Günthersdorf, July 29, 1843.—I have come here from Polnisch-Wartenberg. I stayed at Breslau for a few hours to visit the churches, the old town hall, and some shops which are better stocked and in better taste than those of Berlin. I also wished to pay my respects to the Prince Bishop[ [104] and ask his blessing. He received me with affecting sympathy. My nephew who had accompanied me everywhere, left me in the cathedral and went to ask the Bishop if he could receive me; he immediately came to fetch me, notwithstanding his eighty-two years, and took me to his palace which he showed me. It is a fine residence, and I was obliged to accept an invitation to a meal. The traditions and character of Breslau pleased me greatly.
Günthersdorf, July 31, 1843.—I do not know Princess Belgiojoso well enough to say whether I should be flattered or not by the comparison which M. Cousin has given you of her mind and mine;[ [105] but I am quite certain that M. Cousin cannot possibly judge my character, seeing that I have never spoken with him nor in his presence. His statements therefore are based upon hearsay and are, in consequence, unreliable. In any case my learning which is confined to the seventeenth century will humbly strike its flag before a mother of the church. I do not write books, I am ignorant and grow more ignorant every day, as I am entirely occupied with personal interests, and if I were obliged to make researches into any subject, it would be into the law concerning fiefs.[ [106] This reminds me that I was startled this morning by the trumpet blast of a postillion which seemed to me to announce some courier sent to Germany for a definite answer. However, it was Herr von Wolff who had come with a new proposal concerning the Sagan affair. In a fortnight the business will either be ended satisfactorily or broken off altogether; so another fortnight of uncertainty must follow many months of suspense. The late M. de Talleyrand, who was always right, said that a long distance separated the agreement and the conclusion of any piece of business.
Günthersdorf, August 3, 1843.—I am sorry to hear of the death of General Alava, though he was not a character who held any high place in my esteem. With him more recollections of the past have disappeared; and at Rochecotte I had also looked after him and had grown accustomed to the sound of his stick upon my inlaid floors. Death is a very serious matter and when it begins to thin the ranks of one's intimate friends, as has been the case with me for several years, it is impossible to avoid serious reflections upon death. It comes nearer and nearer to my heart and sometimes it seems to me that I have no time to lose before I make all my preparations for the great and final journey.
Günthersdorf, August 10, 1843.—I spent nearly the whole of yesterday at Wartenberg: I propose to found a little hospital there and am greatly occupied by the preparations and arrangements for it, a task entirely after my own heart. I spent the beautiful evening sitting on my balcony, surrounded by flowers, reading and thinking; but if thoughts are to be pleasant the heart must be free from all sad and painful cares, otherwise meditation turns inevitably to bitterness.
Günthersdorf, August 16, 1843.—My sisters arrived yesterday morning and my son Louis yesterday evening; my nieces and their children have been here for some days with Count Schulenburg, so that my little house is almost full.
Günthersdorf, August 21, 1843.—Yesterday I went to mass at Wartenberg. When I came back I found Herr von Wolff who told us the terrible news of the fire in the Opera House at Berlin and the panic and danger which menaced the charming palace of the dear Princess of Prussia.[ [107] She was then indisposed and the fright seems to have made her quite ill. The young Archduke of Austria who was then in Berlin, seems to have behaved marvellously well.[ [108] Yesterday evening at tea time the Countess de le Roche-Aymon called here on her way to her niece, Madame de Bruges, who lives in Upper Silesia. She has decided to spend a few days with us: German by extraction, she has lived in France for a long time and is now returning to settle in her native land; she is cheerful and lively in spite of her seventy-three years. She told us that the will of Prince Augustus of Prussia, who has just died, was scandalous to the last degree,[ [109] and gave a full account of his mistresses and bastard children. The latter amount to a hundred and twenty, but have not all survived their father.
Hohlstein, September 6, 1843.—I arrived at Hohlstein the day before yesterday. Unfortunately the weather remains unpleasant and trying. Apart from my sisters there is no one here now except Fanny and myself and life is very quiet, which suits me entirely.
Yesterday my sisters took me to Neuland, three leagues from here. This is a large estate with a small castle which the ex-King of the Low Countries bought eighteen months ago from the Count of Nostitz. It is said that he proposes to settle it upon his wife. Some building is going on and the garden is being laid out, but on a restricted scale and in poor taste. The site is very ordinary; the fields alone are beautiful, but a man of taste might do a great deal. The appearance of the whole did not please me.
Berlin, October 11, 1843.—I can understand that the town of Berlin would not suit everybody's taste: though handsome it is too monotonous and too modern. Prague is much more imposing and Dresden more lively. The real importance of Berlin is entirely political and military, and it always gives one the impression of being at headquarters.
Herr von Humboldt is extremely kind, but a little spice of malice is invariably perceptible in his acts of politeness, and it is well to be on one's guard. He amuses the King with numberless stories in which charitable feeling is not the most striking motive.