Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-01-01
FURTHER EXTRACTS
From, the Family Letters q an american Lady
IN Europe.

this past week than to attempt catalogue rasonn
Of the pleasant sights constantly opening upon my busy
eyes / am half dead with fatigue and want Of sleep,
for there is harder work than honizing but some
tines when tempted to give up in despair, comes the
thought that this golden chance may never again occur
and how deeply should regret having thrown away
moment How think you felt when passing Henry yIIIhs
gateway Windsor Castle and entering the Chapel OF
St. George? Precisely, no doubt as thousands have
done before me- but their recorded experience did not
in the remotest degree impair the freshness Of wondering
surprise and amazed delight with which | sat in the
gorgeous chairs and looked the carvings the superb
windows the stalls helmets and intricate armoral
bazonings of the knights of this prncely order Think
of reading the stones beneath ones feet Henry VIII
"Jane Seymour" Edward "! begin now to believe
in history did before II very pleasant
tradition to say that such people had lived but never
could get further back than Ezabeh these tombs were
necessary give faith in their having bodily existed
The state apartments did not impress very magnif
cent Among the most interesting objects to me were
the portraits of the sovereigns and great coempo
rary with Waterloo principally by Sir Thomas Lawrence
and the silver shield nlad with gold by the magic chisel
Of Benvenuto Celni souvenir of the field Of cloth of
god OF you need fear that will alude
to the hangngs the wonderfully painted and gded cell
ngs the galleries of pictures, noble vandykes, vases of
mnlacnlte precious BoDtln Dut tuc
beauty the vew Elton and the Thames valley
is not exaggerated and ,cA tell you how exquisite
found the ..long walk driving through its double
nues Of trees for three miles; how ramhed among the
delicious shades around Virginia Water" how we loung
ed on the grass abusing George the Fourth for his bad
taste in dsfguring such of sylvan beauty with
hideous Chinese pagodas how took very accep
table Xxx he gentlemen at least and how royalty grand
the castle looked rising high in the heavens against the
rosy sunset sky. Enough that amiabe and clever
ccerone quite satisfied with enthusiasm and the
day without alloy except that missed of
companions and after searching nqurng of sentres and
soldiers found her wandering in of distraction
up the winding of the prodgious old Keep, about
to precpitate herself in despair from the tower battle
ment.
Utterly wearied out, / thought it for moment
quite out of the question to stir another step; but music
carried the day hurriedly equppng myself in white
muslin, with flowers in my hair off to her Majes
tvs theatre where Sontag to sing in the Barber of
Seville " Carlota Gris and Tagoni the younger to dance
in the ballet. The same crowd, dense and well dressed
the ladies in full toilette waited with patience for the
entree, and the unmannerly scene ensued which
have before attempted to describe. am always lucky
in my seatcertainy deserving it from my trial of speed
up those starcases Sontag the avore with
| all classes SO the house thronged and impa-
tient if had done her injustice my former esti
mate Of her dramatic powers But no; now go far
to find her actress Of only mediocre TALENT her
Rosina is heavy archness coquetry picture
of quick Spanish nature She always to be remem
berng that she is the Countess Ross and in the
descending acknowledgment of applause affects the airs
Of dame de soctH 1t is perhaps unfair to this prima
donna of many years to compare her general vocaza
ton with that of Jenny Lind who scarcely yet in
the uness Of her wondrous powers while Sontag has
long since passed her freshness and her voice does not
flow with the purity Of youth But do not deny that
in this of her vocal and physical beauty she is
charming, and still MARBLES most daintly Una and
Rodes variations though too much in half voice, if
afraid trust her full tone left nothing to wish for
her skiful ease is faultless.
OF these opinions you take for what they are
worth and crude enough no doubt they are for speak
only from my individual taste and imagining Of what
music ought to be Chat the decision Of all the c,g-
noscen in the world cou affect the positive pleasure
or pain given my ~ wAas = sVod the reyer,e
The queen Prince andsuite were present She did
sit in front Of the box but behind the curtain from which
she constantly looked however turning her glass ince
sanity over the hoae suppose she has the opera
hundred times yet when Lablache, in the singing les
son, gives his buresque of sentimental song which was
rresistby udcrous her Majesty threw herself forward
in as hearty fit Of laughter the young lady who
observing her from the parquette liked this and she
appears altogether free from any afectation What
bound rather with three, that nearly away my
breath, Carlota Grisi sprang the footlights What
strength what enormous development Of muscle which
stands from her limbs like cords and what elasticity of
movement Her poses majestic, and her feats the
common place tours de force which generally painful
Afterwards the curtain upon the niece finer aunt
Tagfoni the 'yphds and surely in her ightness and
purity she might well be the ETHEREAL denizen Of air float
ing through the dreams Of the sleeping shepherd She
gave astonishing evidence Of the grace to which
we clumsy creatures may be trained Grs however is
evidently the favore, being, believe second in
the choreographic world and her efforts brought whirl
wind Of applause and bouquets
Remembering that shall probably doze away the rest
Of my life in America, have certainly reduced sleep to
minimum for although did not reach my lodgings
after the opera until nearly o'clock was brisk and
early the next morning at St. James Palace to see guard
mounting and hear the music As usual, was in luck.
Of the guards off duty showing me the best place to
be out Of the crowd for which was much indebted rs
the courtyard is always closely packed with the populace
at this hour. Thanks to his cviity had convenient
ledge Of window to rest on listening for half an hour to
Of the best regmenta bands dscoursing most admit
rabe music There is certainly one advantage in being
in this wilderness Of two millions Of people, that one may
perfectly UNDECIDED be provincial the top Of their bent
follow the band through the park to catch its last
note or look at Punch and Judy or the happy family
in Trafalgar Square, and never fail to be entranced ON
the pavement Of Pail Mall by the hurdygurdy that plays
the bridal waltz for the benefit apparently Of the oppo-
l