The Express.
London, England, 1852-03-29 00:00:00

RUSSIA AND THE. CAUCASIANS.

The Ilmeian newspapers contain official reports of
• sreories aehie'e, tby the imperial arms over the
laverisa tribes. In order, it is said, to punish the
s:vis us the other side of the Kuban, a gette-
s: truck woe made at the end of January, from the
bat of toot awl the neighbourhood of Tscbernomorien, by
the right amt of the army, the first division of which
dertroyel n villages, and, after a whole day's battle,
Wed 20 .Idea and 200 warriors, lowing only one
sibiers and ten prirstes killed, and three Akers and fOrry-
sow pfleat.,-. wounded. A second dis iiioll destroyed, in
tame days teghting. forty four villages, with peat stoned
Mtn sad pros. mkt, killed vast numbers of the enemy, and
took some promiers, basin aft fourteen privates killed sad
MI folrwr. and Itti phinderrerweaded. It is a pity we have
tot Seliamp's ripen alt aim Oar

MUSIC.
orENING OF THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA. I
lhe llioval Italian Opera has commenced the sixth
not it. ;Tenttal existence. Be the future what it may,
%r.,v ran MIL tears will be • memorable one Ia the limery
mu.uul stige. Amid • *cries of gram mom tee-
• clithcultics, end miaow disasters, the establish-
r..,ot taunt:ailed a struggle which cites seemed desperate,
at liorth it appeen to have noshed • smooth ma, and to
ecntil forward by • lamer* gale. The pm=
it. rty .hive by its management deserve' a a
r.;t. especially whoa we 'murky the greet eSset it
to tad upon the progrees of the lyrical drama. The
step of exteading the ballads of the Italisa stage, and
tr.,hirag its exhausted stores by introdecing the great
• is. of the Genitals and French schools--s step so bold
Li ham:deny is at lint to be deemed chimerical—kaa
/Me a new impulse to the public taste. We are no
satAled with au Bete repertoire cogitating of pieces =e rr-
lad only in their degrees of inanity and weakness we do-
ssed work. of penes and power ; and if modern Italy can-
on
tarnish them, we hare learned to seek and Gad them
towbar, We think it fair to add that we believe the
meld of the existence of the Royal Italian Open, sad of
the results which it has elketed, u Ise to a literary amateur,
Mr. Orionis's' who cot may projeeted the enterprise, bat
set es attire part is it inao Whet.
The theatre invest es Saturday with the " Maria dl
Loam,- of Donizetti ; a epees sat entirely unknown to the
Loads public'. toe it was peedseed at the same theatre four
pus sett, but (from eillanmotaness uelailesseary sow to
amide) with little satoma. hisme of the Meet works
et the composer, having been written for Vienna in 1843,
by chub time a marked change had takes piste is Dan-
rste's style. Deeper study of his art, combliniol peobs_bit
wait a desire to satisfy Gerona taste end jedpaseg. bed
oilseed him to write with a care and elaboration net 1111 he
Sued in his wilier productions, and to aim at greater sell-
laity of esinstraetioo, and greater variety and riehaeu in his
orehtscral writing. We do not that* that " Maria di
&ban shows more 1151'0116ve gestic', or • happier low of
melody. that •• Asa Helena" or " Lucia di Lammermoor;"
Let r sandy. as • work of art, it is greatly superior to
tither.
The east was Snag, and the perlonesnee esselleaL Ma-
dame Camelia* wee • clieriallagpard=rlitive of the
henna*, and sang nquisiteryj the sir " Cups
fatal mastitis,- the inset sereeser is dm part. Is
the tenor, spay, and dielleseties of the ekeisg
woe she showed a high degree of tragic power.
Tamberlik slid all justice to the Memater of the Cooing in
Crocias. both as as actor end • glow ; but the Path le Dot
r. interrning, either mealy sr dirmstically, as it ought to
hats been. None of the dos holaeging to it have left any
trace on our memory. The littbreest of the Gooch served
to introduce the zew eontrallejkdomenelle Betruha, who
stewed • decided triumph. Bee sepia Is very pleasing,
hat her racesisc timidity fee • little thee seemed to para-
lyse her powers. Enanreged, bangs; by a kind rasp-
toe, rolliul her spirit@ ; and wham Me mate to the
salient point of the part, the azormilagly pretty reinasee,
par taue ozio," she peered It out with • sow? •
Ire. • richaem of voice and brilliancy of encodes, which
took the audience by sterm sad it woe encored with salvos
of swam.. from terry part of the house. We shall be
muck-tinappuinted If this yam lady do not tern est an-
other &ambit's or .

But all the other parts wens eclipsed by RosocaPs meg-
sittetst performance of the DrAe de Cheontree. 11 is re.
tared es Ins chef d'avarre, sad is indeed a wonderful (we
aught almost my matchless) application of the vocal art to
the expression of parkin in its utmost violas. sad bites-
sity to the final scene, the slam of ?rewind jedoesy,
ragtag is the breast of a desperate WAS, bee seam bees
more powerfully painted by the greatest Meridiem of
hhal.pesre's stage.
The piece has bean produced with the completeness and
splendour to be expected at this theatre. The orchestra
mush. under its able cosdoetor, Mr. Costa, end has bees
streerth.ned by game emiaeat sum, particularly Piatti
end bottosini. The seenery and decorations were nth and
beautiful. A great mistake was made, however, is the
iatrvbactioa of a sadism ballet, for which the drama fur-
fu•hn no warrant, which Mops the action, and was, mere.
over, tfullfferesily danced. It lasted so long that monads of
disapprobation were beginniag to be very audible.

rARY COMMITTEE&