the connection of the house of Saxony with
the crown of Poland; and the latter, which had been patronised by the
Electors and Kings for hundreds of years, was not disbanded till 1832.
In 1817, it is true, Weber, who had received a call for that purpose,
founded a German opera at Dresden, but the Italian opera retained the
favour of the Court and of a great part of the public, in fact, was the
spoiled child that looked down upon her younger sister, poor Cinderella.
Even a Weber had to fight hard to keep his own, indeed, sometimes
failed to do so, in the rivalry with the ornatissimo Signore Cavaliere
Morlacchi, primo maestro della capella Reale.

Chopin's first visit was to Miss Pechwell, through whom he got admission
to a soiree at the house of Dr. Kreyssig, where she was going to play
and the prima donna of the Italian opera to sing. Having carefully
dressed, Chopin made his way to Dr. Kreyssig's in a sedan-chair. Being
unaccustomed to this kind of conveyance he had a desire to kick out
the bottom of the "curious but comfortable box," a temptation which he,
however--to his honour be it recorded--resisted. On entering the salon
he found there a great number of ladies sitting round eight large
tables:--

No sparkling of diamonds met my eye, but the more modest
glitter of a host of steel knitting-needles, which moved
ceaselessly in the busy hands of these ladies. The number of
ladies and knitting-needles was so large that if the ladies
had planned an attack upon the gentlemen that were present,
the latter would have been in a sorry plight. Nothing would
have been left to them but to make use of their spectacles as
weapons, for there was as little lack of eye-glasses as of
bald heads.

The clicking of knitting-needles and the rattling of teacups were
suddenly interrupted by the overture to the opera "Fra Diavolo," which
was being played in an adjoining room. After the overture Signora
Palazzesi sang "with a bell-like, magnificent voice, and great bravura."
Chopin asked to be introduced to her. He made likewise the acquaintance
of the old composer and conductor Vincent Rastrelli, who introduced him
to a brother of the celebrated tenor Rubini.

At the Roman Catholic church, the Court Church, Chopin met Morlacchi,
and heard a mass by that excellent artist. The Neapolitan sopranists
Sassaroli and Tarquinio sang, and the "incomparable Rolla" played the
solo violin. On another occasion he heard a