and the country around sent thousands to
gaze on the unusual sight presented to their view.

In the same year the sad calamity I have just recorded took place, the
Theatre Royal was the scene of a frightful disturbance, which ended in
the trial at Lancaster of several highly respectable men, for being
partakers in it. I have a distinct recollection of this affair, and a
more disgraceful one to all parties concerned in it, cannot be imagined.
These riots were termed the H. P. riots.

In the September of the preceding year there had been considerable
agitation in the theatrical world of London, and dreadful riots had taken
place as to the old prices, and the question was whether new and advanced
prices should be charged for admission to the theatres. A number of
individuals, as many as forty, were tried for the offence of rioting at
Covent Garden, when, to the surprise of everyone, the whole of the party
were found "Not guilty."

There is no doubt that this strange verdict in reference to most
outrageous and unjustifiable conduct had put it into the heads of many
people in Liverpool that similar conduct might be indulged in, with like
impunity, respecting the Theatre Royal. There had been frequent attempts
made to induce the lessees of the theatre, Messrs. Lewis and Knight, to
permit a half-price to be taken. The plea for the request was that
numbers of persons who would like occasionally to visit a theatre were
debarred doing so from the fact that their hours of employment were so
late that they could not get away in time to attend when the performances
commenced, and they thought it a hard case that they should be obliged to
pay full price for only half the quantity of amusement. The lessees
pleaded their expenses were just the same, whether the people came at
full price or half-price, and since the Theatre Royal had been
established no such arrangement had been attempted, and as it would not
pay them to concede a half price they declined to do so. They said their
undertaking in the theatre was a private speculation for a public
purpose, and they had no right to be compelled to do, what no other
tradesmen would be expected to do, that is, prosecute their business at a
loss. The play-goers, however, seemed determined to carry things with a
high hand, and endeavour to force Messrs. Lewis and Knight to come to
their terms. The season was announced to commence on the 11th of May,
1810, when there appeared, a few d