The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-27 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen, the Queen of the Belgians, and Prince
Albert, accompanied by the Prince of Wales, and the
Princess Alice, tock a drive yesterday in an open car-
risge and four. Lieut.• Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps
attended on horseback.

His Royal Highness Prince Albert, attended by Lieut.-
Colonel the Hon. C. B. Phipps and Colonel Bouverie,
inspected the troops in Hyde Park yesterday.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited her
Majesty yesterday. His Royal Highness the Duke of
Cambridge visited her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians
yesterday at Buckingham Palace.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert presided yesterday
afternoon at a meeting of the Commission for promoting
and encouraging the Fine Arts in the rebuilding of the
Palace of Westminster.

His Royal Highness arrived at three o'clock, attended
by Colonel Bouverie. The Commissioners present were
—the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Carlisle, Vis-
count Canning, Lord Colborne, Lord Mahon, and the
Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel. The Secretary, Mr. East-
lake, was in attendance. The meeting broke up at half-
past four o'cicolc.
The Royal Family took their usual exercise yesterday
in the gardens of the Palace.
Her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians and their
Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Kent and the Duchess
of Gloucester v;sited her Royal Highness the Duchess of
Cambridge yesterday, at Cambridge House.
The Duke and Duchess of Beaufort save a grand
dinner yesterday evening, at their residence in Arling-
ton-street, to tilde Royal Highnesses the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge and the Hereditary Grand
Duchess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz.
The Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch had a large dinner
party at their residence, Montague Housz., Whitehall,
, yesterday evening, to meet her Royal Highness the
Duchess of Gloucester.

A deputation from the Aborigines Protection Society,
consisting of Mr. Shirley Woolmer, the Rev. Charles B.
Gribble, and Aug. W. Hansen, Captain Pierce, Mr.
James Bell, and Mr. L. A. Chameroozoa, Secretary to
the society, had an interview with; the Right lion. 11.
Labouchere yesterday at the Board of Trade.
Captain R. E. Rich and Mr. Townsend had an inter-
view with the Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday, at
his official residence in Downing-street.
The Lord Mayor bad an interview mith Lord John
Russell yesterday, at his official residence in Downing-
, street.
L,r:l James Stuart had an interview yesterday wilt
the Right Hun. 11. L-_bouchere.
Lord L 3 tttlton had an interview r.ith Earl Grey yes-
terday at the Colonial-office.
Mr. Buller, Chairman of the Bristol and Exeter Rail-
way Company, transacted business yesterday at the
office of the Railway Commissioners in the Board of
Trade.
Lord Chichester had an interview yesterday with Sir
George Grey yesterday at the Horne-office.
Me,srs. C. J. Collins, Dl•Dermott, and Wilson, a depu-
tation from the Newspaper Short-hand Writers' Asso-
ciation, had an interview yesterday with the Right lion.
IL Labeuchere.

3IADA.ME SONTAG.
We have the pleasure of announcing that Mr. Lum-
ley, who returned yesterday from Berlin, has defini-
tively settled the engagement of Madame Sontag, who
will immediately appear at her Majesty's Theatre, the
scene of her former triumphs. This lady, whose
theatrical career was as brief as it was brilliant,
retired from the stage on her marriage with a noble-
man of distinguished rank, holding a high office in
the service of his Sovereign. For some years she hap-
pily enjoyed her privileged position amidst universal
respect, and she received marks of more than ordinary
ccn3ideration from the sovereigns, princes, and other
great personages of the different courts which she visited.
Recent circumstances, resulting from the deplorable
convulsions on the continent, have now induced her to
return to the sage. During the interval a hich has
elapsed since her retirement, she has constantly culti-
vated her remarkable natural gifts of voice, and it is
understood that she has added to her former power and
beauty of tone still greater delicacy in expressing every
shade of vocal and dramatic sentiment.
Some information with respect to the past career of
this gifted and accomplished lady will be interesting to
our readers. Madame Sontag, a German by birth, began
her career at fifteen years of age. Almost immediately
on her appearance at the German Opera at Vienna she
created the greatest enthusiasm. The celebrated
Barbaja, who at the same moment was the impre-
anio of three of the greatest operatic theatres of
Europe, having heard her sing at Vienna em-
ployed strenuous exertions to withdraw her from the
German to the Italian lyrical stage. He at length suc-
ceeded in his object, and she made her debut in the
Donna del Logo at the Grand Opera of the Carinthia.
However, this new aspect of her talent created such a
sensation that offers of unlimited liberality poured in
from every quarter, and at the close of the season the
judicious and enterprising Severini had the good fortune
to secure Madame Sontag's services for the Italiens in
Paris. There she met with another celebrated prima
donna who had long preceded her, Madame Malibran;
and with her distinguished colleague she performed, as
with an elder sister, in Taneredi, 11 Matrimonio, and
many other operas. So conspicuous was her success
that every effort was made to bring her to London;
and she arrived the following season in England. Her
Abut took place at a concert at Devonshire-house in
the Easter week. Such was her reputation, not only
for musical genius, but for beauty, elegance, and fasci-
nation
sofeverystreets
e ts
equalledkind, h
thatte thethr crowds
noofbei
nobility,
rank, spectatorsand
in the
e st
fashion, under the roof of the great dilettante and patron
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made
ee
herof Dfi
resvto nslare.
appearance A
atfe whedragafter-
wardsai
y'
Theatre, when she more than realised the high expec-
tations which bad been raised. Most of the great prime
donne of our times have been compelled, in soprano
parts, to compensate by their genius and science for the
art
sheee
want of compass of their voices—as, for example, in the
case of Pasta, whose natural voice was a rugged mezzo-
soprano, and of Malibran, who was a real contralto. In
Madame Sontag the public found a real soprano, " to the
manner born," enabling her to perform with certainty of
tone, and with exquisite ease, purity, and delicacy, the
most intricate passages and original embellishments,
whether with full tone or mezza voce. When she firstap-
peared in Rosina, she revelled and luxuriated in roulades,
arpeggios, and fanciful divisions; and, subsequently, in
Donna Anna, she proved that she could sing in the
chastest classical style, and produce the same effect by
pure sentiment and expression, as she had done before
by fioriture and staccato passages. From England
Madame Sontag went to Berlin, where, through the
influence of her amiable qualities, no less than by her
talents, she gained the marked esteem and regard of
the late King of Prussia and the royal family. There
she became attached to a young Piedmontese noble-
man, the representative of his Sovereign at that
court. Her last appearance was in -Scmirarnide. This
performance appeared es if it were a national celebra-
tion. All Berlin was present, and the whole audience
was in tears when she bade adieu. On the occasion
of her marriage the King of Prussia. attended by all
the princesses of the blood, himself gave away the
brit e. Durince the several missions of her husband
at St. Petersargh and at Berlin, this amiable and
gifted lady was received at Court with the greatest dis-
tinction, and she occasionally delighted her imperial and
royal entertainers by the display of her genius. At St.
Petershurgh, such was the sensation which she produced
by sin in at Court, that the Emperor and Empress, on
her departure, determined to establish the Indian Opera,
now one of the first in Europe. We have already al-
luded to the unfortunate circumstances which have led
Madame Souteg to resume the exercise of her profes-
sion, end we have only to add, that she is now on her
road to England. She will appear at her Majesty's
Theatre very alertly gter arrival.