year's Derby will be won by one of two. It will either fall to the
Favourite or--the Field!

* * * * *

OPERATIC NOTES.

_Tuesday, May_ 19.--With pleasant recollections of MARIE ROZE and
BARTON McGUCKIN, and, as I think, a Mr. SCOBELL playing the swaggering
relative, I went to see _Manon_, at Covent Garden, Miss SIBYL
SANDERSON being the Heroine, and M. VAN DYCK the Hero.

[Illustration: _M. Van Dyck des Grieux et Mlle. Manon Sanderson._

(_Ensemble._) "Nous irons au Guildhall!"

_M. Van D._ "Voila la voiture du Lor' Maire, grace a M. Le Sheriff
Druriolanus."

_Manon_. "Comme il est gentil! Je n'attendais qu'un '_Van_.'"]

The new _prima donna_ has everything in her favour, and very soon she
was in favour with the audience, but not in such high favour as was
the tenor with the artistic name, who, fairly taking the audience by
assault, constituted himself, _pro tem._, the man in possession of the
ear of the House. He is a success; as a young master bearing the name
of so distinguished an Old Master should be. [_Query_, would it be
rude to say to a really good Van Dyck, "You go and be hung!" Perhaps
the learned Editor of _Musical Notes and Queries_ will reply. Of
course much depends on the frame.] As for the new soprano SIBYL--more
power to her organ! Her acting was good, but not great, and what
ought to be her song _par excellence_ went for nothing, or, at least,
it could have been bought very cheap. There is far more dialogue in
_Manon_ than a Covent Garden audience is accustomed to, and this
superfluity is resented by those who come for the singing, and who, if
any talking is to be done, like to do it themselves. The three young
ladies who go about together as a perpetual trio, suggest the notion
of a light and airy version, feminine gender, of the three Anabaptists
in the _Prophete_. M. ISNARDON as _Des Grieux, pere_, a character
that might be operatically nearly related to _Germont, pere_, in _La
Traviata_, was impressively dramatic, but decidedly disappointing in
his one great song, which ought to be a certain _encore_. It may be
true that an opera intended for a small stage does not stand a fair
chance of success on a large one, and _vice versa_, as no doubt the
LORD MAYOR's coach provided by DRURIOLANUS SHERIFFUS for the occasion
would look absurd on the stage of the Opera Comique, while here when
it comes round to the gate to fetch _Des Grieux_, it creates as
great a sens