on a pedestal of Hero-yvorship—transformed into a sort of William Tell—with this difference, that, instead of syveeping an apple off a felloyv's head, Coppin used to be popped at yvith the apple. A n d he, to do him justice, never took kindly to this species of by-play. H e used to resist it manfully, beard the sharpshooters, yvhether in pit or gallery, and threaten them yvith all sorts of pains and penalties. O n e night some profane urchins, deeming themselves secure in the gallery, imagined Coppin a sort of Aunt Sally, and began to playpitch and toss at his nob. A night or two after they set to "appleing" him, yvhen one of them was caught flagrante delicto by a policeman, collared, and dragged off to the watch-house. George appeared to prosecute, and the folloyving report of the case is transcribed from an old neyvspaper:—"AN A P P L E O F D I S C O R D . — A s Coppin yvas electrifying the audience of the Queen's Theatre on the evening of the 26th March, 1846, and all his dramatic powers yvere being brought into play, one of the gods hurled a thunderbolt from Olympus, in the shape of an apple, yvhich grazed Coppin's left eye. H e (the god) yvas accordingly given into custody. T h e prisoner yvas brought up before the magistrates next morning and admitted the impeachment, but justified his conduct by stating it to be all a lark, especially as on the previous evening a practice prevailed of playing pitch and toss with pence and half-pence at Coppin's head ; and if it yvas legal to fling coppers at a man's head, it could not be m u c h harm to indulge the innocent amusement of apple throyving. In consequence of the complainant not wishing to press the charge, the Bench let off the offender on payment of a fine offiveshillings." A s a rule, the Queen's yvas a paradise of propriety compared with the Pavilion ; but on the evening ofthe 18th May, 1846, hoyvever, there was a regular rumpus through the misconduct of
A POLICE PEACE-BREAKER.
Mr. William Dana, brother of the Commandant of Native Police, of yvhich force he yvas second officer, was, with a boon companion, named Croker, comfortably enjoying a cigar in one of the boxes or dress circle. T h e "blowing of the cloud" soon attracted the olfactory attention of the proprietor (Mr. Smith), w h o rushed to the footlights, declared smoking to be prohibited, and requested the offending party to desist. D a n a coolly replied, " H e would see him hangedfirst,"whereupon Smith invoked the assistance of Sugden, the Chief-Constable, yvho happened to be in the house, but he declined to interfere until there was a breach of the peace, yvith which he was soon gratified. Smith, summoning some of the employes to his assistance, proceeded to eject Dana, w h o showed fight, and cuffed and kicked all round, Croker remaining a passive, amused spectator. Smith was very partial to the display of large white shirt fronts, and in the fray one of thesefinerieswas irretrievably demolished. D a n a was at length overpoyvered and cast forth, yvhen he fell into the clutches of another batch of Philistines—the Chief-Constable and some of the police—by w h o m he was unceremoniously hauled off to the lock-up, but yvas bailed out during the night. T h e next morning the case turned up before the Police Court, yvhen Smith appeared to prosecute, and M r . Stephen (Barrister) yvas defendant's Counsel. T h e presiding Magistrates yvere the Mayor (Dr. Palmer) and Mr. James Smith ; and on defendant being ordered to stand fonvard in the prisoner's dock, he refused point blank to do so. T h e Justices declared that they could not recognize any distinction of persons charged before them; but, as doubts were entertained as to their power to compel a person accused of making a disturbance to appear in the felons' dock, they remanded the hearing for a few days, and reneyved the defendant's bail. T h e case was resumed on the 25th May, before tyvo other Magistrates (Messrs. Henry M o o r and M'Lachlan), yvhen it yvas proved that, in addition to other improprieties on the evening of the fracas, D a n a had given a general challenge to the dress circle tofightsingle-handed all its occupants (ladies and gentlemen) in rotation, and that one m a n had not only accepted the challenge, but had throyvn off his coat preparatory to engaging in hostilities, which the subsequent events prevented. A copy of a printed circular yvas put in to the effect that no smoking yvould under any circumstances be permitted during theatrical performances. T h e defence set up was that D a n a yvas only smoking in the theatre, for doing which he had been roughly treated, that smoking in a theatre yvas not per sc illegal, and> ergo, the original removal and arrest were illegal. In their decision the Magistrates adroitly evaded an opinion on the point of law propounded, and simply fined the defendant 40s. and costs for resisting the constables in the execution of their duty.
