A curio they promised us to drive a lover crazy, With little soft canoodling ways, and sweetness of a daisy. We read of thee in tea-house neat, in cherry-blossomed pages, But find a girl of gin-saloon and Yoshiwara cages. You lure the European on, admire his rings and collars, But never really love his lips, invariably his dollars; We'd all forgive thy grin, guffaw, and rancid-smelling tresses, If we could trace thy fraud, O SAN, in half-a-dozen guesses. It's lasted long, it's lasted strong, it cannot last much longer, For if the crank be competent, my common sense is stronger. The English woman flashes scorn from all her comely features, To be compared by any man with such "disgusting creatures." And all the fair Americans, who roam the wide world over, Will trample down this windy chaff and Japaneesy clover. 'Tis not thy fault, O SINO SAN--we find the truth and strike it, Farewell, thou AUDREY of the East--grin on then "As you Like It!" But never more by writer bold be canonised or sainted, Deluded Doll! O SINO SAN, you're blacker than you're painted! _Yokohama, April 1, 1893._ * * * * * OPERATIC NOTES. _Monday, May 15._--First Night of Italian-Opera Season no longer exclusively Italian. A great deal, though not everything, in a good start, so Sir DRURIOLANUS leads off with Warbling WAGNER'S _Lohengrin_, Signor VIGNAS for first time being White Knight. Crowded House at once takes to VIGNAS; applauds, and recalls him to bow before the curtain. So, as the now popular song might have it, "Tenor came and made us a bow-wow!" Madame MELBA good as ever as _Elsa_, and Mlle. MEISSLINGER most dramatic as Somebody Elser, _i.e., Ortruda_, the Intruder. Mons. DUFRICHE'S style is exactly suited to the light and airy part of _Federico di Telramondo_, while CASTELMARY is quite the gay _Enrico_. Treat to see VASCHETTI as smiling Herald, with a lot to say for somebody else, and pleasant to note that the last person in the _dramatis personae_ included in the cast of the Opera is "Conductor, Signor MANCINELLI," who beats time, winning easily. BEVIGNANI conducts _National Anthem_, and all conduct themselves loyally on the occasion. Delightful, in _Lohengrin_, Act II., to observe how four players of trumps, each with one trump in his hand,--quite a pleasant whist party--(have they the other trumps up their sleeves?)--arouse the guests in the early morning, and marvellous is the rapidity with which all the gentlemen sleeping in the Castle are up and dressed in full armour, freshly burnished,--"gents suit complete,"--within the space of a couple of minutes! General excellence of performance greatly assisted by Duke of TECK enthusiastically beating time with his dexter band. Such auxiliary conducting must be of unspeakable service to Signor MANCINELLI.