The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-18 00:00:00

DEATH OF DRAGONETTI.

We regret to announce the decease of this celebrated
double-bass performer, who expired at his house in Leicester-
square, on Thursday afternoon. Count Pepoli, the Italian
poet; Mr. Novello, Mr. Piggott, and M. Tolbecque were
with the musician during his last moments. He was a Vene-
tian by birth, and was born in 1764 or 1762, for Dragonetti
was never positive about the date. His father was also a
contra-basso. At nine years of age Domenico began to play
on the guitar. He then studied the violin, and at twelve years
old began to play on the double bass, to the amazement of the
whole city. He practised much with Mestrino, the famous vio
linist, and at thirteen Dragonetti was nominated primo basso
at the Opera Buffo. At fourteen he was promoted to the same
position at the Grand Opera Seria, at San Benetto. At eighteen
he was engaged in the chapel of San Marco, performing at
concerts the violoncello parts on the double bass. He then
went to Vicenza, where he purchased his well-known Amati
double bass. From Vicenza he visited Padua, after which
he was offered an engagement, as principal contra-basso, at
the King's Theatre in this country, in which he remained
up to his death. Dragonetti was eccentric in his habits, but
had an ardent attachment for his art. His conversation was
curious and amusing, from the strange mixture of French,
Italian, and English words. He was most punctual and
honourable in his engagements. For thirty years he and his
colleague Lindley were always the first to take their places
in an orchestra. Dragonetti kept his beloved instrument
as close to the stage-door of the Opera-house as pos-
sible, in order that it might be saved in the event of a fire.
As a performer he was the greatest executant ever known.
He was the Paganini of the double bass. His wonderful
power of keeping an orchestra together and sustaining singers
was not the least of his gifts. The conformation of his
hands was particularly favourable for his muscular power.
A periodical has supplied some anecdotes of interest
" Dragonetti was full of anecdote. The account of his first
introduction to Beethoven was highly characteristic. When
the impetuous German put before him a violoncello accom-
paniment to some piece, displaying' a forest of notes,' at the
completion of the performance he jumped up from the piano
and embraced him. Also his accompanying Mrs. Siddons in
a song at Mrs. Darner's, the sculptress. Her musical decla-
mation, he said, was unpractised--unprofessional, but it was
in character with her acting. Her tones were deep, solemn,
breathing and majestic. When Dragonetti first visited Paris,
he carried with him letters of introduction from Viotti to
Cherubini and Gretry. Ho called upon the former, who was
from home, and then proceeded to Gretry's residence at
Montmorency. In the course of conversation Gretry asked
his visitor in what quarter of Paris he had taken his lodg-
ings, and then contrived to have all Dragonetti's effects re-
moved to his house. Friends must not part thus,' said lie;
' while you remain in France you must consider my house
your home.' " A " Complete System of Doubleßass,"written
by Dragonetti, was destroyed unfortunately in a lire. His
last illness was confirmed dropsy. His faculties were good
until the last. 11 Drago has left a gap which cannot be
filled. Aufassi takes his place at the Opera-house, but it
would take the concentrated power of four of our best
players to constitute one Dragonetti.
lie has bequeated his double bass, his beloved Amati, to
San Marco, at Venice. We learn that his second best basso
has been left by him to his countryman Casolani, of the
Opera orchestra. Il Drago had an extraordinary collection
of dolls and snuff-boxes, of every country, which he has dis-
tributed amongst his friends in his will. We believe that
Count Pepoli, Mr. Heath, and Mr. Novello are the executors.
Tthhee musicalmfeennetrbaelrsefofDthraegenetti, as a marls
k of are
respectanxious f
t o attend
h
is
genius.

ooff tEh
een eetws fii se
1 andd, inAßchoss-an_ysLirMe: Pfo.;
estateE s'
hasJ apmoeroshl,aisaetdh etsioi
on ,
12,5001.—Inverness Courier.
General Lord Gough has remitted 70,0001. from India,
for the purchase of an estate in Ireland.
GENERAL ANNUITY SOClETY.—Yesterday a special
meeting of the Society was held at the offices, 36, Colman-
street, for the purpose of receiving the report of Mr. Stephen
Aldrich, the secretary, as to the result of his application for
her Majesty to patronise the Society. Richardson, Esq.,
was unanimously called to the chair. Mr. Aldrich read the
following letter from Sir Henry Wheatley—" St. James's
Palace, April lltb, 1846.—Sir,—I beg to acknowledge the re-
ceipt of your letter accompanied with a memorial from the
General Annuity Society, which I have not failed to submit
to the Queen, and I am honoured with her Majesty's com-
mands to send thirty guineas as a donation from the Queen
towards that valuable institution, and her Majesty will also
be pleased to allow the Charity to be called the Royal General
Annuity Society. I beg to inclose a draft for 311. 10s., as
the Queen's gracious donation, the receipt of which you will
have the goodness to acknowledge.—l have the honour, &c.,
W. WHEATLET.—Stephen Aldrich, Esq."—Mr. Richardson
highly eulogised the exertions of the secretary, and felt sa-
tisfied that the result would greatly benefit the society.
Several resolutions were then moved and seconded, and
amongst them one thanking Major-General Sir H. Wheatley
for his attention, and soliciting him to become Vice-president.
Votes of thanks werethen passed to the Secretary and Chair-
man, and the meeting separated.
The Earl of Cawdor has agreed to give a suitable site
for a free church to the congregation in the parish of Caw-
dor.—lnverness Courier.

A kw days ago a man sold his wife in the market-
place at Apt (Vauclttse) for four years, receiving 100 f. for the
bargain.

•Cs
Last g 0,,
4,
'
Week 0.
ending NAME OF RAILWAY. week. ~ '
t ,
e. 3.
£ X
April 11 Arbroath and Forfar •••••••• • • • • • • • 228 216
Bristol and Birmingham .••••.. . . . • • • -
- Chester aad Ilirlcuaamatcl ..-.. .. .. ... __ 5,,9
9 Dublin and Drogheda. ••• • • • ...... •• • 610 658
7 Dublin and Kingstown ••••••.. • . . . • • 702 749
12 Dundee and Arbroath • . 252 294
11 Durham and Sunderland ... ...... .... 541 531
11 Edinburgh and Glasgow . ... ...• .• • • 3,368 2,626
12 Eastern Counties and North Eastern • 8,146 4,566
11 Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr ••• • • • 2,246 1,655
11 Glasgow and Green0ck......... •• •• 942 824
Grand Junction ... . ....
11 Gravesend and Rochester—. .. •• •• •• 280 -
Great North of England .....• —
12 Great Western . ....... 18,776 15,780
13 Hartlepool .......
• ...
II London and Birmingham, &c. ... .... 33,607 32,488
12 London and Blackwall. • ••
11 London and Brighton
14 London and Croydon ....... „ „
London and Greenwich... • • ...... •• --
11 London and South Western, „„ „ „ 6,401 5,694
12 Manchester, Bolton, and Bury •• •• • • 1,048 869
11 Manchester and Birmingham.... •• • • 4,005 3,618
Manchester, Leeds, and Hull Assoc••
11 Midland Counties .......
11 Newcastle and Darlington •••••• • • • •
11 Newcastle and Carlisle.. —..•••• •• •• 1,662 1,367
12 Newcastle and North Shields.. •• •• •• 443 358
12 Norfolk ............
~
~ ,
and a
nd Rouenxt an. 2,752 2,315
1,392
North Union and Bolton and Preston
Paris, Corbel, and Orleans •• • 5,833
11 Preston and Wyre....... ...... ..••• 503 406
1131 Sheffield Paris
11 South Eastern.. .... .
11 Taff Vale ••• • .. ...... ...........• •• 1,075 931
759 628
Yarmouth and Norwich •• •• •• —
c • 1 le 's
te• r• . : • . • . : : .• .• : : : :
761 :8789631 54
:600866869
11 York and North Midland .•••••• •• •• 4,920

At Marlborough-street Police-court on Friday Mrs.
Henry, the widow of an officer, who was brought to this
Court on Thursday for annoying the family of the Earl of
Arundel, presented herself before Mr. Hardwick with a
newspaper, containing a brief notice of her case, and begged
the magistrate to deny that Lord Arundel had intimated a
doubt about the soundness of her intellect. Mr. Hardwick
said he could do nothing of the sort ; for Lord Arundel, as the
most charitable way of accounting for her strange conduct,
had assumed that the applicant was not exactly in her right
mind, an impression which he (Mr. Hardwick) also shared.
The applicant said she would now disclose the nature of the
plot against her. The family of the Howards believed that
she was in possession of, or knew the place of deposit of
certain documents, that would materially alter the position
of the family. Ever since the family had arrived at this
knowledge they had formed a plot to persecute her, and they
had persecuted her for the last four years. They had not
succeeded in poisoning her, but they had poisoned her faithful
house dog. The family had also, for sinister purposes, spread
abroad a report that she laboured under mental delusion. In
order to counteract this, she had made the Commissioners of
Lunacy acquainted with her case, and those gentlemen
would be able to vouch for the soundness of her intellect. As
Mr. Hardwick continued to express his inability to contra..
dict the report, the applicant said she should immediately
write to the editors of the papers.
P. Clirri.Air,.liww_maiiit, rwitasmtolw7e. —d
uTp hfreoWm
Faroslpi3i,tpe,oisnOt,gGuinllsin,
gChaapmt:
on the 15th inst., by the African and Fearless steam-vessels,
when
iihistnpehin,wtlsta isepTi‘nEsr' Captain
iadl
lfloamt: hkgSeT.,:ir:r tEO the
SERPENTINENr e •
to the moorings lately occupied by the Southampton frigate.
She is to be paid off without any of her bulkheads or internal
fittings being removed. On Wednesday afternoon, as a party
of her crew were running violently with a cart from the sail-
loft in the Dock-yard, where they had deposited some of the
ship's sails, to the wharf for another load, the cart came in
contact with a large gun, by which several of the men were
injured. Three of them were found to be so much hurt that
they were immediately removed to Melville Hospital. This
ship brought to Chatham six military prisoners, under sentences
of courts-martial for seven and fourteen years' transportation.
John Cameron, 32d; and Joseph
i' The names :
_... petoe fr the
Morrison,
James a nnndoHcr
to
rorrreopbmwsesrnothtihvi
Sheerness,
.yr
u,
nhneceenst.l:dol, n. ,
jgtah,
ledon are
Burgess,a s fol-
lows
of the 79th Regiment;
Twedie and Robert Walker, of the Ist Royals. The pri-
soners were received by an escort, and taken to the Detach-
ment Prison,
at they
ewill
nrneamma
ei
nn
t until
an and
powder,
d er orderin
2tss
&c., and
neirniavoarnpteed.s.:
from the Horse Guards for their remolyvhael.n
she
Thhe R
.a
llleigh, 50
reach, getting
THROUGH AN IN
proceed
completing for seft. Her crew were removed yesterday' from
the Hussar hulk, where they had been remaining whilst the
oan the body
long ewitook
oxallwst month, main until the 17thdSTreohihe'pownindei
before Mr. Bedford, the coroner, at the inquiry
of cJcohßn•
ills si
gahs
sire E.— Le
ta, t eKlnaisgth
te:b•erindign
eg,
Rising Sun
Taylor, aged thirty-five years, lately residing
TaxerAßßnD,
at No. 10,
Cross street, Golden-square, who committed
Price, a young man who lodged with the suicide. John
deceased, stated
that the deceased had been in a desponding state
the last four months, arising from a disease of teofsklind for
always seemed in great pain. Witness had often heard him say that no person on earth suffered so much pain as he did.
He bad applied to all the principal physicians in London
respecting the disease under which he laboured, but none
seemed to do him any good. He was a very sober, steadye
man, and very saving. He said in August last that
" Drowning was a very easy death, but laudanum would be
a much more preferable death." O
of
n the 11t1
tin v 1 August
witness found him in bed votni g very severely. Witness
asked him what he bad taken, and he said that he had taken
s
sixpennyworth of' laudanum. A surgeon was called in who
applied the usual means, and he recovered. Some time
since the deceased gave witness a letter which
he begged he
would not open until e happened to him. Since the
deceased's death witness had found another letter, which re-
sembled the first. It was directed to witnes
s+ and chiefly re-
ferred to some money and property, which he directed to bis
shared among his brothers and two children. The letters
terminated by stating " that his life was a
burthen to him
and he was unable to bear up against his troubles." The
jury, after a few minutes, returned a verdict, " That the de-
ceased destroyed himself while in a state of temporary in-
sanity, brought on by disuse."