The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-15 00:00:00

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

GENERAL GARIBALDI'S VISIT.

The Royal Italian Opera was last evening the
scene of an ovation, which, from the social position
of its habitues and the ordinary nil admirari cha-
racter of their well•bred applause, proved that those
who took pill in it sympathise heartily in the feel-
ing which may now be said to pervade every clues
of society, from the peer to the peasant. No sooner
was the announcement made that the purest of
modern patriots, and the bravest of freedom's soldiers,
desired to honour the opera of his native tongue
with a hearing, than every seat in the house was at
a premium. This might have been anticipated from
a class to whom the price for admission is hardly a
consideration; but what we would desire to remark
is the unmistakable proof which this selection from
the " upper ten thousand" supplied, of the justness
of the opinion consistently expressed in these
columns, despite the hesitating of many, and the
ill•disguised envy and of ethers, that Gari-
baldi, come when he might, would receive from
every Englishman, of every rank, that cordial
welcome which a generous people is proud to give
to those who deserve well of their country and of:
mankind.

About twenty minutes past eight loud cheering
in the piazza of Covent-garden announced to the
well-dressed crowd within the Floral Hall that
Garibaldi had arrived, and shortly afterwards the
hero, accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of
Sutherland, the Earl of Carlisle, Lady Blantrye,
the Countess Dowager of Sutherland, Lords Albert
and Ronald Leveson Gower, Mr. Negretti, and ether
friends, made their appearance and were received
by Mr. Gye and several officials ,af the opera. Such
was the eagerness for a near approach that the
Ueneral was surrounded and separated from his
escort completely, when two active superintendents
came to the rescue, and cleared a passage for him
across the Floral Hall, and up the staircase leading
to the grand tier, where three boxes had been thrown
into one, exactly opposite the royal box. Never was
crowned head received with such outspoken and
hearty cheers, rivalling in vigour those of the most
popular assemblies, and repeated again and again.
The General, who looks somewhat sick with kind-
ness, bowed repeatedly. The eommof ion and emo.
tion calmed, Costa tapped his desk, and the band
burst forth with the preluding notes of "Norma."
The choice of this opera and two acts of " Masa-
niello," with the elevation of the Fisherman• Ring,
ending with the insurrection, the fusillade, and
defeat of the royal troops, was certainly highly sug-
gestive. The music, the gorgeous 71118 C en scene,
the picturesque groups of Neapolitans, and the splen-
did pictures of the Bay of Naples, the market-
place, and other localities, appeared to delight the
gallant visitor and chain his attention. We
have been told much of the General's inflexible
rule of " early to bed," when not campaigning.
Last night, or rather this morning, gave us the
" exception," which logicians tell us " proves the
rule." It was asserted that at the close of "Norma,"
half-past 10 o'clock, the General would leave. He
merely retired for refreshment, returned, and sot
out the whole performance, bowing in reply to re-
newed cheers after the fall of the drop-scene, and
applauding warmly at the close. At half-past 12
the General left with his friends.

The Guards' band was in waiting in the Floral
Hall, and played the Garibaldian Hymn st his de-
parture, which was made by the Pizza entrance,
by which he had entered ; and here again loud and
ringing huzzahs were heard for the man whom the
people delight to honour.
The Norma of Madame Lagrua cxlaited. the
magnificence, the energy, the intellectuality, and
the power which we have already attributed to this
great singer and tragedienne. Mdlle. Marie Battu
was a charming Adalgisa, and Signor Nandia an
excellent representative of Pellie, pro7erbially ill-
received by the audience. The novelty was a new
()raves° in the person of Herr Schndi, of whom we
may briefly say that he is en actor, a musician, and
a singer gifted with great power of delivery, ex-
pression, and depth. His Oroveso so much impressed
us that we are anxious to hear him in another role.

The splendid overture to Masaniello was splen-
didly performed, so splendidly that it was warmly
applauded, and no one seemed to regret the time
by which it lengthened unusually •' long Thurs-
day."

Among the company were :—The Duke of Wellington,
the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, the Duchess of St.
Albans and Lady Diana Beauclerk and Viscount Falkland,
the Duchess Dowager of Sutherland and his Excellency the
Earl of Carlisle and Lords Albert and Ronald Leveson
Gower, the Marchioness of Downshire and Lady Alice
Hill, the Earl and Countess of Tankerville, the Earl of
Dudley, the Earl of Uxbridge, the Earl Granville, the Earl
of Durham, the Earl and Countess of Wilton, the Countess
de Grey, the Countess of Harrington, Viscount Sydney,
Lord Ernest Bruce, Lord and Lady do Tabley and the
Hon. Misses Warren (2), Lord Arthur Hill, Baron de
Rothschild and Miss de Rothschild, Lady Augustus Went-
worth and Miss Wentworth, Major the Hon. Henry Gage
and Mrs Gage, Hon. Charles Barrington, Hon. Mrs Edward
Villiers and Miss Villiers, Hon. Frederick Somerset Cal-
thorpe, Hon. Frederick Leveson Gower, M.P , Hon. Mrs.
Ives and Mr Gordon Ives, Hon. Spencer Ponsonby, the
Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel, M.P., and Lady Emily Peel,
Sir Anthony do Rothschild and the Misses de Rothschild
(2), Sir Henry Cotterell, Sir Robert Hamilton and Mrs
Hamilton, Admiral Sir R. Munday, Colonel Farquharson
of Invercauld, Colonel Stuart, Colonel and Mrs Munday,
Mrs W. E. Gladstone, Mrs Hutt, Mr and Mrs IV. F. Do-
larue, Mrs Adamson, Mr and Mrs Marley, Mrs and Mr
Arthur Ward, Dr Billing, Mr Maynard, Mr H. W. Eaton,
Mr J. L. O'Beirne, Mr J. R. Fenwick, Mr J. Perez
Lozano, Mr E. Barry, Mr H. J. Sturt, M.P., Mr Charles
Shelley, Mr Butler Johnstone, Mr Gladstone, jun., Mr H.
W. Wickham, M.P., Mr J. W. Gaskoll, M.P., Mr George
Drummond, Mr H. A. Fans, Mr Woodford, Mr Theodore
Dark, Mr J. C. North, Mr. Penney, Mr T. Lucas, Mr
Muir, Mr IL Eaton, Mr G. Stone, &e.

DEPARTURE OF GENERAL GARIBALDI

FOR BEDFORD.—(This Day.)

General Garibaldi, accompanied by his sons, the
members of his suite, and the Duke of Sutherland,
left Stafford House this morning at 10 o'clock for
Bedford, via the Great Northern Railway. On
arriving at that place, the General will proceed to
Mr. Howard's agricultural works, where a display
of the capabilities of the machines manufactured by
the firm will be given. The route traversed by the
Duke's carriages was lined with people, and, in
some instances, hasty attempts at decoration had
been made.

The cheering along the road was loud and hearty,
but at the entrance to the railway station it became
tumultuous. A limited number of persons only was
admitted to the departure platform, so that he
was enabled to depart on this occasion without going
through the fatigue of shaking hands with every
person who could get within arm's reach of him.
He returns to town late in the afternoon.

To-morrow (Saturday) General 9aribaldi will
receive in the centre transept of the Crystal Palace,
from the Italian Reception Committee, an address
and presentation mord. A similar sword will also
be presented to the General's son, Menotti Gari-
baldi. The presentation will take place in a box
or gallery erected for the occasion at the north-east
corner of the great transept, immediately facing
the Handel orchestra, and in full view of the visi-
tors. Prior to the presentations a great Italian
concert will be offored to the General by the prin.
cipal artistes of the Italian Operas. The General
will leave town privately, and arrive at the Palace
on Saturday about two o'clock. He will leave
about five o'clock.
On his return to town Garibaldi will go to a
grand dinner and evening party at Lord Palmer-
ston's, Cambridge House. On Monday the whole
of the members of the House of Commons are in-
vited from two to six o'clock, to meet the General
at Mr. Seely's, at Princes-gate. It is, therefore,
probable that the proceedings at Sydenham on that
day will be over at an early hour. He will dine in
the evening With the Marquis of Clanricarde, and

PRICE ..4d.
STAMPED:....Sd.

on the following Wednesday with the Chancellor
of the Exchequer at Carlton House-terrace.
Nearly 200 members cf the Reform Club
have put down their names fer the dinner to be given
at the club house to General Garibaldi. " The use
of the institution," says the Daily News, " is felt
as an injury by some of the Catholic members,
with whom some liberal Protestant members have
expressed their sympathy. The invitation, how-
ever, being simply the act of thoce who give it, does
not compromise the Catholic members, as en act of
the club would do."

The General's simple habits have been in no wise
departed from since his sojourn at Stafford House.
He rises at five, end hreaktists at six, the meal con-
sisting of bread, grapeD, cheese, and a glass of wine,
and then smokes a cigar while walking in the
grounds attached to the mansion.

General Garibaldi and his sons have been elected,
by the. committee of the New United Service Club,
honorary members during their stay in this country.
The arrangements at the Crystal Palace are pro-
gressing satisfactorily, and from the demand for
places there is no doubt that the Crystal Palace will
to-morrow have one of the greatest displays ever
witnessed. The programme of the day will be found
in our adertising columns, It is rcquested by the
managers of the fete, that persons should pro-
vide themselves Morehand with tickets, and
whether by rail or by road they will do well to
start early for the Palace. Fur Saturday no
tickets will be sold in town after this evening, For
Monday, the day for the presentation of addresses,
reserved seat tickets will be issued at Exeter hall
only, commencing at 10 o'clock in the morning.

The Health of Garibaldi,

(Root the Iruieet,)

One of the avowed motives of the visit of General
Garibaldi to this country was to avail himself of
the services of Mr. Fergusson in the treatment of
the still subsisting effects of the injury to his
wounded joint. General Garibaldi has been under
the continuous surgical care of Mr. Fergusso❑ since
his arrival in London, and we are able to give,
upon the best authority, accurate details of the
present condition of this illustrious man, which w:11
be read with the greater interest by the members
of the profession, in that the original nature and
extent of the injuries were the cause of so much
doubt and difficulty as to diagnosis and treatment.
Garibaldi seems in good health and spirits. Consi-
dering the anxieties and sufferings of 1862, and his
oppressed state throughout the greater part of
1863, his general condition may now be declared
excellent. His conatitution must originally have
been good; and setting aside his present halt, he dis-
plays a wiry vigour of frame which most men at the
age of 57 might envy. Compared with the accounts
of him during his voyage, and on his arrival in this
country, ho is greatly improved ; for already his
residence in " the garden of England," and the
good care of his worthy hest, Mr. Seeley, have put
him in such bloom that (barring casualties) he
bids as fair to reach the allotted span as any
one of his age. To be brief, he appears as sound
constitutionally as man at his ago can be. His
wounded limb naturally attracts most attention. He
walks lamely, yet without much, if any pain. The
wound has to all appearance healed thoroughly,
and has left less evil than might have been anti-
cipated. There is a small round scar, about an
inch above the inner ankle, which tells of serious
damage to the bone, and extreme risk to the ankle-
joint. The place is a little depressed, indicating loss
of tissue and fragments of bone—so common in gun-
shot injuries of the kind; but the akin is as healthy
as could be expected at this date. When the parts
were first inspected there was a slight tinge of red,
which the General declared to be temporary, and
attributed to the fatigue of his entry into London.
This b:nsh has since gone off. The inflamma-
tion from the wound has evidently extended into
the ankle joint, and the result is a great amount
of stiffening, which is the chief cause of lame-
ness. Lets ral movements of the foot are tolerably
free, probably from acquired increased mo•
bility of some of the joints (tarsal) but flexion and
extension at the ankte•joint proper are impercep•
tible. The foot is slightly turned inwards, and this
is, perhaps, the chief present cause of a peculiarity
of gait. I❑ walking the wounded limb is carried
at a considerable distance from the other, EO that
the sole of the foot may be placed flat on the ground.
Should the etiffrees at the cnkle.joint relax, this
slight malposition will gradually disappear, and
with the improvement in both, the lameness will
become less and lest, until, in all likelihood, it will
not be perceptible to an ordinary observer. There
is further hope in this respect, from the circumstance
that the knee, which was necessarily constrained
during the treatment of the wound, is still a little
stiff, and that the calf has not regained its natural
size and vigour. Under all the circumstances, it
may be unhesitatingly declared that Garibaldi, con-
stitutionally and locally, could not have been better
at this date, after such a wound and such an inflam-
mation ; and it may be a subject of congratulation
to the admirers of the hero, and all who are fondly
interested in his fate, that both limb and life have
spared.

(Row the Jlcdical Time,' and Gazette.)

We are glad to be able to present our readers
with the following authentic surgical account of the
present condition of the illustrious foreigner :—The
wound in General Garibaldi's leg has been entirely
and soundly cicatrised for three months or more,
and the only indication of the ie.' ury is a dimple on
the inner side of the ankle where the ball entered.
There is no sinus and no discharge, and as the parts
are thoroughly cicatrised, there is, in all probability,
nothing present in the shape of a foreign body or
piece of necrosed bone. The main symptoms from
which the General is at present suffering are the
effects of long•continued inflammation, represented
by considerable stiffness and want of motion about
the ankle. There is limitation of movement in
various directions, and, in all probability, there is
a pretty firm ankylosis of the ankle joint itself•
There is, however, a considerable capacity of motion
in the tarsus. By the aid of a stick the General can
move the limb freely. From this account it is clear
that no active surgical treatment is needful.

STEAM FIRE-ENGINE.—A powerful steam fire-
engine was yesterday shipped on board the Fingal
steamer for Copenhagen. It is intended for the Royal
Board of Fire of that city, but it is expected that it will in
the first instance be used for the extinction of fire caused by
the bombardment of the Danish fortresses by the Germans.
Immediately after the inundation at Sheffield steam pump-
ing machinery was telegraphed for from London, and this
engine was immediately sent down, It was engaged five
days continuously pumping water, sand, and dirt from the
basements of the steel and other manufactories, and finished
on the fifth day, the 19th of March, brworking in public
for two hours ee a steam fire-engine, when it threw two
large jets above the factory chimneys, It was also worked
on the 31st of March, in the presence of Captain Shaw,
superintendent of the London Fire Brigade, and Mr. Mat-
thews, of the firm of John Penn and Son, when liin. jet
wan worked continuously with a pressure of 1001 b. to the
equate inch. Steam was generated to 501 b. to the square
ince in eight minutes, cold water being used. This engine
is an improvement upon that which obtained the first prize
at the international competition at the Crystal Palace on the
Ist of July, 1863. It weighs 30 cwt., and is the 30th steam
fire-engine constructed by Messrs. Shand, Mason, and Co.
PERSONATING h. DEAD MAN.—At the Police-
office, Nottingham, on Thursday, James Orme, a
collier, residing at Heanor, was charged with having ob-
tained fraudulently £5B from the Nottingham Savings-bank.
From the evidence of John Adams, a clerk in the bank, it
appeared that on Wednesday week the prisoner came into
the bank with a book which had not been presented for eight
years. On being asked his name he eaid it was John Davies,
stating that the book belonged to him. He said he would
take out the whole amount. Part of the money was given
to him then, and the rest on the following Saturday. The
real owner of the bank book had died five years ago, and
and prisoner had obtained possession of it when at deceased's
house. Some further evidence was adduced, and the pri-
soner was remanded for a week.