I was delighted when I found that I was to perform on the Italian stage, and counted every tedious moment while studying the part. At length, however, the awful night arrived ! The house was crowded, and I received great applause. I had a powerful treble voice, pronounced Italian well, and was tall for my age, and acquitted myself beyond the most sanguine expectations of my friends. The opinion the foreign musical men gave of my abilities, of course, weighed greatly in my favour.