Retirement of Madame Grist from the Stage.
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Madame Grisi is now giving a series of farewell performances in the
English provinces.
Before taking her final leave of the
London public she wrote the following letter:
Having made my last appearance in
London, I have determined to bring my professional career to a close by a final visit to the principal towns of
Great Britain and
Ireland.
In doing so, I believe I am acting consistently and endeavoring to show how deeply I have treasured the welcome that for many years has been so lavishly bestowed upon me in this country.
There is something inexpressibly affecting to me in addressing the word "farewell" to an English audience; for that farewell is an adieu — and fo ever — to the land of my adoption as an artist; to the land in which have been centred all my hopes, in which have been realized my brightest wishes.
It is a farewell to a career which, by unexampled generosity and unparalleled kindness, has far surpassed my expectations and exceeded my deserts.
To say adieu, therefore, to this country, inspires me with the deepest regret.
That this regret is shared by the
English public I venture to believe, for to think otherwise would be to do violence to a support that has never failed me — to a partiality on which I have had but too often to depend.
It is this consciousness that mitigates the pain inseparable from such an occasion, and that will always be a source of pleasure to me in my retirement, enhancing the remembrance of those countless acts of favor for which the thousands who have bestowed them will have the heartfelt gratitude of
Giulia Grisi.
