The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-28 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

The season opened on the same evening as Her
Majesty's Theatre, with an Italian version of Auber's
chef d'a'uvre Masaniello, in which Mario appeared
as the Neapolitan fisherman, Madame Dorus Gras,
as the Princess, and Massol, as Pietro. Nothing
could exceed the splendour and completeness with
which this magnificent work was put upon the
stage. It drew crowded houses until Easter, when
its powers of attraction became somewhat diminished,
in consequence of the substitution of Salvi for Mario
in the principal character. On the 10th of April,
Miss Catherine Hayes, the new soprano, and Mdlle.
de Meric, the new contralto, made their debuts in
Linda de Chamouni. Their success was un-
doubted. Miss Catherine Hayes has filled
throughout the season, and well filled, the position
occupied last season by Madame Castellan, and Mdlle.
de Meric is the most promising of all the young
singers who have of late made their debut. On the
17th Semiramide was performed, Grisi, who,J during
the whole season has played and sung with undi-
minished power, sustaining the part of the Assyrian
Queen, and Mdlle. Angri making her debut in that
of Arsace. Mdlle. Angri' possesses great natural
powers, but she lacks cultivation, and her intonation
is not unfrequently anything but correct. With all
her faults, however, she is a great artiste, and if she
would but content to undergo the drudgery of study
she might become what she certainly is not at pre-
sent, the rival for Alboni. The old operas
of the repertoire, .Norma, Lucrezia Borgia, &c.,
were repeated with the old casts, save that Angri was
the substitute of Alboni ; and on the 12th Meyer-
beer's Robert le Diable, which had been reckoned
upon as one of the great cards of the season, was pro-
duced, and proved quite a fiasco, being only performed
()Lee. This failure was owing to the weakness of the
cast ; instead of having, as had been anticipated, Grisi
as Alice, and Mario as Robert, Madame Dorus Gras
appeared in the first, and Salvi in the last of these
characters. The subscribers considered themselves
ill-used, and were out of temper, and notwithstanding
the perfection of the chorus and orchestra, notwith-
standlog the lavish expenditure bestowed upon its gor-
geous and splendid mine en scene, the chef d'ceuvre of
Meyerbeer was not again repeated. On the 17th of
May Madame Persiani commenced an engagement
for nine farewell nights, in the character of Zerlina ;
these farewell performances of Madame Persiani were
exceedingly successful. Among the characters in
which she appeared was that of Amine, in the

Sonnambula, on which occasion Mr. Sims Reeves
made his first appearance on these boards in the
character of Elvino. His success was complete, and
the great English tenor has taken his station in the
front rank of his profession. His subsequent per-
formance of Roderick Dhu, in the Donna del Lago,
and of the Huguenot soldier, in the Huguenots, were
beyond all praise. This last opera was produced on
the 24th May, Grisi taking the part of Valentine.
Her success was immense, and ,the Huguenots be-
came as popular as it had been during the preceding
season, when Madame Viardot Garcia appeared in
the character. The great event of the season was
the production of the Prophete, on which occa-
Fioll Madame Viardot Garcia made her rentree
in the character of Fides, a performance unequalled
for its power, its pathos, and its truth. The Prophete
was performed nine times, and its attraction continued
undiminished to the end of the season, which closed
on Friday evening with Don Giovanni, in which
Madame Viardot Garcia sustained for the first time
the character of Zerlina, and achieved a success equal
to that achieved by her sister, poor Malibran, in
Fidalma. The band and choruses have been under
the direction of Costa-- c' est tout dire en un mot; and
notwithstanding the embarassments of Mr. Delafield
and the damage that must necessarily have
been occasioned by the knowledge of the
fact of his bankruptcy becoming public during
the courseof the season, the subscribers have had no
cause to complain. With the most rigid faith every
promise made in the programme has been performed,
and every opera produced has been put upon the
stage in the best possible manner.

OPERA COMIQUE, ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.
While the leviathan lyrical establishments in the
Haymarket and in Covent-garden have been shaking
the musical world by their rivalry, a third lyrical
theatre has been naturalized among us, the
performances at which are always of the most
agreeable character, and which, if they do not asto-
nish, as do some of the grand efforts of some of the
grand theatres, never fail to delight. Thanks to the
efforts of Mr. Mite hell, the French Opera Comique,
the most delightful and graceful of all the schools of
opera, has become naturalized in England, and may
now be considered a permanent feature among the
regular amusements of the season. This is to be at-
tributed entirely to the exertions of Mr. Mitchell,
who during the course of one short season has produced
the following popular compositions :—Le Domino
Aroir, Le Maitre de Chapelle, Le Nouveau Seigneur,
Le Bouffe et le Tailleur, Polichinelle, L' Ambassadrice,
Les Deux Voleurs, La Dame Blanche, Zanetta,
Richard Cceur de Lion. Le Concert a la Cour, Le
Double Eschelle, Fra Diavolo, Le Chalet, Acteon, Les
Diamans de la Couronne, Le Panier Fleure, Le Pre
aux Clercs, Les Rendezvous Bourgeois, La Part du
Diable, Ne Touchez pas a la Reine, andLe Comte Ory.
These were sustained by the talents of Mademoiselle
Charton, whose success was immense, and who stands
first in the rank of English favourites, Mademoiselle
Guichard, the most espiegle of soubrettes, and by
Couderc, by Octave, and by Zelger, whose reputations
are European. The orchestra, under the able direction
of M. Charles Hanssens was unique, consisting as
it did of the elite of the performers of both operas,
and can only be compared to the famous combina-
tion of talent engaged by Mr. Mitchell in his early
undertaking of the Italian Opera Buffs at the
Lyceum Theatre in 1838. Under these circum-
stances, it is not surprising that Her Majesty should
have so frequently honoured this theatre with her
presence, or that she should have in an especial
manner testified her approbation of Mr.
Mitchell's exertions by being present on the
occasion of his benefit. There was not an opera
produced during the season the performance of which
was not witnessed by her Majesty. The season con
eluded with the clever performances of Arnal and
Madame Doche in vaudeville. We understand that
it is probable that from the satisfaction afforded by
the introduction of the Opera Comique, the popular
composer Monsieur Auber may be induced to visit
London, for the purpose of superintending the produc•
tion of an entirely new work, as well as other composi-
tions of eminence, during the course of the ensuing sea-
son. It is thus reserved to Mitchell, atter introducing to
his subscribers during the course of his management,
every celebrity of the theatres in Paris, including
Mesdemoiselles Rachel, Plessy, Dejaaet, Rose Cheri,
Nathalie, Clarisse, Denain, Brohain, Forgeot,
Charton; Mesdames Doche, Albert, Rebut; and
Messieurs Bouffe, Frederic Lemaitre, Latunt, Volnys,
Ravel, Grassot, Laferniere, Felix, Lemenil, Fechter,
Arnal, Cartigny, Bocage, Acharet, Alcide Toussez,
Rhozevil, Julien, Deschamps, Levassor, Vernet,
Couderc, Octave, Zelger, to crown his triumph, by
being the first who has succeeded in inducing the
great Auber, the mighty maestro himself, to accept
an English engagement.

SPURTING INTELLIGENCE.
TATTERSALL'S.—YESTERDAY.
LEAMINGTON STARES.
7 to 4 agst Sir J. Hawley's Fernhill
7 to 1 agst Mr. Role's Cullingwood
10 to 1 agst Mr. Barnes's Sotterley
10 to 1 agst Mr. Meesom's The Dart
14 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Wanota
Fernhill was the only horse in favour; offers to lay 7
to 4 or take 2 to 1, but little done.
ST. LEGER.
7 to 4 on Lord Eglinton's Flying Dutchman
10 to 1 agst Lord Stanley's Uriel
18 to 1 agst Mr. Pedley's Old Dan Tucker
25 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichols's Nunnykirk (offered)
33 to 1 agst Mr. Nesill's Herbert (take 40 to 1)
50 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Eltbiron
3,000 to 15 agst Lord Eglinton's Belus—taken and
afterwards offered
The only bet we heard on The Flying Dutchman was
200 to 100, at which price many " fielders " were
anxious to invest; Uriel was backed several times at 8
and 9 to 1, but gave way near the close to 10 to 1. 1,000
to 25 taken about Herbert, and I,ooo's to 10, 15, and 20,
about Belua.

CESAREWITCH STAKES.
40 to 1 agst Lord Howth'a Peep-o'-day-Boy
1,000 to 20 agst Lord Stanley's Cancsou—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Captain Harcourt's Ellerdale—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Lord Stanley's Legerdemain—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Captain Lowther's Iron Rail—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Mr. Crawford's The Cur—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Colonel Peel's Tadmor—taken
1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Meiklam's Wensleydale
2,000 to 30 agst Mr. S. Conway's Kennington

CAMBRIDGESHIRE STALES:-
2,000 to 40 agst Mr. Payne's Glendower—taken
1,000 to 20 agst Lord Stanley's Cantzm
1,000 to 20 agst Colonel Peel's Vasa
1,000 to 20 agst Mr. Nolan's Blucher
1,000 to 20 agst Mr. S. Conway's Kennington
10,000 to 10 agst Ellerdale for the Cesarewitch and
Nina for the Cambridgeshire (taken)-10,000 to 10
agst Chantrey and Blucher for the same events (taken).
An entry given with both bets.