The Sun.
London, England, 1850-11-16 00:00:00

PARIS, ITALIAN OPERA.

The opening of this theatre, under the direction of
Mr. Lumley, took place on Saturday night before an
audience recalling the most palmy days of magnificent
Paris, when it waa the seat of the most brilliant Court
of Europe. The name of the London impresario
seems to have acted like a charm on the ancient
abonnes, and to have restored at once the fashion and
prestige of this elegant theatre, which has been in a
state of sombre eclipse since the revolution of Febru-
ary. From an early hour the neigbourbood wore the
aspect of a gala night, from the constant rolling of
equipages, the noble denizens of the aristocratic fau-
bourg, the Foreign Ambassadors, and, in fine, the
entire elite of Parisian society being all present on the
occasion. The elegant salle, entirely renovated, was
worthy of the brilliant auditory, and a more imposing
coup d cell than it presented at eight o'clock, when the
President of the Republic entered his loge, it would
not be easy to conceive, filled as it was with all that
Paris contains of the noble and illustrious of every shade
of party and opinion. In a box opposite Prince Louis
Napoleon sat some of the noble heads of the Legitimist
party; near these were to be seen the most devoted
supporters of the house of Orleans ; and, in fact, the
most variegated hues of politics, from the purest white
of the stainless lily down to the deepest tinge of the
Republique rouge, were duly represented. All
seemed delighted at finding one spot, at least, where
party spirit and political strife were laid aside and
forgotten
,in listening to the noble and fascinating
cantatrice, who, herself the victim of the revolutionary
storm of 1848,,had quittel the splendour of Courts, of
which she was long the charm, to devote her talents
once more to the public exercise of the most beautiful
of the arts. The opera was, as already announced,
Bellini's charming Sonnambula, with Madame
Sontag as the Amine. Her execution of the music
was, as was expected from such a vocalist, perfection ;
but she wt.': her audience by surprise, from the feeling
and pathos of her acting, which, without descending
to the least extravagance or exaggeration, was the
very Amine of Bellini. Simple and confiding in the
early scenes, her hopeless agony and despair when
after wards involved in the terrible and inexplicable
labyrinth which blights at once her good name and
robs her of her lover, were given with a power and an
expressive truth that only lie within the reach of those
richly- gifted favourites of nature who possess hearts, as
well as the voce diving. Mdme. Sontag's opening air,
"Come, per me," was given with a delicacy and a perfec-
tion that drew forth murmurs of delight during its exe-
cution, and an overwhelming burst of applause at its
conclusion. The beautiful duo with Elvino, " Prendi
l'anel," was sung by Madame Sontag and M. Calzo-
lari with a tenderness and elegant finish of vocalize•
tion which drew down reiterated plaudits, and a
general recall for both artistes. The scene in the
chamber and the finale of the second act was power-
fully given by both, and here some overpowering
bursts of feeling and tone by Madame Sontag
completely electrified the auditory. This was
the triumph of the actress ; but it was in the con-
cluding air " Ah, non giunge ! " that Madame
Sontag put forth all her powers as the
first of vocalists. This was indeed the extatic
spirit of joy thrown into soun.i. To describe the
surpassing marvels of execution displayed in this
morceau would be impossible—they must be heard to
be understood, M. Calzolari, whom we heard at the
concerts at the Conservatoire early this year, appears
to much more advantage on the stage; his voice—an
exceedingly pure and melodious tenor—seems ad-
mirably adapted for Bellini's music, and his first air
at once secured him the favour of the public. In
the succeeding dub with Madame Sontag he gave his
part delightfully, and in the well-known "Ah
, perche," she sang with a taste and feeling that won
him the suffrages of every hearer of the slightest
pretensions to musical taste. M. Calzolari's deport-
ment on the stage is marked by a modest and gen-
tlemanly air that at once impresses an audience in his
favour ; and his performance was throughout •
succes. The part of the Count was confided, ou fa
very short notice, to M. Morini, a atranger to the
Parisian boards, M. Casanova, advertised for the
character, being invalided by a rapid journey from
Italy. His singing was passable. The orchestra
and choruses filled their duties unexceptionably, and
the soirée went off in such a manner as to give
golden promises for the season, of which it was so
happy an inauguration. Among the brilliant
society present we were able to recog-
nise the following—but as our acquaintance
among the great is, unluckily, of somewhat limited
cast, it must not be taken as anything like a list of
the subscribers present :—The President of the Re-
public, the Princess Matbilde, Prince Jerome, Prince
Napoleon, the President of the National Assembly,
the Minister of the Interior, and several other members
of the Government, with their families ; Princess Ba-
gration, Prince and Princess Machinchakoff, Princess
Gagarin, Princess Nariskin, the British Ambassador
and the Marchioness of Normanby,l the Austrian
Ambassador and family ; the Duke de Sotomayor,
Spanish Ambassador; the Danish Minister and several
other members of the corps diplomatique, the Duchesse
de Maille, the Duke de Valancay, the Duke de Padoue,
Madame Aguado and the Marquis and Marchioness de
las Marismas, Mme.- d'Audeville, the Countess of
Sandwich, Countess Waldegrave, Lady Beresford, the
Marquis of Granby, M.P., Mr. Barry Baldwin, M.P.,
Captain Trotter, Baron Seabach, M. Victor Hugo, M.
Bixio, &c.—Galignani.

BREAKING-UP •f HER MAJESTY'S

DOCKYARD AT HOLYHEAD.

An important event has just taken place at Holy-
head, in the final breaking-up and closing of her
Majesty's dockyard establishment. This measure
was carried out a few days ago, when all the mecha-
nics and labourers hitherto engaged in the various
departments of the dockyard were discharged.
An account of the stores now remaining in
the yard is being rendered, and when done the
whole, together with the machinery and materials,
will be delivered up to the City of Dublin Steam
Packet Company. This company, it will be remem•
bered, competed for and obtained the contract from
the Lords of the Admiralty, for the conveyance of
the mails between Holyhead and Kingstown, and in
consequence of this transfer of the mail service
the packet establishment at Holyhead is no
longer required ; the Admiralty steam-boats
have, therefore, been taken off the station
and the dockyard broken up, it being understood
that the company which has undertaken the con-
veyance of the mails will use and keep in due re-
pair their own vessels. The closing of so large
and important an establishment as a Government
dockyard must necessarily prove a serious event
to the town of Holyhead, where it has been the
means of affording employment to a large and indus-
trious body of men for many years. These will now
be completely thrown upon the world ; and it is
hoped that the Lords of the Admiralty will:evince the
same anxiety for these discharged servants as for
those dismissed in the spring of last year, when a
gratuity to the extent of six months' pay was granted
to those persons who had been engaged for the space
of fifteen years,whilst to those who had served eighteen
years and upwards a permanent provision was made
for their future comfort. The resident engineer of
the establishment, W. Stewart, Esq., who has held that
office for fifteen years, has received an appointment
to a similar office at Portsmouth, to which place he
will proceed. Captain Fraser, R.N., is the superin-
ihsabrbeoinugr,rap whichly
dwill ecno tn
soifs
tt hoef
3dolc6kaycarre,si.
formed. The extension of the sea walls at the nor-
thern f sTheea room new,
break water is progressing rapidly, and hundreds
of men are daily engaged on the works. The cost of
the whole is estimated at 700,0001.

"Three and sixpence per gal. !" exclaimed Mrs,
Partington, on looking over the Prue Curreat. Why, blew
me, what is the world coming to, when the gals are valued
at only three and sixpence l'"fhe old lady pulled otT her
spectacles, threw down the paper, and went into a brown
study on the want of a proper appreciation of the true value
of the feminine gender.