_Thursday._--Sudden change from summer to winter. Comparatively thin house. Ladies as wrapperees in furs. Everyone welcoming _Pagliacci, or the Mummers_, as pantomime suitable to season. In spite of this, warm welcome to _Pagliacci_ and to Madame FANNY MOODY as _Nedda_. She is quite the character: Moody yet lively. ANCONA and DE LUCIA good and dramatic as ever as _Tonio_ and _Canio_. _Début_ of Miss MARIE ENGLE, who, whether German or French, will be a favourite with the Engle-ish, starting uncommonly well as _Little Bo-Peep-Baucis_. _King Jove-Plançon_ and _Vulcan-Castelmary_, the limping Olympian, excellent as usual. Everyone suffering from wintry blasts in stalls envies _Vulcan_ rubbing his hands and warming himself at _Bonnard-Philémon's_ fire. Such a night in May is enough to knock any piece to shivers. The conductors of the operatic 'bus were, for the first journey, Soothing SEPPILLI; and for the second, Beaming BEVIGNANI. _Friday._--Still wintry. Italian-German opera _Lohengrin_, with Cosmopolitan Caste, going stronger than ever. House full and fully satisfied. Hard to please if it had not been so, with ALBANI as _Elsa_,--(says WAGSTAFF, affecting a drawl, "Nobody else-a can touch her in this"),--_Jupiter-Plançon_ as a King, not of gods but men, and BERTRAN, from La Scala, as a _First-Knight Lohengrin_. As to intruder _Ortruda_ and Terrible _Telramonda_, these heavy weights are lifted by Mlle. OLITZKA and Signor ANCONA. Monarchical MANCINELLI treats Time like a dusty carpet, beating it strongly. _Saturday._--Crowded house to welcome old friend _Trovatore_. PESSINA as the wicked nobleman; and TAMAGNO--now known as "TAM"--in splendid voice for the Trovatore himself. "TAM" doubly encored after "_Di quella pira_." JULIA RAVOGLI not quite the _Azucena_. Mlle. BAUERMEISTER'S first appearance this season: as heroine's sympathetic companion BAUERMEISTER combines the "_utile_" with the "_dulce_." MAGGIE MACINTYRE vocally good, dramatically puzzling. House happy: DRURIOLANUS delighted. Fine finish to first week. * * * * * ROUNDABOUT READINGS. There is only one Parish Council in England which is presided over by a lady. Her name is JANE SHAKESPEARE, and she rules the parochial deliberations of Netherseal in Leicestershire. No doubt it will be found by her councillors that JANE hath a way with her, and thus she will be brought into line with her illustrious namesake. * * * [At Gamlingay, in Cambridgeshire, Mr. DEW declined to undertake the duties of cemetery superintendent for a salary of £5, and Mr. HOWE was consequently appointed to the post.] [Illustration] Mr. DEW, when he heard of the offer, looked blue; He considered a fiver was less than his due. How do it? The question gave rise to no row, For Miss Echo replied, and her answer was HOWE. * * * _Congratulations to Mr. F. Mitchell, of Cambridge University, on his innings of_ 191 _runs against Somerset_.