The Express.
London, England, 1858-01-06 00:00:00

TEE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA HOUSE

The old familiar site in Bow-street upon which so
many theatres have been suceessively built and destroyed, is
now rapidly being once more covered with an edifice which
bids fair to go beyond even its latest predecessor in size, sub-
Wendel elegance, and the completeness of its errangemente
foe the accommodation and convenience of a large audience.
As yet everything is bricks and mortar and scaffolding, and
ganeral inectuprehensibility, bat a little patient inspection
BOON asserteins that an immense and lofty parallelogram of
bricking* raises its imposing sides against the sky, and that
• very few more feet of altitude will satisfy the meet im-
portant portion of the architect's design. The facade in
Bow-awed seems to be almost complete, and the side walla
are so Neely finished as to justify the raising of the fine
great girder, stetson of which are to support the roof.
These girders, which are what is called lattice
girders, an all of wrought iron, sad weigh each
somewhere about sixteen tons. The workmen com-
menced yesterday the erection of a scaffold or framework,
composed of great beams of timber, upon which the purchaas
le to be seected by means of which this enormous mass of iron
le to be raised to the top of the walls, and placed in its proper
position. As the span of these girders is ninety feet, en idea
may easily be formed of the extant of the roof which is
about to be erected without say support from beneath save
the boundary walls. The interior semicircle* of brickwork
ban which the several teen of boxes are to spring ere
inielied, end the workmen are now busy at the beck wall,
Mike yet wanks • good may het of its proper altitude. The
area, aliens\ now nearly /lied with enfolding and keg
alma poles, pflin of brick, weggues and hawses, sad work-
-1 men passing to and fm, may yet be seen to be of great extent;
but the visitor is surprised when he is told that the foot-
lights will cut this whole specie exactly in two, and that •
full half of the inclosure,in the centre of which he stands, will
be devoted to the stage and its appendages. Standing also
as he does on terra firma, and at a very little lower level
than that of the street outside, be will perhaps feel rather
astonished when his attention Is called to • white line painted
about half way up the wall, and he is told that at that high
level the Maria and Grins and Liable:hes of the day will
efsi and strut their hour for the entertainment of the
world. There will be fewer tiers of boxes end
fewer boxes is each tier than In the late theatre, the object
of Mr. Gys being to give greater space and better accom-
modative to his patrons, even although at the cost of con-
siderable ppre eacritice. The pit will be ten feet wider,
the genie being given to the stage; and by • judi-
cious shanties in the design, everyone in the hones will be
enabled to see the stage without stretching out, a wooer
whisk often lawfully disarranges the cravats of the polite
cavaliers who generally occupy the back chairs In an opera-
box. The hors eampstey having pared (cosh the vestibule
will dud threeselves in • very spacious ' crush-room," and
from thence there will be new and unusual facilities for ingress
and egress—a most important provision when we renewable
the accidents to which buildings of this kind ere Hale. Gnat
improvements will be mode in the sceeic arrangements—

amongst others the erection of an extensive painting rootniO
feet by 40, and the abolition of the old-fashioned "flys ;"
that effect of the latter innovation being to facilitate the ex-
hibition of spectacle to an extent hitherto unknown in our
theatres. Lately, in almost every case, the use of iron will
be substituted for wood, and every other precaution taken to
render the building as nearly fire-proof as possible. The
works, which commenced on the 29th of September last,
have been carried on with great rapidity, end in their present
aspect afford every prospect of being finished by the let May,
en which day Mr. bye is bound by his contract to open the
theatre. There are about 300 men daily at work on the
walls and roof, and simultaneously the Mews.
Lnose's large factory at Lowestoft is folly employed
on the interior fittings, while all the Ironwork is being con-
structed at the foundry of Mews. OriaseL It is obvious
that progress may in the same way be made with the scenery
and decorations, so that se we approach the end of the
work the rate of progress will exhibit what, were we not
aware of the above particulars, would appear to be an
almost magical acceleration. Under all them favourable cir-
cumstances, we may fairly anticipate that as early day will
see Mr. (lye comfortably installed in hi. newly-me Med lyric
temple, sr d we trust rewarded by that olooost of potion*
on the part of the public to which his snowy sod unwearied
exortiuso for Wei amassment so jam* cattle him.

RACHEL'S ROUSE IN PAWL— At her hones every-
thing is rich end magailleent, perhaps too recUrelid. The
insernmet room was blue-goo, with shaded lamps and
statuettes of French authors. In tics salon, properlyspeaking,
the colour which prevailed ;principally mthe carpets, cur-
tains, and bookcase., was crimson. She herself was dressed
in black, probably as she is represented in the well-known
English steel engraving of her. Her •gueste consisted of
gentlemen, for the greater pin artists and men of learning;
I also heard • few titles among them. Richly-appli
servants announced the names of the arrivals; Oft was
drunk and refreshment. handed round, more in the Ger-
man than the French style. Victor Hugo had told me that
he found that she understood the German language. I
wired her; and she replied in German, " Joh kann es lases;
kb lain ja in Lothringen gebnren ; ich babe deutsche Bucher,
ache Sie blur l" (I can reed it; I was born In Lorraine. I
have German books : look hers); and she showed me Grill-
parser'. " Sappho," and Rea immediately continued the con-
versation in French. She expressed her pleasure in acting
the pert of Sappho, and then spoke of tichillei's " Maria
preset," which character she hes personated in • French
version of that play. I saw her In this part, and eh* gays
tee last act • aqwdelly with seek • composure and tragic
feeling that she might have beeemseee of the beet of Oars=
admen ; but it was precisely Is this vary act that the Frank
Mold her loser. " My amseryints," sail ohs, " ere ash wow
teemed to this manner, sad le Ms reessaer done asp lie pat
l= en. No oat should be raving when the hem Is dame
i with sorrow, and elm he is shoot a law an ear-
Waft farewell of Ids Meade Her drawing-room wee kr
the nest pest desissisi elk books, which wars=
adly bark end enampil bearilsom• bookcases
Paildled bawd en tic walk wide It reantented thei
ietafor of the theatre is Larks, whoa abs m.d kraal
as the Nesse sad dowers ad grim* was amen * her
was the Sweirstra. Bove lit *an brag a pretty Mule
herk-sheK *Wag whet 1 al "the bykavadity ashoog
the pear-06ada, eceMsr, Goias., Meagan, lc. ate
asked see tray Inestitas reran* Elereassy sad Dia
meek, set sad the at ; sad she encouraged we whk •
kind wile arena bar gran south was I stnabled is
Trask, sod shigral Sat • arinsiat to collect myself, that I
etalt est diet gate Oast. " Only speak," aid ate. "It
Is owe that yea de set spook Trench well .I have heard
sway Ihrelgeers week my end* language better ; het their
coaversedise has net hew needy se interesting as yours. I
underatand the row of wards perfectly, and that is tits
prieelpel thief which latarame as In you."—.dadsrese's
Stacy if hie Life.