Produced by Malcolm Farmer, William Flis, and the PG Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
[Illustration: Ancient Brass-Work, in memory of Wagner the Great Worker in Brass.]
_Wednesday._--WAGNER. Vainly the Daughters of the River, representing the floating capital of the Banks of the Rhine, cry "Woa! Woa!" The orchestra, under the direction of Herr MAHLER, takes no notice of them, but goes on Wagnerianly, inexorably. Thus swimmingly we reach Walhall--where the fire-god _Loge_ has a _logement_ with very heavy insurance. _Wotan_ and _Loge_ in search of the gold. Then we meet the _Nibelungs_ and the _Nibelights_, all livers under a water-cure system; and then--it's like a musical nightmare--_Alberich_ changes himself into a toad and is towed off as a prisoner. _Fafner_ settles _Fasolt_ by a drum-head Court Martial, so that _Fafner_ gets the golden honey, and _Fasolt_ gets the whacks--and--please, Sir, I don't know any more--but some of the music is running river-like and lovely, more is puzzling, and much of it must remind Sir DRURIOLANUS of the rum-tum-tiddy-iddy-iddy-um-bang-whack of a great Drury Pantomime. House full; Duke and Duchess of EDINBURGH, with Princess MARIE and Crown Prince of ROUMANIA, enjoying themselves Wagnerially and Rou-manically.
_Saturday.--Le Prophète._ JOHN DE RESZKÉ not up to his usual form as the Sporting Prophet; but his little Brother EDWARD, and Messieurs MONTARIOL and CASTELMARY, first-rate as the three conspiring undertakers. Madame DESCHAMPS-JÉHIN, as _Fides_, very fine. "House," also, very fine, and large.
Dear _Mr. Punch_,--When writing to a Journal of light and leaders--or misleaders--last Friday, I kept "a little bit up my sleeve," so to speak, for the Brightest, Lightest, and Leadingest of all papers yclept the one, Sir, that bears your honoured name. After quoting from Mr. CHAMBERLAIN at Holloway (not _in_ Holloway) on June 17, 1885, as a gentle reminder to Mr. GOSCHEN--_their_ "Mr. G."--I observed, "Perhaps, however, there are reasons why the 'Egyptian Skeleton' prefers to forget the speeches of Mr. CHAMBERLAIN in 1885." It struck me that, having already an Egyptian Skeleton, we might have as its companion a Brummagem Skeleton, which everyone can see through, and this sketch I beg to submit to you, _pro bono publico_. Always, _Mr. Punch_, your most obedient "subject" (artistically),