The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-16 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.]

The performance last night, for the benefit of Madlle.
Adelina Patti, consisted of " II Barbiere" (ending with the
Lesson scene), the Shadow-song from " Dinorah," and the
Divertissement from "Le Prophete." Madlle. Patti has
now been for two seasons before a London audience. On
her first appearance she was at once welcomed as a young
debutante of the highest promise, and each fresh imper-
sonation has served to prove that she possesses unusual
gifts both vocal and histrionic. There can be no (Ines-
tion that Mademoiselle Patti is firmly establishing
herself as a singer of the highest class in musical
comedy. Her reception last night, by a house crowded in
every part, sufficiently evidenced the position she has
attained. Mdlle. Patti's Rosins has been one of her most
popular performances, and her execution of R.ossini's bril-
liant music was as effective last night as ever, Her " Una
voce" was embellished with the most elaborate ornamenta-
tion, executed with perfect force and finish. In the Lesson
scene she sang the "Echo Song," and, for the first time,
Bishop's " Home. sweet home," in English. Her singing
of this simple plaintive ballad was characterised by the most
touching pathos and purity of style, and was rapturously
encored.

" Masaniello " is to be given to night (Saturday), closing
one of the most brilliant seasons in the annals of the Royal
Italian Opera.

A NETV CONFEDERATE IRON-CLAD.

A correspondent of the Dublin Evening
writes as follows :—" She can steam from 16 to nil
18
knots an hour ; is perfectly seaworthy, for all prac-
tical purposes invulnerable, and will prove to any
vessel she may encounter as formidable an anta-
gonist as our own Warrior, the boast of the British
navy. This is the
N
abouts Federal cruisersol;a2v9eo,w' aitsh t oreawsohnosbeewtrbayereed-
such anxiety. It had been known for some time
that a large and
Powerful iron vessel was being
constructed at the dockyard of Messrs. Laird,
Birkenhead ; but monsters of the deep are so much
the order of the day at that establishment that no
one troubled his head much about this new produc-
tion, or cared to remark the extra thickness of the
plates which were being used. At the very
last moment, the Federal authorities seem to have
had their suspicion aroused, for the Tuscarora was
despatched to keep watch in the neighbour-
hood of the dock where she lay, and the
southern coast of Ireland was also strictly
guarded. ,No. 290, meanwhile, apprised of all
that was going on, dropped down the river quietly
one day, and steamed out into the bay nominally
for her trial trip, with a party of ladies and Musi-
cians on board. Instead, however, of returning to
moorings at Birkenhead, where she would have been
kept in durance vile by the Tuscarora, she quietly
landed her passengers at Holyhead, and proceeded
on her voyage, avoiding the harbours of Cork,
Waterford, &c., in the neighbourhood of which she
might have heard of something not at all to her
advantage. ' No. 290' steamed round by London-
derry and Donegal, and was joined off the west
coast of Ireland by the steamer which had pre-
viously started, having on board the armament in.
tended for the gigantic lrensides. Had she even
met the Tuscarora whilst still unarmed, it was the
intention of her captain to try thef or
huoenfr a war
by antago-
nist.stem on at full speed
into
It needs no extraordinary powers
discern-
ment to discover what excitement must be caused
r
by running
at the other side of the Atlantic by the arrival of
the No. 290."

"The agitation which prevails in the Italian
Peninsula," says a letter from Venice,
attributed to Garibaldi, have decided the „and the projects
Austr i a a General
Benedek to increase the
military posts on the frontier."