Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-08-23
sure you thought her very inferior to
Pico, both as an actress and singer.

voice as exquisitely soft as an Eolian
harp, and with ones eyes shut) he is
a singer who gives one delicious en-
ioyment,-but l will not bother you
any more about the opera.
As the curtain fell after the first act.
the men in the stalls all rose to straight
en- themselves, and to take stare over
the house; and for the first time it oc-
Cured to me to enquire if the Queen
were present. "You are looking
straight'at her Majesty, "said my neigh
Dor; "shs is talking TO one of the ladies
of her bedchamber, and Prince Albert
is at the back ofthe box, talking TO the
King of Belgium" The box | was
looking into was directly at the end of
the stage lights, and of course very
near me. had seen the Queen come
lin, without recognizing her, though l
had studied her face at Court when !
was presented to William w., some
years ago, and of course see portraits
of her every day. She looked far
younger and prettier than any picture
| know of her, and her manner to her
Maids of Honor, and their evident ease,
made it look precisely like very a
greeable private party. There was no
mark to distinguish the box she occu-
pied, and the fact is, that had ;nsen-
sibly looked more at the Queen than
at any body else, thinking her a re-
markably pretty girl, and feeling more
curiosity to knew who she was. than
who were in the other boxes! | trust
the Royal atmosphere forgayc my pro-
fame admiration!
At the close of the second act, the
Viennesse Dancers tripped upon the
stage. These as you know, are twenty
or thirty children, apparently from five
to ten years old, who dress and dance
like full grown girls, and produce as,
tonishing effects by their well drilled
combinations. They are curiosities, il
it were only for the robust develope-
ment of their little bodies. Seen thro'
a magnifying glass, tlleir short petticoats
&c, would hardly look decent; but as
children, the plumpitudcs which they
expose at every movement are humor-
ousIy beautiful They must have been
drilled with wonderful patience, to
make such sudden and exact transi-
tons. At one instant, they pile up in
to bower-the next they are revolv-
ing in many spoked wheel-the next
they are braiding in a complex waltz.
They seem to swallow each other and
reappear. multiply and diminish, swim
and fly, and with one-mindcdness, a
grace, and an case of countenance and
motion that is wholly incomprehensi-
bile. And, withal, their little faces are
as round and rosy as Cupid's in a pic
ture, and they look SO happy that it is
contagious. / quite made my well.
bred neighbors stare with my union
don-y laughter. Perhaps ] should have
been excused, however, if they had
looked at the Queen, for her Majesty
quite leaned out of her box, kept time
with the music with her head and bo-
quelt, and watched the little magicians
!. with continual smile throughout.
i The curtain drew up at last, for the
'3Sylphide," and Taglioni glided to the
chair of her sleeping lover. looked
at her lady-like face with the same
feeling for its modest unconciousncss
as before, but-alas! for what it costs
beauty to stay in this wicked world
I would not record, if | were not wri-
ting for a paper that would never reach
her eye how much-yery much missed
from her shoulders, how much from her
limbs, how much-but will not dwell
upon her losses. She was herself in
all her swift motions-in all her more
powerful efforts. 1t was in the slow
poisings, in the pirouettes, in those
parts of the dance which require more
than mere graceful bounds over the
stage. that she showed where the les
sened muscle bad lessened her charm.
The bill | held in my hand declared
that with the FIVE nights of this en-
gagement, she was to take final leave
of the stage-and l was sorry she had
waited till the world thought it was
time, Queen Victoria left the opera
before the curtain drew up for her to
appear.
And now having made rather long
letter, I'll 90 out for my short walk
Adieu for to-day.
Yours faithfully,
n. p. Willis.