Berlin, June 15, 1843.—M. de Talleyrand arrived here the day before yesterday. We dined at the house of the Radziwills with M. Bresson who told me of the marriage of the Prince de Joinville. He is marrying a Brazilian princess who is pretty and lovable with a dowry of four million francs.
We spent the rest of the evening with the Princess of Prussia who was alone with her husband. I am sorry to think that this kind Princess will not be here on my return on the 23rd: she is starting for Weimar on the 20th and is to spend the summer with her mother. I feel very anxious about her health and spirits which are greatly depressed.
Berlin, June 16, 1843.—Yesterday I went with the Countess Neale to Potsdam by railway, to dine at Glienicke with Princess Charles of Prussia. The weather was rather cold but dry and clear. Prince Adalbert of Prussia who has just come back from Brazil was also there. He had seen the Princesse de Joinville at Rio de Janeiro and spoke of her as very pretty and pleasant; for the sake of the young Prince I am delighted.
In the evening I saw Madame Chreptowitz, née Nesselrode, who is coming from St. Petersburg on her way to Naples where her husband has been appointed Chargé d'Affaires. She says that M. de Custine's book is quite the rage at St. Petersburg, and rage is the correct term, for the book rouses the Russians to fearful wrath. They assert that it is full of falsehoods. The Emperor reads it attentively, speaks of it disdainfully, and is really disgusted with it. An amusing incident in reference to this subject, is the statement of Madame de Meyendorff, the wife of the Russian minister at Berlin, who loudly declares that the book is as true as it is amusing and says she hopes that it will teach the Russians to be less conceited.
Herr von Liebermann, Prussian Minister at St. Petersburg, who is also here on his way to Carlsbad, told me yesterday that his health and spirits had suffered severely at St. Petersburg and that he would be dead if he had not obtained leave of absence. The fact is that he looks very ill, in spite of his bloated appearance, and seems to be quite disgusted with Russia.
The King of Denmark has announced that he will visit the King of Prussia in the island of Rügen.
Sagan, June 17, 1843.—I arrived here this morning. I am staying in a pretty house opposite the castle where my father's chief agent used to live. I found a courier there who had come over from Muskau, asking me to go there and meet the Prince of Prussia. I shall therefore return to Berlin by way of Muskau and spend a day there.
In company with Herr von Wolff I drove round part of my new acquisition, including the forest, and was delighted by the stags and roe deer which came round the carriage.
Sagan, June 19, 1843.—Yesterday was Sunday and I went to high mass in a very pretty church in the town. The service was choral and was very tolerably performed. Then I went to the castle to examine the books and other objects which, however, are by no means valuable and which I have bought with the rest of the fief. This transaction somewhat confuses my position towards my nephew the Prince of Hohenzollern, and produces a very disagreeable mixture of meum and tuum, which I shall bring to an end as soon as possible.
This morning I went to the little church where my sister is buried and had mass said on her behalf. I explained to an architect the restoration which I desired to make in this church. On leaving it I paid a visit to the schools, the shelters and the factories. I then returned to dinner with the officers of the artillery battery and garrison here; they had invited the Prefect and several other persons from the town.