The New York herald., 1851-10-02
Foreign Miscellany.

The FRENCH OPERA HoUsE.-ln the evening
went to the French Opera, which is still ono Of the
lions Of Paris. 1t was once in Rue Richelieu but
the atrecious assassination of Due de Berrl who was
stabbed in its porch, threw kind of horror over
the spot the theatre was closed, and the perform
ance moved to its present site, In the Rue Lepele
tier, street diverging from the Boulevard. Fond
as the French Of decoration, the architecture Of
this building possesses peculiar beauty and would
answer equally well for substantial public hospital,
woikhouse or barrack, If the latter not the
more readily suggested by the gendarmerie loiter-
ing about the doors, and the mounted dragons At
either cod Of the street. The passages Of the inte
stantial; but the door of the sale opens, and the
stranger at singh step, enters from those murky
passages into all the magic Of crowded theatre.
The French have, within these few years. borrow
ed from us the art Of lighting theatres. recolleot
the French theatre lighted only by a few lamps
scattered round the house, or a chandelier in the
middle, which might have figured in the crypt offs
~ II. nus 'hsy excused giving greater
utter gloom. They have now made the audience
part Of the picture, and IN indispensable part.
The Opera House now shows the audeuce; and IL
not very dressy, or rather as dowdy, odd, and dis
bevcled crowd as ever rccollect to have seen
within theatrical walls, yet they are evidently hu-
man beings, which Is much more picturesque than
masses Of spccres, seen only By an occasional assh
from the stage The French have
not made this national edi6ce grand but they have
made IL much better thing-lively, showy, and
rich. Neither majestic and monetonous, nor grand
anu NOtnic, tncy nave mauo IL TtdUt huu rhCy, nko
place where men and women come to be happy,
where beautiful dancers are to be seen, and Where
sweet songs to be heard and where the mind Is,
for three four hours, to forget all its cares and
to carry away pleasant recollections for the time
being. From pit to ceiling IL is covered with
paintings, all sorts Of cupids, nymphs, and flower
garlands, and Greek urns, none Of them wonders Of
the pencil, but all exhibiting that snowy medio-
Gritty Of which every Frenchmsn is capable, and
with which every Frenchmsn is in raptures. All
looks rich, warm, and operatic. One character
istic change has struck me everywhors in Paris
the men drees better and the women worse. Whcs
was last here the dressed half bandit and
half Hottcntot. The revolutionary mystery was st
work, and the hatred Of the Bourbons was emblem
atsed in conical hat, loose ncckcloth, tro non
dous trousers, and the SEQ wi OF stage conspira-
tor. The Partisan men have since learned the de-
cenciei Of dress. AS entered the hose before the
rising Of the curtain | bad leisure TO look about
me, and found, even in the audience, strong cen-
trast to those Of London. BY that kind OF contra
diction 10 everything rational and Bnghsh whicn
| governs the Partisan, the women seem 10 cnooes
7isLabUe for the opera. As the house was crowded,
and the boxes are let high, and the performance Of
| the night was popular, might presume that some
of the Cite were present, yet | never saw so many
| I'M dressed women under roof Bonnets, shavis.
| munies Of all kinds, were the costume. How diff
ferept from the finish, the splendor and the fashion
| of The English opera-bex. | saw hundreds Of
| women who appeared, by their dress, scarcely
above the rank OF shopkcepers, yet who, probably.
were among the Partisan leaders of fashion, IL IA
republican Paris there are any leaders Of fashion.
Paris an 1861.