f Plays. And then, as to the question of fees.
What right had he to exact fees? There was no mention of fees in the
Act. No doubt the managers had long been in the habit of paying
fees--L2 2s. for every piece, song, &c. But it was urged that this was
simply to secure expedition in the examination of their plays, which
they were bound to submit to the Chamberlain fourteen days at least
before representation, and not in pursuance of any legal enactment.
The Examiner of Plays received a salary from the Chamberlain for the
labour he performed; why should he levy a tax upon managers and
authors, and so be paid twice over for the same work?

Now, on the subject of fees Colman was certainly most rapacious. He
spared no effort to increase, in this way, the emoluments of his
office. Did an actor on a benefit night advertise any new songs,
glees, or other musical performance--Colman was prompt to demand a fee
of L2 2s. for every separate production. Occasional addresses,
prologues, and epilogues, were all rated as distinct stage plays, and
the customary fees insisted upon. One actor, long famous as "Little
Knight," so far defeated this systematic extortion that he strung
together a long list of songs, recitations, imitations, &c., which he
wished to have performed at his benefit with any nonsense of dialogue
that came into his head, and so sent them to be licensed as one piece.
They were licensed accordingly; the dialogue was all omitted, and the
ingenious actor aided his benefit by saving L8 8s. or L10 10s., which
would otherwise have found their way into the pocket of the Examiner.
When the French plays were performed in London, in 1829, Colman
insisted that a fee must be paid for every vaudeville or other light
piece of that class produced. As some three or four of such works were
presented every night--the same plays being rarely repeated--it was
computed that the Examiner's fees amounted upon an average to L6 6s. a
night. During an interval, however, the Duke of Devonshire succeeding
the Duke of Montrose as Chamberlain, this demand was not enforced;
eventually a compromise was agreed upon, and a reduced fee of L1 1s.
was levied upon each vaudeville, &c. Colman even succeeded in rating
as a stage play, an astronomical lecture, delivered at the Lyceum. The
"At Homes" of Mathews were of course taxed, a "slight sketch and
title" being submitted to the Examiner, the actor professing to speak
without any precise text, but simply f