The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-08-02

London, July 26.--An uneasy feeling ex- ists in certain quarters as to Englands position should Japan take up some act of Russias aggression or precipitate af- | fairs by some act of her own. The Man churian affair is pregnant with war. Japan Is thrilling with the war fever and Russia would welcome any disturbance as means of giving occupation to her discon- tented population. That Russia Is deter mined to gain access to the Indian ocean or find an open port on the Pacific Is not to be disputed. Japan since her victory over China has conceived herself to be the most powerful nation on earth. Her statesmen foster this feeling. Japan is our ally and we may be destined to fight on her side. This is not a pleasing pros pect as the Boer war drained our re- sources. England needs peace.
 Few people now living will be able to recall the first state performance attended by Queen Victoria at the old Opera house in the Haymarket in 1888, although there is an engraving by Buvier extant or the scene, in which her late majesty comically asserted her sovereignty by wearing pic- ture hat, all others being bare-headed. In 1s40 there was a gala performance at Drury Lane in honor of the royal mar riage, and this, l believe, is the only oc- casion on which an English work was performed namely, John Barnetts "Monn- tain Sylph" In the much-derided Early Victorian era 1t, however, was the custom at these state representation to perform complete operas, which, from musical point of view, is much more satisfactory than a spectacle coupe, although 1t would probably be less appreciated nowadays by gala audiences That veteran official MT. Edwin Hall, who is still head of the Royal Opera box office was a member Of the opera staff in 1855 when the first gala operatic performance was given at Covent Garden It was in honor of the Emperor Napoleon III. and "Fidelio" was per | formed, with Jennie Ney, Carl Formes, | and Tamberlik, followed by the ballet
 Eva" in which cerito made her Covent | Garden debut The elder Gye was at that time manager, and he seems to have sold the seats for the best price he could ob- tain For example, he got rid of 203 stalls at two gulneas each, and thirteen he even let go at a guinea. probably to the libra rians. who were then very important spee-s uators in opera. The highest price he ob- tained was sixteen guineas for two stalls while he sold eight at five guineas each
 
 guinea as to the first two rows, and 5s. for the rest. The manager also ate tempted to turn an honest penny by sell ing 145 standing room places on the stage at f1 16s.. but to the librarians who were supposed to charge two guineas to the public Any one found on the stage at Covent Garden nowadays would, 1 think meet with short shrift from MT. Nelson. { he total seceipts of the Napoleon per formance. according to the Covent Gar den books. were e2,S96, of which about e2,0 GOO worth was taken by the librarians. | In 1897 the receipts were about Gl0.0O0, and | the librarians think, only got seats by favor For the postponed coronation gala last year, when stalls were sold at twenty | guineas. upwards of 920,0OO worth of seats were, I believe allotted. and the money returned. a duty which promised to make Mir Neil Forsyth prematurely bald. The effect an act of self-renunciaton of this sort would have had upon the late J. H. Mapleson, had "the Colonel' then been in operatic business, can only be imagined
 For the Loubet gala on Tuesday, under stand that something like 91200O was taken altogether apart from the number of seats-about third of the dress accom- modation-allotted to the royal family and their guests to cabinet minister's and to the ambassadors. The expense. of course. were heavy: for cast which in- cluded Meba. calve and Alvarez is not one which a responsible manager would care to pay every day of his life. while the decorations were costly. Still. there was no doubt a handsome margin.
 
 A charming personality passed away with the sudden 1eath last week at Mon treux, at the age of 57, of Miss Constance