The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-30 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

Donizetti's delightful drawing-room opera, Don Pasquale,
after a slumber of several years, last, night delighted a
crowded house, being represented for the first time on the
boards of the Covent-garden Opera, by the artists Lablache,
Grisi, and Mario, who long since, in the elder establish-
ment, made its beauties familiar to the ear of the
London dilettante. No sooner did the portly person
of Don Pasquale present himself, than the warmth of
the greeting showed how many at the instant felt the
pleasure of gazing on a familiar face, tinder old asso-
ciations, that might not again have combined, The wel-
come having subsided, Lablache delivered "Son nov'ore"
with.a soundness that showed " time and the hour" had
dealt with him lightly. The scene which follows, wherein
the scheming Dr. Malatesta describes the bride he has in
view for the old man, excited laughter more hearty than
is usual in the frigid circle of fashionable audiences.
Ronconi's song " Bella siccowe un angelo," and Lablache's
ponderous levity in " Un foco insolito," with its abortive
attempts at dancing, fencing, and other experiments,
by which the infatuated old gentleman endeavours to
test his youthful vigour were examples of that species
of burlesco which the Italian stage • alone presents.
Mario's impersonation of that insipid young gentleman,
Ernesto, was good, and his vocalisation of " Sogno soave
de miei prim anni," mellifluously poured out ; and his duo
"Mi fa un destin," very genteel parlour tragedy. The
fourth scene brought Grisi, and a triumph in the florid re-
citative preceding the dance-like aria," So anch'io la virtu
magica," and the dialogue and duo with her pretended
brother, in which they arrange the plan fair the bamboozle-
ment of Don Pasquale, was wonderful in contr :st, colour,
finish, and breadth. The curtain fell to a call for the ar-
tistes.

.
—Act the second again brought the Don on at the rising
of the drop-scene. The ludicrous finery of the old man
so.strongly meved the risibility of the spectators, that,
for some seconds, the baton of the conductor hung in the
air. It must be admitted that a more striking satire on
the "loud" costume of the "gent: could not be (revised.
Lablache's " checks" were enormous, and his wig was an
exagger.tion of the " natural" one of the fourth George,
and of advertising professors. The interview with the
cunning and charming Xorina was vigorously and
broadly acted, and the by-play of Ronconi and Grisi, es-
pecially the latter, as the timid girl from the convent,
finished, and by no means over-attained. The fictitious
marriage contract signed, Grisi's cool assumption of the
haughty imperious wife was electric; and her laughing
ridicule of her huge, antiqnate4 spouse, in the song, " Un
nom qual voi decripito," &c. exquisite. That fine bit of
vocal writing from " Taci buffone," with the quartet, and
the finale of Act 11., "Son tradito, calpestato," &c., wer e
worth a pilgrimage to hear. 'The choruses in the second
and third acts were well sung; and the scene in which
Grisi so delightfully sings, and so charmingly boxes the
Don's ears, pies: lted another provocation to good humour
in the ori,;inal way in which the corpulent Don contrives
by means of a chair to pick up the billet his wife has de-
signedly dropped. In every respect this revival mu-4t
attract audiences, albeit the opera is certainly more open
to criticism than several of the same maestro's writings.
The ballet Un Etcile closed the evening.

THE VALUE OF RAGS.—Yestertlay a return, ordered
by Parliament, was printed, showiug that last year there
were 9,687 tons of rags imported, and 2,462 tons ex-
ported. Large quantities of paper hive been exported,
and the value of rage has increased.

MONEY NI Ait

ANT)
COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.

CITY, TWO o'CLOCK.

The sales of cotton at Liverpool yesterday
were estimated at 8,000 bales, including 1,500
American, and 500 Surat, taken for ext ort, and
on speculation. The market closed very firmly
with prices of all kinds against the buyer. The
sales comprised 6,000 American ; 400 Pernatn and
Maranhaiq at sid. to 6/d. ; 300. Egyptian, sid.
9d. ; 1,000 Surat, at 34d. to 41{1.,• and 80 Sea
Islands at 10d. to ls. lid. per lb. Railway Shares
were very active at higher prices.
Colonial produco has been taken to a fair extent
this week. Sugar is quiet. Coffee rather dearer.
Rice has been dull, and Rum has gone lower. Nut-
megs have been rather cheaper and most other
spices. Saltpetre has been dull. In Scotch pig
Iron there has been a decline of ls. per ton. Tal-
low has been rather inactive, and hemp and flax
firm. Tea has not been much dealt in.
The steamer Himalaya, was "got off" at one
o'clock this morning, greatly to the satisfaction of
all mercantile men.

Letters for India, and Australia per Overland Mail,
owing to the detention of the steamer Candia, will
be in time until eight o'clock on the morning cf the
Gth instant if sent by way of Southampton, and
until six on the evening of the 10th instant via
Marseilles.

We commend to the attention of mercantile
readers the following remarks by the editor of the
Bankers' Circular :

" We do not think that there is any rational ground
for believing that the proposed duty on foreign bills will
he productive of any serious obstacles to our commercial
intercourse with foreign parts. A small duty is already
charged in several countries on the continent, and we
cannot see the force of the arguments used against
twing foreign bills here. But there is a point of
still greater weight which appears to have been
scarcely touched upon by the opponents of this part of
the bill, the losses to which the holders of them are
in the event of the acceptors or indorsers having
become bankrupt or insolvent. If, as it has been ad-
mitted in the Bankruptcy Court, the holders 'of such
bills of exchange are not entitled to.any claim on the
bankrupts or insolvent's estate, whence is the remedy to
be obtained to prevent the public frein becoming subject
to very extensive frauds by such transactions► if not
from Government ? This very material part of the
question seems to have received very little attention from
the opponents of the bill ; hut it is one to which we
attach great importance. Fur if it became known that
a merchant may draw bills in the city of London, pur-
porting to be drawn in the colonies, or in a foreign
country, and that the holder has no power of recovery,
we can hardly conceive a greater encouragement to
fraudulent speculators to increase their number under
the express knowledge that no such power of recovery
exists. The cases that have already occurred are suffi-
cient to show that it is the duty of Government to pro-
vide a remedy against a similar occurrence. We can
scarcely conceive a more important duty for the
Legislature to perforni in connexion with the
commercial transactions of the country, than that
of protecting parties engaged in them from fraud.
where the individuals have no direct means of pro-
tecting themselves, which is undoubtedly the case under
the existing laws respecting foreign bills, Therefore,
notwithstanding the influential names of the parties who
opposed this bill, we believe that it will meet with the
general concurrence of the public, and that l►e ther our
home nor foreign trade wig receive any injury from its
adoption."

The bill last night introduced for the purpose
of altering the usury laws is of importance to the
railway companies in the regulation of their loans
upon debenture bonds, and it is not likely any
valid objection can, in these days, be taken to the
granting of the same facilities to companies as to
individuals in borrowing money at its current
market value. As to the landed interest, they
have long since been obliged, when needy, to resort
like others to justifiable evasion when they re-
quired accommodation and were unable fo obtain
it at what is called the legal rate.

The Parliamentary Return upon the Russian
Dutch Loan shows the aggregate sum paid by
Great Britain for the principal and interest there
of, under the Convention of May, 1815. It ap-
pears that the redempton takes place at the rate of
1 per cent. per annum, and that 5 per cent. inter-
est is paid ; consequently, the amount of the latter
decreases annually. Up to the close of last year
4,110,9681. ss. 10d. had been paid as principal and
interest, and there remains no less than 3,386,8891.
9s. 2d. principal and interest yet to be discharged
by England.

-In American Securities this week, according to
the report of Messrs. D. Bell, Son, and Co., there
haS been-an active market. The United States 6
per Cents. of 1868 have been at 107 k to 108 ex
dividend, the Pennsylvania Fives at 79 to 81, the
New Orleans City Loan at 80 to 81 ex div., the
Pennsylvania Central Railroad Bonds at 93 to 91k,
and New York Convertible of 1862 at 79 to 81.
The inconvenience to which the Russians are
exposed by the blockade is daily getting more seri-
ous, and when goods are taken across the land
frontier, the Prussian carmen are to be allowed to
accompany them to Moscow, Riga, arc. The New Austrian Loan for a nominal capital of
forty millions sterling would startle any one not
conversant with the actual position of the imperial
finances, and_ bad as we believe them to be, there
is, nevertheless, a mixed operatioti involved which
would reduce this by an exchange of stock and
floating securities to probably 16 or 12 millions
sterling.
The Funds have been a shade better than they
were yesterday afternoon, but without much doing.
Consols opened at 941 and are now 934 to 94.
The New Three-and-a:Quarter per Cents. have
been 941 to t, and the Three
.per Cent. Reduced,
in which there haS been a good deal done, 93 to
941, being precisely the same as Consols, although
three months' interest has accrued. Bank Stock
is up to 206-and 208. Exchequer Bills are ls. dis.
to par and the Bonds are not higher than g prem.
East India Bonds are at par to 2s. prem. .
Foreign Stocks are dull. Peruvian Deferred
have been firm; however, at 51A to 52. Chilian
have been dime at 742 for the 3 per Cents. Bra-
zilian Old Bonds have realised par. Mexican
steady Ste atb 41. D
asbeeo
Dutch
haz
paetr- 24 to
Cents. are 'at 612. and Spanish
The following are the nominal prices of foreign
stocks :—Grenada Deferred Bonds, 6k to 61 ; Peru-
vian, 67 to 69 ; Portugoese 4 per Cents., 41 to 43 ;
Russian 5 per Cents., 97 to 99 ;
85 to 87 ; Spanish do. per Cents.,
New Deferred, 20 to 201 ; do.
Certificates, 4i to 4i-; do. Passive, 4 to 4k.
The ad vices received by the Mexican Committee
mention that 25,000 dollars were coming forward
from Tampico, bbsides 12,771 dollars in bills. The
present remittance for the dividends is 54,000 dol-
lars, as stated yesterday. T:ie private accounts
from Mexico are not good, the Government finances
being very low.
Railway Shares have been flatter, as was to be
expected, after yesterday's decided rally in connec-
tion with the settlement of the account, and there
is much less doing. Still the market is expected
to maintain its growth and to gain strength. A
failLre has nccui red, but Bear speculations in Con-
suls were the principal cause. Foreign Shares are
rather cheaper.
Gold Mines are quite neglected. Australian
Agricultural Land have slightly further advanced.
Crystal Palace are without change.

BRITISH FUNDS THIS DAY AT ONE O'CLOCK.
( From the Orsetal List.)
f'llsines,i don:,.
ank Stock
per Cent. Reduced Annuities ... ' ........ 93 438 44
lor Cent Consols Annuities .......
3 per Cent. Annuities .
Long Annuities, Exiiire sth Jan., 1860
..ndia 13011(1S .1.:1 00(i ••• •••
°lmola for Opening 19th July
,;z,(niequet inns,
. par 1
par 3 pld
2 5 p
Exchequer Bonds Scrip, 1858..
Ditto 1819 P
PRICE OF FOREIGN FUNDS AT ONE O'CLOCK.
'razilian Bonds, 5 per Cent. .......
Chilkiu Bonds, 3 per Cent
3 per Cent. ..................... .
Peruvian 3 per Cent.
Ditto for the Account
SpilllSll Bonds, 3 per Cent .. .
nividerviii on the shove payable In London.
Dutch Exchange, 2i per Cent. 12 Guil 6li
HALF-PAST TWO.
Consols for Opening 19th July ........ . 93i 4 x d

THE KING OF PORTUGAL IN LIVERPOOL.— DOTI Pedro
V., accompanied by the Duke of Oporto, and attended
by Lord de Wiley and his Excellency the Viscount de
Carreira and suite, arrived in Liverpool on-Wednesday
evening, by the London and Nerth-Western Railway,
from Manchester. The Royal party, who had travelled
in one of •the state carriages, which had been placed at
their disposal by the cowpony; arrived at the Lime
street station at 10 minutes to 11 o'clock, and were re-
ceived on the platform by the Mayor of Liverpool (Mr.
J, B. Lloyd) and the town clerk (Mr. Shuttleworth),
and were immediately driven off iu the Mayor's state
and private carriages to the Adelphi Hotel, where two
sitting rooms and eight bedrooms had been engaged for
them. Yesterday morning his Metjesty and suite visited
St. George's Hall, the Derby Museum (bequeathed to
the town by the late Earl of Derby), the Sailors' Home,
the Cu-toni-house' the Albert Dock and warehouses, taid
the Town-hall. They then proceeded to the Adelphi
Hotel, in the Mayor's carriages, and, after partaking of
luncheon, they took a short n al on the river in Messrs.
M'lvor's steam tender S.ttellite, used in the conveyance
of mails and passengers to and from the Transatlantic
steamer. They ultimately sailed in the Satellite, to the
Monk's Ferry, on the Cheshire side of the river, and at
3 o'clock in the afternoon started for Bangor by the
Chester and Holyhead Railway.