LETTER THE FORTY-SECOND. - Italian opera· - Artists, male and female - Prima Donna-Lucia de Lammermoor Some disappointment - Second representation - Improvement - Romeo and Giulietta - La RicciLa Señora Cesari The mint - False coining - Repetition of Lucia Procession by night - A Spanish beauty - Discriminating audience A little too simple-Gold embroidery - Mexico Santiago Pilgrims - Old Indian custom by moonlight Mysterious figure - Archbishop - Viceroy. -- Soirée 13th July. WE little expected to be still here at the opening of the new Italian Opera, and had consequently given up our box. Señor Roca, who went to Italy to bring out the requisites, has arrived at the end of a wonderfully short period, with the singers, male and female; the new dresses, decorations, &c.; and the first opera, Lucia de Lammermoor, was given last week. The theatre is the former Teatro de Gallos, an octagonal circus, which has been fitted up as elegantly as circumstances would permit, and as the transition from the crowing of cocks to the soft notes of Giulietta rendered necessary. The "Prima Donna Assoluta" is the Signora Anaide Castellan de Giampietro; born in Paris, bred in Milan. The "Prima Donna Soprano" is the Signora de Ricci, and the second Donna is called Branzanti. The first Tenor is Signor Giampietro, husband of the Prima Donna; and the second Tenor is the Signor Alberti Bozetti. The first Bass is Signor Tomassi, and the Bouffo Bass Signor Spontini. They have been so much proné, and public expectation has been so much excited, that we supposed it probable that the first evening at least would be a failure to a certain extent. Besides, the Mexican audience, if not very experienced, is decidedly musical, and they have already had a pretty good opera here, have heard Madame Albini, la Cesari, Garcia, (the father of Malibran) and the beaux restes of Galli; therefore can compare. The first evening, the Castellan made her appearance as Lucia. She is about twenty; slight and fair, with black hair, graceful, and with a very sweet, clear and pure young voice, also very correct. The Tenor rests upon his wife's laurels. He looks well, but little more can be said in his praise. Tomassi has some good notes, and a fine figure. Of the others who sang that evening, there is little to be said. The theatre is extremely well got up; the dresses are new and rich; and the decorations and scenery remarkably good. The public, however, were disappointed. They had prepared for wonders, and were not satisfied with a fair performance. The applauses were few and far between. The Castellan was not called for, and the following day, a certain degree of discontent pervaded the aristocracy of the capital. At the second representation of the same opera, things mended. The voice of la Castellan was appreciated. Applauses were loud and long, and at the end of the opera, she and the director were called for, and received with enthusiasm. She seems likely to become a favorite. Last evening, we had Romeo and Giulietta, in which La Ricci and La Cesari made their appearance, the former as Giulietta, the latter as Romeo. The Ricci is a thin young woman, with a long, pale face, black eyes and hair, long neck and arms, and large hands; extremely pretty, it is said, off the stage, and very ineffective on it; but both on and off with a very distinguished air. Her voice is extensive, but wanting cultivation, and decidedly pea-hennish; besides that, she is apt to go out of tune. Her style of dress was excessively unbecoming to her style of beauty. She wore a tight, white gown, a tight, blue satin peaked body with long, tight, blue sleeves. The public were indulgent, but it was evident that they were disappointed. La Cesari, highly married, and who for the last three years, has not appeared upon the stage, came out as Romeo, with tunic and mantle, white silk stockings, hat and feathers, &c. She was very much frightened and ill at ease; and it required all the applause with which the public greeted the entrée of their former favorite, to restore her to self-possession. She looked remarkably well; tall, handsome, beautifully formed, rather pale, with fine dark eyes, dark hair and moustaches. Her acting was greatly superior, as much so as was her beauty, to any of the others. She has more knowledge of the theatre, more science, taste and energy than any of them; but her voice, a soft contralto, is out of use and feeble. The theatre, besides, is ill-constructed for the voice, and must have a bad effect upon the fulness and tone. On the whole, it seems doubtful whether the opera will endure long. Were we going to remain here, I should trust that it might be supported, for with all its faults and drawbacks, it is decidedly the best public exhibition in Mexico. The coup d'œil was exceedingly pretty, as all the boxes were crowded, and the ladies were in full dress. July 20th. As we are living in the mint, the directors have called on us; and this morning they came to invite us to descend into the lower regions, to see the silver coined. We went all over this immense establishment, a fine picture of decayed magnificence, built about one hundred and ten years ago by the Spaniards. Dirty, ill-kept, the machinery rude, the workmen discontented; its fine vaulted roofs, that look like the interior of a cathedral, together with that grandiose style which distinguished the buildings of the Spaniards in Mexico, form a strong contrast with the occupants. We saw the silver bars stretched out, the dollars cut and whitened and stamped; and in one place we saw the machines for coining false money, which have been collected in such numbers that there is hardly room for them! We saw the place where the silver and gold is tested; and the room with the medals, amongst which are some ancient Roman, Persian and English, but especially Spanish, and many of the time of Charles the Third; when we were looking at which, an old gentleman exclaimed, "would to Heaven those days would return!" without doubt the general feeling. This old man had been forty-four years in the Casa de Moneda, and had lived under several viceroys. He could remem ber, when a boy, being sent with a commission to the Viceroy Revillagigedo, and being very much frightened, but soon re-assured by the kind reception of the Representative of Majesty. He spoke of the flourishing condition of the mint in those days, which coined twenty-seven millions annually, and was a royal house. He said that the viceroys used to praise them and to thank them for their exertions; that the house was then kept in the most perfect order, the principal officers wearing a uniform, &c. Hereupon, another old gentleman took up the theme, and improved upon it; and told us, that, on one occasion, they had one million three hundred thousand dollars' worth of gold in the house; and described the visit of the Vice-Queen Yturriguray, who came to see it, and sat down and looked round her in amazement at the quantity of gold she saw accumulated. This old gentleman had been thirty years in the mint, and seemed as though he had never been anywhere else; as if he were part and parcel in it, and had been coined, and beat out, and clipped there. Hearing him, another, a fat man, rather uncliptlooking than otherwise, began to bewail the state of the times, till it was a chorus universal, where all sang in one key. One had a very large, underhanging lip, with a kind of tragi-comic countenance, and was constantly making lugubrious puns. Another, who seemed bred to the mint, (though by his account the mint was not bread to him) was insatiably curious, as a man born in a mint might be. We passed about three hours in a mixture of admiration of the 4 |