The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-13 00:00:00

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Although "The Huguenots"—postponed the
other day by reason of Herr Schmid's sudden ill-
ness—was at length performed last evening for the
first time this season, it was so performed last even-
ing under two or three rather serious disadvantages.
Signor Mario, it is true, was in splendid voice for
him, and, with his superb acting, excited the
audience more than once to an enthusiastic evidence
of their admiration. Bat, not thus was it with the
prima donna, "gothic. Pauline Lucca, whose severe
cold had to be apologised for through a little hand-
bill widely circulated through the densely-crowded
house. Even without this little deprecatory handbill,
'aewever, the indulgence of the audience would have
been claimed by the too evident fact of the fair
artiste's indisposition. Herr Schmid, again, was
not sufficiently recovered from Lis illness of last
week to make his appearance yesterday as Marcel
—this, of course, to the serious disappointment of all
those who had been looking forward with delight to
hearing hisnoble voice in his impersonation of the old
Puritan soldier with his "piff paff" song of defiance
to the Catholics. As his substitute, Signor Attri
undertook the part of Marcel, but memo no more
sensation as Marcel than he did the first night of the
season in Norma" as Oroveso. There was, of course,
Didiee's page Urbano list night with that lovely
trilling" No, no, no, no''—and there was Faure's St.
Bris—and there were the magnificent choruses,
especially the Benediction of the Daggers and the
" Ra-rataplan "—and there was, as ever, that
glorious orchestra that Mr. Costa's baton seems to
play like one instrument—there were all those ad-
vantages it is true last night to keep Signor Mario,
so to speak, in countenance upon one of his excep-
tionally good nights. Bat—with these advantages

—there were also those rather serious disadvantages
already particularized. The audience had too much
reason to regret the sevEra cold of Madlle. Lucca,
and the absence of Herr Schmid, and the substitu-
tion for the latter of Signor Attri, as the Marcel,
to render the otherwise brilliant performance
of the " Huguenots" yesterday completely enjoy-
able. The mise-en-scene, the costumes, the scenery,
and the general decorations of this, one of the
grandest of all the grand opera in the repertoire of
the Royal Italian—were one and all of a piece ifith
the high reputation of the establishment. The per
formance, therefore, in spite of what has already
been remarked upon, went off brilliantly through-
out. To-morrow evening is set apart for the first
night this season of the same great and lamented
composer's " Roberto it Diavolo"—his first pass-
port to immortality. On Monday, Madlle. Patti
will make her first appearance this seaeo❑ in Be!,
lini's exquisite " SonnambAla." And on Thursday
❑ext, Mario will make his first appearance as
Goethe's Student-Hero, in Gounod's masterpiece of
" Faust a Margherita."

SIGNIFICANT !—Mr. Whitesiee, Q.C., during his
brilliant speech on Wednesday, remarked :—"1 do
not know how matters stood in 1815 ; I only know
what was said by M. Thiers of the results achieved
by Castlereagh, and if he were now our Foreign
Minister England would not be the laughing stock
of Europe. (Load and prolonged cheeriug, which
began on the left hand of the Speaker and rolled
round the lower end of the house to the benches
below the gangway at the Ministerial side.)-71.ines
report of the Parliamentary Proceedings.
THE " ATHEN:EUM'S " TRIBUTE TO FRANK
SMEDLEY.—In tt.e old electioneering days, when
contests for Westrn:nster were carried on for a fortnight,
with a formidable riot every day but Sunday, when the
sweet voices of the non-electors were hushed for a brief
breathing-time, Mr Smedley, the High Bailiff of West-
minster, was a name and a power, the former of which was
well known, and the latter unhesitatingly acknowledged,
within the bailiwick. Mr Smedley left surviving him a
son, Francis Edward, who won a respectable name and
position in literature, and who has just departed, also, to
the better land. "Frank Smedley," as he was popularly
known, and affectionately called by friends, was not con-
formed, by nature or inclination, to take his father's office,
but he found that the world, to him, was full of compensa-
tions, and he was sensible enough to take and enjoy them.
He was a pleasant and graceful writer, beginning his
modest career of pleasantness and grace some half dozen
years ago, with " Lewis Arundel; or, the Railroad of Life."
Mr Frank Smedley had written previGusly, but this work,
remarkably well received by its public of young readers,
gave him a name. Ho continued to labour. with spirit, in
spite of permanent ill-health, each year bringing its new
tale, work which he varied by editing now defunct maga-
zines, and by working in collaboration with Mr Edmund
Yates. And now, atter these dozen years of work and
suffering, Frank Smedley, at tho age of thirty-eve, or a I
lE coover remember
Constitutionnel little more, has disappeared from the literary brotherhood,
where there is not a man who knew him who did not love
him,
brotherlike regard.
T i enber Frank but with a tender,
pub-
lishes the following in conspicuous type :—" The suspen-
sicn of hostilities by land and by sea during a month, with
raising of the blockade, has a real importance, and has
been most favourably received by public opinion. It
will, perhaps, be remembered that, when the question of a
Conference was mooted for the first time, we endeavoured to
demonstrate that the first condition—the essential con-
dition—was the suspension of hostilities. The continua-
tion of the war would, in fact, have led to the in-
evitable inconvenience of keeping up, if not of increasing
the ambition:and illusions of all parties ; consequently ren-
dering
a settlement more difficult. Moreover, it was not in
keeping with the dignity of the Conference to deliberate
upon bases which events might modify in an instant, and
was contradictory to ask from wisdom a solution which the
force of arms might cancel at any moment. Finally, free-
dom of judgment and of decision was not entirely at the
command of the Conference, which, urged by the most
noble sentiments of humanity to put a stop to the effusion
of blood and to the calamities of war, might be led to pre-
cipitate matters, and force a solution which would
have been incomplete, and which a more flee and
matured deliberation would have improved. Thus we
deeply regret to see the Conference meet without
the preliminary condition of a suspension of hostilities,
But we were aware, and that it was which reassured us,
that France and England were uniting their efforts to
obtain at the very commencement of the Conference that
which had not been obtained before its opening. We are
happy to learn that the efforts of the two Governments have
been crowned with success, and that the convention con-
cluded upon the basis of uti possidelis is in the most abso-
lute sense. No movement of troops nor any concentration
of material on any point whatever will take place. The
suspension of hostilities leaves the belligerents in their
actual positions, Let us hope that this delay of one month
will be turned to good account. Let us hope that a calm
and free discussion will restore the respect for the eights of
all, and that the counsels of wisdom will now be heard, as
they will no longer be droned by the roar of cannon."