been plentifully introduced into the
house, attacked the placard-bearers, and succeeded, after several severe battles, in dragging off a few of them to the neighbouring watch-house, in Bow Street. Confusion now became worse and worse confounded. The pitites screamed themselves hoarse; while, to increase the uproar, some mischievous frequenters of the upper regions squeaked through dozens of cat-calls, till the combined noise was enough to
blister every tympanum in the house.

Third Night.--The appearance of several gentlemen in the morning at the bar of the Bow Street police office, to answer for their riotous conduct, had been indignantly commented upon during the day. All augured ill for the quiet of the night. The performances announced were "Richard the Third" and "The Poor Soldier," but the popularity of the tragedy could not obtain it a hearing. The pitites seemed to be drawn into closer union by the attacks made upon them, and to act more in concert than on the previous nights. The placards were, also, more numerous; not only the pit, but the boxes and galleries exhibited them. Among the most conspicuous, was one inscribed, "John Bull against John Kemble. -- Who'll win?" Another bore "King George for
ever! but no King Kemble." A third was levelled against Madame Catalani, whose large salary was supposed to be one of the causes of the increased prices, and was inscribed "No foreigners to tax us -- we're taxed enough already." This last was a double-barrelled one, expressing both dramatic and political discontent, and was received
with loud cheers by the pitites.

The tragedy and afterpiece were concluded full two hours before their regular time; and the cries for Mr. Kemble became so loud, that the manager thought proper to obey the summons. Amid all these scenes of uproar he preserved his equanimity, and was never once betrayed into any expression of petulance or anger. With some difficulty he
obtained a hearing. He entered into a detail of the affairs of the theatre, assuring the audience at the same time of the solicitude of the proprietors to accommodate themselves to the public wish. This was received with some applause, as it was thought at first to manifest a willingness to come back to the old prices, and the pit eagerly waited for the next sentence, that was to confirm their hopes. That sentence
was never uttered, for Mr. Kemble, folding his arms majestically, added, in his deep tragic voice, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I wait here to know what you want!" Immediately the uproar was renewed, and became so tremendous and so deafening, that the manager, seeing the uselessness of further parley, made his bow and retired.

A gentleman then rose in the boxes and requested a hearing. He obtained it without difficulty. He began by inveighing in severe terms against the pretended ignorance of Mr. Kemble, in asking them so offensively what they wanted, and concluded by exhorting the people never to cease their opposition until they brought down the prices to their old level. The speaker, whose name was understood to be Leigh, then requested a cheer for the actors, to show that no disrespect was intended them. The cheer was given immediately. A barrister of the name of Smythe then rose to crave another hearing for Mr. Kemble. The manager stood forth again, calm, unmoved,
and severe. "Ladies and gentlemen," said he, "I wait here to know your wishes." Mr. Leigh, who took upon himself, "for that night only," the character of popular leader, said, the only reply he could give was one in three words, "the old prices." Hereat the shouts of applause again rose, till the building rang. Still serene amid the storm, the
manager endeavoured to enter into explanations. The men of the pit would hear nothing of the sort. They wanted entire and absolute acquiescence. Less would not satisfy them; and, as Mr. Kemble only wished to explain, they would not hear a word. He finally withdrew amid a noise to which Babel must have been comparatively silent.

Fourth night. -- The rioters were more obstinate than ever. The noises were increased by the addition of whistles, bugle-horns, and watchmen's rattles, sniffling, snorting, and clattering from all parts of the house. Human lungs were taxed to the uttermost, and the stamping on the floor raised such a dust as to render all objects but dimly visible. In placards, too, there was greater variety. The loose wits of the town had all day been straining their ingenuity to invent new ones. Among them were, "Come forth, O Kemble! come forth and tremble!" "Foolish John Kemble, we'll make you tremble!" and "No cats! no Catalani! English actors for ever!"
Those who wish to oppose a mob successfully, should never lose their temper. It is a proof of weakness which masses of people at once perceive, and never fail to take advantage of. Thus, when the managers unwisely resolved to fight the mob with their own weapons, it only increased the opposition it was intended to allay. A dozen pugilists, commanded by a notorious boxer of the day, were introduced into the
pit, to use the argumentum ad hominem to the rioters. Continual scuffles ensued: but the invincible resolution of the playgoers would not allow them to quail; it rather aroused them to renewed opposition, and a determination never to submit or yield. It also strengthened their cause, by affording them further ground of complaint against the managers.

The performances announced on the bills were the opera of "Love in a Village," and "Who wins?" but the bills had it all to themselves, for neither actors nor public were much burthened with them. The latter, indeed, afforded some sport. The title was too apt to the occasion to escape notice, and shouts of "Who wins? who wins?"
displaced for a time the accustomed cry of old prices.

After the fall of the curtain, Mr. Leigh, with another gentleman, again spoke, complaining bitterly of the introduction of the prize-fighters, and exhorting the public never to give in. Mr. Kemble was again called forward; but when he came, the full tide of discord ran so strongly against him that, being totally unable to stem it, he
withdrew. Each man seemed to shout as if he had been a Stentor; and when his lungs were wearied, took to his feet and stamped, till all the black coats in his vicinity became grey with dust. At last the audience were tired out, and the theatre was closed before eleven o'clock.

Fifth night. -- The play was Coleman's amusing comedy of" John Bull." There was no diminution of the uproar. Every note on the diapason of discord was run through. The prize-fighters, or hitites as they were called, mustered in considerable numbers, and the battles between them and the pitites were fierce and many. It was now, for the
first time, that the letters O.P. came into general use as an abbreviation of the accustomed watchword of old prices. Several placards were thus inscribed; and, as brevity is so desirable in shouting, the mob adopted the emendation. As usual, the manager was called for. After some delay he came forward, and was listened to with
considerable patience.

He repeated, in respectful terms, the great loss that would be occasioned to the proprietors by a return to the old prices, and offered to submit a statement of their accounts to the eminent lawyers, Sir Vicary Gibbs and Sir Thomas Plumer; the eminent
merchants, Sir Francis Baring and Mr. Angerstein; and Mr. Whitmore, the Governor of the Bank of England. By their decision as to the possibility of carrying on the theatre at the old prices, he would consent to be governed, and he hoped the public would do the same.
This reasonable proposition was scouted immediately. Not even the high and reputable names he had mentioned were thought to afford and guarantee for impartiality. The pitites were too wrong-headed to abate one iota of their pretensions; and they had been too much insulted by the prize-fighters in the manager's pay, to show any consideration for him, or agree to any terms he might propose. They wanted full
acquiescence, and nothing less. Thus the conference broke off, and the
manager retired amid a storm of hisses.

An Irish gentleman, named O'Reilly, then stood up in one of the
boxes. With true Irish gallantry, he came to the rescue of an ill-used
lady. He said he was disgusted at the attacks made upon Madame
Catalani, the finest singer in the world, and a lady inestimable in
private life. It was unjust, unmanly, and un-English to make the
innocent suffer for the guilty; and he hoped this blot would be no
longer allowed to stain a fair cause. As to the quarrel with the
manager, he recommended them to persevere. They were not only wronged
by his increased prices, but insulted by his boxers, and he hoped,
that before they had done with him, they would teach him a lesson he
would not soon forget. The gallant Hibernian soon became a favourite,
and sat down amid loud cheers.

Sixth night. - No signs of a cessation of hostilities on the one
side, or of a return to the old prices on the other. The playgoers
seemed to grow more united as the managers grew more obstinate. The
actors had by far the best time of it; for they were spared nearly all
the labour of their parts, and merely strutted on the stage to see how
matters went on, and then strutted off again. Notwithstanding the
remonstrance of Mr. O'Reilly on the previous night, numerous placards
reflecting upon Madame Catalani were exhibited. One was inscribed with the following doggrel :-

"Seventeen thousand a-year goes pat,
To Kemble, his sister, and Madame Cat."

On another was displayed, in large letters, "No compromise, old
prices, and native talent!" Some of these were stuck against the front
of the boxes, and others were hoisted from the pit on long poles. The
following specimens will suffice to show the spirit of them; wit they
had none, or humour either, although when they were successively
exhibited, they elicited roars of laughter:--

"John Kemble alone is the cause of this riot;
When he lowers his prices, John Bull will be quiet."

"John Kemble be damn'd,
We will not be cramm'd."

"Squire Kemble
Begins to tremble."

The curtain fell as early as nine o'clock, when there being loud
calls for Mr. Kemble, he stood forward. He announced that Madame
Catalani, against whom so unjustifiable a prejudice had been excited,
had thrown up her engagement rather than stand in the way of any
accommodation of existing differences. This announcement was received
with great applause. Mr. Kemble then went on to vindicate himself and
co-proprietors from the charge of despising public opinion. No
assertion, he assured them, could be more unjust. They were sincerely
anxious to bring these unhappy differences to a close, and he thought
he had acted in the most fair and reasonable manner in offering to
submit the accounts to an impartial committee, whose decision, and the
grounds for it, should be fully promulgated. This speech was received
with cheering, but interrupted at the close by some individuals, who
objected to any committee of the manager's nomination. This led to a
renewal of the uproar, and it was some time before silence could be
obtained. When, at last, he was able to make himself heard, he gave
notice, that until the decision of the committee had been drawn up,
the theatre should remain closed. Immediately every person in the pit
stood up, and a long shout of triumph resounded through the house,which was heard at the extremity of Bow Street. As if this result had
been anticipated, a placard was at the same moment hoisted, inscribed,
"Here lies the body of NEW PRICE, an ugly brat and base born, who
expired on the 23rd of September 1809, aged six days. -- Requiescat in
pace!"

Mr. Kemble then retired, and the pitites flung up their hats in
the air, or sprang over the benches, shouting and hallooing in the
exuberance of their joy; and thus ended the first act of this popular
farce.

The committee ultimately chosen differed from that first named,
Alderman Sir Charles Price, Bart. and Mr. Silvester, the Recorder of
London, being substituted for Sir Francis Baring and Sir Vicary Gibbs.
In a few days they had examined the multitudinous documents of the
theatre, and agreed to a report which was published in all the
newspapers, and otherwise distributed. They stated the average profits
of the six preceding years at 6 and 3/8 per cent, being only 1 and 3/8
per cent. beyond the legal interest of money, to recompense the
proprietors for all their care and enterprise. Under the new prices
they would receive 3 and 1/2 per cent. profit; but if they returned to
the old prices, they would suffer a loss of fifteen shillings per
cent. upon their capital. Under these circumstances, they could do no
other than recommend the proprietors to continue the new prices.

This report gave no satisfaction. It certainly convinced the
reasonable, but they, unfortunately, were in a minority of one to ten.
The managers, disregarding the outcry that it excited, advertised the
recommencement of the performances for Wednesday the 4th of October
following. They endeavoured to pack the house with their friends, but
the sturdy O.P. men were on the alert, and congregated in the pit in
great numbers. The play was "The Beggar's Opera," but, as on former
occasions, it was wholly inaudible. The noises were systematically
arranged, and the actors, seeing how useless it was to struggle
against the popular feeling, hurried over their parts as quickly as
they could, and the curtain fell shortly after nine o'clock.

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