CHAPTER IV

1840

The Duchesse de Sagan, eldest sister of the Duchesse de Talleyrand,

had died in the winter of 1840. A number of business difficulties were

involved by the disposal of her property, and the Duchesse de

Talleyrand resolved upon a journey to Prussia, which she had not

visited since her marriage. She was accompanied by her eldest son, M.

de Valençay, while her correspondent, M. de Bacourt, who had been

appointed French Minister to the United States, went to take up his

new post at Washington, where he remained for several years.

_Amiens, May 16, 1840._--I cannot say with what fear I think of my

departure from Paris this morning and of the real trials upon which we

are to enter. I am now on the way to Germany, while you are starting

for America.[101] But to return to my journey of to-day: the roads are

heavy, the postillions brought us along rather badly, and we did not

arrive here until nine o'clock in the evening. I have read a good deal

of the life of Cardinal Ximenes. It is a sober and a serious book,

correctly written, but cold, and progress in it is difficult. I do

not, however, regret my trouble with it, for I know but little of this

great character, and he is worth studying.

[101] Extract from a letter to M. de Bacourt.

The country is beautifully green and fresh, with bushy vegetation. We

had pleasant weather, in spite of a few showers, but twenty times I

told myself that travelling was the most foolish of all professions;

to be carried along these interminable roads, bumped upon their rough

surface, delivered to the tender mercies of postillions, fleeing from

all one loves, going as rapidly as possible towards things and people

who are quite uninteresting; thus spending one's life as though it

were eternal, and only realising its shortness when it is at an end.

_Lille, May 17, 1840._--This morning before leaving Amiens we heard

mass in the fine cathedral. The 17th of May is a date of special

import to myself. I gave myself some credit for going to mass so far

from the house of the rector of the Academy, M. Martin, with whom we

put up; then it was raining hard, and the Picard streets are very

dirty and the pavement detestable.

The cathedral is really magnificent; strength, grace, and boldness are

combined; stained-glass windows alone are wanting, as the light is too

bright. I prayed with all my heart for the dead and for the living,

and for the travellers who are to entrust themselves to the sea or

traverse unknown lands.

On the road from Amiens to this town I read the _Diable boiteux_, the

merits of which do not attract me in the least. The stories are too

monotonous and uninteresting, and the constant tone of mockery and

satire, which is not supported by the fine verse of Boileau, quite

disgusted me. However, I have read it, and am glad it is over. I now

know the nature of this book, which has had a certain reputation.

We had a better journey than yesterday. Our servants have gone to the

office to arrange for to-morrow's journey, which will be complicated

by the Belgian railways. After the mediocrity of Amiens and Arras,

where I had some broth this morning, Lille strikes one as a large if

not a great town, but I must admit that at present my travelling

curiosity is benumbed and my interest remarkably dull.

_Liège, May 18, 1840._--We have been fourteen mortal hours on the

journey from Lille to this town, notwithstanding the help of the

railway. The fact is that to make use of the railway it is necessary

to make a round of twenty leagues, which considerably diminishes the

advantage of it. From Courtrai one must go up to Gand, touch Malines,

and then to Liège by Louvain and Tirlemont. A vast amount of time is

wasted in stoppages at the numerous stations. Moreover, if one takes

one's own carriage time is required to put it on a truck and take it

off again, while the expense for the freight of carriages is so heavy

that nothing is saved by the railway. It is certainly a marvellous

invention, and the machinery is interesting. All is worked with

perfect punctuality and order, but at the same time it is an

unpleasant way of travelling, to my taste. There is no time to see

anything; for instance, we passed along the outer walls of several

towns which I should have liked to examine; we did not even pass

through villages, but went straight across country, with no other

event than occasional tunnels, cold and damp, in which the smoke of

the engine becomes thick enough to choke one. Even though the wind

carries away the smoke, it and the rattling of the engine would make

you imagine yourself upon a steamboat. Imagination was the easier in

my case as sickness and a certain stupefaction never left me. In

short, I arrived worn out and more and more displeased with the

fatigues and weariness of my enterprise. At Menin we were told to get

out in a bitter wind to be searched by the Custom House officials;

only when the examination was half over did they ask for our

passports; upon seeing our rank the Inspector of Customs checked the

ardour of his subordinates and allowed us to go. The fortress of Menin

is most carefully kept, and as clean and well restored as it can be;

and yet, if I am not wrong, I think that our protocols had required

its destruction.

I was struck with great admiration for the wealth and the good

cultivation of all Belgium, and if I had been able to satisfy my taste

for old buildings by visiting Ghent, Malines, and other places I

should have been consoled.

_Bergheim, May 19, 1840._--To travel from Liège to Cologne would have

been too long a day, so we are sleeping here in a very clean little

inn, though we have no means of warming ourselves, in spite of the

fact that the wind is icy. It is something of a hardship to be forced

to go without a fire or to be suffocated by a cast-iron stove. I am

undoubtedly a very ungrateful daughter of Germany, as I find

numberless material discomforts which I did not suspect in past years,

but which now cause me considerable exasperation.

I was greatly struck by the delightful country through which we passed

on the road from Liège to Aix-la-Chapelle by way of Verviers.

Chaudfontaine especially is a charming spot. The direct road would

have been through Battice, but this road is out of use and repair, and

we were directed from Liège to Verviers. The richness and beauty of

the countryside, the activity of the factories, and the river valleys

made the scene entirely animated and agreeable.

I was struck by the changed appearance of Aix-la-Chapelle. Although

the watering season had not yet commenced, the town was as animated as

possible; there are plenty of fine shops and new houses. At the same

time I should not care to take the waters there, as there is nothing

countrified about the place, and the walks are all too distant. To-day

I read a large part of a book by the Président de Brosses, _Italy a

Hundred Years Ago_. It is written with vigour and cheerfulness, wit

and fancy, but the spirit of the eighteenth century and the writer's

peculiar cynicism are obvious at every page.

_Cologne, May 20, 1840._--We have reached here so early that we have

decided to travel another dozen leagues to-day, after seeing Frau von

Binzer, changing our money, and buying some eau de Cologne. How cold

it is here! The change of climate becomes more and more perceptible.

_Elberfeld, May 20, 1840._--Frau von Binzer is an extremely ugly

person, but cheerful, sensible, clever, and very loyal. She spent last

year with my sister, the Duchesse de Sagan, and had only left her for

six weeks when she was overtaken by death. She wept bitterly in

speaking of my sister, and assured me that her death was a happy

deliverance; that she was so sad, so wearied, irritated, and disgusted

with everything that her temperament had visibly changed. She seems to

have had fits of actual despair, to have suffered a great deal during

the last weeks, and to have had several presentiments of her death.

She made her will on the evening before her last journey to Italy, in

the course of five minutes, while she had some friends in the house

taking tea. She told Frau von Binzer what she was doing, to her great

astonishment. She had intended to make another will, but death came

upon her as a punishment for her dilatoriness. Frau von Binzer was so

grieved at the rapidity of our departure from Cologne that I could not

refuse to take lunch with her. She lives a long way from the hotel

where I had put up, and I therefore had a considerable walk to her

house and back. My walk was prolonged because she insisted upon taking

me out of my way to show me the Stock Exchange, an old and curious

house of the Templars, the Town Hall, with its curious tower and

doorway, and the cathedral, which the Crown Prince of Prussia has

taken under his patronage, and which is being rapidly restored; the

results will be admirable. We stopped for a moment in front of the

Church of St. Mary of the Capitol, where Alpaide, the mother of

Charles Martel, is buried. We also looked at two houses belonging to

old aristocratic families in the time of the Hansa, which are in

Byzantine style. At the same time Cologne is a very ugly town, and the

Rhine is by no means beautiful at the spot where we crossed it.

Here we are, twelve leagues from Cologne, in the prettiest town

conceivable, which reminds one of Verviers; the country about it is

also pretty, and somewhat Belgian in character. All is clean and well

cared for. The Prussian roads are truly admirable, the postillions go

much better, and the horses are kept in good condition. In this

respect and in many others the country has undergone a remarkable

change. At the same time the iron stoves, the beds, and the food cause

me discomfort. The railway is progressing, and it is intended to

continue the line to Berlin. The work is being pushed on with great

rapidity, and from Liège nothing is to be seen but navvies, machinery,

and other preparations for this transformation scene.

_Mersheden, May 21, 1840._--We reached Arnberg at five o'clock. This

seemed a little early to finish our stage, so we continued our

journey for six leagues more. Now we are in a typical village inn, but

fairly clean, and with very obliging people. We might have found

better accommodation at the next stage, but I could not bring myself

to expose the servants any longer to the frightful weather. I have

rarely seen any more dreadful; hail, rain, blasts, and storms all came

down upon us. None the less I noticed that we were passing through

country almost as pretty as that which we saw yesterday. It reminded

me at times of the valley of Baden and of the narrower valley of

Wildbad. I am still reading the _Italy_ of the President de Brosses,

which is amusing, but not entirely attractive. I will copy two

passages which seem to me fairly applicable to our present mode of

life: "Generally speaking, the inconveniences and the causes of

impatience during a long journey are so many that one should avoid the

further vexation of economy in small matters. It is certainly hard to

be cheated, but we should satisfy our self-esteem by telling ourselves

that we are cheated willingly and because we are too lazy to be

angry." That is a piece of advice which I am inclined to practise too

often. Here is the other passage which also suits my case: "In foreign

countries we should be on our guard against satisfaction of the sight

and weariness of the heart. There is as much as you please to amuse

your curiosity, but no social resources. You are living only with

people who have no interest in you or you in them, and however kind

they are, it is impossible for either party to go to the trouble of

discovering interest in the other when each knows that they are ready

to part and never to meet again."

_Cassel, May 22, 1840._--The weather to-day was as bad as yesterday,

and the country not so pretty. Cassel is quite as small a town as

Carlsruhe, and looks even less like a residential city. The suburbs

especially are very poor. I found nothing to admire but a hill covered

with magnificent oak-trees, which took us a long time both to ascend

and descend. I feel the cold most bitterly, and everything here is so

late that the lilac is hardly in flower.

On arriving I sent for newspapers, in which I saw an account of the

long-delayed visit of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia to Mannheim.

Poor Grand Duchess Stephanie! A year ago such a visit would have been

an event; to-day it is mere empty courtesy, and it must have cost her

an effort to receive it graciously. The only matter of interest to me

in the newspaper was the bad account given, with no attempt at

concealment, of the King of Prussia's health. This slow illness must

change all the habits of the royal family and of Berlin society. I

shall certainly not regret the entertainments, but I shall be sorry to

be unable to pay my respects to the King, who was very kind to me in

my youth.

_Nordhausen, May 23, 1840._--It did not rain to-day, but it is cold

enough for frost. To-morrow we have forty-one leagues to travel if we

are to reach Wittenberg, a severe task which seems to me impossible.

Fortunately we have done with the roads and the postillions of Hesse,

which have remained faithful to the old Germanic aberrations. In

Prussia both the posting system and the roads are excellent, the

villages and their inhabitants look greatly superior, but for the last

twenty-four hours, though the country is not precisely ugly, it has

lost the richness and attractiveness which struck me on the road from

Lille to Arnberg.

_Wittenberg, May 24, 1840._--Forty-two leagues in twenty-four hours in

a country where no one knows what going ahead means, is really

excellent progress.

This town is an old acquaintance of my youth. When we used to go from

Berlin to Saxony and from Saxony to Berlin, Wittenberg was always the

second halt, for at that time macadamised roads were unknown. Progress

was made at a walking pace, ploughing through deep sand. To-morrow I

expect to cover twenty-seven leagues in nine or ten hours, which

occupied two days in those earlier times. From Nordhausen to this

point the country is ugly, and the inevitable pine-tree forests have

reappeared. The cradle of my youth was certainly far from beautiful.

My curiosity was aroused by Eisleben and Halle, through which we

passed. The former of these towns was Luther's birthplace. His house

is well preserved, and there is a small museum there of all kinds of

things relating to him and to the Reformation. I only saw the outside

of the house, which is of no special interest, but at the door I

bought a small description of Eisleben and its curiosities, which has

made me quite learned.

Halle is very ugly, in spite of a few Gothic exteriors, past which I

drove. Moreover, these university towns have invariably a character of

their own, which is provided by the crowd of wretched students, with

their noise and want of manners, who loaf about the carriages, with

long pipes in their mouths, and seem quite ready to cause a

disturbance.

_Berlin, May 25, 1840._--The rain has been coming down again all day,

and my re-entry to my native town was made under no agreeable

auspices. Fortunately I had no reason to regret that the countryside

was not in sunshine, for the scenery from Wittenberg here is

atrocious. I had forgotten to some extent my native land, and was

surprised to find it so hideous. However, I must make an exception of

the bridge of Potsdam, which is really pretty. The bank of the Havel

is bright and graceful with the wooded slopes which surround it,

covered as they are with pretty country houses. Even Potsdam, which is

only a summer residence, looks more like a capital town than Cassel,

Stuttgart, or Carlsruhe; but half a league further on everything is as

dry and dismal as possible, until the suburbs of Berlin, which gave me

a real surprise on the side from which we reached the town. This

happened to be an English quarter, with iron gateways before the

houses, and a number of gardens between the gateways and the houses,

which are small, but very well kept.

Berlin itself is a handsome town, but thinly populated, while as

regards carriages, cabs are the dominant feature, and sadness is

therefore its chief characteristic. I am staying at the Russicher Hof.

Opposite is the Castle; a pretty bridge and the museum on the left;

on the right are the quays. It is a pleasant aspect, and my room on

the first floor is almost too magnificent.

My man of business, Herr von Wolff, told me that the King's condition

was regarded as desperate, and that yesterday he sent for his eldest

son, and entrusted him with the business of government. The scene is

said to have been very touching. The King's illness is intestinal

catarrh, which seems incurable. It is also said that he has had the

deplorable privilege of bad doctors in Berlin, where the doctors are

excellent. He can take no food, and is visibly wasting away; but death

is not thought to be imminent. The day before yesterday he walked as

far as his window to see the troops march past, and those who saw him

were horrified by the change in his appearance.

The whole town is in sadness, and the royal family in despair. The

Princess of Liegnitz is quite as ill as the King, with severe

gastritis, and is thought to be in great danger.

M. Bresson, who has just spent an hour with me, is in despair at the

King's condition. He will see no one except the Princess of Liegnitz,

his doctors, and the Prince of Wittgenstein. He has seen the Crown

Prince for a moment, but none of his other children, and says he feels

too weak to see any one else. A messenger has just been despatched to

the Russian Empress, to stop her progress at Warsaw, where she is to

arrive to-morrow. The King would be in no condition to bear this

interview, much less the lamentable scenes which the Emperor Nicholas

would certainly make. The Empress is also said to be in a very sad

way. This approaching death will be a great blow, which will re-echo

near and far.

_Berlin, May 26, 1840._--I slept fairly well. My bed is not quite so

narrow or so extraordinary as some that I have found on the journey

from Cologne to Berlin. Unless one is prepared to sleep on nothing but

feathers, nothing is to be found but thin, hard mattresses nailed on

to deal boards. The bedclothes are of a remarkable character, while

the sheets look like towels. I had several of them sewn together, and

thus succeeded in covering my bed. As regards bedrooms, Germany is

undoubtedly in a state of savagery, even more so than with regard to

food, which is extraordinary enough at times, though in Berlin even M.

de Valençay admits that it is good. The cleanliness is perfect, and

the furniture tasteful. There are carpets everywhere, and the iron

stoves are replaced by fine porcelain stoves, which give no smell and

heat the room excellently, but it is disappointing to be forced to use

them on the 26th of May. M. Bresson utters terrible groans about the

climate.

Is it not strange that I should have felt no emotion whatever upon

re-entering this town where I was born and where I was largely brought

up? I examined it with the same curiosity as I felt towards Cologne

and Cassel, and that was all. I have no feeling of that special

patriotism which I have long felt for Germany. I am a complete

stranger both to things and people, entirely unconnected with the

place, speaking the language with some hesitation; in short, I am not

at home, or rather ill at my ease, and ashamed at being so. I do not

think it would be thus if I were to return to London. I do not think I

should then be delighted; I should probably burst into tears; but at

any rate I should feel some emotion, as I feel at Valençay. I am less

afraid of that which stirs my feelings than of that which freezes

them.

Everything goes on here so early that one must be ready at dawn.

Waking up is nothing, but getting up is difficult. I am extremely

tired, even more than when travelling, because when once ensconced in

my carriage, which is very soft, I can rest in silence, inaction, and

sleep, whereas here things are very different.

My man of business from Silesia was at my house at nine o'clock. He is

going away this evening to make preparations for my arrival. At eleven

o'clock Herr and Frau von Wolff came in. They told me that the Duke of

Coburg was negotiating to buy the estate of Muskau from Prince Pückler

for his sister, the Grand Duchess Constantine. The garden of Muskau is

said to be the most beautiful in Germany. It is only ten leagues from

my house.

M. Bresson came in at midday to tell me that there was some

improvement in the King, that he had been able to take some soup and

to walk round his room. He urged me at the same time not to put off my

calls upon the chief ladies of the Princesses.

Midday is the fashionable hour for calls here, so I started off with

M. de Valençay. First we went to the Countess of Reede at the Castle.

She is the chief lady of the Crown Princess, and was an intimate

friend of my mother. She was not at home, nor was the Baroness of

Lestocq, lady-in-waiting to the Princess William, the King's

sister-in-law. We also went to the Countess of Wincke at the King's

palace to call upon the Princess of Liegnitz. She is an old lady

belonging to the palace of the late Queen, of which I retained some

confused idea from my youth. She received us with an old aristocratic

air which pleased me. The Countess of Schweinitz, at the new palace of

Prince William, the King's son, was also at home. Countess Kuhneim, at

the Teutonic Palace, where the Princess Charles of Prussia resides,

was out.

Frau von Schweinitz told me that Prince William was to start to-morrow

to meet his sister, the Empress of Russia, and to stop her from coming

here. We also went to see the Werthers, who were delighted to talk of

Paris; and then to the house of Madame de Perponcher, with whom I

played a great deal in my youth. She was not at home.

Berlin is really a very fine town. The streets are wide and laid out

in regular lines, the houses are tall and regular, there are many

palaces and fine buildings, fine squares with trees, gardens and

walks, and yet it is gloomy. There is obviously a lack of wealth to

fill the fine setting. The carriages of private individuals are so

much like cabs that I was deceived by the resemblance for some time.

The horses and liveries and everything of the kind are dreadfully

shabby.

Yesterday we dined with M. Bresson, who lives in a beautiful house

which my sister the Duchess of Acerenza occupied in past years. The

rooms are fine and beautifully furnished for Berlin, but spoilt by a

horrible portrait of the French King, whose hand is stretched over a

vast charter--quite an atrocity! The other guests were von Humboldt,

Lord William Russell, and M. de Loyère, who is attached to the French

Embassy. Herr von Humboldt talked in his usual style of all the

rivers, all the mountains, all the planets, and of the whole universe.

He did not forget his neighbours, whom he did not treat with

superlative charity. Princess Albert seemed to me to be very much in

his bad books, and also to some extent in those of M. Bresson. Lord

William Russell is always taciturn, as a Russell should be. He says he

is not displeased with his position, and anything that separates him

from Lady Russell always suits his taste. As for M. Bresson, he is

obviously bored, and the nine years he has spent here have completely

exhausted his patience. I think that he greatly fears the approaching

death of the King as likely to affect his position. He complains of

the effects of the climate, and is obviously beating against his bars.

In the middle of this dinner Princess William, the King's

daughter-in-law, asked me to wait upon her at half-past six. I

therefore went. She lives in a charming palace, beautifully arranged;

the conservatories are decorated with marble, the floors are

magnificent, and the furniture is beautiful; in short, the whole is in

exquisite taste. The Princess was alone, and received me most

graciously. I stayed a long time.

The general fear of a visit from the Russian Imperial family is very

curious. The royal family is preoccupied with the business of avoiding

anything of the kind, and use a thousand devices for the purpose. They

seem to be afraid of them as of a devastating torrent.

I have just had a call from Madame de Perponcher. Her queenly bearing

and her regular features have survived the passing of her youth. She

is a clever woman, and her conversation is animated.

_Berlin, May 27, 1840._--A special luxury in Berlin, to be found in

all the houses belonging to people of importance, are the wide

windows, which light the rooms brilliantly, and give a bright

appearance to the houses.

This morning I had a private audience of the Crown Princess, who lives

in a part of the Castle properly so called. Her large private room is

handsome and curious. The Princess is very polite, but a little cold

and timid, with beautiful blue eyes, a dull complexion, strong and by

no means attractive features; she limps a little. The conversation

became animated upon the arrival of the Crown Prince. He showed me

great cordiality, and had just come from the King, who was perceptibly

better. This improvement has revived all their spirits, but there is

still a grave reason for anxiety.

I dined with Princess William, the King's daughter-in-law; her husband

has delayed his departure. At dinner there were the Crown Prince and

Princess, and the two Princes of Würtemberg, the sons of Prince Paul;

the latter are starting to-morrow to meet their sister, the Grand

Duchess Helena, who is going to Ems, and then to Italy. The other

guests were Prince George of Hesse, brother of the Duchess of

Cambridge; a Russian general and an English officer who had come to

look at the manœuvres; Werther, his wife, and his son, who is going

to Paris to take the place of Arnim till the new appointment is made;

and the Count and Countess of Redern. The Countess is a Hamburg

heiress, entirely ugly; she looks like a blonde Jewess, which is to be

ugly twice over.

I sat near the Crown Prince, who asked me many questions about

Versailles, and was then interested in all the recollections of our

youth; he has grown very stout and old.

At seven o'clock in the evening I was requested to visit Princess

Albert, and invited to stay for tea and supper. It is impossible to

imagine anything which takes up so much time as Court life here. The

only satisfactory point is that everyone withdraws before ten o'clock

at night; but at that time one is more exhausted than one would be at

two o'clock in the morning at Paris.

I think that of all the persons I have seen here Princess Albert has

filled me with the greatest curiosity and interest. At first I

thought her face long and narrow, her mouth large, and the lower part

of her face, when she laughed, very ugly, while the want of eyebrows

was remarkable; but by degrees I have grown used to her, and find her

actually pleasant. Her teeth are white, she has a cheerful laugh and

lively eyes, her figure is pretty, and she is tall, like myself; but

it is too obvious that she laces very tightly, which is the more

noticeable as she is never at rest; she wriggles, gesticulates,

laughs, fidgets, and talks somewhat at random; she never crosses a

room except at a run and a skip, and does not shine in point of

dignity of bearing, but on the whole she is by no means unpleasant,

and I think that men might find her somewhat attractive. She was very

kind to me, with a frankness and good-nature in putting her questions

as if she had always known me, and poking fun right and left at her

family to begin with; she astonished me greatly. The fact is that she

is a spoilt child, accustomed to do and say anything she likes, and is

regarded here as quite beyond restraint. She goes away to The Hague

when her family would like her to stay in Berlin, and comes back when

they think she intends to make a long stay in Holland. In short, she

is a strange being. Her husband is very delicate. Their palace, though

pretty outside, seemed to me rather poor within. At her house I saw no

one except the Princess of Würtemberg, Madame de Perponcher (reasons

of etiquette forbid her to receive M. de Perponcher, as the Diplomatic

Body are excluded from royal residences), Herr von Liebermann,

Prussian Minister at St. Petersburg, and the Prince and Princess

William, the King's son, who arrived late.

I cannot be anything but grateful for the reception that has been

offered to me here, but the want of rest overpowers every other

consideration, and I should like to be back in my dear Rochecotte.

_Berlin, May 28, 1840._--This morning I had an audience of Princess

Charles. She has charming features, a fine figure, a high colour,

tired eyes, beautiful manners, and a kind and pleasant way of

speaking. Her appearance, on the whole, is insignificant, but she

shows much kindness of heart. Her husband is simply vulgar. At the

present moment he has a mania for seeing operations, and watches all

the new experiments in surgery. Berlin is just now much excited by a

mode of curing squinting, practised by Dieffenbach. Out of two hundred

cases he has had only one failure, and that was due to the impatience

of the patient. It is a very clever idea, and people come in from all

parts to be made beautiful instead of ugly.

Here every one professes surprise at the resemblance between Madame de

Lazareff and myself.

I have called upon Princess Pückler, the wife of the traveller; she is

a lady who is largely supported by the Court; but she was not at home.

In the afternoon I called upon Princess William, the Queen's

sister-in-law, who was extremely kind to me. She has been very

beautiful, and some remnants of her beauty still remain. She is a

leading member of the sect of the Pietists. She introduced me to her

unmarried daughter, a pretty princess of fifteen years of age, whose

face pleased me greatly.[102]

[102] The daughter of Princess William of Prussia to whom

reference is here made married the King of Bavaria a short time

afterwards.

Princess William is the sister of the Dowager Grand Duchess of

Mecklenburg, step-mother to the Duchesse d'Orléans.

I am going to the theatre to see a ballet, in the box of the Countess

of Redern, who insisted upon my coming. Then I shall finish my day

with the Werthers, who are giving a party for me. I am quite

overwhelmed by my busy life, which is so utterly different from the

idle existence I have led for the last two years.

_Berlin, May 29, 1840._--The ballet here is very well done. The King

takes great interest in it, and gives an annual subscription of a

hundred and twenty thousand crowns to the Opera, which is a great deal

for this country. There are many pretty dancers, the theatre is

beautiful and the orchestra excellent. I have been unable to judge of

the singers, as I did not go till the opera was over.

At the Werthers' I found a rout going on, which was much like all

other parties of the kind. The women were well dressed, but not

pretty, the social intercourse somewhat cold, while the men in the

service wore their uniforms, which gave them a stiff appearance.

The King's condition gave less satisfaction yesterday; he had had a

fainting fit after expressing a wish to eat herrings, which was

speedily satisfied. However, the Princes went to the theatre. The

doctors persist in saying that his state is not desperate. This is the

opinion, among others, of a certain Dr. Schönlein, who has been

appointed professor at the university here; he comes from Zürich with

a very great reputation, and the King has been induced to see him in

consultation. Princess Frederick of the Low Countries is expected. She

is her father's favourite, and he is as anxious to see her as he is

afraid of the Russian visits. Princess William, the King's

sister-in-law, whose eldest daughter is married to Darmstadt, told me

that the Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia is deeply in love with

Princess Marie, his future bride, and she is beginning to feel the

same towards him.

I was to have dined to-day with the Crown Prince, but as the King had

had another fainting fit the High Marshal came to tell me that the

dinner would not take place. The King's precarious condition causes

much anxiety to some people who are fond of him, and to others who

respect him for political considerations. No one, not even the heir,

was prepared for this crisis, and to their sadness is added perplexity

and hesitation.

Yesterday morning I went for a drive in the Tiergarten, the Bois de

Boulogne of Berlin, and saw the spot where I had been daily taken for

a walk in my youth. It is a very pretty wood on the edge of the town,

well planted, partly in English style, bounded by the Spree, and full

of pretty country houses. It is a very popular resort at Berlin.

I dined with Lord William Russell, where I heard that there was some

small excitement in the Ministry at London, though nothing was likely

to come of it. The present Cabinet is as used to defeats as

Mithridates to poison.

This morning Herr von Humboldt came to fetch us, and took his niece,

Frau von Bülow, and myself to the Museum. He had told all the

directors, professors, and artists to be ready. I therefore saw

everything in the greatest detail. The building is fine and well

arranged, the classification perfect and intelligent, and the light

well managed. The King has acquired some excellent examples of every

style of art; an ancient bust of Julius Cæsar in greenish basalt is

one of the most beautiful things I know. The Museum is very rich in

pictures of the ancient German school; the Etruscan vases are quite

first-rate; the fifteenth-century china is very curious; the intaglios

and the medals are in perfect order and tastefully set out. The

officials, who are clever and full of artistic erudition, did me the

honours with great courtesy. I replied by asking many questions, and

was attentive to the answers; but the visit lasted for three hours,

and I was standing all the time, and eventually I nearly collapsed.

I then went to a great dinner with M. Bresson. As I was starting for

it the Prince of Wittgenstein arrived; he had been requested by the

King and the Princess of Liegnitz to express to me in the kindest

terms their regret at their inability to see me. The King was not

quite so ill, and had been able to see Princess Frederick of the Low

Countries, his favourite daughter, for whom he had telegraphed, and

who had hastened to come to him. The Prince of Wittgenstein was most

obliging; he is a stout personage, and is greatly downcast at the

moment and heart-broken at the King's danger. He has a very kindly

feeling for France, and is very friendly with Princess William, the

king's daughter-in-law, who overwhelms me with kindness.

At M. Bresson's dinner Herr von Humboldt, as usual, relieved every one

else of the trouble of talking, which is very convenient for lazy

persons like myself.

_Berlin, May 31, 1840._--To-day is an important day in the history of

the country, and one of which the King awaits the issue with

impatience. The Great Elector ascended the throne on May 31, 1640,

Frederick the Great on May 31, 1740, and I am assured of the existence

of a prophecy that the Crown Prince will ascend the throne on May 31,

1840.

I went to mass in a church which is hardly a church: it is a great

round hall, covered with a single cupola, surrounded with columns,

with a large window between each column. Nothing could be less solemn

and less Catholic.

I dined with Prince Radziwill, who took me up after dinner to the

rooms of his late mother, where I had been a great deal in my youth.

They are no longer used, and are just as I had known them. Nobody

could be kinder than all the Radziwills have been to me. The daughter

of the late Princess married the nephew of Prince Adam Czartoryski.

She is now in the country. The two Radziwill Princes married two

sisters, the daughters of Prince Clary. They all had plenty of

children, and live as a very happy family in the same house.

I had gone home after the dinner, when I received a message from

Princess William, the King's daughter-in-law, asking me to pay her a

visit. I found her alone, and she kept me talking for an hour. The

latest news of the King was very sad. He told his chief groom of the

chamber that he had no hope of recovery, but would not speak of his

death for fear of affecting those about him. He is said to have

insisted upon being carried to-morrow to the window of his room, at

the moment of the solemn function which has been largely advertised,

and the preparations for which he has supervised from his bed. The

Crown Prince, in the King's name, is to lay the first stone of a

monument in honour of Frederick II. at the entry of the promenade

Unter den Linden. The whole garrison, all the state bodies, and all

Berlin, are to be present at this ceremony. Stands have been erected

for the public. My son and myself are to find a place on the balcony

of Princess William, where the Princesses will be.

Yesterday evening at the house of the Prince of Wittgenstein, where I

went, was Madame de Krüdener, _née_ Lerchenfeld, natural daughter of

the Count Lerchenfeld and of the Princess of Thurn and Taxis. At St.

Petersburg she was at first a favourite of the Empress, but was

afterwards somewhat discarded because the Emperor appeared to be

taken with her. She strongly resembles the late Queen of Prussia,

which may be explained by her birth, but she has not her majestic

bearing; she is, however, a handsome woman.

I hear from Paris that there is an attempt to gather the household of

the Emperor Napoleon for a mission to fetch his remains from St.

Helena. Marchand, his groom of the chamber, was asked if he wished to

accompany the mission; at first he hesitated, and then accepted on the

condition that he should be allowed to sit at the table of the Prince

de Joinville; to satisfy him he has been appointed captain on the

staff of the National Guard, and he is to go, and will sit at the

Prince's table! I abstain from comment.

_Berlin, June 1, 1840._--I have just returned from the ceremony, which

was really most beautiful and imposing. The thought of the King's

dangerous condition, which every one had at heart, gave a singularly

touching and solemn aspect to this national celebration, the last at

which the poor King could be present. And in what manner was he

present? In bed at his window! Fortunately the weather was less

disagreeable than it has lately been. The Crown Prince laid the first

stone of the monument which is to support the equestrian statue of

Frederick the Great. Is it not strange that there is no statue of him

as yet in Berlin? Yesterday was the anniversary of his accession a

hundred years ago; but as it was a Sunday the celebration was

postponed till to-day. Each regiment in the army was represented by a

detachment. The army is really superb, and splendidly equipped.

Besides the state bodies, the authorities, the Consistory, a

detachment of the Landwehr, deputations from the guilds of arts and

crafts, with their bands, surrounded the square, which is magnificent

and was most beautifully decorated. Around the monument could be seen

all those who had served under Frederick II., dressed as they were at

that time, and carrying the flags captured during the Seven Years'

War. The King himself had considered every detail of this fine

ceremony, and had given the most positive orders to forbid any

manifestation of applause for himself; but the silent and profound

respect, the perfect order and the sadness of the spectators was

sufficiently striking and touching. When the foundation-stone was

lowered, salvos were fired, bells rang, drums beat, and the old

tattered flags were lowered; at that moment most of the spectators

burst into tears. Nothing of the sort could be looked for in a

republican atmosphere or in our revolutionary regions.

On the balcony where I was placed I saw Prince Frederick of the Low

Countries, who introduced me to his wife. She was overcome with grief;

she is not pretty, but looks kind and natural. The young Hereditary

Grand Duke of Russia, who arrived this morning, was present; the Crown

Prince of Prussia introduced me to him. He is said to have grown very

fat. I expected to see a very insignificant young man, but he is quite

the contrary, although I do not care about his complexion.

_Berlin, June 2, 1840._--Yesterday evening I went to tea with Madame

de Perponcher, whose _salon_ is, in my opinion, the pleasantest in

Berlin. She is very conversational and well-mannered, while she is

simple and restrained. She is a central point of society, and her

mother's position with the Crown Princess has helped her largely.

There I heard that no change has taken place in the King's condition,

though something of the kind had been feared owing to the excitement

of the day.

The suite of the Hereditary Grand Duke of Russia are staying at the

same hotel as myself, at the King's expense. They make a fearful

uproar, and consume the more food as their board costs them nothing.

It is impossible to say how the Russians are detested here.

_Berlin, June 3, 1840._--Yesterday I was at a great dinner given by

the Werthers. The King was said to be better; he had had some sleep,

and felt the moral relief of passing the fatal date. During the dinner

I received a message from the young Princess William asking me to call

upon her after dinner in outdoor dress. I went, and we drove out. She

took me to Charlottenburg, which she showed me in full detail, and

especially the country house which the King has had built there, where

he prefers to stay.

I was glad to see the portraits of the Duc d'Orléans and the Duc de

Nemours which were drawn here at the time when they passed through

Berlin. The King bought them for his private room. When we came back

the Princess made me stay to tea, and I spent all the time alone with

her.

This morning when I was finishing breakfast M. Bresson came to tell us

that the King was _in extremis_. In the afternoon I stopped before his

palace; he was still alive, and had even recovered sufficient

consciousness to demand the reading of the newspapers. There is a

crowd about the palace; many people are in tears, and the behaviour of

the population is perfect.

_Berlin, June 4, 1840._--Yesterday I dined at the house of M. Bresson

with Princess Pückler, who is starting for Muskau to meet her husband.

He is returning from Vienna after an absence of six years; she speaks

of him with admiration. She is a little old woman of wit,

intelligence, and tact, and has gained considerable reputation in

different circles.

Only yesterday was the publication begun of bulletins upon the King's

health; he might be dead at the present moment. Hitherto he had

forbidden any announcements; I do not think he knew anything of it

yesterday. He has preserved his consciousness, and is quite calm,

simple, and dignified.

* * * * *

Since last night the King has been in a kind of agony, from which he

sometimes gains relief by a few drops of coffee. He can still speak a

little, and says not a word about his condition, though he realises

its gravity to the full. The whole family, even the grandchildren, are

at the palace, and the Ministers also. The crowd still throngs the

square and shows the same interest.

_Berlin, June 5, 1840._--The King was still alive yesterday at eight

o'clock in the evening. He had said farewell to his children and

solemnly handed his will to his Ministers; he then declared that he

had done with this world and wished to see no one except the Princess

of Liegnitz and the pastor for whom he sent, intending to devote his

remaining time to securing his peace of mind and in considering the

life to come.

_Berlin, June 6, 1840._--Herr von Humboldt has just left me. The King

was very feverish last night; he can hardly speak, and seems to have

lost all interest. What a long struggle for a man of seventy! All the

Mecklenburg family has arrived. The appearance of the Duke of

Cumberland has caused some consternation, and the Emperor Nicholas

will be here to-morrow in spite of every attempt to prevent his

arrival. There is an obvious intention to surround the new Sovereign

from the moment of his accession, and this may damage his public

reputation, for the people are apprehensive, and do not hide their

fears. It is an interesting time for spectators, and I am perhaps

watching the sowing of seed which will produce great consequences.

At the same time I wished to fulfil my promise of going to see Frau

von Bülow at Tegel, which is three leagues from Berlin. At first I

found the wind very unpleasant, but when we entered a forest which

began half-way I was pleasantly sheltered, and the scent of the

pine-trees was delightful. On leaving the pine-trees we reached a

superb lake, the shores of which were wooded with trees in leaf--an

unusual sight here.

At one end of the lake is the fortress of Spandau, at the other the

park, the castle of Tegel, and the monument raised by the late Herr

Wilhelm von Humboldt to his wife. It is very pretty. The castle is by

no means extraordinary, but contains some fine artistic works brought

from Italy, and a good portrait of Alexander von Humboldt by Gérard.

The monument is a column of porphyry upon a granite base, and the

capital is in white marble. The column supports a white marble statue

of Hope by Thorwaldsen, and is surrounded half by an iron railing and

half by a great stone bench. All is in excellent taste, and the only

point which displeased me was that Frau von Humboldt, her husband, her

eldest son, and one of the children of Frau von Bülow are really

buried at the foot of this column. I cannot bear graves in gardens;

my belief requires a common cemetery or vault in a church or

chapel--in short, a spot consecrated to prayer and reflection, and

undisturbed by worldly tumult.

I drove round the lake, and then took the road back to Berlin. At the

gates of the town I met Lord William Russell, who told me that the

King was at his last gasp, and that orders had been given to close the

theatres. My son, whom I found at our hotel on the point of coming in,

gave me the same news. He had just been watching the operation for

curing squinting, and was full of admiration for Dieffenbach, his

dexterity, and the result of the operation. Of the two patients, both

young girls, one did not say a word, and the other cried a great deal.

The mere demonstration would have made me want to scream. The whole

operation lasts from seventy to eighty seconds. The operator is helped

by three pupils; one raises the upper eyelid, the second depresses the

lower lid, and the third wipes away the blood between the two

incisions. The first incision divides the lower part of the white of

the eye; then with a little hook Dieffenbach draws forward the muscle

covered by that part, cuts it through, and the operation is over. This

muscle, in the case of people who squint, is too short, and brings the

eye too close to the nose. As soon as it is cut through the pupil goes

to its proper place.

_Berlin, June 7, 1840._--Yesterday evening the King had reached the

end, the death-rattle set in, and there was that motion of the hands,

mechanical but terribly symptomatic, which common people call "picking

things up to pack." He was unable to speak, and seemed to have lost

consciousness.

I am extremely guarded here in discussing either politics or religion;

I hear a great deal, and listen with interest to anything I am told

about the state of this country, but I am not imprudent in my answers.

Prudence here is easier than in France, where it is almost impossible

not to be overcome by the contagion.

I have just been told that the Emperor Nicholas has arrived; I do not

think he will see the King, from whose room all are excluded, though

he is still alive.

_Berlin, June 8, 1840._--The King died yesterday at twenty-two minutes

past three in the afternoon, surrounded by all his family, whose hands

he clasped without speaking. He died in the arms of the Princess of

Liegnitz, for whom the royal family and the public are showing the

greatest respect. She has perfectly fulfilled her duty. The Prince

Royal fell fainting at the moment when the King expired. Grief is

general and widespread. The Emperor Nicholas is said to have lamented

loudly; he arrived from Warsaw in thirty-seven hours, accompanied only

by General Benkendorff.

Yesterday evening the troops took the oath to the new Sovereign. The

Government has issued a proclamation everywhere of the death, which is

touching, simple, and perfectly correct.

I have been to Frau von Schweinitz to hear news of Princess William,

who takes the title of Princess of Prussia, as her husband is

heir-presumptive, though he is not Crown Prince, since he is the

brother, not the eldest son, of the new King. The will had been

opened. The late King has ordered a military funeral; his body will be

placed in the cathedral by day, and, in accordance with his wishes,

taken to Charlottenburg by night, to be placed in the same vault with

the late Queen, his wife. I have just visited this monument in the

park of Charlottenburg, yesterday afternoon. It is enclosed in a

temple in ancient style at the end of a long walk of pines and

cypress-trees; within the temple, between two candelabras beautifully

carved in white marble, is to be seen, upon a raised platform, a bed

of white marble, upon which the Queen's statue is gracefully and

simply recumbent, wrapped in a long robe with open sleeves. The bare

arms are crossed over the breast, the neck is bare, and the head wears

only the royal circlet. It is a masterpiece, especially for the

drapery, which is remarkably true to nature, and the best work of

Rauch, the Prussian sculptor, whom the late Queen had educated at

Rome. The general effect is beautiful, but too mythological; the

religious touch which death imperiously claims is wanting.

The King will lie in state to-morrow and the day after in military

dress. The body will not be embalmed, and will be interred on

Thursday, in accordance with his orders. He also ordered the pastor to

pray at his bedside immediately after his death and aloud in the

middle of his family, exhorting them to peace and concord. This was

done, and it is to be hoped that his prayer will be heard, though

there is no immediate appearance that any one heeds it. The immediate

withdrawal of the Prince of Wittgenstein and of Herr von Lottum was

expected, but the new King begged them not to leave him, at any rate

at first. The public is glad to see the father's old servants thus

retained by the son, and the more so as their relations with the

Prince Royal were not entirely agreeable and an earlier change was

expected. It is to be hoped that there will be no change at all. Such

is the summary of a conversation on my part with M. Bresson and Lord

William Russell; after which I went to see the collection of pictures

belonging to Count Raczynski, the best private collection in Berlin. A

large cartoon by a pupil of Cornelius of Munich, representing one of

the great battles of Attila, is the best thing there. Tradition

relates that the battle was continued in the sky, and that those who

perished go on fighting, like shadows in the clouds, at certain times

of the year; the two battles are to be seen in the cartoon. The design

is admirable and well executed. The rest of the collection did not

greatly attract me.

Madame de Lieven writes from Paris: "We have had a curious week here:

the Ministry was defeated in the Chamber upon the law for the funeral

of Napoleon, and attempted revenge by sowing discord between the

Chamber and the country; after more mature reflection, and after the

proposed subscription had been a partial failure, the matter was

dropped, and the letter of Odillon Barrot concluded it.

"The Duc d'Orléans, in Africa, has had a fresh attack of dysentery,

which was very dangerous for twenty-four hours."

Now an extract from a letter from the Duc de Noailles:

"Notwithstanding the complete fiasco concerning the Imperial remains,

Thiers retains his strength, and will become complete master. The

proposal of Remilly,[103] which was in sight, will not come up for

discussion this year. There will be no dissolution between the two

sessions; after next session dissolution is certain; the new Chamber

will be moderately, but certainly more Left. Thiers is determined

neither to urge on nor to check progress in this direction; to guide

the movement, but to follow it, as he thinks that strength and the

majority are there to be found. He hopes to be able to restrain the

Left, but in case of failure he has determined rather to obey it than

to resign. So we are definitely embarked upon this path, and this is

the great event of the winter; the consequences, but not the rapidity,

of the movement can be calculated."

[103] After the vote upon the secret service funds in March 1840

one of the Deputies, M. Remilly, attempted to embarrass the

Ministry by a proposal for Parliamentary reform, providing that

Deputies should not be promoted to salaried posts or secure

promotion for their Parliamentary life in the following year.

_Berlin, June 9, 1840._--Yesterday after dinner I called upon the

Countess of Reede, the chief lady of the new Queen's Court. There I

saw the reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, brother of the

late Queen and of the late Princess of Thurn and Taxis, a great friend

of M. de Talleyrand. He spoke of my uncle in the warmest terms, which

touched me deeply, saying that he had experienced much kindness from

him under the Empire. I was there informed that, besides the King's

will properly so called, which dates from 1827, and of which I know

nothing, there is a codicil containing arrangements for the funeral,

and in such detail that the position of the troops in the streets is

pointed out. A letter to his successor has also been found, which is

said to be full of the wisest counsel; while encouraging his son to

avoid innovations of every kind without due consideration, the King

also advises him to avoid any retrogressive step out of harmony with

the spirit of the age. It is said that this letter will be published.

When I returned home Herr von Humboldt came to see me, and kept me up

while he told me many stories which were doubtless curious, and would

have interested me were it not for his overpoweringly monotonous

manner. In any case, he is very well informed of all that goes on

here, and clever at ferreting out new information.

The Russian and the other Courts are starting on Wednesday, the day

after the King's funeral. I think that the King and Queen will be glad

to breathe a little freely.

_Berlin, June 10, 1840._--Yesterday the director of the Museum came to

fetch me, and took me, with my son, to the studio of Rauch, a very

clever sculptor and a very pleasant man. He showed us several statues

intended for the Walhalla of Bavaria; the model of the statue of

Frederick II., the first stone of which I had seen laid; and a Danae

for St. Petersburg; then a little statue, half natural size, of a

young girl fully dressed and holding a little lamb in her arms, which

was very pretty, and I liked it greatly. Before we went home I was

taken to see the Egyptian Museum, which is in a building apart.

Although the collection is said to be admirable, I could feel no

pleasure in looking at the hideous colossi and the numerous mummies.

When I returned home I had a call from Prince Radziwill, who came from

the Castle, where, with the chief officers of the garrison, he had

been passing in parade before the lying-in-state of the late King. The

King was laid out with his face uncovered, wrapped in his military

cloak, with his little cap on his head, as he had ordered in his

codicil.

The King has bequeathed a hundred thousand Prussian crowns, or three

hundred and fifty-five thousand francs, to the town of Berlin, and

other sums to Königsberg, Breslau, and Potsdam, as being the four

towns of his kingdom in which he has resided. He has bequeathed the

little palace in which he lived as Crown Prince, which he would not

leave as King, and in which he died, to his grandson, the son of

Prince William, who will probably be King one day. The Princess of

Leignitz retains the palace by the side of it, in which she was

living, the domain of Erdmansdorff, in Silesia, and an income of forty

thousand crowns, to be paid by the State. It seems that the King had

left from fourteen to twenty million crowns in his private chest. He

has ordered that each soldier present at his funeral shall receive a

crown, and each non-commissioned officer two crowns. He has also

ordered that his body shall be followed, not only by all the clergy of

Berlin, but by all those of the neighbourhood; they are coming in from

Stettin, Magdeburg, and every part of the kingdom.

M. Bresson was much depressed by the King's death, but has recovered

his spirits on seeing that the Prince of Wittgenstein is to be

retained at Court, at any rate for the moment. The new King is

treating his father's old servant most admirably.

A strange incident which has caused much displeasure was the sight of

the Russian officers in the suite of the Emperor Nicholas on duty

before the body of the late King together with the Prussian officers.

The Emperor issued the request, and the authorities did not venture to

refuse, but some ill-feeling has been shown, and the very scanty

liking for Russia has been further diminished.

_Berlin, June 11, 1840._--I spent the whole of yesterday paying

farewell calls, and when I was calling upon Frau von Schweinitz, the

Princess of Prussia sent for me. With her I found the Prince of

Prussia, and both were very kind to me.

The King informed me through the Countess of Reede that he hoped to

see me later, on my return, at Sans Souci. He has ordered the Chief

Marshal to find me a good place for this morning's ceremony. The

Emperor of Russia is starting this evening for Weimar and Frankfort,

where he wishes to see his future daughter-in-law.

This morning I went to the ceremony, and just as I was starting out

the King sent word telling me to go through the Castle, and the

Princess of Prussia sent me her liveried servants to secure me a

place. I thus reached the church by way of the royal apartments. I was

in a stand opposite the Princess of Leignitz, who was well enough to

be present at the ceremony; she was heavily veiled, like all the

ladies, and I could not distinguish her features. The church was not

draped, which gave it too bright an appearance, and the sombre nature

of the ceremony suffered in consequence. The organ, the singing, and

the sermon by the pastor, the great emotion of the old servants and

children of the deceased, the terrible salvos of cannon, and the

beautiful tolling of all the bells were imposing. Before withdrawing

the new King offered a prayer of considerable length in a low voice on

his knees by the coffin. The whole family followed his example, after

which the King embraced all his brothers, his wife, his sisters,

nephews, and uncles--in short, the whole of his family. The Emperor of

Russia, who has a fine but terrible face, did the same. There was thus

a great deal of embracing for a church. My own opinion is that in the

house of God one should be occupied only with worship; but between a

Protestant temple and the Church the difference is considerable.

The King of Hanover, who arrived an hour before the ceremony, was

present. He is old, and though he looks somewhat uncivilised he

appeared to me like an old lamb by the side of a young tiger when I

compared him with the Emperor of Russia.

I propose to start to-morrow for Silesia.

_Crossen, June 12, 1840._--I left Berlin this morning at half-past

seven in mild and cloudy weather. Thanks to the excellent roads, the

good horses, and the capital post service, we accomplished thirty-six

leagues in thirteen hours and a half, which is satisfactory travelling

in any country. As far as Frankfort-on-the-Oder, which we crossed in

the middle of the day, the country is chiefly remarkable for its

dismal and barren character. When the valley of the Oder is reached

the country becomes less flat and more smiling. Frankfort is a large

town of thirty-two thousand souls, for whom excitement is provided by

three large fairs during the year; but apart from those times it is

very empty. There is nothing attractive about the town. Crossen, where

I am at this moment, which is also on the Oder, is not so large a

town, but more pleasantly situated. I am now only a few hours from my

own property, and shall arrive there in good time to-morrow.

_Günthersdorf, June 13, 1840._--I am now upon my own estates. It is a

strange impression to find a home of one's own at so vast a distance

from the spot where one's life is usually passed, and also to find

this home as clean and well ordered, though all is quite simple, as if

one always lived there.

This morning when I started from Crossen it was raining, and the rain

continued as far as Grünberg, a large fortress, where I found Herr and

Frau von Wurmb, who had come to meet me. Frau von Wurmb is the

daughter of a state councillor in the Prussian service, Herr von

Göcking, to whom the late King had entrusted me during my period of

wardship. She married a Westphalian gentleman, Herr von Wurmb, who had

formerly served in the Prussian armies, until his delicate health

obliged him to resign. For many years he has lived in Wartenberg, a

little town which belongs to me. There, at first under the direction

of Hennenberg, and since his death alone, he has supervised my

estates, forests, &c. Frau von Wurmb, as my guardian's daughter, was a

constant companion of my youth. She was very well brought up. People

of good society in Germany do not object to conducting the business of

those whom they regard as great lords; for instance, the cousin of

Baron Gersdorff, the Saxon Minister at London, manages my sisters'

money.

Herr and Frau von Wurmb preceded me here. The last few leagues

traverse sand and pine forests, but at the entrance to a small hamlet,

which does not deserve the name of village, is a pleasant avenue which

leads to a planted court, in the middle of which is a large house;

fine trees hide the outbuildings, which are not an agreeable sight. At

the back of the house is a pleasant view: a garden very well planted

and kept up, full of flowers, many of them rare; the garden is

cleverly joined to a field, at the end of which is a very pretty wood.

A streams runs through the garden and keeps it fresh. The house is of

double depth: it is a long rectangle, with thirteen windows in front;

it is spoilt by its enormous roof, a necessary protection against the

long-lasting snow in winter, and also by the yellow orange colour with

which the bricks have been painted. The interior is not bad. In the

middle is a vaulted hall, with a staircase in the background; to the

right of the hall, is a large room with three windows, and further on

a little library with two windows opening upon a very pretty

greenhouse, which is connected with the orangery; there I have fifty

orange-trees of moderate size. On the left of the hall is my bedroom,

a large dressing-room, wardrobes, bathroom, and the maid's room. These

rooms are doubled in the following way: behind the library is a room

containing the rooms opening from the dining-room; behind the

drawing-room is the dining-room; while behind my own room and the

adjoining ones are the servants' rooms, a bedroom, and a large

dressing-room. On the first floor are four gentlemen's rooms, with

cupboards, of which only two are furnished, and a large billiard-room.

In the attics are six servants' rooms, a store-room, and a

lumber-room. The living rooms and my own look southwards, and so do

not get the view of the garden; but I prefer to have the sun, even if

I must look upon the courtyard, especially in a house which has no

cellar; there is, however, no trace of dampness. The ground floor is

very prettily furnished, and the floors are inlaid with all kinds of

wood, and are surprisingly pretty considering that they were done

here. On the first floor there is only the room now occupied by M. de

Valençay, which is furnished, and that somewhat scantily. In fact, the

house contains only what is absolutely necessary, and I am glad that I

brought some plate; Herr von Wurmb is lending me many things. However,

we shall do, and I feel better here than I have done for a long time,

because here I have at least silence and rest about me. This is the

heart of the country; I do not regret it, and feel a certain pleasure

in the noise of the cows and the bustle of haymaking, which shows me

once again that I am really of a very countrified nature.

There is a fairly good little portrait of my mother in the

drawing-room, and a very bad one of myself, while in a smaller room

are lithographs of the Prussian royal family. The library is somewhat

restricted, but contains five hundred excellent books in English,

French, and German. I have already been round the garden, which is

quite pretty. The gardener comes from the King's gardens in

Charlottenburg, and has been to Munich and Vienna to perfect himself.

_Günthersdorf, June 14, 1840._--This morning at eight o'clock, in

spite of the cold and bitter wind, which seem to be characteristic of

Prussia, I started in the carriage to drive four leagues for mass and

high mass too. Wartenberg is two-thirds Catholic, while Günthersdorf

is entirely Protestant. The Catholic church is at the entrance to

Wartenberg, a town over which I have some seigneurial rights; each

house pays me a small tax. The road runs through my woods for two

leagues until we reach the high-road. The church was full, the priest

at the entrance with the holy water and a beautiful address, while my

seat was strewn with country flowers. There was nothing wanting: a

procession, the blessing of the Sacrament, the sermon, prayers for the

royal family and for myself, and a beautiful organ accompaniment,

while the children of the Catholic school sang very well. I think the

whole ceremony lasted nearly three hours. Frau von Wurmb, who lives in

one of my houses a short distance from the town, with a pretty garden

round it, was expecting me to lunch. There was no one present except

her own family, which is numerous.

After lunch Herr von Wurmb asked me to see all the servants of my

estates, who had come together from various points to pay their

respects. Then began a long march past. They form a regular staff, all

nominated by myself and paid from my purse. Such is the custom here

upon large estates: an architect, a doctor, two bailiffs, two

collectors, an agent, a treasurer, and a head keeper, four Catholic

priests and three Protestant pastors, and the mayor of the town; all

true gentlemen and very well educated, speaking and introducing

themselves perfectly. I did my best to please every one, and made a

complete conquest of the priest of Wartenberg, to whom I promised some

embroidery of my own making for his church. When I went away Herr von

Wurmb went with me for part of the road to a very pretty enclosure: an

acre or two of forest surrounded with palings, divided by walks, with

a little piece of water, a good gamekeeper's house, where the

pheasants are brought up most carefully. We saw the sitting hens and

the little pheasants in coops, and also the full-grown birds, which

were near the water or flying in the trees. Nearly six hundred are

sold each year. Roe deer and hares also abound.

It was five o'clock when I got back. After dinner I went to sleep with

weariness, for the day had been long, and the cold increased the

drowsiness produced by the open air.

I am here without newspapers or letters, which I do not miss, and wait

patiently until the post is pleased to make its way to this remote

corner of the world. I have already told myself that this country

would form a very pleasant retreat from the shocks by which Western

Europe is always more or less threatened, and in times of revolution

one would not mind the severity of the climate.

_Günthersdorf, June 15, 1840._--Loving a country life as I do, I have

every possibility of satisfying my desire here, for as I wish to see

everything in a short time I have not a moment to lose; so to-day I

started at nine o'clock in the morning and returned to Wartenberg, to

the old Jesuit convent called the Castle. It is a considerable

building, with cloisters; the cells of the monks have been transformed

into pretty rooms, which are now inhabited by the treasurer, the

bailiff, one of the chief stewards, the doctor, the Protestant pastor

and the Protestant school, while there is a very pretty Catholic

chapel, with fresco paintings and an image of miraculous power which

attracts a large number of pilgrims on the 2nd of July every year.

There is a collection of fine ornaments and sacred vessels of some

value. A little glazed cupboard contains the coins and medals offered

_ex voto_; from my chain I took off the little silver medal with the

effigy of M. de Quélen, and placed it with the other offerings.

This visit was lengthy, and I concluded it by unearthing from a dusty

spot the portraits of the old landowners who had left this property to

the Jesuits by will. After giving orders for the restoration of the

portraits I went to see the brewery, the distillery, and the

stockyards, where cattle are bred for sale at Berlin. All this is on a

very large scale. I have even a winepress, for my vintage is a good

one, and also a large plantation of mulberry trees; the silkworms are

bred, the silk wound off and sent to Berlin, where it is woven.

After all this inspection we went to see two farms at Wartenberg; then

a very agreeable road between beautiful plantations, all made since my

reign began, which extend for two leagues, brought us to the summit of

a wooded hill, from the top of which there is a splendid view over the

Oder--an unusual thing in this part of Silesia. On the road my son

Louis was able to get a shot at some roebuck. I returned here at six

o'clock in the evening. Fortunately the weather was respectable.

I have just opened an old writing-desk, in which I have found papers

of my youth--letters from the Abbé Piatoli and many affecting things

of the kind, such as the wedding present given me by the Prince

Primate; this is a bird in a golden cage which sings and flaps its

wings. Then there are engravings and pieces of embroidery. They have

recalled so many shadows of the past. There is something remarkably

solemn in this past thus suddenly revived with such intense

verisimilitude.

_Günthersdorf, June 17, 1840._--I set out at ten o'clock in the

morning, and returned at eight in the evening. First I visited two

farms which belong to the seigniory of Wartenberg, in the second of

which I had lunch. I also visited the church, for in this country both

the churches and their incumbents are dependent upon the overlord.

After lunch we crossed the Oder by a ferry, and went as far as

Carolath, which is well worth seeing. It is a very large castle upon

a considerable elevation, and was built at different times. The

earliest part goes back to the days of the Emperor Charles IV. Neither

within nor without are there any traces of style or careful work, but

there is something grandiose about the general appearance. There is

nothing in the way of gardens except planted terraces going down to

the Oder. The view is admirable, the more so as the opposite banks are

very well wooded with magnificent old oak-trees upon an expanse of

turf covered with cattle and horses reared in the Prince's stables.

The town of Beuthen and the fortress of Glogau make a good effect in

this countryside. The village is pretty, several factories provide

animation, and a pretty inn adds a touch of gracefulness. The castle

lords, husband and wife, with their youngest daughter, were away on

business. The eldest daughter, a pretty young person, was at the

castle with a young cousin and an old steward of the Prince; they

received me most kindly. A three-horsed carriage was harnessed, and

after crossing the Oder by a ford we drove through the great oak-trees

which I mentioned above, in the midst of which the Princess has built

a delightful cottage, where we were given tea. Unfortunately I was

devoured by gnats, and returned with a swollen face, while a slight

sunstroke in addition completed my overthrow. In this strange climate

cold is so rapidly followed by heat that one is always caught by

surprise. However, I am very glad to have seen Carolath. It is a

curious spot; Chaumont, on the banks of the Loire, gives a fairly good

idea of it.

This morning we started again at nine o'clock, my son and myself, to

visit some of my estates upon the other side of the Oder. The district

is called Schwarmitz, and is more exposed to inundations than any

other. A nephew of the late Herr Hennenberg farms it; he lives at

Kleinitz, another of my estates, but he had come to meet me at the

dykes, which toilsome constructions I visited. His wife, the

Protestant and Catholic clergyman, the head gamekeeper, and a crowd of

people were waiting for us at the farm, together with an excellent

lunch. After the meal we went through the farm in detail, two

farmhouses and a fine strip of oak forest, and then returned by way

of Saabor. This is an estate belonging to the younger brother of

Prince Carolath. If the castle and park were properly kept up they

would be preferable to the castle and park of Carolath, though the

situation is not so good. It is, however, very fine, and the forecourt

most beautiful. The landowner has been ruined, and was very anxious

for me to buy Saabor, which is surrounded by my estates, but

topographical circumstances are no sufficient reason for concluding

such a bargain.

Letters from Paris, which have hitherto gone astray, tell me the

following news: Private correspondence from Africa gives the most

harassing details about that vexatious country. Marshal Valée is again

asking for troops and money.

The Prefect of Tours, M. d'Entraigues, has run away from the uproar

which threatened him in his prefecture. The Sub-Prefect of Loches is

the only victim who has been sacrificed to the demands of the Deputy,

M. Taschereau. The nephew of Madame Mollien is transferred from the

prefecture of the Ariège to that of Cantal, and thus becomes the

Prefect of the Castellanes. M. Royer-Collard tells me that he has

saved M. de Lezay, the Prefect of Blois, and M. Bourbon.[104] With

this object he asked an interview of M. Thiers, with which he seems to

have been well satisfied.

[104] M. Bourbon de Sarty was the prefect of Marne.

M. de La Redorte is now Ambassador at Madrid; his wife is too ill to

accompany him. This is an unexpected step forward in his career, and a

push which will cause vexation to all who will have their own

promotion delayed in consequence. I suppose the King must have made

this concession to his Prime Minister, whose close friend M. de La

Redorte is, by way of recompense for his non-intervention in Spain.

The Duc d'Orléans on his return from Africa is said to have found the

Duchesse d'Orléans in excellent health; the measles from which she has

suffered, by removing the centre of irritation, has restored her

digestion, so that she is able to take food and grow stronger. I am

delighted to hear it.

_Günthersdorf, June 18, 1840._--It has been raining all day, and I was

therefore obliged to abandon the project of visiting a small piece of

land belonging to me, half a league away, which is called Drentkau. I

gave a dinner to twelve people, clergy and local authorities. I shall

have to give two more to do the correct thing. My household is only

arranged for twelve people, and I cannot have more guests at one time.

My son Louis jabbers German with such effrontery that he is making

rapid progress. I have had a call from Prince Frederick of Carolath,

the owner of Saabor. His position in this province is analogous to

that of a lord-lieutenant in an English county.

_Günthersdorf, June 19, 1840._--I visited two schools within my

jurisdiction; they are Catholic schools, and in an excellent state of

efficiency. The education given to the children surprised me, and I

was most delighted and edified. I gave some prizes by way of

encouragement, and have undertaken to provide for the career of a boy

of twelve whose energy and intelligence are really marvellous, though

he is too poor to enter the seminary, for which he feels a special

vocation.

_Sagan, June 21, 1840._--The day before yesterday at Günthersdorf I

received a letter which decided me to come here. Herr von Wolff wrote

to me from Berlin saying that transactions were in progress here of a

very irregular nature and against the interests of my children; that

he was coming to put the matter right, and advised me to come on my

side. I therefore started from Günthersdorf yesterday morning with M.

de Valençay. The journey took us six hours. I put up at the inn; as

things are I do not think it advisable to go to the castle, but how

strangely I was impressed with the necessity! Here, where my father

and sister lived and where I spent so much time in my youth, I have to

go to an inn!

After an hour's conversation with Herr von Wolff we went to the

castle. I recognised everything except things that had been taken away

with some undue haste, and which perhaps will have to be brought back.

My eldest sister's old man of business wept bitterly. He is on very

bad terms with Herr von Gersdorff, who looks after the affairs of my

sister, the Princess of Hohenzollern. I saw him, but did not talk

business, in the first place because the matter affects my son and not

myself, and also because I wished to avoid any open breach.

Sagan is really beautiful so far as the castle and park are concerned,

though the neighbourhood is inferior to that in which my own estates

lie; but the house is magnificent. I found some old figures of my

father's time, which revived sad memories. It was a pleasure to see

the portraits of my family.

There is here a certain Countess Dohna, who was brought up first with

my mother and then with my eldest sister, and who married a man of

very good position in the country. In her youth she was quite like a

child of the house. She came yesterday to tea with me, and I was

delighted to see her and talk with her of my poor sister, the Duchesse

de Sagan, and of her last visit a short time before her death.

This morning I went to mass in the charming church of the Augustine

monks, where my father has rested for thirty-nine years. I was greatly

affected by the whole service, and by the music, which was excellent.

After that I went to see the Countess Dohna, who came with me to the

castle. I wished to look at the outbuildings, which I had not seen

yesterday. In the stables I found an old gilt carriage lined with red

velvet, and almost exactly resembling the carriage of the Spanish

Princes at Valençay. In that carriage my father left Courlande and

came here. The business man of my sister, the Princess of

Hohenzollern, sells everything which does not belong to the fief, and

put up this carriage for sale. I bought it at once for a bid of

thirty-five crowns.

I dined at two o'clock, according to the custom of the town, and

afterwards we went to the end of the park to visit a little ancient

church where my sister de Sagan told me that she wished to place my

father's body and to be buried herself. The little church must be

restored, which will be quite easy. It might be made a very suitable

and retired burial-place.

_Günthersdorf, June 22, 1840._--I have now returned to my own

fireside, of which I am quite fond. Before leaving Sagan this morning

I received calls from many of the local people, and went through a

long business conference. The whole Sagan question is so complicated

that it will last a long time. Wolff, Wurmb, and my eldest sister's

old business man advised me to simplify the matter by asking my

sister, who still owes me some money for Nachod,[105] to surrender the

allodial forests of Sagan, which will thus come back to my sons some

day. I do not object, for these forests are superb, but this is a

further question. There are some preliminary points which should be

settled first and will take time. The business men urge me strongly to

spend the whole year in Germany. I cannot spend the winter in so cold

a climate, but I should like to come back next spring for the fine

weather. I believe my son is right in saying that he is very fortunate

in making his first appearance in this country with myself.

[105] Nachod, an estate in Bohemia with a vast castle built by

the Piccolomini, had been bought by the Duc de Courlande. His

eldest daughter, Wilhelmine de Sagan, had inherited it, and died

there in 1839. Nachod was then sold to the Princes of

Schaumburg-Lippe, who still retain it.

On my way back I stayed for two hours at Neusalz, which is a curious

town to visit. Half of it is occupied by a colony of Moravian

brothers, whose customs nearly resemble those of the Quakers. They are

somewhat unusual, especially the custom which they call the Feast of

Love. In their church they sing and pray and take coffee and cakes in

the most perfect silence and with the most perfect gluttony. They are

very industrious, very avaricious, somewhat hypocritical, and

amazingly clean. They address one another in the second person

singular. They have missionaries, and their branches spread throughout

the world. Besides the Moravian church, Neusalz has a Catholic and a

Protestant church. The latter is quite new, and very pretty. I visited

it to see a present given by the reigning King of Prussia; this is a

very handsome Christ after Annibale Carrache. I also examined in full

detail the splendid ironworks, where many castings are made.

_Günthersdorf, June 23, 1840._--It is beautiful weather. This evening

my garden is green, fresh, and sweet-smelling. There are times and

seasons of climate, nature, and mind which are especially prone to

raise regrets in the heart, and notwithstanding the actual comfort

with which I am surrounded I feel somewhat depressed to-day. I have

been going through papers the whole morning with my business man, and

afterwards went with him to inspect the Protestant school in this

village.

_Günthersdorf, June 25, 1840._--I spent yesterday from ten in the

morning till nine in the evening in visiting the most distant part of

my estates, which include a town, three farms, and a little forest. In

one of the farms the remains of an old Gothic castle have been

transformed into a barn. I lunched with a retired lieutenant who is

married and works my farms, upon one of which is a good

dwelling-house; the farms have always been held together, first by the

grandfather and then by the father of the present holder. His wife is

expecting a child, and they hope that the lease will be renewed to the

fourth generation. I went to look at the church and the town, which is

three parts Catholic. I was very warmly received. The position of a

great overlord is very different here from in France, and my son's

head is quite turned by it.

_Günthersdorf, June 26, 1840._--To-morrow I must return to Berlin,

while my son will go on to Marienbad. I have recovered my strength in

the open-air life that I have led among the woods. Yesterday I went to

see the worst of my farms, which is called Heydan, and is wrested by

main force from the sand.

I had my neighbour to dinner, Prince Carolath of Saabor, a stout man

between fifty and sixty years of age, very pleasant and polite.

_Frankfort-on-the-Oder, June 28, 1840._--I spent the whole of

yesterday out of doors in rain and hail. I could have wished for

better weather for the sake of the good people who had prepared

receptions for me, and also for my own sake, as I could form but a

very inadequate judgment of the two recently made farms; one is called

Peterhof, after my father, and the other Dorotheenaue, after myself.

These farms have been established upon lands by the help of which the

peasants of Kleinitz have been enabled to buy their freedom from

forced labour. Beautiful forests surround these lands. The agent in

residence belongs to a family of Courlande, which followed my father

to Silesia. A striking portrait of my father, who had made a present

of it to his follower, adorns his room. He values it highly, and so I

could not ask him to sell it to me, as I was tempted to do.

When I arrived here I found a very kind letter from the Duc d'Orléans,

referring most properly to the death of the King of Prussia and to his

successor. This is what he says about France: "The apparent agitation

has subsided, but there are still clouds upon the horizon; though the

storm has been cleverly averted, it has not entirely dispersed.

However, the interval between the sessions will pass off well. Only

the King and M. Thiers are in the foreground, and neither is willing

to embarrass the other. Both wish to smooth their path, and no

question will arise to divide them. For my part, I wish every success

to our great little Minister, who can confer vast benefits upon this

country."

I was sorry to say good-bye to my son; he is a good child, natural,

tractable, and quiet. I am glad that he was pleased with Silesia, and

that he has shown so good a spirit in every respect. Moreover, in him

I had a relative at hand, and I begin to feel the great difference

between solitude and isolation. For a long time I confused these two

conditions, which are so similar and yet so different; the one I can

bear very well, the other makes me afraid.

_Berlin, June 29, 1840._--I arrived here yesterday at three o'clock in

the afternoon. I found many letters, but none of any interest.

However, Madame Mollien says that the Duchesse d'Orléans is with

child, and adds that the digestive disturbance has returned from which

the measles seemed to have relieved her. Madame Adélaïde, who also

writes, seems to be well pleased with the way in which the review of

the National Guard passed off, and especially with the reception of

the Duc d'Orléans upon his return from Africa. Some of the officers

attached to him are dead, and many of them have been left behind

wounded or ill; he himself has grown very thin.

Here at Berlin, according to what I hear from different people whom I

saw yesterday evening, the moderation, the goodness, and the wisdom of

the new King give great satisfaction. He works hard, is accessible to

everybody, and shows every respect for the friends and the wishes of

his father. Herr von Humboldt has brought me all kinds of gracious

messages from Sans Souci; the Prince and Princess of Prussia have sent

others; Madame de Perponcher told me that there would be a grand Court

of Condolence on Friday next, and explained what costume would be

worn.

The only change under the new Government is that the King works with

each of his Ministers separately, whereas the late King would only

talk with the Prince of Wittgenstein and work only with Count Lottum.

Herr von Altenstein, who was Minister of Worship and Education, died

three weeks before the late King, and no fresh appointment has yet

been made. There is much anxiety to know who will fill this important

post. The choice will give some indication of the direction in which

affairs will be guided. The nomination for that very reason is a

matter of great perplexity to the King.

_Berlin, July 1, 1840._--My great objection to towns is the calls that

have to be made and received. In spite of the fact that I am only a

bird of passage here I have to suffer this inconvenience. I have made

a large number of calls and received a great many yesterday morning

and evening. The Prince of Prussia, who started this morning for Ems,

was with me for a long time, and told me that the Empress of Russia

was well pleased with her future daughter-in-law, and the young

Princess will travel to Russia with the Empress herself.

Lord William Russell also came to see me. He told me that Lady

Granville had _ordered_ Mr. Heneage, who is attached to her husband's

Embassy at Paris, to accompany Madame de Lieven to England.

I went with Wolff to see the studio of Begas, a German painter trained

at Paris under the eyes of Gros. He is very talented.

There has been an earthquake in the department of Indre-et-Loire,

which was felt at Tours; at Candes, four leagues from Rochecotte,

several houses have been overthrown. At Rochecotte nothing has

happened, thank heaven, but this subterranean convulsion frightens me;

another event of the kind might easily ruin all my work of

restoration, and my artesian well might run dry.

_Potsdam, July 2, 1840._--I left Berlin yesterday at eleven o'clock in

the morning by the railway. I was in the same carriage with Prince

Adalbert of Prussia, the King's cousin, Lord William Russell, and

Prince George of Hesse. When I got out of the train, which reaches

Potsdam in less than an hour, I found the carriage and the servants of

the Princess of Prussia, with an invitation to visit her at once at

Babelsberg, a pretty Gothic castle which she has built upon a wooded

height overlooking the valley of the Havel. It is a small residence,

but very well arranged, with a beautiful view. We sat there talking

for an hour. Her carriage remained at my disposal in Potsdam after it

had brought me back. When I had dressed I went to Sans Souci, where

the King dines at three o'clock. Both he and the Queen were most kind

and friendly. After dinner he took me to see the room where Frederick

II. died, and that King's library. He insisted that I should follow

him to the terrace, which is a fine piece of work. Then I was handed

over to the Countess of Reede, the Queen's chief lady, and to

Humboldt, who drove me to the Marble Palace, where are many beautiful

objects of art, and also to the New Palace, where the great summer

festivities are held. The Princess of Prussia came to meet us, and

took me to Charlottenhof, which was made by the reigning King from the

models, plans, and design of a villa belonging to Pliny. It is a

charming sight, full of beautiful things brought from Italy, which

harmonise admirably, an inconceivable confusion of flowers and fresco

paintings as at Pompeii, with fountains and ancient baths, all in the

best taste. The King and Queen were there, and we had tea. The King

then took me with him in a pony chaise and drove me through splendid

avenues of old oak-trees to Sans Souci, where he insisted that I

should stay to supper. Supper was served in a little room without

ceremony, and there was more conversation than eating. This went on

very pleasantly and easily until eleven o'clock. The King promised me

his portrait, and has been most kind in every way. He made me promise

to come and see him again at Berlin, and was, as they say here, very

_herzlich_.

This morning Humboldt came of his own accord to suggest that before

going to lunch with the Princess of Prussia I should see the Island of

the Peacocks, with its beautiful conservatories and curious menagerie.

The King's boatmen and the overseers of the botanical gardens waited

on me, and I brought back some splendid flowers. We reached the

Princess of Prussia a little late. After lunch she took me in the pony

chaise to see Glinicke, the pretty villa of Prince Charles, who is at

this moment at the baths of Kreuznach with his wife. Thence I returned

to Potsdam and to Berlin by the railway.

_Berlin, July 3, 1840._--Madame de Perponcher came for me to-day at

four o'clock. She took me through the rooms of her mother, the

Countess of Reede, so that we avoided the crowd and were the first to

reach the Court of Condolence which was held by the Queen at Berlin.

She was seated on her throne in a room hung with black; the shutters

were closed, and the room was lighted only by four large candles,

according to old etiquette. The Queen wore a double veil, one

streaming behind and the other lowered before her face; all the ladies

were dressed in the same way, and it was impossible to distinguish

faces. Each made a silent bow before the throne, and that was all. It

was strangely sad and lugubrious, but a very noble and imposing

ceremony. The men who passed before the throne were in uniform, with

their faces uncovered, but any gold or silver on their uniforms was

covered with black crape.

_Berlin, July 5, 1840._--My stay at Berlin has now come to an end. I

went to high mass this morning, a less meritorious act here than

elsewhere, on account of the admirable music.

_Herzberg, July 6, 1840._--I started this morning from Berlin by

railway as far as Potsdam, where I stayed for lunch. When I got out of

the train I found a footman with a very affectionate farewell letter

from the Princess of Prussia. I have been spoilt to the last moment. I

feel most deeply grateful, for every one has shown me a kindness and a

cordiality which I had only experienced in England before now.

I have finished the _Stories of the Merovingian Age_, by M. Augustin

Thierry. The book is not without interest or originality; as a picture

of strange and unknown customs, it is valuable. I have begun the

Dialogues of Fénelon on Jansenism, a book which is little known and

almost forgotten, though admirably written, and sometimes as striking

as the _Provincial Letters_.

_Königsbruck, July 8, 1840._--I came here yesterday at six o'clock in

the evening to see my niece, the Countess of Hohenthal. The lady of

the place is taller, fairer, more intelligent, quite as pleasant, and

in my opinion prettier and kinder than her sister, Frau von Lazareff.

Her other sister, Fanny, is an excellent and cheerful character, and

if her health were better she would be pretty. The Count of Hohenthal

is a thorough gentleman who admires and adores his wife. Miss

Harrison, once the governess of these ladies, is a prudent and loyal

person who has acted as their mother, and is respected as such in the

household. Königsbruck is a great house, rather vast than beautiful,

at the entrance to a small town. Its position would be picturesque and

the view agreeable if it were not almost choked by the outbuildings,

which, in the German style, are placed far too near the castle. The

country is a transition-point between the barrenness and flatness of

Prussia and the rich productivity of Saxony.

The following is an extract from a letter from M. Royer-Collard,

written from Paris when he was about to start for the Blésois: "Thiers

came even to-day to sit down here in silence with M. Cousin, who

represented the companion brother of the Jesuit. Thiers speaks very

disdainfully of the Ministries which preceded his own, and modestly of

his successes as Minister of the Interior; in any case, he is very

kind to me."

_Königsbruck, July 9, 1840._--To-day I went over the castle in detail.

It might afford opportunity for beautification in several directions;

but such is not the local taste, as the lords work their estates

themselves and prefer the useful to the agreeable.

My niece had told me that the King and Queen of Saxony had expressed a

wish to see me; I therefore wrote yesterday to Pillnitz, where the

Court now is, to ask their Majesties for an interview. When the answer

arrives I shall arrange for my departure.

My nieces generally spend their winters at Dresden, and told me that

the French Minister, M. de Bussières, was in very bad odour there. He

is regarded as an unpleasant character and in bad style. He has

introduced some disagreeable customs, and deeply wounded the Queen by

various tactless remarks concerning her. There is a general wish for

his removal to some other diplomatic post.

_Dresden, July 11, 1840._--I left Königsbruck this morning, and was

glad to see once more the pretty suburbs of Dresden. I am now about to

dress and to start for Pillnitz.

_Dresden, July 12, 1840._--The castle of Pillnitz is neither very

beautiful nor curious. The gardens are only moderately good, but the

situation on the banks of the Elbe is charming; the country is

delightful and fertile. The whole royal family of Saxony were

assembled there yesterday. The Queen, whom I had known long ago at

Baden, before her marriage, is the tallest woman I know; she is very

kind, well educated, and simply anxious to please. The King had dined

several times with M. de Talleyrand at Paris; he is a frank and

natural person, especially when his shyness, which is obvious at

first, has time to wear off. Princess John, the Queen's sister, and

the twin sister of the Queen of Prussia, is strikingly like the

latter, but she has been so worn out by constant child-bearing that

she hardly has the strength to move or to utter more than a few words.

I had also known her at Baden, when she was very pretty and agreeable.

Her husband, Prince John, is one of the most learned royal personages

of his time, always busy with deep matters; his dress and appearance

are very careless, and there is something of the German professor

about him. Princess Augusta, the Queen's cousin, had nearly all the

sovereigns of Europe as her suitors thirty years ago: Napoleon

mentioned her name in the council where his marriage was decided; none

the less she remained single, and, moreover, has become a very

pleasant old maid. She was never pretty, but was fresh and bright,

with individual points of beauty. Her expression remains kind and

attractive. Finally, I made a conquest of Princess Amelia, the King's

sister, who writes comedies. She is a witty and imaginative person,

and her conversation is lively and sparkling; she showed remarkable

kindness to me.

After dinner I was taken into a very fine room to change my dress, and

was strongly tempted to theft by the many fine examples of old Dresden

china. The Queen sent for me, and I was taken to her room, where she

asked me questions, as the Princesses had done. Everybody came in soon

in out-of-door dress, and we started in carriages for a long drive.

The vine is largely grown about Dresden. Above the royal vineyards the

King has built a little summer-house, which reminds me of that of the

Grand Duchess Stephanie at Baden. This was the object of our drive,

and the view from it is superb: on the right was Dresden, opposite the

Elbe, with its smiling banks, and on the left the mountain chain known

as Saxon Switzerland. Tea was served in the summer-house and after a

pleasant conversation I said farewell, when all kinds of warm messages

were exchanged. My carriage had followed me, and brought me back to

Dresden by ten o'clock in the evening.

_Dresden, July 13, 1840._--As yesterday was Sunday I went to mass in

the morning in the chapel of the castle, where the music is famous

throughout Germany. It is the only place where singers are still to be

heard in the style of Crescentini and Marchesi. This celebrated music

did not satisfy me; it was too operatic in style, too noisy and

dramatic, instead of suggesting a religious calm; moreover, these

mutilated voices, notwithstanding their brilliancy, have a certain

unpleasant harshness and shrillness. I never cared for the voice of

Crescentini, whom I heard at her best at Napoleon's Court.

After mass we visited the interior of the castle, where Bendemann, one

of the most distinguished artists of Düsseldorf, is now painting

frescoes in the great hall where the King opens and closes the

sessions of the States. It will be a fine piece of work in respect

both of its composition and execution, but it will never have the

brilliancy which only Italy can give to this style of painting, and

which is so indispensable to it. I was much interested by the

apartments of the Elector Augustus the Strong, which were furnished in

the fashion of his age, and have never been used since, except by the

Emperor Napoleon. They contain a great number of specimens of Buhl

furniture, lacquer-work, gilt copper, old china, and inlaid wood, but

these things are kept in bad condition and badly arranged, and do not

make a quarter of the effect they should produce. The castle from the

outside looks like an old convent, but there are some curious

architectural details in its interior courts which remind me of the

castle of Blois, though they cannot vie with it. Nothing can give

grace, lightness, and elegance to architectural work like the

everlasting white stone which belongs exclusively to the centre of

France. Here the stone is very dark.

In the evening I had a visit from the Baron of Lindenau, Minister of

Education and Director of Museums. He played an important political