§ Lord Wharncliffemoved, "That the Report on the Theatres Regulation Bill, with its amendments, be received."
Lord Brougham, on the part of Mr. Arnold, requested to know whether it was the intention to allow the minor theatres in London to play the regular drama when they pleased, and whether, if so, the English Opera-house would be considered as coming within the catagory of minor theatres.
§ Lord Wharncliffesaid, that when a theatre had obtained a licence from the Lord Chamberlain, he apprehended it might play what dramas it pleased.
The Earl of Glengallsaid, that if the other theatres in and around London were to have the privileges hitherto confined to the patent theatres, the patent theatres ought to be at liberty to represent Italian operas, and other entertainments, which hitherto had been prohibited to them by the Lord Chamberlain.
The Marquess of Clanricardesaid, that his reason for acceding to the Bill, was, that he looked upon it as intended only as a measure of police, the object of which was to give the Lord Chamberlain the power of preventing performances calculated to offend public decency and morals. Beyond this, he conceived it was not intended that the Lord Chamberlain's power in the matter should extend. He did not apprehend that the Bill gave the Lord Chamberlain any authority, after he shall have licensed a theatre, to dictate to the manager what entertainments he shall provide for the public. The province of the Lord Cham- 589 berlain would simply be, as he conceived the matter, to take care that no conduct, no entertainments, offensive to public decency and morals, should be permitted. As to the entertainments, in every other respect, he considered they would be left entirely to the manager's discretion, it being no part of the Lord Chamberlain's duty to say, whether they should be drama, regular or irregular, or singing or dancing; whether the performers should be from the west or from the east, whether the language should be English, Irish, Iroquois, or Italian. Indeed, the Lord Chamberlain's office was an utterly unfit place for any such interferences to emanate from; and, certainly, no man of respectability and station, and adequate means, would come forward to take the management of a theatre, if in his arrangements as to the performances, he was liable to be thwarted, not by the Government, indeed, not by the Lord Chamberlain, but by some underling at the Lord Chamberlain's office.
§ Lord Wharncliffesaid, that whatever power the Lord Chamberlain now had, he would continue to possess; the extent of his jurisdiction being increased to all theatres within twenty miles of the metropolis.
Lord Campbellsaid, that unless he had put the same construction upon the Bill as the noble Marquess had just stated to the House, he should not have supported it. He regarded it as giving the Lord. Chamberlain power to give licences, and to take care that public decency and morals were not insulted; in other respects, he conceived the manager who had obtained a licence would not be interfered with.
§ Report brought up, Bill to be read a third time.