"The announcement that this celebrated violinist would display his astonishing powers at Mr Skelton's Concert in our Theatre Royal on Monday last, excited an almost unparalleled degree of interest in the town, and had the effect of attracting numerous visitors of fashion and consideration from the surrounding District...At six in the evening the streets leading to the Theatre were crowded with carriages and foot passengers hastening to the scene of attraction; and some time before seven o'clock, the hour of commencement, the spacious interior was well filled, and presented, in point of elegance and variety of costume, a display of brilliancy far surpassing anything we ever witnessed in the same place. Some short delay occurred, and the audience manifested extreme impatience. Passing over the preliminary performances, we come to the great object of curiosity - the Signor himself. On entering the stage from the side door, with his violin in his hand, Paganini was hailed with a rapturous burst of applause, which evidently affected him. To the distant observer, he appears to resemble the lithographed likenesses of him in the music shops; but a closer view of his countenance shows a sharpness and finish of outline in the features commonly observable in men of great talents, and profound thought. His face is animated and full of intelligence. He is tall, being nearly six feet high, and of an extremely spare habit of body. His coat, with a narrow and broken-down collar, shows indications of antiquity, and, in conjunction with a very high shirt collar running around the neck, sets off the odd appearance of his scanty hair, parted at the top, and thrown back on each side. His manner, especially in holding his violin under the right arm, is deficient in grace. His nose is aquiline but more Jewish than Roman and is neither so prominent nor so unintellectual in expression, as is commonly represented. After his entrance he waited until the buzz of excited observation subsided into eager expectation; and the moment he caused his bow rapidly to descend upon the instrument, every sense of personal defect was obliterated, and grace and dignity appeared to accompany him, whilst under the inspiration of the poetry of music."
"The announcement that this celebrated violinist would display his astonishing powers at Mr Skelton's Concert in our Theatre Royal on Monday last, excited an almost unparalleled degree of interest in the town, and had the effect of attracting numerous visitors of fashion and consideration from the surrounding District...At six in the evening the streets leading to the Theatre were crowded with carriages and foot passengers hastening to the scene of attraction; and some time before seven o'clock, the hour of commencement, the spacious interior was well filled, and presented, in point of elegance and variety of costume, a display of brilliancy far surpassing anything we ever witnessed in the same place. Some short delay occurred, and the audience manifested extreme impatience. Passing over the preliminary performances, we come to the great object of curiosity - the Signor himself. On entering the stage from the side door, with his violin in his hand, Paganini was hailed with a rapturous burst of applause, which evidently affected him. To the distant observer, he appears to resemble the lithographed likenesses of him in the music shops; but a closer view of his countenance shows a sharpness and finish of outline in the features commonly observable in men of great talents, and profound thought. His face is animated and full of intelligence. He is tall, being nearly six feet high, and of an extremely spare habit of body. His coat, with a narrow and broken-down collar, shows indications of antiquity, and, in conjunction with a very high shirt collar running around the neck, sets off the odd appearance of his scanty hair, parted at the top, and thrown back on each side. His manner, especially in holding his violin under the right arm, is deficient in grace. His nose is aquiline but more Jewish than Roman and is neither so prominent nor so unintellectual in expression, as is commonly represented. After his entrance he waited until the buzz of excited observation subsided into eager expectation; and the moment he caused his bow rapidly to descend upon the instrument, every sense of personal defect was obliterated, and grace and dignity appeared to accompany him, whilst under the inspiration of the poetry of music."