The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-08 00:00:00

ROYAL ITALIAN OPERA.

A young lady with a Spanish name—Mdlle. Calderon—
appeared last night as Arnim, in the " Sonnambula." We
do not know her antecedents or her country; but, judging
front her voice, we should suppose her to be a French-
woman. It is thin, and when strained, as it frequently
was, it became somewhat shrill, with a tendency to sharp-
ness of intonation. She failed, accordingly, in legato pas-
sages of long, sustained notes ; but was more successful in
florid phrases, which the quality of her voice enabled her
to execute with considerable neatness. She is a pretty
young woman, and looked the part very well ; and her act-
ing evinced intelligence and feeling; but her performance,
taken altogether, was deficient in power. We believe she
would be very useful in a secondary line of parts, but she
lacks strength to sustain principal characters in a great
theatre. In other respects there was nothing remarkable
in the performance of the opera. Gardoni appeared in his
old and favourite character of Elvino, and the Count
Rodolfo was agreeably personated by Debassini.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
Augustus of Saxe-Coburg- visited the Exhibition of the
French Gallery in Pall-mall yesterday. His Royal High-
ness paid a visit to the Duke of Cambridge, at his residence
in St. James's Palace.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited
the Queen yesterday, at Buckingham Palace.
Their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Cam-
bridge and the Princess Mary visited the Princess Augusta
of Saxe-Coburg yesterday.
Marshal Narvaez arrived at Turin on the 4th
from Milan.
A letter from Thayer states that the officers of
engineers charged to superintend the fortifications of the
coast have received orders to be at their post by the 7th.
The Phare de la Loire states that recent frosts at
night appear to have done some injury to the vineyards
which produce what are called muscadel wines in that
department. In the neighbourhood of Orleans, in that of
Oleron, and in the department of the Gers, there have also
been frosts, but they have not done any injury to the vines.
In Languedoc they are stated to have suffered.
A letter from Padua states that the students of
that university, 1,500 in number, are completely orderly
since the removal of the ringleaders, who a short time since
caused so much confusion.
A smart shock of earthquake was felt at Oran
at an early hour in the morning of the 28th ult.
The Volkszeitung 6f Berlin, lately prosecuted on
account of three political articles which it had published,
was acquitted on two, and cd,demned for the third to a fine
of 20 thalers. It appealed against that decision, and the
public prosecutor did the sania. The Court of Appeal has
now decided in faN'eur of the journal, which was acquitted
on all three articles.

Re&igious communities appear to be increasing
rapidly in France. The last number of the Bulletin des
Liis contains Imperial decrees which authorise the estab-
lishment at Grasse (Var) of a new religious body, under the
name of Association of the Sisters of Saint Martha ; at
Cahors (Lot), of the foundation of an establishment of
Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction ; at Bernard
(Charente), of one of the Sisters of Saint Mary of Provi-
dence ; at Allemans (Dordogne), of ono of the Sisters of
Christian Doctrine ; at Loury (Loiret), of one of the Sisters
of Providence ; at Conlie (Sarthe), of one of the same
order; at Cannes (Var), of one of the Sisters of Our Lady
of Grace ; at La Jumellie (Maine-et-Loire), of one of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus; and at Tiergeville (Seine-Inferieure),
of one of the same order.
The merchant shipping of Belgium, according to
the Annales du Commerce Exterieur, amounted, on the 31st
December, 1858, to 145 vessels, measuring 45,050 tons. In
that number were comprised seven steamers, together of
5,771 tons. Among the sailing vessels were four of upwards
of 1,000 tons, 19 between 500 and 1,000, and 110 between
100 and 500 ; 83 are of Belgian build, the others having
been constructed in the United States, England, Germany,
and Holland. The above numbers have varied but little
from the corresponding period of 1857.
The weather in Paris has suddenly changed, and
become so warm that summer appears almost to have set
in. Yesterday, in the early part of the afternoon, the heat
on the boulevards was quite oppressive, particularly as the
generality of persons still retain their heavy clothing. At
five o'clock the thermometer marked 22 degrees 5 -10ths
Centigrade (72 5-10ths Fahrenheit).
THE REV. ALFRED POOLE'S CASE.—The Rev.
Alfred Poole, late curate of St. Barnabas, intends appealing
to the Judicial Committee of Privy Council against the
Archbishop of Canterbury's recent decision, confirming the
revocation of his licence by the Bishop of London.
DEATH OF A BOY FROM ALLEGED ILL-TREAT-
MENT.-3tuch consternation was caused in Birkenhead
yesterday in consequence of an announcement that a boy
named Joseph Marsden, belongino• to the Reformatory
hulk, Akbar, bad been flogged to death.' At the inquest,
which has been adjourned, it was stated that the boy had
been ailing for some time, but that on Wednesday he re-
ceived a whipping, from which he did not recover. The
body exhibited evidence of severe treatment. There is to
be a post-mortem examination.
_ _

MAILS FOR NORWAY.—The steam-packet com-
munication between Denmark and Norway having been re-
established, the mails from the United Kingdom for Norway
will be conveyed direct by sea from Denmark to Norway,
instead of via Sweden, until further notice. The rate of
pistage to be taken on letters addressed to Norway will be
Is. 4d. the half ounce, and so on, according to the scale in
operation for charginm inland letters. This rate comprises
both the British and 'foreign postage on the letters to the
place of destination, and it may be either paid in advance,
or the letters may be forwarded unpaid, at the option of the
sender, except, however, as regards registered letters, the
postage upon which, as well as the registration fee, must be
paid in advance.

THE MAILS, &C.—SouninirToN, April 7.—The
Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship Tagus, Cap-
tain W. B. Hall, was despatched to-day, with the mail for
Vigo, Oporto, and Lisbon, 18 passengers, a full cargo, and
£5OO in specie. The screw steamer Athens, which sailed
hence on Tuesday for the Cape, took £2,000 worth of
jewellery, and 48 passengers, among whom were his Excel-
lency Major-General Wynyard and family, Assistant-Com-
missary-General Willan and family, Assistant-Commissary-
General Webb and lady, Lieuf. Carrington,.R.N., Captain
Wynyard, Dr. Wernstein, Captain Cobbe, and Mr. J.
Palmer, R.N. The Royal mail steamer Tamar, Captain
Jellicoe, leaves on Saturday,-with the Brazilian and River
Plate mails.
MADAME LOLA MONTEZ.—Last evening Madame
Lola Montez made her debut as a lecturer before a London
audience, at St. James's Hall, the subject being " English
and American character " The fair lecturer commenced by
treating of the difference between the manners of the Ame-
ricans and the English, and • then showed how the inhabi-
tants of the two countries are in the habit of ridiculing each
other. She forcibly portrayed the Englishman's horror of
spittoons, and descanted upon the gullibility and excita-
bility of the Americans, individually and nationally,
bringing to bear upon this portion of her lecture the Ame-
rican rejoicings over the momentary success of the Atlantic
cable, contrasting the apparent apathy ,of the English
people with what she aptly termed the " galvanic delight"
of the Yankees. Lola Montez then gave some excellent
illustrations of the speed of everything belonging to our
trans-Atlantic cousins, and showed how quickly colossal
fortunes are made and lost by them. She spoke of the
power of public opinion in America, and of Jonathan's
moral courage; and concluded by drawing a vivid picture
of social and fashionable life in America, highly amusing
her audience by a general description of the American
ladies, of their beauty, and of their amusements. Alto-
gether we may pronounce the success of Lola Montez last
evening as very decided, and augur from it a long con-
tinuance of her amusing. and instructive lectures: The
notoriety which the lady has obtained in the old and new
worlds, of course contributed to the interest manifested in
the lecture.

ERRATCM.—In yesterday's second leader a sen-
tence should have read—" The Whigs, for their own pur-
pose, created (not crushed) in 1832 a host of petty landlord
boroughs, of which events have made them a little ashamed,
although, in heart, they still cling to them quite as much as
towns do,"