We had no guests at dinner, and the conversation was, for the most part, not worth repeating. The following may, however, be noted. Abeken said he had observed that I was keeping a very complete diary, and Bohlen added in his own lively style: “Yes, he writes down: ‘At 45 minutes past 3 o’clock Count or Baron So-and-so said this or that,’ as if he were going to swear to it at some future time.” Abeken said: “That will one day be material for history. If one could only live to read it!” I replied that it would certainly furnish material for history, and very trustworthy material, but not for thirty years to come. The Chief smiled and said: “Yes, and the reference will then be: ‘Conferas Buschii, cap. 3, p. 20.’”
After dinner I read State documents and ascertained from them that an extension of the German frontier towards the west was first officially submitted to the King, at Herny, on the 14th of August. It was only on the 2nd September that the Baden Government sent in a memorial in the same sense.
Monday, December 26th.—Waldersee dined with us. The conversation was almost entirely on military subjects. With respect to the further conduct of the war, the Chief said that the wisest course would be to concentrate our forces in Alsace-Lorraine, the department of the Meuse, and another neighbouring department, which would amount to a strip of territory with about 2,600,000 inhabitants. If one took in a few other departments in addition, without Paris, it would amount to about seven millions, or with Paris to about nine million inhabitants. In any case the operations should be limited to a smaller area than that occupied by our armies at present.
People’s ability to carry liquor was then discussed, and the Chief observed: “Formerly drink did not affect me in the least. When I think of my performances in that line! The strong wines, particularly Burgundy!” The conversation afterwards turned for a while on card-playing, and the Minister remarked that he had also done a good deal in that way formerly. He had once played twenty-one rubbers of whist, for instance, one after the other—“which amounts to seven hours time.” He could only feel an interest in cards when playing for high stakes, and then it was not a proper thing for the father of a family.
This subject had been introduced by a remark of the Chief’s that somebody was a “Riemchenstecher.” He asked if we understood what the word meant, and then proceeded to explain it. “Riemchenstechen” is an old soldiers’ game, and a “Riemchenstecher” is not exactly a scamp, but rather a sly, sharp fellow. The Minister then related how he had seen a father do his own son at cards out of a sum of twelve thousand thalers. “I saw him cheat, and made a sign to the son, who understood me. He lost the game and paid, although it cost him two years’ income. But he never played again.”
After dinner wrote another article on the barbarity with which the French wage war, and cut out for the King an article from the Staatsbuergerzeitung, recommending a less considerate treatment of the enemy.
CHAPTER XVI
FIRST WEEK OF THE BOMBARDMENT
On Tuesday, the 27th of December, the long-wished-for bombardment of Paris at length began, commencing on the east side. As the following particulars show, we at first knew nothing of it, and afterwards also it was only for a few days that the firing gave an impression of being particularly violent. We very soon grew accustomed to it, and it never entirely diverted our attention even from trifles, nor caused any lengthy interruption of our work or of the flow of thought. The French forts had been prepared for it. The diary may now resume its narrative.
From early morning on Tuesday until far into the day there was a heavy fall of snow and rather severe cold. In the morning Theiss, who serves Abeken as well as myself, and who seems to consider that our old Geheimrath is a Catholic, told me:—“He always reads his prayers in the morning. I believe it is Latin. He speaks very loud, so that he can sometimes be heard in the antechamber. Probably it’s a mass.” He then added that Abeken supposed the heavy firing that was heard from 7 A.M. was the commencement of the bombardment.