ENGLISH OPERA COMPANY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 153, 30 June 1874, Page 2

ENGLISH OPERA COMPANY.

The Opra Company performed last night to a highly appreciative but not crowded audience. The familiarity of the opera given, Wallace's Maritana, — most of the airs and choruses of which were obviously well-known to almost, every one present — renders the ttsk of criticism and comparison tolerably easy. On the whole, the performance was a very respectable one, in Borne parta rising much higher than mere respectability. A very small but well-trained orchestra played the overture with spirit and precision, and rendered effective assistance to the chorusses, though several important instruments — notably the violoncello and clarionet — were wanting. The leading singer, Miss Alice May, has an exceedingly sweet and flexible, if not very powerful, mezzo-soprano voice, which we are thankful to find sho never strains. Her style of Binging indeed is so easy as to remind us of the warbling of a bird. And she acts just as well as she sings. Next to her in point of merit— but after a wide interval — comes Mr Rain ford, who undertook the telling part ot Don Jose. This gentleman is an old favorite of the public, and his noble baritone voice, though perhaps a little worn, still retains most of its former compass and power. We cannot say, however, that he shines as an actor. Stiff and ungainly in attitude and gesture, he is no exception to the rule that an actor, if he is to learn his business at all, must learn it early. Miss Lambert, the contralto, disappointed us at first, but her singing improved as the piece went on until in the duet " Holy mother guide his footsteps," her voice blended exquisitely with that of Miss May. Mr Hallam acted the part of Don Caesar de Bazan with considerable spirit, but his voice is by no means equal, either in point of quantity or of quality, to what we have been accustomed to expect from the lending tenor in an Opera Company of any pretensions. Hia rendering of tbe famous song, " Let me like a soldier fall," was tame aud feeble. Once only did he seem to us to rise fully to the occasion. The duet between himself and Mr Templeton, as the king, "I. am the King of Spain," was admirably given by both gentlemen. The distinct articulation of all lhe singers, without exception, was a most agreeable feature in the performance. In the solos invariably, in the duets generally, every word was audible in the most distant parts of the room. Leaving out Miss May's songs^ which were the gems of the performance, the choruses left the most agreeable impression of all upon us, tbe precision and spirit with which they wore shot forth being well worthy of the study and imitation of our amateurs. The telling chorus, " What Mystery," and its solos, interwoven with, ahd running through it, seemed to us to be particularly well done, the time being by no means ensy to keep. And now, having spoken our mind freely, as we promised we would, we have only to express our ■sincere . regret that the swarms of Siamese, Japanese, horses, tumblers, and such like, wbo have swept over our little community, wave after wavp, should have carried oil as they departed so much of our not too abundant pocket money, that we have comparatively few crumbs of comfort left for a body of performers of a far higher class than it has been our lot to see nnd hear for. many a day. To-Dight we are to have the charming opera of Sonnambula.^

A peculiar case of. frost-bite has occurred to a traveller between Hokitika and Christchurch. The circumstances are thus reported by the Lyttelton Times:— A man named Thomas MTlroy, whose feet were frost-bitten, was admitted to the Hospital for treatment on Sunday last. It would appear that he was tramping overland to Hokitika, and left Craigieburn early on Wednesday morning, but soon after passing the Cass — which is only seven miles from Craigieburn — his feet began to feel very strange, and he stopped to examine them. Having taken off hie boots, he found that the fore part of each foot was severely frost-bitten, ahd being unable to get his boots on again, be cut up his trousers to protect his feet, after which he retraced his steps to the Cass. Arrived here, he bathed the frost-bitten parts with kerosine, and waited the arrival of the coach, by which he afterwards came on to Christchurch. It is expected thata cure will be effected without M'llroy losing any portion of his feet.

Oculists appear to do well in Victoria where they can make some £150 a week. This fact came out in a case in the County Court on Tuesday, where Dr Gray sued a patient — who, by the way "lost an eye over it as well as his money — for balance of an account for professional services, Mr Finn, the barrister, in cross-examining the plaintiff for the defence, inquired as the value to be given for the amount claimed (some £24 altogether, with set-off payments), which dated from tho 2nd to the 28th of February laat. The oculist getting rather angry at Mr Finn's searching questions as to what he was able to make, replied, " I make £24 a day, and sometimes more. I make more than you do at any rate." This was too much for the learned counsel, who, after an unsuccessful attempt to strike off the fee charged for a day before, the patient had communicated with the oculist, subsided, and his Honor Judge Cope, gave a verdict for the amount claimed.