ould
she compete with those birds of English song. Wherefore, she wisely
confined herself to the Italian stage, sure of pleasing a public that
knows nothing of music, but is confident that a lady who enjoys the
friendship of Madison avenue must be a great singer. PAREPA, on the
contrary, turned from the Italian to the English stage,--but then PAREPA
had a voice.

How many years is it since CAROLINE RICHINGS first sung in English
opera? It is an ungallant question, but the answer would be still more
ungallant were it not that Miss RICHINGS is an artist; and with artists
the crown of youth never loses the brightness of its laurel leaves. At
any rate, she has sung long enough to compel the recognition of her
claims to our gratitude and admiration. She is not faultless in her
method, but she differs from other great American prime donne in the
important particular of possessing voice enough to fill an auditorium
larger than the average minstrel hall.

At present she is filling NIBLO'S GARDEN with her voice and its
admirers. We go to hear her. PALMER and ZIMMERMANN, clad in velvet and
fine linen, flit gorgeously about the lobby, and are mistaken, by rural
visitors, for JIM FISK and HORACE GREELEY--concerning whom the tradition
prevails in rural districts that they are clothed in a style materially
different from that affected by King Solomon at the period of his
greatest glory. We find our seats, and mentally remarking that NIBLO'S
is the one theatre in this city from which it would be possible to
escape with whole bones and coat in case of fire, we await with
contented minds the lifting of the curtain.

In time the opera begins, and a select company of young men who are
standing in the rear of the audience improve every possible opportunity
for breaking into rapturous applause. Their zeal occasionally outruns
their discretion, and they finally ruin the attempt of Miss RICHINGS to
execute a florid cadenza at the end of one of her arias. An intelligent
usher is therefore detailed to curse them into a comprehension of their
duties, after which they applaud with a discretion which produces almost
exactly the effect of spontaneous enthusiasm.

Remarks a young lady near us, who is dressed with much wealth of
contrasting colors:--"This isn't half so nice as the Italian opera. Miss
RICHINGS can't dress half so nicely as Miss KELLOGG, and then you don't
see any fashionable people here. The DAVIDS, the ABRAHAMS, the AARONS,
the