DEATH OF TWO DISTINGUISHED MEN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1616, 22 February 1884, Page 3

DEATH OF TWO DISTINGUISHED MEN.

The« Home News' says-" Two men distinguished in different branches of art died on tho 11th December. The first was Signor Mario, tho famous tenor, and hardly less famous as the husband of Grisi. Mario was of noblo birth, and had served in tho Sicilian army before he took to the stage in 1836, and had also gained a great reputation as an amateur singer. For upwards of twenty years he was without a rival, the adored favorite of the operas of London, Paris, and St Petersburg. Unfortunately ho outlived his fame, and when ho retired from the stage in 1871, he had for several years ceased to bo an attraction, Recently lie was curator of a museum at Rome, having fallen into distressing circumstances after his retirement. Tho other death is that of Mr Richard Doyle, the famous caricaturist, formerly on the staff of" Punch," and tho designer of its world-famous cover. Being a strict Roman Catholic, ho severed his connection from that journal owing to the attacks on tho Papacy during tho time of tho Papal aggression, thus practically cutting himself off from

a most brilliant and promising career

literally for conscience sake, Next to 'his illustrations of "ThoNewcbmes' his best known skotclies are tho inimitable "Birdseye views of Society," which appeared in 'Conilull' under Thackeray's editorship. It is n bright point in Mr Doyle's works that his keen satire and grotesquo fancy were over tempered with kindliness and . charity,