The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-04
iii roR1os Anour rorM.

evidence OF the Italian table d'hote's lnmentable
decline In popularity. Other places as well
known In their day as Mccadonna's have been
compelled to shut their doors because of tho
rivalry of the French restaurants which came
into the field later. When the Italian rcstau-
rants wcro flourishlng the French ones were few
In number. When tho Frcnchmcn started In
business. the days of spaghetti and chiantc wore
numbered. Whether they wero tired OF the
Italian menus or whether tho French were
more adapted to American tastes, the persons
taurants as Martinolli's, Colombo's, and Ricca-
aonnes soon abandoned them for tho newer
French establishments are conducted very
prosperously, there Is practically only one ltal-
ian table d'hote, hotel which docs business on
anything. like q largo scale. Another feature Of
the old PLACES that have just closed has wholly
disappeared from New York. There is to-day no
tanning any particular set OF mon whose Witt.
clsnls are a part of the places history. There
was doubtless very little ground for the reppta.
tons acquired By these places in tho past, but
there. Is no establishment now for which such
q claim is made. This incidental characteristic
peared with them and descended to no sucoos-
sors.
There Is very little belief among the New York
ers who have seen Mrs. Langtry this summer that
she Is really to marry Prince Estcrhazy, or any
other prince, Hungarian or otherwise. Mrs. Lang
frye moro recent associates are said to DO In q
sphere very remotely connected with the nobility
Of any nation, with the exception of one English
man Of title who takes an interest in her racing
stable. The rumor of her engagement to him
was current about q year ago, but there are
obstacles OF q legal nature which mako that
alliance moro doubtful than tho present re-
ports which would make her the wife of the Hun
garian prince. These reports OF Mrs Langtrys
matrimonial intentions are more actively cir
culated here than they are In England, whore
their extreme improbability Is more generally
understood. SIa is said to retain her beauty
still to, a remarkable extent, and she lives In
Known nry e'f Londoe ssyrs; su5 s4mS " .o one who wbo
Is most famous In. comic opera and bur
lesoue and had long been one OF her intimate
though they were never distinguished for great
exclusiveness.
Nine Melba has returned to her homo In
Paris after her success at Covent Garden, where
she was, according to the accounts received
here, the most successful artist Of the year so
far as her personal popularity was shown by
the size OF the audiences that went to hear her.
She will remain IN Paris until September and
then go to England. where she viii make her
first concert tour through tho English provin-
cial towns. These engagements were made
some time ago and will keep her abroad until
October. as all efforts to postpone them and
allow the singer to return to this country earlier
were unsuccessful. Nine. Melba is one of tho
prima donnas whose services are always in
demand. She has never appeared In pu olio In
Germany and 1t is.probable- that she will be
heard there o year from the coming fall. An
effort was made to get her to 90 next winter to
ST. Petersburg, and her South American tour,
which was to have taken place last spring, has
only been postponed. There Is o large terri
tory which she las not yet visited, and there are
few among the famous women singers whose
services are so sought for everywhere, She
company next year, along with Mines. Caive,
Eames, and Sordica, 1t is said that Mime. Nor
to come, as her serious illness has left her in
poor health temporarily. The profits OF $40, 600,
which are said to have resulted from the past
season at Covent Garden, were almost wholly
the receipts Of tho jubilee performance, for
which tickets sold at $50 and sums even greater.
there is said TO be q proof of the fact that he
has brought the stockholders entirely around
to his way OF thinking, and this. as New York
opera singers, whatever their terms may be.
He was in favor OF Nine; Melba,s engagement
cate h~esitated at tho price and finally. refused
to engage her, only to come around to Mr..
her appearances than from those OF any other
single artist
Two large hotels, both empty and unlit, make
what was formerly one OF the hvelest corners
in New York O very quiet and duh spot In these
days. When the Brunswick and the Victoria
were open and popular. Twenty-seventh street
and Fifth avenue was q gay locality. full of
Life and activity. But 1t has changed now and
the approaching removal OF q large restaurant
to its newer site uptown will increase the quiet,
which amounts almost to gloom. in the neigh
borhood. Since the brunswick and the VIC,
toria were closed no alterations have been made
server Is their staring rows OF empty windows.
When they are transformed into Otores or ofhces
some OF the old animation Of the neighborhood
chop house that has existed for many years in
the neighborhood. and when it moved to Its
Is old clients would never follow it uptown
But they did, and their fidelity is shortly to be
new establishments more than a half mile up
Broadway, and contributed another bit Of eyi.
dence Of the rapidity with which Now York Life
Mrs. Frances Hodgson Burnett, who 10 no,
well known to New Workers by sight, was fro
quently seen on the streets last week when she
was here In connection with the preparations
for the production Of one OF her plays. Mrs
Burnett Is u striking looking woman with
blond hair. which for several years she wore
rather short. She has grown stouter during
recent years and her appearance in the style Of
dress she adopts would lead one to believe that
she was English rather than American. although
most of her life has been spent In this country
Although Mrs. Burnett makes a largo income
from her writings, she IS anxious for the greater
assiduously to play writing, although II Is doubt
FL II any Of Ia her nvs Pla nyov EXCEPT seEv Little Itad, he kof fa
her. She Is a woman OF very PRONOUNCED
opinions as to the Interpretation that her plays
should receive, and it was q Disagreement
about a matter OF this kind with her managcri
that postponed the production OF her --latest
drama for a whole year. Then Mrs. Burnett
was convinced that so long as plays were writ
ten to make money, they coule accomplish that
end more readily when they were intrusted tc
persons who were adapted to them. But she
only halt. gave up her contention that, tho wo
man she had selected was the best for her play
and in England II will be handed over to the
American actress who was her first choice.
Now that tho tea room has been introduced
here under exalted social influences, 1t prom
Uses to become a popular institution which viii
accomplish its useful purposes in an unpre
%sentIous and businesslike way. Establishment
Of this kind have already sprung up II
parts OF town which speak eloquentlJ
for the democratic intent Of their proprie
tors, and many OF them have lately annexed
the name tea room without having changed
their former occupation, as IA tea and
cake saloon. Evidently the term has become
tho vogue as n name for these places, and Il