The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-03 00:00:00

THE PRINCE OF WALES.

The Prince of Wales, attended by Colonel Kings-
cote, hunted with her Majesty's staghounds yester-
day.

Captain Ellis has succeeded Lieut.-Col. Keppel
as Equerry in Waiting to the Prince of Wales.

Prince Murat has left the Alexandra Hotel,
Hyde-park--corner, for Paris.
The Marchioness of Downshire had a dancing
party last night at the family mansion in Belgrave-spare.

His Excellency Khalil Bey and suite have left
the Clarendon Hotel for Paris..

THE ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

First Night of the Season.

Last night Mr. Gye's new season at the Royal
Italian was inaugurated magnificently. It is interest-
ing to bear in mind, in regard to the present season,
that it is the Twentieth of the Royal Italian Opera
at Covent Garden. And among all the twenty
seasons which have now been formerly inaugurated
in that noble haunt of the lyrical drama, not one
among them all, it may here be very confidently
asserted at once, has been ushered in under more
auspicious circumstances than the very one
which has just now commenced. Remembering
the éclat which attended the impersonation
of Norma by Madame Maria Vilda last
year, it was a wise and a most judicious arrange-
ment, on the part of the Director of the Royal
Italian, to select that grand Opera of Bellini for
performance on the first night of 1867 at Covent
Garden, with the same distinguishei artiste in the
character of the Druid-Priestess. Hardly ever
should we suppose has the immortal " Costa Diva"
been more superbly rendered since Madame Grisi
was in her prime than it was last night by Madame
Vilda, whose delivery of that impassioned burst of
song last night, of itself confirmed and strengthened
her already high, reputation. As the Adelgisa
of 1867, Madame Lemmens-Sherrington has at once
secured to herself the opportunity of justifying her
selection as one of the " bright particular stars" of
Mr. Gye's noble Operatic Comp -my at the
Royal Italian. The Pollio of the night, and we
presume also of the season, was Signor Naudin,
whose great natural gifts and artistic accomplish-
ments always appear in that part to very considerable
advantage. Signor Attri's Oroveso needs from
us no word of commendation his majestic
presence and his equally majestic voice befitting the
character to admiration. Under the wizard baton
of Mr. Costa, the choral and orchestral effects of
Bellini's classic masterpiece approached, as nearly
as might be, to absolute perfection. Several calls
during the evening attested the delight of the
audience with the manner in which the principal
artistes acquitted themselves. Madame Vilda,
for example, was summoned before the foot-
lights at the close of each of her two
radiant solos—while upon the fall of the curtain at
the end of the first act there was a very cordial (and
for her a most propitious) call for Madame Lemmens-
Sherriugton. The National Anthem this year
opened instead of closing the first night's perform-
ance.

To-morrow, however, will be a yet more interesting
performance than the one of last evening—Gounod's
Faust elllargherita being the grand and popular opera
announced for production thus early in the season,
with Signor Mario, the incomparable and perennial
primo tenore, as the Faust, and Madame Pauline
Lucca as the Margherita.