Mr. Mitchell, the lessee of the St. James's, had his
benefit on Wednesday. On the morning of the same day a handsome piece of plate was presented to him by a numerous body of the " patrons " of the theatre; and at night the house was crowded in every part, the boxes being full of the most aristocratic company, royalty included. Mr. Mitchell deserves these marks of favour. His administration has been uniformly distinguished by good faith and liberality; during a number of years he has done much to make the public acquainted with the best productions of light French comedy and vaudeville; and this season be has introduced to our stage, in their original form, several of the finest specimens of the opera comique. With this part of the plan we expressed great satisfaction on its announce- ment; and though we looked for a more copious selection from the abun- dant treasures of the French musical comedy, yet we cannot greatly com- plain of disappointment. A manager's means of choice must be limited by the inclinations and acquirements of his company; and it is easier to perform the current pieces of the day than those of an older date, which demand study and labour. We have, however, enjoyed great pleasure from excellent performances of some of the best operas of Gretry, Boieldien, and Anber; for which we are thankful.
Rossini's opera Le Comte Ore, which Mr. Mitchell chose for his benefit, required all the toil and trouble of a revival; for it has long been forgotten in France, where only it has ever been known. It is a work by no means creditable in any way to Rossini's reputation; being one of those vamped-up affairs which oftener than once involved him in some little disgrace. As manager of' the Paris Italian Opera at the time of Charles the Tenth's coro- nation, by way of a temporary attraction he produced an occasional piece called Il Viaggio is Reims • and then, wishing to make as much of his music as possible, he introduced the greater part of it into this opera of Comte Ory, which was an old vaudeville by Scribe, furbished up on purpose. He coolly produced the opera as a new work at the Academie Royale, and sold the copy- right to a Paris publisher for some 12,000 francs. The trick was found out on the first night of performance, by many amateurs, who heard with' astonish- ment pieces quite familiar to them. Great was the clamour in the Parisian world of music, and Rossini's conduct was roughly handled by the public and the press. The piece, however, thanks to first-rate performance, had a short run, but was soon forgotten, and has scarcely ever been heard of since. Its revival now, after twenty years' oblivion, was surely not worth while; more especially as the libretto is utterly insipid and trifling, and the music, though airy and graceful, is a mere bundle of reminiscences of the composer's earlier works. We did not, however, regret hearing, fer once, an opera that had been so much talked about, though we neither desire nor expect ever to hear it again.
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