New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-15
NILSSON IN WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON, March 13.-The town has
lately been indulgng in quite much excitement A.
was good for II. There has BEEN in the first ulace
breeze the Territorial Government into which wa
have been led and which, with its partial abandouens
OF the elective franchise, and Its 10 be appointed
at the will OF the President is not without strange
possibilities in the future Then there has been the High
Commission, whose doing and dressing and dining
been Of agitation. Following that the sad
Sumner business, with its spectacle Of the into
whose nostrs he breathed the breath OF political life.
now turning and rending him-seryie Senators
made it. Meanwhile, we have had the new Capt
tai newspaper TO talk shall say the capital
new newspaper And we have not yet exhausted our
Nilsson ecstasy the critics OF the FIVE Sunday papers
bursting forth the late concerts as IL the prma
donna had Just made her debut I'm America. Indeed.
Nilsson concert in Washington is really something very
different from Nilsson concert anywhere else Not,
however, because the concert hall Is unryaed In it,
terrible acoustic properties, through which violin
note is repeated by invisible vioins in the cir, 10
the hall Of spiritual meeting while the singer
stands in cave that robs the audience OF half tho
voice. nor because the auditorium is arranged thae
the display OF the audience effective that OF
poisoning fowergarden can ever be; nor because tho
audience made up promiscuousy from the four points
OF the compass is the nosiest I'm the world getting hall
storms OF rattle out OF two pages OF programme, and
strnging fashonably in and all along the perform
ance but because of the personages Of the audience who
he nowhere else. There were the other night,
the Secretaries and their wiyes-creaures OF day
the impertinent wife OF Senator styles them there
the diplomats, with their field glasses strapped
their shoulders there the venerable ChieJus-
tce his face framed in silver there Mrs Sprague,
fresh and lovely dozen years ago; there
the President and his wife, accepting, by the way,
from somo enthusiast, THE gift Of good seats in
exchange for their very poor ones there Her
Britannia Majesty's High Commissioner as their visit
ing cards announced them; there the stately and
peerless Mrs. Senator Ames with all her wonderfully
beautiful contrasts Of color; there Gail Hamilton
with the Speaker; there Madame de Catacazy,
whose admirers call her the divine, and about whom
there ia OF the largo luxurious molding OF the
Venus OF Milo, and there all the rest OF the hno
folk, with much pointlace, and so many ostrich
pumes, that there seemed to have been fall OF
the place Yet after ALL the only greatness there
to be upon the stage when the power OF the singers
voice swept through all hearts like flame; TO be thas
white creature Of the northern SHOWS who in her blue
eyed fairhared beauty and her strength recalled thoso
women Of the Scandinavian egends--women OF a race
whose men reverenced them till they dened them-now
Freya of the golden tears; now Of the Yalkyri-
sisters who cleft the clouds In the shape Of Wild swans
and now tragic Norne-beauty and stH~---' -
h~~@ Made a harp Of her bresst bone,