POLITICAL AND SOCIAL. , 453 



tralia, has specially distinguished himself. The only compositions of any note which 

 Australia can claim, though not strictly the work of her own sons, an: the opera 

 " Maritana," by William Vincent Wallace, partly written in Sydney in 1840, and two 

 oratorios, " David," by Charles Horsley, and " The Crown of Thorns," by Charles Packer. 

 Catherine Hayes, whose rare gifts were only equalled by her great public generosity, 

 was the first really great singer who visited Australia. Her concerts in 1854 and 1856 

 were wonderfully successful, and it is told of those triumphs of hers, in the days of the 

 gold discoveries, that in place of the conventional tributes of flowers small nuggets of 

 gold were sometimes showered on the stage. After Catherine Hayes, there was a sui< 

 sion of fine vocal artists, and old colonists recall with pleasure the names of Sara 

 Flower the contralto, Madame Bushelle, Anna Bishop, who was the first to introduce 

 oratorio music, Farquarson the baritone, Madame Carandini, Madame Simonsen and the 

 Howsons. Later came Agatha States, lima De Murska, Carlotta Patti, and Sussini the 

 great bass, Antionette Link and Herr Elmblad, and, in 1889, Charles Santley, the eminent 

 baritone, commenced his twelve months' brilliant tour, Madame Patey following in 1890. 

 The two great English singers named, achieved their completest successes in oratorio, nota- 

 bly in " Elijah " and " The Messiah." Among the celebrated English and foreign instru- 

 mentalists who have won fresh laurels in the Colonies, may be counted Wilhelmj, Remenyi, 

 Lady Halle (Norman Neruda), Camilla Urso, Martin Simonsen and Horace Poussard, vio- 

 linists; De Munck, the 'cellist; Bochsa, the harpist; Levy, the cornet-player; and such 

 pianists taking them in the order of their visits as Arabella Gocldard, Robert Heller, Paolo 

 Giorza, Carlotta Tasca, Henry Ketten, Henri Kowalski, Madame Olga Duboin, Max 

 Vogrich, Madeline Schiller and Sir Charles Halle, the latter making his first visit 

 in 1890. In the way of organists we have had men of exceptional talent in 

 Charles Horsley, W r illiam Corclner, John Hill, W. T. Best and Augustus Wiegand. To 

 William Saurin Lyster, a Dublin man, the most enterprising of managers, belongs the 

 credit of introducing English and Italian opera, though it must be admitted that the 

 Carandini Company had led the way, with H. Lavenu as conductor, in 1859. Lyster's 

 first company he brought out four or five afterwards was composed of Henry Squires, 

 a tenor who has never been excelled on the Australian stage, Lucy Escott, Mdlle. 

 Georgia Hodson, Madame Rosaline Durand, Madame Ada King and Mr. Fred. Lyster. 

 The Lyster Italian company which followed included Vitelli, Devoti, D'Antoni and 

 Bertolini. To this spirited manager, who mounted the operas in a style worthy of 

 London, the Australian public were indebted for the privilege of hearing not only all 

 the old favourites but such modern works as " Lohengrin " and " Aida." Three Italian 

 companies have been brought out by other managers since Lyster's death, the last in 

 1889. Two prominent London composers and conductors have within the past five years 

 paid the colonies professional visits Mr. Fred. Cowen, who was specially engaged to 

 conduct the Melbourne Exhibition Orchestra, which included a number of English play- 

 in 1888, and Mr. Alfred Cellier, who conducted a series of operatic performan> 

 bourne has been accorded the palm for practical appreciation of music. There they have 

 a permanent "national orchestra" of professional musicians for regular concerts throughout 

 the year, maintained partly at the public expense and partly by private subscriptions, 

 and the conductor, Mr. Hamilton Clarke, who was brought out from England, receives 



