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.