THE OPERA AND THE DEABIA. We are to have Verdi's " Otello" this season at Drury Lane. The singer who took the title role in Italy was Signor Tomagno, who has asked such an exorbitant price to take it here that Mr Augustus Harris has been obliged to give him up. The man who could take it quite as well, if not better, is ML Jean de Reske, who ■was singing here last year; but M. Jean took mortal umbrage because Verdi gave him nopart at the original production of the opera, and vowed never to sing in the piece/ Consequently he is inaccessible. We shall therefore have to come down to the by no means adequate Grannini.who will probably mske his debut here in June.' Wagner's ";Tannhauser " will be played aeain at Drnry Lane. Both here and in Italy Wagner is growing in popularity. From France, on the other hand, he is rigorously excluded as a German, and no manager would be bold enough to put on one of his operas, for he would risk his reputation. In Italy until recently Wagner was tabooed, because the musical firm which con trols the copyrights in that country did not possess Wagner's, and threatened to boycott any manager who did introduce the outsider. Now the copyright has been acquired by them, and all goes smoothly. N Mrs Arthur Stannard ("John Strange Winter"), encouraged by the success of "Bootle's Baby" in a dramatic form, has pro duced "Rumour," a new drama, at a Vaudeville matiaee. The result is not satisfactory, nor will the piece " get a call," to adopt the phraseology of another profession. MR WHISTLES AGAIN. HIS CBTJSADE AGAINST VANDALISM. Poor Mr Whistler! He has indeed much to bear. The latest insult he has been subjected to has come from the Society of British Artists, of which he was once president. Some years ag.i Mr Whistler painted a sign board for the society, on which a golden lion rampant proudly displayed himself, and a butterfly hovered respectfully by N.B.—The butterfly is Mr Whistler's peculiar sign, "J. M'Neil Whistler, his mark." In time however, the golden lion and the painted butterfly grew dim and faded, and the society (so gays Mr Bayliss, its president) resolved that the board must be retouched and varnished. 