The Sun. — 1863-05-08 (London, England)

WORD ON THE OPERA BOOK.—We have heard of persons who maintain that a knowledge of Latin and French is equivalent to a knowledge of Italian, and that by their joint means an opera may be thoroughly mastered without the aid of a translation. We confess such a feat appears to us Herculean. We do not envy the student who attempts it. He will weave himself a web that will inevitably imprison his faculties during the whole performance of the opera, and go home minus tae music. He will lose himself in a fable of his own invention, that will be at loggerheads with the stage-business with the printed Italian—and with the authorised English translation. He will be placed in the position of the school-boy between two .tools, and find neither of them available. Lion cf the pit, and dandy of the amphitheatre I that book hen holdest to thy heart of hearts, in blissful reminiscence of thy opera treats—that book thou porest over in thy solitude, calling to mind the voices that warbled to thee in the past, the dear incomprehensible ditties—that boor, with all its English and talian, is as great a sham as thou thyself art, it thou pretendest to learn aught from its pe,usal I The operabook, quotha! It is a snare and an imposition. It is a tiaudulent bankrupt's ledger with faults on both sides. It is English in a fix, and Italian in a passion. It is a con glomeratioa of Alfred Bunnism and Laden sentimentality, which those who have an attachment for Italian opera had better leave in the hands of the publisher, or consign to the care of the housemaid for domestic purposes,— Once e Week.  THE SUSPECTED ROBBERY AND MURDER AT LlMEHOUSE.—Yesterday Mr. Humphreys resumed, at the Five Bells Tavern, Limehouse, he adjourned inquiry respecting the death of John Strachan, aged 37, who lost his life under circumstances which have given rise to a suspicion of foul play. It will be remembered that the evidence already taken went to show that r eceased was a contractor in the Victoria Docks. Last Saturday three weeks he left home to proceed to the docks, and his family never saw him alive after. His overcoat, .which was torn to pieces, was brought to them in the evening by a workman, who said that he had found it in the docks, and that when he last saw deceased the latter had £7 in his possession. Deceased could nowhere be traced for a week, when his body was found floating in the Limehouse cut of the River Lea by a bargeman. Only 7s. 9d in money was found in his pockets. The face and head had roadis of bruises and cuts, apparently from violence. The banks of the Limehouse cut were no: in deceased's way home, but the contrary. Mrs. Strachan said that the deceased lett home in perfect health. George Connor stated that on the Saturday is question deceased left him (witness) at the Marine Hotel, Victoria Docks, at five in the evening. He had received Bs. 61 from some one, and witness had paid him ss. 6d. He had to cross the Victoria-bridge of the Limehouso cut to get on his road home. Deceased had been drinking. He had that morning fallen into the basin of the Victoria Docks In getting him out his great coat was torn. The jury returned a verdict "That decased was found ?rowned in the waters of the Limehouse cut of the River Lea, but how he came into the said waters there w s no evidence to show."  THE ATTEMPTED SUICIDE OF A FRENCH GENRippolyte Linde, the French gentleman who !hot himself in so determined a manner, in an hotel in elderagate•stret; oil %b 27th tat.: 15 said to be likely to recover.