A CONCISE biographical sketch of this wonderful and inimitable musical actress has already been given in the Supplement to our last volume, p. 682, and to that we refer our readers.

This extraordinary performer was born in the Papal territory. At the age of fifteen, she made her début in the first parts of the serious opera; and notwithstanding her youth, and her little familiarity with the stage, she maintained her reputation by the singular merit of her voice, though she had to undergo a comparison with singers of the most consummate talents. Her fame soon spread all over Europe, and she was not suffered to remain long in Italy. She was induced to visit Portugal, and remained for a considerable time at Lisbon. In that city the wonderful talents which nature had bestowed on her were cultivated, and carried to the highest perfection. In fact, she unites in herself all the great qualities which excite our admiration when separately distributed to ther artists. Her voice is equally

elegantly engraved.)

astonishing both in the low and the high tones, and is no less remarkable for sweetness and flexibility than for strength and compass.

From Lisbon she went to Madrid, carrying with her the regret of the Portuguese. At the Spanish court she received the most flattering distinctions. She was honoured with innumerable marks of the most gracious condescension from the queen, to whom she was particularly recommended by the princess of Brazil. From Spain she went to Paris, where the same admiration and applause attended her.

Madame Catalani is about twenty: five years of age. She possesses a very agreeable person: her figure indeed, might serve as a passport to a much inferior voice, and of course it will not diminish the effect of one that is excellent. She is of the middle stature; her figure is very interesting, active, easy, and graceful, Her face is oval, and full of female delicacy and expression. In a concert, Madame Catalani is the only singer; no other voice either of

man or woman can be heard beside hers. She is even a very formidable rival to the most able performers, either on wind 07 stringed instruments, Their most brilliant passages cannot be compared with, what Madame Catalani easily executes with her natural voice.

Madame Catalani made her first appearance at the opera in London, at the commencement of the season, on Saturday, December the thirteenth. The attraction of the fame that had preceded her was so great as to crowd the house in a manner never before witnessed on a similar occasion. She chose for her début the part of Semiramis, in the opera of that name. The music of this opera was originally composed by Bianchi; but the present composition is by Portogallo, with a view to bring the vast powers of this wonderful singer into the most effectual action, On her entrance Arema exclaims, Fear not-to which she replies: Timor none. It is not fear; that is, it is something more than fear. The effect which these speeches, so applicable to her situation, had on the feelings of the house can scarcely be imagined. During the first act, she was not perfectly her self, though encouraged by a deserved encore in her duet with Righi, and loudly applauded in the Caratina and Bravura, which she gave in a wonderful style of excellence. Her confidence increased as she proceeded, and with it the expression of her powers, which have never been equalled in this country, Her acting is only inferior to her singing. The compass of her voice is extraordinary, going at once as low as Grassini's, and as high as Billington's. Her tones are delight fully soft and musical, and her chro

matic execution, or running half notes up and down, is truly surprising.

She has since appeared several times in the part of Argenis, in a serious opera, in two acts, called Il Ritorno di Serse, the return of Xerxes, the music of which is likewise by Portogallo. The plot of an Italian opera is generally contained in a small space. Xerxes, king of Persia, is betrothed to Argenis the princess of the Parthians, who is in love with his son Sebastes. The father being supposed dead, the prince mounts the throne, and the lovers are on the eve of being united, when Xerxes returns. Sebastes is condemned to die, and Argenis runs mad. In this scene Madame Catalani's acting is very great. Xerxes at length relents, and the lovers are made happy.

The music of Il Ritorno di Serse is of a different style and character from that of Semiramide. Portogallo seems to have wished to astonish in Semiramide rather than to touch the heart, to try the effect of a voice of unparalleled strength and compass, by making it execute airs which, from their extreme difficulty, would seem to belong to instrumental rather than to vocal music, and almost to defy the singer, if we may be allow ed the expression, for whom they were composed. In Serse, however, the subject furnished him with an opportunity of producing an effect less astonishing, and of touching the heart, as well as charming the ear. He has done less for the singer, and left more room for a display of the talents of the actress.-Madame Catalani accomplishes the wishes and intentions of the composer in both operas:as a singer she shews, in Semiramide, what can be ef fected by the voice-strength, flexi

bility, variety, and expression.-In Serse she displays, as an actress, an energy, a variety, a vivacity, a sens sibility, and a grace, which are seldom united in the same person, particularly upon the Italian stage.In the beautiful cavatina, which is always encored, Oh quanto l'anima, we are charmed with the sweetness of the melody, with the simplicity of the style, with the justness of the expression, and with a certain natural grace which the actress spreads over the part, But when Xerxes reclaims his throne, and the hand of Argenis, who deceives hian by pro testations of fidelity, whilst at the same time she assures Sebastes of her love and constancy, Madame Catalani acquires fresh claims to our admiration, by the dexterity of her dissimulation, and by the animation of ker acting. The first scene of the second act has a pretty duet between Argenis and Xerxes, the end of which is beautiful, Di tanti mali mei. But the ninth scene is that in which

she appears to the greatest advant

age as an actress. In her voice, in her step, in her attitude, in her gestare, the transitions from rage to grief, and from despair to astonishment and joy, are so well distinguished and characterised, that the spectator is hurried away by these different emotions.--He fears that effects so fatiguing will exhaust the strength of a young and delicate female, who seems by the mildness and gentleness of her look to be destined by nature to express only the softest sensations; and he is glad when the torments of Argenis finish, and she is united to Sebastes.

We shall soon have an opportunity of seeing her in another opera of Portogallo's, in Mithridate, which she has chosen for her benefit, and which will display the powers of her voice even to more advantage than the opera of Semiramide,

ACCOUNT of a VIRGINIAN BANC ING-SCHOOL, and MANNERS Of the AMERICANS.

(From Fanson's Stranger in America.““ Į

ON our arrival at Orange, we found an old wooden building, which is used both as a court-house and a place of divine worship, a tavern, and half a dozen mean dwellinghouses. We could procure no ace commodation. A dancing-master occupied the tavern by his quarterly attendance to teach the Virginian mountain-misses the graces of his

art.

His school was numerously attended, and every corner of the house was filled by the parents of the pupils. We were now in an awkward dilemma, for the waggons were only hired to this place, and no entreaties or extravagant offers could prevail upon the drivers to proceed they were, as they alleged, under the obligation of a penalty to go elsewhere. They were proceeding to discharge our baggage in the street, when I enquired what punish ment I should incur, or what sacri lege would be committed, were it to be put into the court-house. I was referred to the clerk of the peace, but he was not to be found, and dire necessity impelled me to commit a trespass. The door was