| Citation |
FJ.782.088
16 Oct 1782:21 (2/78)
[In a long article on the laws and regulations in France,
established for the preservation of the peace.]
Next to the inspectors are the exempts of the police; of
these there are 50 and it is their duty to direct coachmen
in the streets upon any stop, to back or give way, so as
best to clear the passage; to oblige drivers of carts to
walk close to the heads of their horses; to take up ballad
singers who sing unlicensed songs; to examine the pamphlets
carried about by hawkers, in search of such as are
prohibited. These officers immediately repair to any croud
or mob gathered in the streets, and lay hands on those who
give occasion to it by any turbulent behaviour. They are
likewise dispersed in the churches, the public gardens, and
the play houses, where they have the power to seize and turn
out such as behave in a manner unbecoming the decorum that
ought always to be preserved in places of public resort. At
the play houses they are, upon occasion, assisted by a party
of foot guards, who are always stationed in the avenues for
that purpose, as well as to clear the avenues, and direct
the order in which the coaches come up and drive off. This
regulation renders the entrance and going out of the theatre
safe and convenient, and the audience is sure not to be
defrauded of their entertainment by the vociferous petulance
of idle rake hells, who might assume the right of sitting in
judgement upon the poet, the manager, or the player.
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