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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK

THE EMPEROR FREDERICK.
After fill iminihig lii/ FriiiK nm L'»h'Kh.

LIFE OF THE

EMPEROR FREDERICK

Edited from the German
MAR6ARETHA ,VON POSCHINGER

With an Introduction

SIDNEY WHITMAN

WITH A PORTRAIT

NEW YORK AND LONDON

HARPER y BROTHERS

1901

CONTENTS

CBAFTBR PAOB

INTRODUCTION - - - - - - vii

I. CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION - - - 1

II. AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY - - - 24

lU. THE prince's ENGAGEMENT - - - - 53

IV. THE ROYAL WEDDING - - - - - 87

V. THE ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF KINO WILUAM L

AND THE APPOINTMENT OF THE BISMARCK MINISTRY 111

VI. THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST - - 136

VII. OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR 1863 - - - 155

Vni. THE WAR WITH DENMARK - - - - 170

IX. THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE - - 200
X. THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES - - 218
XL THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR - - 248
XII. OTHER INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN - 265
Xm. THE CROWN PRINCE UNDER THE NORTH GERMAN CON-
FEDERATION ...... 290

XIV. THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR - 316

XV. AFTER THE GREAT WAR .... 348

XVL HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES • - 372

XVIL THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT - - - 395

XVni. MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILLIAM, AND OTHER EVENTS - 415

XIX. THE CROWN PRINCE'S ILLNESS- • - - 428

XX. THE EMPEROR'S LAST DAYS .... 444

INDEX .------ 457

INTRODUCTION

The German original* of this work has taken several
years to complete, and its last and most important
instalment will be issued in Berlin simultaneously
with this single- volume English edition.

My task has consisted principally in selecting from
the mass of material such portions as seemed most
likely to interest English readers, and in eliminating
as far as possible all second-hand comment and
appreciation, t The views expressed and judgments
passed are, of course, in nearly every case those of the
speaker.

It would be difficult to over-estimate the value of
the material here gathered together, the greater part
of which will be entirely new to tbe English reader.
The story is told either by the Emperor s contem-
poraries and co-workers or by official documents of
unquestionable authenticity. The q,ttempt is made
for the first time to describe the part the late
Emperor took in the political shaping of affitirs,
throwing entirely new light on several important
historical events. Even more pregnant is the weighty

* * Kaiser Friedrioh.' In neuer qaellenmassiger Darstellang von
Margaretha von Poschinger. Berlin : Rich. Bchroeder. Bande
I.-IIL, 1898-1900.

t I am indebted to Captain Geliibrand, 3rd Manchester
BegimeDt, for his valuable assistance in connectioD with the
many military terms which abound throughout the book.

INTRODUCTION

testimony rendered to his great military capacity by
no less an authority than his still living, distinguished
companion-in-arms, Field-Marshal Count Blumenthal.
The Emperor 8 own opinions are given, sometimes in
the form of letters, sometimes in public speeches,
and in both forms of address he was singularly
felicitous.

The contents of the volume include conversations,
letters, and personalia of monarchs, soldiers, savants,
statesmen, and men of letters, during the last half of
the nineteenth century. A letter from Goethe, the
aged seer of Weimar, whose words still catch the
echoes of the eighteenth century, with its powdered
wigs, its battlefields of Bossbach and Leuthen,
welcomes the birth of the future Emperor, whose
death is still fresh and poignant in our memory.

The Emperor s outward bearing is faithfully rendered
in Lenbach's beautiful portrait. Dignity and benevo-
lence are alike reflected in that manly coujitenance,
over which seems cast a ray of enthusiasm for all that
is noble. The expression of his blue eyes is said,
by those who saw him in the plenitude of health and
vigour, to have possessed a strange fascination, akin,
perhaps, to that which gleamed from the eyes of
Othello into the dreaming imagination of Desdemona's.

Born in an age of commerce and industry, amid the
whirr of the loom, the throb of the printing-press, the
Prince grew into manhood under the influence of
modem ideas. Like a Viking of old, he crossed the
sea to win the hand of a Sea-Queen's daughter. A
man of exquisite sensibility, above all a lover of peace,
we iind him next in a Northern camp, taking his share
— ^at first one without direct responsibility — in vio-

• • •
Vlll

INTRODUCTION

torious warfare. Thence, almost on the morrow, he is
in the South, himself leading the van and carrying the
day. And then, at the perihelion of his earthly course,
now Westward bound — another Ariovistus, with his
fair-bearded, blue-eyed Suevi — ^he crosses the Bhine
to meet the challenge of the old Latin rival of the
Teuton. Surrounded by the flower of his race — tall,
broad-shouldered men, magnificent in their virility —
the Crown Prince appears, just such another " blonde
Reckengestalt'^ And here, again, he reaps the laurel
of victory, not in hate or contempt of the foe, but,
rather, after the manner of brave men, in honour and
respect for his opponents. For they, too, though
vanquished, have done their duty — ever the noblest
achievement of manhood. Nor had the enemy, even
in the throes of defeat, anything of slander or of hate
for the Crown Prince. His career moves under the
blood-red sunset of a dying chivalry.

And what a time waa this, in which a royal Prince,
with such a military record, in such a unique position
of honour and glory, did not monopolize the world s
stage, was, indeed, only one in a cluster of stars !
* Verily, Germania, thou didst well to tread warily,
for feax of the envy of the gods.'

But, alas! the Fates were not to be propitiated.
Less than twenty years later, Germany, still under
the spell of the most fortunate of her many rulers,
was destined to mourn the untimely loss of one who,
dying in the very prime of life, must be held, both for
himself and his country, doubly unfortunate.

On the pinnacle of martial renown, in the full enjoy-
ment of perfect family happiness, and of an amount

of personal popularity rarely vouchsafed to anybody,

INTRODUCTION

the element of tragedy already shadowed his path.
In the words of the Prussian historian, Heinrich
von Treitschke, * He became the victim of the
wonderfiil greatness of his father, and therein lay
his tragic destiny.' Distinguished in war beyond all
but the greatest, such glory possessed few charms for
him. * I detest this butchery/ he sadly remarked on
the morrow of victory ; ' I have never longed for war
laurels, and would willingly have left such fame to
others without envying them. Yet it is just my fate
to be led from one war to another, and from battle-
field to battlefield, before I ascend the throne of my
ancestors. It is a hard lot.' His one ambition was
to work as a ruler for the welfare of his people. And
here, alas ! his eflforts were foredoomed to sterility.
An ardent champion of Liberalism, he lived to witness
its eclipse in nearly every European State, and at his
death thankfully accepted for his son the loyalty of
the great man whom during his life he had so often
opposed as the enemy of his political faith. An
opponent of capital punishment, he yet signed the
death-warrant of his father's would-be assassin, and
in these * returns upon himself* he won his hardest
and most honourable battles.

Long years in the fulness of vigour, which, according
to human probability, he might well have expected to
spend on the throne, he was forced to pass as Heir-
Apparent in comparative inactivity. This period he
endeavoured to fructify, in conjunction with his
consort, by furthering all kinds of benevolent under-
takings and by promoting the cultural interests of the
German people. It is largely owing to his initiative
that the splendidly successful excavations of Pergamos

INTRODUCTION

and Olympia were undertaken by the Prussian (xovem-
ment, and the divine Hermes of Praxiteles was restored
to new life.

Many of the treasured ideals of the Germans were
embodied in the person of the Emperor Frederick,
and among these none was more insistent than the
perennial yearning for the South and its culture. He
was often in Italy and loved to be there. In that
country, where so many of his imperial predecessors
had met an adverse fate, he, too, was destined, by the
operation of an inscrutable decree, to pass the long
days and nights of his martyrdom. At San Kemo the
German doctors first pronounced his malady incurable.

It is impossible to regard the Emperor Frederick's
fate without attempting to forecast his course of
action, had he been spared to rule over the German
people. * Believe me,' said his old companion-in-arms
to the writer, * if the Emperor Frederick had lived, he
would have contented everybody but those extreme
sections of society which it is impossible to please, for
— he never thought of himself

Whether the time has come when an unselfish gospel
of benevolence, promulgated fi-om a throne, could effect
a cure for some of the ills of human society must still
remain an open question. The answer which might
have been given in this instance is buried in the grave.
But there are positive indications that the Emperor
Frederick would have filled his high position worthily.

It is universally admitted that his conduct of

affairs during the Regency of 1878 was in every way

exemplary. Again, during his short reign there was

nothing to show that he would have broken with

those traditions, the steadfast adherence to which,

INTRODUCTION

under the leadership of genius, has been the making
of modem Germany. As a champion of tolerance the
Emperor Frederick was naturally opposed to every
arbitrary exercise of power. But this by no means
implies that he would have been blind to the machina-
tions of those who, seeing the mote in their neighbour's
eye, are conveniently oblivious of the beam in their
own. By his lifelong contact with the Prussian
aristocracy he was able to gauge their human limita-
tions and shortcomings. In dealing with those he
was less intimately acquainted with, his own generosity
of feeling doubtless now and then led him to believe
that others were as incapable of selfish aims as he was
himself. This, however, would at most have proved a
passing illusion, for he was not the man to be perma-
nently influenced by those who hoped to inspire his
policy.

The Emperor Frederick was what the Germans so
aptly term ein sittenreiner Mann; not merely a
moral man in the common and narrow acceptation of
the term, but also a man to whom the vicious mean-
nesses of life were altogether unknown. Above all, he
was himself the personification of a magnanimous and
cultivated gentleman. Although he did not live to
realize his ideals — some of them, perhaps, beyond all
hopes of earthly realization — we may fervently believe
that, apart even from his military triumphs, he is to be
counted among the small body of men whose lives are

given to the lasting service of the world.

« « * * «

* Princes bom in purple,' an old diplomatist once
remarked, 'possess one advantage over other men,
inasmuch as they are not exposed to the temptation of

• •

INTRODUCTION

stooping to unworthy means in order to "get on" in the
world. They are bom on the summit, and therefore
are not obliged to climb or crawl in order to get
there/

A serene satisfaction is within their grasp on the very
threshold of life, an enjoyment but rarely shared by
hxunbler mortak-the privUege of contributing towards
the welfare of others. And yet we know that in many
respects the life of those so favoured is scarcely more
fortunate than our own, for this world is no ideal city.
It is ordained that no trees, not even those planted by
princes, shall grow to touch the skies. The oppor-
tunities vouchsafed to the great are hedged and
narrowed by endless restrictions. If they can count
on the devotion of the few, they are also exposed to
the envy and slander of the many. In moments of
trial their position deprives them of the sweet solace
of " grappling friends to their soul with hooks of steel " ;
confidants they can only possess by facing the perils
inseparable from favouritism. As they are generally
addressed in the language of servility, so in their turn
they are liable to form an imperfect estimate of things
concerning which, from the very multitude of interests
constantly converging towards them, they can scarcely
possess exhaustive knowledge. Such, then, is the
natural working of the law of cause and eflTect, from
which only those rare men seem to be exempt in whom
the gift of intuition takes the form of genius, and does
duty for knowledge and experience.

It is not easy to live a Prince's life, least of all in
Grermany, where, with all due loyalty to the occupant
of the throne, nothing is taken for granted, not even
the heaven-bom virtues of a royal Prince. Outside

• • •
XUl

INTRODUCTION

the nanx)w circle of courtly self-complacency a ruthless
spirit of criticism prevails, which, with scant respect for
the purple robe, is only too ready to tear the laurel
from a hero's brow. Does not a great German poet
proclaim:

« The world delights io smirch the radiant splendonr
And drag sublimity along the dost ' ?*

It is therefore all the more significant that malevolent
criticism never attacked the Emperor Frederick. His
magnetic personality, his stainless private life, blended
with the memory of invaluable services in war, and
constant efforts in peace for the welfare of others,
disarmed the critic and strung the lyre of praise.

SIDNEY WHITMAN.

♦ ' Bs liebt die Welt das Strahlende zu schwarzen
Und das Erhabene in den Staub zu ziehen.'

Schiller.
xiv

LIFE OF

THE EMPEROR FREDERICK

CHAPTER I

CHILDHOOD AND EABLY EDUCATION

1831—1849

The marriage of Prince William of Prussia, the second
son of Frederick William III., with Princess Augusta
of Saxe- Weimar-Eisenach took place on June 11, 1829,
at Berlin, where the newly- wedded couple took up their
residence at 37, Unter den Linden.

Prince William is thus described in a letter from
Herr von Gagern to Freiherr von Stein, the great
Prussian statesman of the time of the Napoleonic
wars : * He has the noblest appearance imaginable,
and looks more impressive than anyone else ; yet he
is always simple and chivalrous, bright and amiable,
though never lacking in dignity.' Nor did the char-
acter of the Princess lack admirers; Goethe, the
greatest of German poets, wrote to a friend : * And
now to conclude with the most agreeable of all sub-
jects. It afforded me intense pleasure to hear that

I B

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

Princess Augusta gave you the impression of being so
happy in her new life ; in her the womanly and royal
attributes are combined so perfectly that they really
arouse one's astonishment and awaken feelings of
regard and aflPection/ Prince William but echoed the
poet's sentiments in penning the following lines to his
father-in-law, the Hereditary Grand-Duke of Saxe-
Weimar-Eisenach : * I trust I shall succeed in making
Augusta as happy as she deserves and expects to be,
and as I desire to make her/

The home-life of the royal couple was guided by
the talented Princess into the ideal atmosphere that
had characterized her home in Weimar, where she had
learnt to appreciate the intercourse with such men as
the Humboldts, Bokh, Gneisenau, Boyen and others.
She eagerly devoted herself to the study of the fine
arts and music ; her charm of manner and self-posses-
sion, no less than her never-failing tact, fisuscinated all
who came into contact with her.

In the third year of their married life a son was
bom to them on October 18, 1831, the anniversary of
the Battle of Leipsic, a fitting day for the birth of a
Prince destined to achieve victories no less important
than that of the Volkerschlacht.

On August 28 Princess Augusta had written to
Goethe to congratulate him on his birthday :

* On this happy day, when you will be overwhelmed
with the sincerest good wishes, permit me also, dear
Herr Geheimrath, to add to those expressions the
wishes which this celebration calls to mind, namely,
the most heartfelt prayer for your health and happi-
ness, which, though I am far away fi-om you, I cannot

i849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

deny myself the pleaBure of expressing to you in a
letter.

' May Heaven grant you the fulfilment of all those
good wishes-to which I add my own-and may this
happy day begin for you a year fall of joy and free
from all sorrow, in which I may, perhaps, have the
great pleasure of seeing you so as to assure myself
personally of your good health, and tell you verbally
all that which these lines fail to express. These good
wishes I send you, hoping that you will always re-
member and believe in the truest gratitude of your —

' Augusta.'

To this letter Goethe replied on November 9, 1831 :
* The gracious letter of Your Royal Highness lent
the 28th of August such glory that I, dazzled thereby,
have hitherto been unable to suitably express my
gratitude. The brightest hopes of Your Royal High-
ness still continue to cheer us, though they were at
times overshadowed by anxiety. Thus, we lived to
see the 18th of October, and when we caught sight of
the bonfires and watched the coruscating fireworks,
accompanied by loud reports, my most fervent wish
was that they might prove true heralds of the joy
now dawning on the horizon. Next morning everyone
went to the Belvedere, where the Agricultural Society
had collected and displayed, row by row, conclusive
evidence of the progress made by agriculture and
horticulture. Every product of the garden or the
field — large plants and small, fruit-trees grown in the
open air, roots and bulbs which thrive in prepared soil,
and many other things which require more time to
describe than to see and admire — were to be seen

3 B 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

there in the greatest profiision. Nor was there any
lack of labour-saving appliances, which Science, with
a view to assisting Nature, is for ever busy inventing.

* While the wealth of the vegetable kingdom was
thus filling us with wonder, news reached us of the
convalescence of Your Royal Highness, and the intima-
tion of the renewal of a race that for ever branches
out afresh from the ancient and venerable stem
transported us to the highest pinnacle of human
happiness. I must leave Your Royal Highness's own
feeling to judge how this coincidence of epochs, events
and happy omens stirred and moved us. I can only
say how fortunate I consider myself in being per-
mitted at such a moment to express my deepest
thanks for the gracious remembrance, to which I at
all times commend myself in true sympathy with the
feelings of joy which similar circumstances inspire in
the humblest, and which now electrify the most exalted
ranks of society. *

The new-born Prince was baptized on November 13,
and received the names Frederick William Nicholas
Charles. Until the year 1840 the Prince was called
Frederick both at Court and in all genealogical com-
pilations, but on the accession of Frederick William IV.
he was ordered to use his first two names — Frederick
William. During the first two years of his life the
infant Prince was nursed by Frau Rosener and Fraulein
Weber before passing under the care of his governess,
Madame Godet, the widow of a NeufchS,tel merchant.
A general supervision was exercised by Frau von
Clausewitz, the widow of the celebrated Prussian
strategist. Madame Godet was a woman of strong
independence of character, and besides being deeply

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

religious, she was also highly educated, and had
gained much experience in teaching in her old home
in Neufch&tel.

Unfortunately, but few details of these early years
and of the Prince's first happy childish games have
been preserved. A letter of congratulation from the
little Prince to his grandfather, Frederick William III.,
which is kept in the castle on the Pfaueninsel, near
Potsdam, dates from the time of his first lessons. It
is written in French, no doubt because the little boy,
with childish pride, wished at the same time to show
the King what progress he had made in that language.

* I congratulate you, my dear Grandfather,' he
wrote, * on your birthday, and hope, with all my heart,
that you are always quite well. August 3rd, 1838.

'Fritz;

The earliest letter of the young Prince in English
ran as follows :

'My dear Mrs. Gornbr,

' I promise You that I will be very attentive,
and I hope You will very soon come give me a very
good lesson.

*I am

'Your

' Very good scolar,
'Fritz William.

' Bbblin, the 6th of January, 1841.'

A small collection of valuable autograph papers is
in the possession of Herr Ernst, whose father shared
the duties of tutor to the young Prince with Pro-
fessor Schellbach and the headmaster Heller. Prince

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

William was then living at the Castle of Babelsberg,
and these three tutors had to attend there on certain
days of the week, and, besides other subjects, Herr
Ernst had to give the young Prince lessons in writing.
Among this collection is a note which had accom-
panied a porcelain cup, with a view of Castle Babels-
berg, which young Fritz presented to his tutor. It is
as follows :

' Beblin,
* December 22, 1844.

' Dear Herb Ernst,

* Please accept this cup with my best thanks for
the lessons which you have taught me. I hope the
view of the little castle will very often remind you of
the instruction which you have given me for six years.

' With this wish, I remain,
• * Yours gratefully,

'Frederick William.'

Another item of the collection is a letter of con-
dolence to the tutor, who had lost his wife, and had
informed his pupil of this bereavement. It is dated
Babelsberg, July 7, 1846, and contains this very
characteristic passage : * I cannot express my sympathy
so well in my own words, as in those of our Lord,
" Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be com-
forted." But the greatest consolation no doubt is,
that we have a Father above who sees our sorrow
and hears our prayers.'

Corporal Bludau, of the 2nd Regiment of Guards,

was chosen to give the Prince his first drill instruction,

while Corporals Gohring and Kubon, of the 1st Infantry

Regiment of Guards, were selected to supplement his

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

instructions. Later on the young Prince was handed
over to Corporals Bantow and Tietz, of the 2nd
Infantry Regiment of Guards. For these exercises
the Prince wore a little military coat, which, as well
as his cloak, bore the badge of the Stettin Landwehr
Battalion of the Guards.

During the early days of his youth Fritz made
great friends with Princess Charlotte of Prussia, who
afterwards became Princess of Meiningen and mother
of his fiiture son-in-law. He was also frequently with
his cousin Prince Frederick Charles and his two
sisters. The Princess,* who later on became Queen
Elizabeth, the wife of Frederick William IV., had no
children, and it was consequently a great pleasure to
her to have her young nephews and nieces roimd her
to fill the gap in her home life.

While Fritz was still quite a child, Rudolf von
Zastrow, the son of a military officer, was chosen as
his companion on account of his bright disposition,
which formed a fitting complement to the Prince's
serious nature. Absolute impartiality was observed
in the education of the two boys. They were even
dressed alike, and they were never separated until
young Zastrow joined the army.

We are told that kindness of heart and the love of
truth were the Prince's most prominent characteristics.
In the autumn of 1838, when he was seven years old,
his education was handed over to other tutors, and for
this purpose Colonel von Unruh, who until then had
been his father's aide-de-camp, was appointed his
military governor, while Madame Godet's son, a young
theologian from Neufch^tel, who had completed his

* Daughter of King Maximilian I. of Bavaria.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

Btudies in Berlin and Bonn, was appointed as his tutor.
The Prince soon became much attached to the latter,
and in after-years he declared that no one had been
able to explain the more difficult questions of creed so
clearly as Godet. Under the general superintendence
of Colonel von Unruh the Prince received instruction
from masters selected from the Berlin public schools,
while officers of the army continued his military
education.

Many detailed communications passed between the
royal mother and the Prince's tutors with regard to
the method of his instruction and education. She
exerted all the compelling force of her personality to
insure that the best methods should be employed,
whilst still maintaining with the utmost tenderness
the true position of a mother. The aim of all her
endeavours and exertions in this matter was to give
Fritz the widest, most liberal, and independent views
possible, besides instilling in him a right judgment on
all subjects.

He was taught music, dancing, gymnastics, and
fencing, and had also to learn book -binding and
carpentering, in compliance with the old custom of the
House of Hohenzollem that all Princes should acquire
the practical knowledge of at least one handicraft.
The art of type-setting was acquired in 1843, when
Herr Hanel, the proprietor of a large printing establish-
ment in Berlin, presented the Prince with a complete
though small hand printing press. A garden-chair is
still shown at the Castle of Babelsberg which the
Prince made in his youth for his father.

In later years the Prince often jokingly referred to

his 'apprenticeship' in book printing, binding and

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

carpentering. On one occasion he inquired after the
trade of a pupil at the Berlin Industrial School. On
receiving the answer, *Art carpenter,' the Crown
Prince remarked with apologetic irony : * I, too, was
once a carpenter, but I never got so far as an art
carpenter.'

The tranquillity of his boyhood was interrupted by
various events. In 1838 a sister, christened Louise
after her paternal grandmother, was bom, and two
years later, on the death of Frederick William III., the
young Prince's uncle ascended the throne as Frederick
William IV., and, in accordance with the Prussian
custom, his father took the title of Prince of Prussia.
When Prince Frederick William reached his tenth
year, he received his commission as Second-Lieutenant
in the 1st Infantry Regiment of Guards, and was in-
vested with the Order of the Black Eagle. He was at
the same time placed d la suite of the 2nd Battalion
(Stettin) of the 1st Landwehr Regiment of Guards, and
was introduced to the officers of his regiment in the
following words : ' You are still a little boy, Fritz,
but take pains to get to know these gentlemen. One
day you will have as much authority over them as
they now have over you.'

Professor Ernst Curtius succeeded Godet, who in
1844 had exchanged his post as the Prince's tutor
for a clerical position in Neufch&tel. He held the
position of tutor in the Prussian Royal Family for
six years, his special duty being to give the Prince
instruction in history and classical languages, and
to cultivate his literary and artistic tastes. His
efforts met with entire success, though it has been
suggested that a more decided and robust tutor would

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

have been more suitable, master and pupil being
perhaps too much alike in temperament. But there
can be no doubt that the high sense of the ideal, the
warm enthusiasm for all spiritual aspiration, the
charm of his manner — in fact, all those characteristics
which won for the Crown Prince a firm place in the
hearts of his countrymen, and secured to him so great
a share in the glory of the union of the (Jerman races
—owe their development to a large extent to the teach-
ing, example, and influence of his young tutor. The
keen interest also in Greek antiquity which Curtius
instilled into the Prince was in the future to bear rich
fruit. Frederick rewarded his tutor by the most
grateful aflection, which he maintained throughout his
life, and never failed to give a hearty proof of it upon
every possible occasion.

Accompanied either by Colonel von Unruh or Dr.
Curtius, he began to undertake short journeys into
the neighbouring provinces and States. In this way
he visited the towns and islands of the Baltic, and
made long walking tours through the Harz, Thuringia,
Saxon Switzerland, and the Giant Mountains, thus
acquiring a taste for travel and a knowledge of the
country and people by means of personal observation.
Otherwise the sununer was spent at Babelsberg, near
Potsdam.

Already in his early youth the Prince acquired the

good habit, which he kept up during his whole life, of

noting down in diaries the varied impressions of the

moment, and thus he remembered the occurrences and

experiences, observations and sensations, of every day.

It may have seemed to him of value to write a book

about himself, and thus become his own biographer ;

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

and no doubt his quiet love of literary pursuits
encouraged him to the fiirther development of this
habit.

The first notes in the shape of a diary date from his
eleventh year, and during the three following years
fiirther notes were added to the collection, which
received the title of —

' LEAVES OP A DIABT.
' Of thb Pbriod fbom Ootobbb 12, 1842, to August 3, 1845.'

October 12, 1842. — The marriage of Marie, Princess
of Prussia, who married the future King Maximilian 11.
of Bavaria. * In the evening G^rge, Fritz, and Abbat
came to us with their tutors; we then drove to the
castle, where we were joined by Wiwi. Lolo, and
Anna. We went to the room which adjoins the
chapel ; it was very hot, and we had to wait there for
half an hour. Soon after we entered the chapel, and
took our places to the left of the altar, and then the
procession arrived. Papa accompanied Marie, Uncle
King entered with Aunt William, Uncle William and
the Count of Nassau led Aunt Elise, Uncle Charles
came with mamma, Waldemar with Aunt Charles,
Prince Augustus with Aunt Marianne, and Charles of
Hess came with Elizabeth. Eylert then gave an
address, after which, on the exchange of rings, a
salute of thirty-six shots was fired, whereupon the
attestation was read aloud by Max. When the
ceremony was over we went into Queen Elizabeth's
apartments and loitered about during the reception.
At last we had supper, after which we had to go
through many dark rooms into the White Drawing-
room. Here the torchlight procession began in the

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

usual way ; garters were distributed, and at its con-
clusion we separated. Marie wore a white dress em-
broidered in silver, with a train of the same ; all the

Princes wore their orders, and the Princesses trains.

« « « « «

* After half-past one o'clock, October 26, 1842,
everyone assembled in the rooms of the castle over-
looking the court to witness the entrance of Aunt
Sophie into Weimar.* The procession began at two :
first came the postilions, who filed past blowing their
horns ; then came members of several guilds on horse-
back, followed by more on foot ; next followed the
carriage, drawn by six cream-coloured horses, in which
sat Aunt Sophie with Countess Redem, while Uncle
Charles rode next to her on a gray horse. Behind the
carriage drove young girls in various Dutch costumes,
who had received Aunt Sophie. We went down to
meet and receive the procession, after which there was

a big dinner, and in the evening a family supper.

« « • • •

* On January 6 we had drawn lots among ourselves,
and Fritz and Anna Carl were chosen kings for
the beanfeast at Uncle Frederick William's ;t but
the feast was not kept till the 13th. We drove to
the castle at half-past six and assembled in the hall,
after which we formed into a procession, and marched
in step to the White Drawing-room, where a throne
had been erected, to which Fritz and Anna were
conducted. The various masters of the ceremony next
read out very amusing regulations, and after this F.

* Prinoess of Holland, who married Carl Alexander, Hereditary
Grand-Duke of Saze- Weimar,
t The King of Prussia.

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

and A. distributed medals, the Court fool making
jokes the while. When this was finished the ball
began. First there was a reception, then dancing,
and the ceremony of kissing hands, and a torchlight
procession in the middle. A talking machine, which
had been introduced as a surprise, was shown, then
supper followed, and the evening ended with another
reception and congratulations.

* The manoeuvres of cadets under Fritz Carl began
at twelve o'clock on July 9, 1843, in the big avenue
which leads to Stolpe, where we had ridden with
Fritz Carl, Gerhardt, Frentz, Rudolf, Fritz Salpius,
and Adolf Konigsmark. After we had distributed the
arms and ammunition, the cadets came and were
divided into two divisions ; F. C. received Lieutenant
von R(')ssel as commander, with thirty-six cadets,
besides Gerhardt and Frentz, while Lieutenant von
Gurowski as commander, with thirty- six cadets, in-
cluding Fritz and my friends, were assigned to me.
F. C. thereupon marched into the heath, whilst his
papa came to be present at our division, after which
he drove away, three cheers being given, and then the
manoeuvres began. I, as Gurowski's aide-de-camp,
was put in command of ten scouts, and we beat Fritz
almost to Stolpe, having stormed many hills and
trenches on the way. At Stolpe an attack was made
in order to get through the village, and after many
assaults we at length reached the camp. I then
became a scout, and lay down with the others, upon
which each section received its rations separately.
We ten drank out of the same glass and ate off the

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

same plate ; after that we got ready and recommenced
the manoeuvre. We were soon driven back towards
NIkolskoi, and after several charges we had some
refreshment at the roadside. I thereupon again
became aide-de-camp, and we were beaten on the
heath. After dinner we again passed through Stolpe,
and disturbed the villagers at games ; and when the
aflernoon meal was finished, we got back to the
Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, where papa and
Uncle Charles witnessed the finish. The enemy twice
stormed a bridge and was repulsed, and then at last
we got our supper. We again ate and drank together,
and afler some rest we returned to Glienicke by round-
about ways, with beating drums and blowing of
trumpets. The arms were twenty rifles, a number of
blowpipes, and six bushels of peas.

* On August 3, 1844, at a quarter to twelve o'clock,
I drove to Potsdam Town Hall with Fritz Carl for the
laying of the foundation-stone for the monument to
the memory of King Frederick William III. The
procession had just begun, and we joined it. When
we reached the Wilhelm's Platz the band played a
piece, and then the Mayor, Herr St. Paul, made a
speech, after which Herr Steinhaussen read out the
deed which was to be placed in the stone. I then
descended into the vault with Persius, laid some
mortar, and gave three taps with the hammer on the
stone; my cousin and the Prince of WUrtemberg,
besides other gentlemen, followed me and did likewise.
After this, money and the deed were laid inside, and
the stone was closed, Sydow having pronounced the

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

blessing over it. At the close of the ceremony a

hymn was sung, and we returned home.

♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦

* I drove to Potsdam with Fritz Carl at — o'clock,
August 3, 1845, for the unveiling of the monument to
the King in Potsdam, and we got down at the post-
office. After a time we came out and waited on the
bridge opposite the monument for the procession, which
we joined, and took up our positions in front of the
statue, which was still covered over. During the
arrangements the King's march was played. When
St. Paul annoimced that the moment for the unveiling
had arrived, the covering fell oflF amidst the cheering
of thousands of voices. Herr Steinhaussen then handed
the charter of the monument to the Mayor, after
which the National Anthem was sung. We then
walked roimd the statue, and, having talked to several
people, drove home.*

Of these early years General von Unruh relates the
following stories, which he had intended publishing as
an article in October, 1849, but which were discreetly
withheld and not published until 1898, when they were
noted down from memory :

* The celebration of a birthday — as far as I can
remember, the eighth or ninth — was over, and the
happy party of playfellows had been sent home after
supper. I then found the Prince at the writing-table,
and did not disturb him. He seemed to be calculating.
Now and then he put down his pen and became
lost in thought, after which he would write on.
Thus the hours passed. I watched my pupil without
attracting his attention for a long time. It had grown

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

very late, when I, having after a time become
engrossed in a book, looked round for the Prince, and
noticed that he had quietly fallen asleep, resting his
little head between his hands on the writing-table.
So I rang the bell, and an old lackey carried the
sleeper to bed. I then took up a small exercise-book
into which the Prince had written names and numbers.
Involuntarily my eye caught sight of that which had
completely engrossed my royal pupil for so long,
especially after the merry and noisy party, which had
been going on since the afternoon. Every year King
Frederick William III. gave his nephew Fritz fifty
Friedrichs-d'or for his birthday, with the distinct
understanding that he was to be free of restrictions
and allowed to spend it independently. The task
which had absorbed the Prince up to such a late hour,
and which had formed the conclusion of his birthday,
had been to find out to whom he would give pleasure
and with what, also how much he might be able to
spend upon each. This calculation was not done in
equal sums, though in equal divisions, according to
inclination, but more particularly with reference to
the estimated merits of each case, as well as their
separate circumstances and conditions. I waa filled
with astonishment by the earnestness of the work;
the insight into human nature, the loving forethought
(extending beyond the more intimate circles), and the
charitable spirit of the boy touched me deeply. I
added the number of entries together and found that
Fritz, before he had fallen asleep, had allotted the
whole of the fifty Friedrichs-d or I*

* On a later occasion, presumably his twelfth birth-
day, Queen Victoria had given the Prince a handsome

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

kilt, complete in every detail. In the forenoon of
October 18 the Princess of Prussia made her son
put on the costly dress in her presence. I came in
just then, and refi:ained with diflBculty from an exclam-
ation of admiration, for this becoming dress suited
the Prince remarkably well, and made him look the
picture of perfect beauty. The Princess, impressed by
this, desired that her son should appear before her
guests after the state dinner. At the appointed time,
the Prince, attired as a Highlander, was conducted
into the dining-room. I expected him to come back
in triumph, with beaming countenance, and in an
excited frame of mind, carried away by the genuine
admiration of the gentlemen of the Court and the
diplomatists, as well as by the tender speeches of the
ladies. The Prince returned, however, after half an
hours absence, in a pitiftil state of dejection, with
tears in his eyes! As soon as the lackey who had
conducted him had left the room, and he was alone
with me, he broke out into a great passion, tore the
costume off with violence, and threw the separate
parts about. He looked even handsomer than in the
Highland dress in his rage at having been made to
act such a part, like in a circus, and at having had to
submit to the impudent exclamations, horrid caresses,
and familiarities. He concluded this storm with these
words : " I will never wear this dress again ; I am
ashamed !" '

* The Prince one day rushed into my presence with
the urgent request that I would decide who had been
in the right, his father or he, in a heated dispute which
had taken place between them. Having received a

detailed account of the differences of opinion from the

17 c

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

Prince, I made him answer many searching questions.
After careftil consideration, I was obliged to declare
the Prince of Prussia to be in the wrong, in spite
of the danger of deciding in favour of the son against
the father, and thus strengthening his opposition.
However, I determined at once to let the truth pre-
vail, telling my pupil that everyone was liable to err,
and that I was firmly convinced that this time his
father wa^ in the wrong and the Prince in the right.
I wished to add the exhortation that he should not
boast about it ; but nothing came of this, for hardly
had the Prince heard the verdict than he flung him-
self upon the ground, sobbing, and crying out, " Now
everything is lost !" His last hope had been that I
would convince him that he was in the wrong, and that
then he might have apologized to his father, "but
now everything is lost !" I was deeply moved by this,
and desired the Prince to follow me to his father, to
whom I was immediately announced and admitted,
Fritz meanwhile waiting in the anteroom. I put
the whole case before the father, telling him that
I had discharged my bounden duty to the son by
declaring that he was in the right and His Royal High-
ness in the wrong, and described the impression this
had made upon the Prince. "To have such a son
is a blessing from God!" was my concluding ex-
clamation. The Prince of Prussia listened in silence,
pressed my hand fervently, and then sent for his
son. Upon his entrance he held out his arms,
and exclaimed, "You are wrong, Fritz, but you are
also in the right, and so you shall carry your point " ;
whereupon the Prince, filled with joy, embraced his

father.

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

* The Prince once complained to hia tutor about one
of his teachers, who had referred to the fact that he
would one day be King, which statement the young
Prince could not understand. The teacher then gave
him a detailed explanation how, at the death of His
Majesty, the Prince of Prussia would be King, and
how upon his death • . . But he got no further, for
the Prince interrupted him indignantly: "I know
nothing about this ; I have never thought of it, and
I do not wish my father's death to be referred to."
Fritz then entreated me to forbid the master to
discuss such unseemly subjects. ^'Can that be a
subject of education V* he asked. And so I took steps
to dose the mouth of the talkative master. The
impression then made upon the boy remained with
him until his manhood. When at Versailles, discussing
with Bismarck how his position to the Emperor and
the Empire would be described in the French language,
the Chancellor had jokingly called him '* Prince
Imperial." Against this the Crown Prince had pro-
tested that he did not wish to '* wear Lulu s cast-off
garments." Bismarck had then quite seriously sug-
gested "Prince h^ritier de I'Allemagne," and that
early impression was revived. The Crown Prince
declared that he had always detested the titles " Heir
to the reigning Prince," " Hereditary Grand-Duke."
" These are titles and rank which imdisguisedly
speculate on the death of the father." Bismarck then
found the present title in the article on the Dauphin
in the Dictionary of the French Academy. The Crown
Prince was satisfied with it, because he was thus not
obliged to call himself the heir.'

The following letter from Emanuel Geibel, the poet,

19 c 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

to Fraulein von der Malsburg, affords an early glimpse
of the young Prince's character :

' Salzbubg,

' June 10, 1847.

* . . . The intercourse with the Court of the Princess
of Prussia, who manifested exceptionally kind feel-
ings towards me, alone afforded some change in that
monotony. An almost firiendly relationship gradually
sprang up between me and her son, Prince Frederick
William, who will one day be King of Prussia. He
possesses a simple, noble temperament, and a clear
intellect, full of an innate regard for spiritual things.

' In many ways he reminds one of his grandfather ;
but the sensible education which he has received, and
which is founded upon the principle that he is not to
grow up in royal seclusion, but as a man amongst men,
makes one hope that some day he will, in a greater
degree even than that worthy old gentleman, prove
himself an ornament to the throne.*

On April 13, 1848, while Greneral Leopold von
Gerlach was paying his respects to the Princess
William, he came upon the young Prince in the ante-
chamber. Gerlach's diary contains the following entry
with reference to this meeting : * The young Prince is
very amiable, modest, and natural.'

Moritz Busch* quotes the following remark of
Prince Bismarck in the year 1888, when describing
his relations with the Emperor Frederick : * Even in
the year 1848 and 1849 — he was still very thin and
slight — he manifested a strong attachment towards

* Biamarck : ' Some Secret Leaves from his History.'

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

me ; and when he wa43 forbidden to do this at Potsdam,
he was in the habit of strolling out in the twilight to
shake hands with me.'

The Court Chaplain Heym was chosen to prepare
him for his Confirmation. During the summer of the
year 1848, after the Prince had received the necessary
instruction, he made his public declaration of the Evan-
gelical Creed in the Court Chapel of Charlottenburg
on September 29 ; and in the presence of his family,
the household, the clergy, his. tutors, and his com-
panions, he read out an essay which he had himself
written upon his ideas of God and the truths of
Christianity. He was confirmed by the head Court
Chaplain, Dr. Ehrenberg.

On February 7, 1849, Colonel von Unruh, owing
to ill-health, had retired from the position of tutor to
the Prince.

The following entry appears in Leopold von Gerlach's
diary under the date of May 3, 1849: *I drove to
Potsdam in the early morning with Wrangel, the
1st Regiment of the Guards and the Rifles of the
Guard being there. The Prince of Prussia spoke
very well about Germany. At the dinner of the
1st Regiment of Guards, I sat next to the young
Prince Frederick William, and I told him how I
envied him on account of his youth, for he would no
doubt survive the end of the absurd Constitutionalism.
He was of opinion that a representation of the people
would become a necessity, and I endeavoured to make
it clear to him that Constitutionalism did not neces-
sarily follow upon the absence of Absolutism.'

On June 3, 1849, the Prince was promoted to the

rank of First Lieutenant, and during the autumn

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1831-

manoeuvres of that year he himself oommanded No. 6
Company of the 9th Infantry Regiment (Colberg's),
to which had been added the Ist Squadron of the
Hussars of the Guard, and on one of the days of the
manoeuvres he captured an outpost belonging to the
skeleton enemy.

On October 18, 1849, in the forenoon, a brilliant
levee took place at the Castle of Babelsberg to
celebrate the Prince's eighteenth birthday, which also
formed the close of the period of his minority. All
the State Ministers, including the President and
several members of the Upper Chamber, numerous
military personages, the households, deputations of
town magistrates, and other notabilities, had arrived
fix)m Berlin by the eleven o'clock train. All present
were in fiill dress. The young Prince appeared with
his parents immediately upon their arrival, in order
to receive their congratulations, among these being
addresses from the town officials, which were read by
the Mayor of Berlin, Herr Naun3m.

The Prince returned thanks, and said that, should

Providence ever call him to a higher position, he would

do all in his power to prove himself worthy of it, and

that he would more especially always keep the welfare

of the town of Berlin in view. He begged those present

to tell their con/rhes that he had been most deeply

touched by their attention, and that he repeatedly

desired to thank them for it. After another address

the Prince said ; * I am still very young, but I will

prepare myself for my high calling with zeal and love,

and will endeavour one day to realize the hopes which

shall then be laid upon me by God as a duty.'

The town authorities of Potsdam and Brandenburg,

1849] CHILDHOOD AND EARLY EDUCATION

as well as the Patriotic Association of the latter town,
presented addresses of congratulation to which the
Prince replied, and, in thanking the magistrates of
Brandenburg, he said that the exalted example of his
ancestors would incite him, too, to be a faithful King
to his people, if he should once bear the sceptre.

At the conclusion of this ceremony in honour of his
coming of age, the admission of the Prince into the
Chapter of the Order of the Black Eagle took place.

CHAPTER II

AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

1849—1855

After the Prince s coming of age preparations were
made for his going to Bonn. His parents had for
years planned that the fixture heir to the Crown of
Prussia should attend one of the national Universities ;
but, as this was contrary to the traditions of the
dynasty, the Princess of Prussia had used her influence
unceasingly, so that her nephew, Prince Frederick
Charles, should attend the University of Bonn on the
completion of his home studies in 1846, in order to
secure the attendance of a Prince of the House as a
precedent for her son. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, afterwards the Prince Consort of Queen
Victoria of Great Britain, had studied political science
and history there nine years previously, and the
Princes Alexander and Greorge of Prussia had also
studied in Bonn for some time in order to complete
their scientific education.

On November 7, 1849, Prince Frederick William
arrived in Bonn to attend the University. His rooms
were on the first floor of the University building, the
former Elector's castle, in the left wing, facing the

1849-55] ^T THE BONN UNIVERSITY

Rhine. They consisted of three plainly - furnished
rooms, from the window of which one could see the
shady, wide-branching crowns of the huge old trees of
the park, the extensive lawns, and the centre block of
the Poppelsdorfer Castle, proudly rising in the distant
background. The residence of his military escort,
Colonel Fischer, adjoined the Prince's apartments,
whilst the aide-de-camp. Lieutenant von Heinz, had
to content himself with a room overlooking the court-
yard, as had also the Prince's companion, Ernest
Senflft von Pilsach, the son of the Ober- President of
Pomerania, who now filled the place of the former
companion, Rudolf von Zastrow. Ernst Curtius was
also in the Prince's suite, but he only remained at
Bonn for one term, and was then permitted to consider
his task accomplished, having introduced his royal
pupil to the circle of Professors and students in the
Rhenish town and University with which he was so
familiar.

Colonel Fischer, by his simple and unassuming
manner, soon became a universal favourite in Bonn,
and formed ties of intimacy with the Professors,
more especially with Professors Perthes and Dahl-
mann. He had exercised the greatest influence on
the Prince's education, and had above all things
taught him independence, and guided his opinions on
popular lines. A member of the upper middle class
himself, he abhorred all ostentation with shallow
pretence. aJl exaggeration and boasting of gilded class
prejudices ; he did not associate closely with the
greater aristocratic circles of Berlin, nor could he be
regarded as a * strict conservative ' according to the
prevailing views. He led a happy family life with his

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

wife and chUdren, and with them Frederick found a
substitute for his home life. The Prince's studies were
calculated to extend over a period of four terms, and
were arranged on the foUowing plan :

Winter^ 1850-51. — Completion of German History
of Law and of Political Law, four hours with Professor
Perthes. Gterman Civil Law, three hours with Pro-
fessor Walter. Universal History from the fourteenth
century, three hours with Professor Lobell. PoUtics,
five hours with Professor Dahlmann. French Con-
versation and Style, two hours with Professor Monnard.
English Conversation, two hours with Dr. Walter
Perry.

Winter^ 1851-52. — Political Law, four hours. Pro-
fessor Perthes. International Law, two hours. Pro-
fessor Hfilschner. Criminal Law, two hours, Professor
Bauerband. Ecclesiastical Law, two hours, Professor
Bluhme. Literature, three hours. Professor Lobell.
Science of Fortification, two hours. Colonel Fischer, and
riding with officers of the 8th Uhlan Regiment.

He devoted himself whole-heartedly to his work
with praiseworthy perseverance, for, with a just per-
ception of their importance, he regarded the years of
study as a period of preparation for his fiiture high
calling. Nevertheless, he did not give up all pleasures,
for, ' He knew how to combine a love of study with
a happy enjoyment of life; modesty with him was
combined with regard for all knowledge and power.
He would meet the members of a circle totally strange
to him with frank cordiality, and remained faithful to
those whom he had himself chosen from amongst his
fellow-students, without distinction of rank or position,

as his more intimate companions.'

1855] ^T THE BONN UNIVERSITY

An essay written by the Prince himself gives an
idea of the great value which he placed on going
through a University course. It was written during
his third term, and is here given in his own words :

* The attendance at a University is of importance to

every young man who has received the requisite school

education, and intends to devote himself to the Higher

Civil Service or to the cultivation of science. This

period of study is of twofold importance : In the first

place, the son quits the guiding and watchful care of

his parents and the familiar home circle for the freedom

of a public school, where for the first time he encounters

temptations and allurements of all kinds, and has an

opportunity to develop his character by forcible and

resolute action, as well as by self-control, and by his

intercourse with a variety of persons he is able to

form a true view and clear judgment of human life.

Secondly, it aflfords him the best opportunity to prepare

bi^L whatever branch of lear^ lor wLhL Zy

have a predilection. The Universities are so arranged

that the Professors as well as the students are divided

into various sections, according to the different branches

of learning ; but the peculiarity of our Universities is

that the faculties do not form separate schools, but are

complete, and by this means the consciousness of their

fundamental union is maintained in the various sciences.

Not only the Professors, but also the students, are

conscious of a sense of community in their learned

calling, and enter mutually into a keen rivalry. All

the students do not naturally consider the importance

of this period of their life ; many a one only rejoices

that he can spend some time far from all home ties

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849.

and habits, and, instead of giving his attention to
study and culture, follows after the amusements and
dissipations of life, losing precious time, which he has
later on to make up with much work and trouble.

* For many years it has become customary for Princes
to attend the Universities. It is, of course, not their
calling to devote themselves to the learned professions,
but the nearer they come to the throne, the more
intent must they be upon raising themselves above
the various grades of society. An independent view
and a right judgment concerning the practical con-
ditions of life may even be obscured by a too exclusive
taste for a particular branch of learning. In spite of
this, however, the years of academic apprenticeship
are of particular importance for Princes, since the
majority of them leave the family and Court life to
which they have been accustomed from childhood for
the first time, and learn to know the world from a real
and unvarnished side. No one can deny that no true
picture of the life and doings of men can be gained at
Court, and that it can only be acquired fix)m the
frequent intercourse with persons of all classes. At
Court one is surrounded by people who invariably
meet royalty with politeness, with the observance of
ancient traditional forms, and only too frequently with
deceitful flatteries, so that habit gradually leads one
to think of life in no other way, and to estimate all
men with whom one comes in contact by the same
standard. Men are not accustomed to these forms by
Nature ; on the contrary, in public life they speak
freely and candidly, and one must early become
accustomed to realize that a very thorough man of

learning and purpose is often concealed by a rough

1 8551 ^^ THE BONN UNIVERSITY

and awkward exterior. The world happens to be so,
and it is the duty of Princes, especially in these days,
to get to know it thoroughly.

* Universities are the centres of the more highly-
educated young people from the diflTerent classes and
districts of the country. At Court the growing Prince
is mostly surrounded by older people, but here he
enters the circle of his contemporaries for whom he is
to live and act. He gains an insight into that which
chiefly interests these young men, as well as into the
prevailing aims and the hopes which they hold out.
Lastly, the thirst for knowledge is greatly increased
when one devotes one's self to studies with a common
interest, and this is the more important in the case of
Princes, as in most instances, owing to their special
circumstances, they have had to renounce these
advantages during their earlier education.

* The Prince has to devote his special attention more
particularly to two special branches of study, law and
history. In history, his constant task is to improve
the view which he has gained by his earlier instruction,
and thus to extend and perfect it, in order that he
may realize more vividly the life and conditions of the
people.

* A Prince is, however, most closely concerned with
law from amongst all the University studies, for his
first duty and virtue should be the practice of justice.

' It is law which regulates social conditions, and for
this reason it is the basis of every State. The public
law governs the relations of man to the State, just as
does private law those of individuals to each other.

* The historical vocation of the Romans was to set

up the model of a consistent legal system for the whole

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

civilized world, and therefore a Prince must first
acquaint himself with Boman law, in order to acquire a
keen grasp of the conditions of the law. To this must
be added later on the consideration of the German
legal system, so that he may get to know the charac-
teristics of his own people both in law and custom.
Having been prepared by these legal studies, he will
have to gain an insight into modern political and
Church law, so that he may acquire an unprejudiced
view of the most Important State matters in a time of
the most apparent changes and developments.

*The system of State government, and more
especially the organization of the State to which he
belongs, will form the natural conclusion of these
studies.

' Frederick William.

• Bonn, Winter Tmn, 1860/

The Prince devoted himself zealously to the study
of the French and English languages and literatures ;
and in order to improve his style in French he wrote
a description of the journey which he made in 1850 to
Lombardy and Lake Como.

Dr. Perry gives the following account of his share
in the scholastic training of his royal pupil : * At the
request of the Prince I visited him three times a week,
and had the honour of superintending his studies in
English history and literature, in both of which he
took special interest. His love for England and his
great veneration of the Queen were most remarkable,
and our intercourse became very agreeable and con-
fidential He manifested the keenest interest for all
that I was able to tell him of England's political and

i855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

social life, and when our more serious studies were
over, we amused oiu^elves by writing ima^^ary letters
to Ministers and leading members of English society.'

Whilst the members of the ahna-mater at Bonn
spent their time in drinking, rowing, or singing, the
light of the lamp in the Prince s study would gleam
until dawn down into the garden, shrouded in dark-
ness.

During his time at Bonn the Prince also wrote the
foUowing reflections, with the earnest desire of coming to
a definite conclusion as to questions concerning himself.

*Why, and how, should Princes visit the
DiSTMcrrs or theib Kbalms ?

* It is of great importance that the Princes of the
Boyal House should be personally acquainted with
their own country. This principle is not always
observed, and it seems to me that with us it has been
neglected, more especially in recent times.

* Derogatory rumours concerning unknown person-
ages arise through this want of knowledge, as well as
from misrepresentations — even a kind of forgetfulness
and indifference, as if they did not exist at all.

* If we take these disadvantages into consideration,
the question forces itself upon us. How is it to be
remedied ? and the following suggestions have there-
fore been noted down :

* The Princes, and the King also, must never reside
too long in the capital, lest they should develop a
habit of seldom leaving the scene of their daily life.
By this it is not intended that they ought to be con-
tfaiually travelling about, or that they may not also
peacefully and happily enjoy the pleasures of life in

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

the narrower or wider family circle. Moreover, the
permanent residence of the Court must be in the
capital, but a certain portion of the summer might be
devoted to a gradual journey through one of the
provinces, or to staying there for some weeks, during
which time, by means of frequent parties and excur-
sions, the inhabitants, both of high and low degree,
might have an opportunity to become acquainted with
their Sovereign. These visits could be so arranged that
they might take place at the time of the manoeuvres,
or that these might form the beginning or end of the
visit, so that, on the appearance of the highest digni-
taries, the troops would present themselves just when
their training had been completed. The troops would
be delayed or disturbed in their training by too early
an inspection. Another way to make the life at Court
familiar to the provincial inhabitants, and to make
them acquainted with the domesticity of their Sove-
reign, would be to induce the county families of dis-
tinction to come to Berlin during the winter. Their
annual visit would be by no means conditional; the
distinct desire need only be expressed for the attend-
ance at Court of many of the distinguished country
families. It would, of course, be desirable to make
the middle classes acquainted with the capital, but
should their means not suffice for this purpose, en-
couragement from those in authority would in that
case be unadvisable, as that would quasi be forcing or
enticing, which must here be entirely avoided.

* The members of this class, though but feebly, are
nevertheless represented to a certain extent by the
members of both Chambers, who might often be drawn

in, without feeling in any way the slightest class dis-

1855] ^T THE BONN UNIVERSITY

tinction. Although the previously existing forms of
etiquette and Court functions have, in our time, been
abandoned with much just, but also with much
exaggerated, contempt, the entire cessation of certain
ceremonials and established customs must never be
advocated.

* The Court should everywhere appear with dignity
and outward decorum, on greater as well as on lesser
occasions, and everything must be done with strict
mUitexy discipline. Court dignitaries may only appear
before the King or the Princes with deference and
signs of respect.'

Sunple and friendly in his bearing, the Prince was
unaffected in his intercourse with strangers, whom he
invariably met with courtesy and kindness. His high
descent was involuntarily revealed by the perfect
carriage of his tail and well-knit figure. Except on
special occasions, when he donned uniform, he wore a
black suit — the coat buttoned up in military fashion,
a black * Stlirmer ' with a narrow bent-down brim,
Uke the Austrian military cap. and carried a stick.
His military companions, Colonel Fischer and Lieu-
tenant von Heinz, never wore uniform.

The Prince was very punctilious in returning every
greeting in the most friendly way. He liked to speak to
acquaintances and to exchange little jokes with them,
taking an animated share in general conversation, and,
thanks to his unusual natural cleverness in speaking
and narrating, there was never a pause ; but he always
abstained frx)m all reference to political questions.
Besides this, he possessed the gift of a ready wit, and
loved teasing, and, being quick at repartee, did not

33 D

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

take offence when anyone cleverly attempted to pay
him back in the same coin. Care had, however, to be
taken never to disregard the respect and deference
due to his exalted rank; whoever forgot himself in
this respect did not escape without a merited reproof.
However, among the students he was very popular,
being treated by them as one of themselves, and if,
for instance, he arrived too late in Hall, there was as
great a shuffling of feet as would have been the case
had it been anyone else.

In all student-like transactions, as well as in any
dispute with the University authorities, the Prince
remained true to his fellow-students. He was a
great favourite with the citizens of Bonn because of
his unvarying and friendly manner, and they were
wont to express their appreciation of him by cry-
ing, * What a good-natured Prince !* — indeed, even at
the present day all kinds of stories are told of his
popularity.

Prince Frederick William lived on terms of close
friendship with the Princes studying at Bonn, and
more especially with the Hereditary Princes of
Anhalt, Beuss, and Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, who
appealed to him by their personalities, as well as by
their thorough knowledge and their lively interest in
all the political, social, scientific and artistic questions
of the day. His intercourse with them was intimate ;
several times a week these royal fellow -students
gathered for a social ' round table ' in his rooms, and
in later years he loved to call to mind the many
stirring and happy hours he owed to them, and he
remained bound to them by the ties of friendship up
to the time of his death.

1855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

Frederick loved cheerfiil society, welcoming guests
gladly to his rooms, and also accepted invitations to
dinners and supper-parties with families known to him.
Besides the family of Colonel Fischer, who supplied
the place of his own home in the most friendly way,
and with whom he preferred to spend his free evenings,
he often visited the families of the Professors. He
invited the Professors, as well as the chief oflBcials and
others, to parties, which took place at regular intervals
either in the apartments occupied by Colonel Fischer's
family, or in the larger drawing-room of his own
residence, where a ball was also held during: each
winter term.

The Prince was in the habit of travelling to Berlin
for the more important Court festivities or for specially
solemn functions, such as the confirmation by oath of
the new Constitution by the King (February 6, 1850),
and the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the
kingdom of Prussia (January 18, 1851). When his
parents left Berlin for Coblenz, in consequence of
the Prince of Prussia's appointment as Governor of
the Rhine Province and of Westphalia, he gained
the desired opportimity of being oftener with his own
&mily.

As he was returning from this Jubilee on January 21,
the express train of the then Cologne and Minden
Bailway, by which the Prince travelled, ran off the
rails between Giitersloh and Brackwede. The accident
was probably due to the breaking of part of the engine
near the left wheel, which caused the engine to run off
the rails at the moment when the train was pacing
over the bridge. The carriages rushed on for a little
while at their former speed, breaking the chains ; and

35 ^ ^

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

then running off the line, the first five fell after each
other down the right embankment, while the sixth
carriage rolled over, and those following it went on for
about 150 feet along the rails before they came to a
standstill Three unfortunate men — the driver, the
fireman, and an American in the fourth carriage
were killed on the spot. Besides these many persons
were more or less seriously injured. Prince Frederick
William, who was in the fifth carriage with Colonel
Fischer and Lieutenant von Heinz, received a slight
blow on the back of his head. Although he had been
thrown down by the concussion, he was the first to
assist his companions to get out of the window, after
which he rendered assistance to others who were
either not so fortunate or so quick in leaving their
placea The journey was delayed about an hour and
a half, and was resumed with another train which
had been sent on, and arrived at Deutz at half-
past one.

In his official report of the accident to the Minister
of Justice, Oberstaatsanwalt von Beughem says :
* Prince Frederick William of Prussia occupied the
most dangerous seat, and part of the side of the com-
paxtment, which was fitted with glass, was shattered ;
but the hand of Providence, which protects the life of
Kings, had him in safe keeping, so that, to the great
joy of all patriots, he escaped almost unhurt. The
Prince's calmness and presence of mind were admired
byaU.'

A monmnent in memory of the Prince's escape from
death was subsequently erected on the spot where the
accident occurred.

In the summer of 1850 the Prince undertook the

1855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

first more extensive journey to Switzerland, Northern
Italy, and Southern France, including a visit to
Toulon, Marseilles, Lyons, Aries, Nimes, and Avignon.
From these he returned to the quiet of his study,
highly delighted and rich in new impressions. He
had also undertaken an excursion to Luxemburg, in
company with Lieutenant von Heinz, and often re-
ferred to it for a long time after, praising the beauties
of the country and the friendly reception which they
had been given.

The journey to England, which he made with his
parents and his sister in 1851, undoubtedly had the
greatest influence upon his whole life. The opening
of the first great International Exhibition, which had
been brought together by the untiring exertions of the
Prince Consort, had drawn the eyes of the world to
the British Isles. The Prince of Prussia with his family
landed on British soil on April 29, and received a warm
welcome from the Queen and her royal husband. He
had encountered great difficulty in gaining the King s
consent to this journey, and, in fact, only received
the definite permission en route^ at Aix-la-Chapelle.
The first visit to the Exhibition was paid on the
following day. At the opening ceremony, which took
place on May 1, the Queen led the Prince of Wales by
the hand, while the Prince Consort escorted Princess
Victoria, a charming and unusually gifted child,
towards whom the eyes of the tall Prussian Prince
often turned in the midst of the rejoicings. The
ceremony was magnificent. On the evening of May 1
the Queen wrote in her diary : ' The great event has
taken place ; it is a complete and glorious triumph, a
marveUous and moving spectacle, which wiU ever fiU

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

me with pride for my beloved Albert and for my
country. Yes, it is a day which makes my heart swell
with pride, praise, and thanksgiving ; and the thought
that my beloved husband is the originator of this
peace festival, which unites the industries of all the
nations of the earth, fills my heart with emotion,
and it is ever a day to be remembered. God bless
my precious Albert, Grod bless my beloved country,
which has to-day proved itself so great! One was
filled with gratitude to the great Grod, who seemed
to inspire and bless everything.' The Queen also
mentions her royal guests, the serious and deter-
mined character of the Prince of Prussia, and also
his son, the young Prince, who * is so good and
amiable.'

The London newspapers spoke in high terms of the
lively interest which the Queen's Prussian guests
repeatedly manifested in all the public sights and
national institutions, and in many newspaper reports
special reference was also made to the yo^tng Prince.
;k young Prince Frederick WiUiamJ it las said
in one account, 'spends almost the whole day in
visiting the most important sights and curiosities of
the capital ; his healthy and strong nature seems equal
to any exertion. It is said that he takes a specially
keen interest in the beauties of architecture and in the
collections of antique art treasures. Unfortunately,
his stay is too short to enable him to realize to the
fiill the magnitude and the freedom of the public life
of England ; nothing could probably be of greater gain
to the impressionable mind of the youthful Prince than
to learn from such direct observation during the period
of his preparation.'

i855] ^^ THE BONN UNIVERSITY

The Prince profited by his stay in England to
make an excursion to the northern portion of the
country. On his return to London his family left for
Berlin (May 25). The young Prince returned a
changed being : the tender flower of love for the
charming British Princess had unexpectedly blossomed
in his heart, and the following episode shows the deep
affection felt by the Prince :

He had returned to Bonn, and was present at a
small dance at the Hymmen's house at Castle Endenich.
One of the frequenters of the little circle of fellow-
students of the son of the house, Eberhard von Claer,
came late, and was waiting for the end of the dance
in a comer of the room. When it was over, he was
about to step forward to salute the Prince, but found
the latter already standing before him. * Well, did
you travel during your vacation?' asked the Prince.
Claer replied in the negative, and the conversation
then turning on the Prince's trip to England, he
asked casuaJly how the Prince had enjoyed it.
* Oh !' replied the Prince, ' it is beautiftil there. I
am very happy.' When Eberhard inquired as to the
reason of this happy frame of mind, the Prince
suddenly became serious, looked steadily at his com-
panion, and then, stepping close up to him, he said in
a subdued voice, * If you will give me your word of
honour that you will not repeat anything, I will show
you something.' 'Your Royal Highness can entirely
rely on my discretion.' Having quickly convinced
himself that no intruders were near, he pulled out a
large gold locket which was concealed near his heart,
pressed the spring, and showed the young feUow its
contents. To his great astonishment, the latter caught

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

sight of the portrait of an extremely youthfiil girl,
with a charming face. After the Prince had held
it before Herr von Claer for some time that he might
observe it well, he gazed at it himself deeply moved,
and then, having kissed it fervently, he placed it
again near his heart. He then put his finger to his
lips in order to enjoin silence, and returned to the
assembled guests.

In the spring of 1851 the Prince's studies were inter-
rupted, as has already been mentioned, in order that he
might devote himself further to military training. On
May 31 he was in command of the castle guard on
the occasion of the public unveiling of the statue of
Frederick the Great in Berlin. He accompanied his
father to the Russian manoeuvres near Warsaw, in
the beginning of June, and, in conunemoration of
this visit, was appointed commander of the Russian
Hussar Regiment, *Isum.' After this he was on duty
with the 1st Regiment of Infantry Guards, and also
took part in the manoeuvres near Lehnin. At the end
of this task he was promoted Captain, on the King's
birthday, October 15, as a proof of His Majesty's
special satisfaction with the military precision shown.
The Prince then returned to Bonn to continue his
work at the University, which ended with the winter
term 1851-52. He devoted himself to his studies
to the last with imvarying industry, although the
social calls during the winter had made many de-
mands upon him.

' Now came the parting,' writes Lindenberg, * and
one could realize to an overwhelming degree how
much the young Prince was beloved and esteemed in

this Rhenish town. He, too, felt the parting keenly,

1855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

and often took the opportunity of sajring how
valuable an experience this time at Bonn had been
to him, and how many faithftd friends he had made
there.'

The authorities of the University of Bonn presented
him with a testimonial, which was formally handed
to him by the Bector and Senate on March 19, 1852.
The Professors and his chief friends gave him an
album with inscriptions in remembrance of the time
spent at the University, and the students serenaded
the Prince with an enormous torchlight procession.
The townspeople, also, on the eve of his departure
organized a similar demonstration, in which all ranks
of society took part.

The Prince's warm attachment to Colonel Fischer,
his adviser and military companion during the time at
Bonn, is shown by the following letter :

' Potsdam,

• October 31, 1862.

* I thank you most sincerely, my dear Colonel, for
your kind wishes for my birthday, as well as for the
interesting contents of your letter. We have been
parted for the first time on that day after many years
of mutual companionship, and I knew well that your
thoughts, as well as your heartfelt good wishes, would
accompany me. Whenever I think of the time spent
at Bonn, I am filled with gratitude for much important,
instructive and practical knowledge which you helped
me to gain, the benefit and use of which I am still
learning to recognise and value more and more. My
regard and veneration for you are closely connected
with these recollections. My stay here, as well as my

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

journey to Eussia. which interrupted my military
education, have opened up for me a wealth of know-
ledge, both of men and of the world, which I shall,
with the help of God, hope to make use of and add to
during all the circumstances of my life. I intend,
also, as far as time wiU permit, during the coming
winter, to devote myself to the study of all branches
of military science, and I hope that the time is not far
distant when we may acquire by practice that which
can never be taught by the most skilful manoeuvres in
times of peace.

* Remember me most kindly to your dear wife and
the children, and accept the assurance of the unchang-
ing and sincere regard which I shall retain throughout
my life.

' Your very sincere

* Fbbdkrick William, P. op P.'

On the return journey from Russia, which waa made
by sea, the machinery of the steamer broke down, and
they were unable to proceed without assistance. Half
an hour after the occurrence, a vessel from Lubeck
came in answer to the signals of distress, and, after
three hours' battle with the waves, took the royal
steamer in tow. Upon his return the King gave
the Prince the command of No. 6 Company of the
1st Infantry Regiment of Guards. The Prince dis-
charged his duty with the utmost care, and not only
were his efforts directed towards the thorough practical
training of the men, but he was also almost over-
conscientious in the concern which he showed with
regard to their food, and for decent and good behaviour
outside the service. Owing to his excellent memory

1855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

for faces, he knew almost every individual soldier by
sight, and in his direct intercourse with them he
showed that he understood how to combine kindness
and cordiality with the strictness of military dis-
cipline. Thus, he might have been seen on October 18,
1852, on his twenty-first birthday, surrounded by the
soldiers of his company, to whom he had given a
supper, followed by a dance.

In a letter from Potsdam, November 24, 1852, the
Prince shows how well the life of a soldier suited
him :

* Though the duties of a Captain, which I have to
attend to here in Potsdam, give me real pleasure, they
take up most of my time. Nevertheless, I am exceed-
mgly happy with my mUitary comrades, and I spend
mlLf^'timewi^them.'^

Whilst this regimental service aimed at the practical
training of the Prince, he employed the winter months
in the study of theory as well. With this object in
view, he took part in the military discussions, held
every Tuesday under the direction of the Chief of
the Army Staff, Lieutenant -Greneral von Reyher,
besides attending a series of lectures on military
tactics. The Prince early concurred with the King
and with his father in their anxiety to maintain the
old standard of Prussian discipline among the rising
generation of officers as well as to satisfy the ever-
growing demands which modern times make upon the
scientific training of the soldier.

In the midst of his military training the Prince also
made it his business to acquaint himself better with
the civU government, and for this purpose President
von Flottwell was chosen by the King to explain

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

to him the various branches of provincial govern-
ment.

At the end of May, 1853, the Prince contracted
inflammation of the lungs, the result of a chill, from
which, happily, he very soon recovered. After a month
in Ems and three weeks in Switzerland he had re-
gained sufficient strength to resume his duties as
Captain by the middle of August.

On August 23 a patriotic f(§te was organized on the
battlefield of Grossbeeren in commemoration of the
victory which had been gained there forty years
previously. Prince Frederick William, who took part
in it, made the following speech at the banquet in the
village of Grossbeeren :

* The first toast which is given by true Prussians at
such reunions is alwa3rs for EUs Majesty, our King and
Buler; and if at this great commemoration festival
I follow the custom, it is because I am convinced that
you are all inspired with that feeling which always
thrills us when we think of our beloved Fatherland.
On this day forty years ago a battle was fought on
this very spot which, in the first instance, saved the
capital of the country, and also showed the world at
the same time that we can courageously enter the lists
against every foe. Our heroic fathers here at Gross-
beeren first proved that our race was strong enough to
beat the armies of foreign nations, and thus they led
the way for a series of conquests which characterize
that glorious epoch of our growth. Just as at the
call of our venerated King, His Majesty Frederick
William III., our people rose up as one man, and
joyfully sacrificed life and property for him, as so
many who are present can testify, so in like manner

i855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

we too are united by the one determination, should
the call of our King summon us, to fight and fall
for Grod, the King, and the Fatherland. Let us,
therefore, as a proof of this sentiment, raise the old
cheer which always salutes our flag,' etc.

During the autiunn manoeuvres this year the
Prince was not in command of a company, as he had
been made aide-de-camp to the Commander of the
Guards, Count von der Groben, so that he might also
learn the duties of that position. His promotion to
be a Major d la suite of the 1st Infantry Begiment of
Guards followed on September 1 1.

In the presence of the Eussian and Austrian
Emperors, the Prince of Prussia, accompanied by his
son, inspected the Austrian contingent of the German
Federal Army, in the autumn of 1853, at Olmiitz.
At this inspection the Emperor Francis Joseph ap-
pointed the Prince Colonel-in-Chief of the Infantry
Begiment No. 20— one of the oldest and most glorious
of the Austrian Army, which had been raised by the
Grand Master of the German Order, Ludwig Anton
von Pfalz-Neuburg, in the year 1682.

On November 5, 1853, the Prince was admitted
a Freemason by the Grand Master of the Great
National Lodge of Grermany, to which Order he was
introduced by his father. The Prince began the
' work ' most zealously, and in subsequent years he
also devoted a portion of his spare time to the study
of Freemasonry.

A journey which the Prince undertook in the early
days of December had a far-reaching influence upon
his artistic education. His suite consisted of General
Roth von Schreckenstein, the Chief of the Staff of

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

the Bhineland and Westphalia command ; Lieutenant-
Colonel von Alvensleben, Lieutenants von Berg and
von Brandenstein, of the Ist In&ntry B.egiment of
Guards ; his aide-de-camp, Major von Heinz ; Dr.
Wegner ; and the Court Architect, Strack, who acted
as art adviser. They travelled vi4 Vienna to Trieste,
and fix)m there by an Austrian man-of-war to Ancona.
On December 20 they arrived at Rome, where the
Prince stayed in the Palazzo Caflfarelli, then the
residence of the Prussian Ambassador. Harry von
Amim* was at that time acting as substitute in the
absence of the Ambassador, Coimt von Usedom.

The Prince was received by the Pope with all
honours. The amiability and gentleness of His
Holiness did not fail to make an impression on the
Prince, more especially as the Pope did not conceal his
sincere liking for the young representative of the
Hohenzollems. The mind of the Prince was deeply
influenced by the winning charm of this eminent man.
and, even during the embittered strife of later years,
the Prince retained a kind remembrance of him. It
is recorded that at their first meeting the Pope
stretched out his hand for the customary kiss of
homage, but the Prince, as the representative of one
of the great Protestant States, did not feel himself
called upon to submit to this conventional form of
greeting, and he therefore shook hands heartily.
The Pope, whose sense of humour was well known,
greeted his visitor upon all future occasions, on his
entrance, by plsu^ing his hands behind his back.

The Eternal City, with its unrivalled historical past,

^ Amim was sabseqaently made a Goont, and fell into disgrace
after violently attacking Prinoe Bismarck.

1855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

with its imposing ruins, with its churches and palaces,
its art treasures and museums^ was an inexhaustible
source of delight to the Prince. Thanks to the Pope's
forethought, he was able to visit even those galleries
which are, as a rule, closed to most people. A
brilliant f§te was arranged in honour of the Prince
by Cardinal Antonelli in the name of the Pope, and
after it was over the royal guest was invited by the
Secretary of State to view the museum in the Vatican,
which was lit up by torches.

In his gracious and winning way, the Prince often
mixed in the society of the leading members of the
German colony as well as of the German savants and
artists.

The younger Papal families, such as the Princes
Aldobrandini, Massimo, Torlonia, and Prince Bona-
parte-Canino, vied with the ancient feudal families
of Colonna, Doria-Pamphili, Borghese, Rospiglioso,
Chigi. Barbermi, Sforza-Cesarini in giving brilliant fetes
in honour of the Prince.

On March 8, 1854, Prince Frederick William left
the Papal Capital for a month, as he desired to see
something of Southern Italy. He went first, vi4 Gaeta,
to Caserta, the residence of the Neapolitan Court,
where he was received with great ceremony by King
Ferdinand II. and the Duke of Calabria (the sub-
sequent King Francis II.), who also soon after accom-
panied him to Naples. He ascended Vesuvius, viewed
Herculaniun and Pompeii, and visited Camaldoli,
Amalfi, Paestiun, BaJ8B, and Pozzuoli. Aft^r having been
to Sicily, he returned to Rome to spend Easter there.
He was present at the service in the Sistine Chapel on
Good Friday, and saw St. Peter s illuminated by

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

torches on Easter Day. On April 17 he took leave of
the Pope, and quitted Rome the following day, en route
for Berlin vik Orvieto, Florence, and Venice, and arrived
at his German home on June 6, 1854.

The Pope gave the Prince a minute and exact model
of the Triumphal Arch of Titus made of costly antique
marble, besides two magnificent vases and a large
nmnber of copper-plate engravings of the masterpieces
in the Vatican.

A bunch of orange-leaves, with a special note
attached, which the Prince had received fi:om Pope
Pius IX. whilst on this journey, and which are still
found amongst his possessions, prove how carefully he
collected and preserved such remembrances.

Prince Frederick William was introduced by the
King to the Privy Council at its re-opening on July 4,
1854. About this time he also began to take an
interest in the activity of public societies, and a short
time afterwards accepted the presidency of the special
conmiittees connected with the Central Agricultural
Union of the Potsdam Government, and was present
at the general meeting of the same on December 7,
1854.

The Prince had until then been exclusively attax^hed
to infantry regiments, but he was now to accustom
himself to the other branches of the service, and so on
June 15 he was ordered to serve with the Artillery
Regiment of Guards. At the head of the first six-
pounder battery he marched along the dusty road to
Tegel in the summer, was present at target practice,
messed with his comrades in barracks, marched with
the regiment to the manoeuvres, and went into billets
with them.

i855] AT THE BONN UNIVERSITY

On September 22 he joined the 1st Regiment of
Di^agoonSy and at the same time attended the
lectiu*es of Major-General von Hopfner at the Military
Academy. I^"

King Frederick William was much pleased with his
nephew's military proficiency, and on October 15 siu*-
prised him with the exceptional distinction of pro-
motion to the command of the 1st Battalion (Berlin)
of the 2nd Landwehr Regiment of the Guards. The
increasing attention paid by the military world to
the improvements and alterations in the various
systems of small arms induced the King to appoint a
Commission to examine the merits of the Minid rifle.
It was a proof of the confidence which his royal
uncle placed in the Prince that he was selected as a
member of this Commission, which was composed of the
most distinguished and experienced representatives of
military science.

But a yet greater distinction followed, which was
the more highly prized by the Prince because it was
quite unexpected, and might therefore be considered
as a direct reward for his zeal and military thorough-
ness. The Prince had taken part in the autumn
manoeuvres, and, according to the custom of the
Prussian service, the commanders of the various
divisions met together to give their opinions of the
result of the sham-fight, the efficiency of the separate
divisions, and the bearing of the troops and officers. It
was naturally a matter of great difficulty for the young
Prince to join in the deliberations of these old and
experienced officers, and criticise the various phases
of the sham-fight ; but he stood the test. The King
listened with surprise to the lengthy criticisms which

49 B

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849-

his nephew made with frankness and scientific earnest-
ness. The accuracy of his judgment and the telling
proofs of his objections, as well as of his &yourable
comments, astonished the King, and he was glad to
seize the opportunity to confer upon his nephew an un-
usual military distinction in recognition of his military
progress^ and before the assembled officers he made
him a Colonel. To enable the Prince to gain a practical
knowledge of the duties which his latest promotion
imposed upon him, he was in the autumn of that year
given the command of a battalion with the 1st Begiment
of Guards.

The following incident shows the great interest
which the twenty-four-year-old Prince took in gaining
knowledge apart from his military exercises and
studies. The great mathematician Gauss had died in
Gottingen on February 23, 1855, and efforts were
made in Hanover to induce the most celebrated of
German mathematicians, Professor Dirichtlet, to re-
place Gkiuss at Gottingen. Professor Dirichtlet was
not only a great savant, but was also equally distin-
guished as a teacher, so that Professor Schellbach
hoped, through the influence of the Prince, who had
been his pupil, to avert the threatened loss. He had
discussed the whole matter with him, and as a result
the latter sent the following letter to Alexander von
Humboldt :

*My dear Herb von Humboldt,

'A few days ago I was informed that the
Professor of Mathematics, Lejeune-Dirichtlet, had
accepted an appointment at the University of Got-
tingen, and that it has caused much regret in the

1855] ^^ T-HE BONN UNIVERSITY

learned circles of Berlin, where he is regarded as one of
the most celebrated mathematicians of Germany, and
a great ornament of our University.

*At the same time I heard that when, upon the
death of Professor Gauss at Gt)ttingen, the rumour
got about that Dirichtlet would be nominated as a
candidate, the latter had expressed his willingness to
accept an official call to that University, and that he
regarded the promise then made as binding. The
Ministry of Education does not seem to have taken
much notice of this assertion, so that now Dirichtlet
has actually accepted the call, naturally to his great
regret, as he feels the parting from Berlin and all his
relations and friends very keenly.

* He is, however, supposed to have said that if he
had been aware that his departure would be regarded
with disfavour at Court, supposing his pecuniary
resources were increased, and he were released from
teaching at the Military Academy, he would gladly
remain here. Of course, a letter from om* King to
the King of Hanover would be required to release
Dirichtlet from his promise. Minister von Raumer
seems also disposed to raise the salary to 2,000 thalers.
I was requested to lay the matter before the King,
which I did yesterday. He listened to me, and was
annoyed with Dirichtlet's mode of action ; he thinks
the King of Hanover would not respond to a request
of that kind, and he desired in the first place to apply
to you, dear Humboldt, as you at that time brought
about his appointment.

* As it is doubtftd, however, whether His Majesty

will ask you about it at once, and as the matter has

been represented to me as extremely urgent, I now

51 B 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1849.55

write to you, even at tte risk of citing facts of which
you are already aware, in order that you may know
how I have been informed, and that you may be able
to lay it before the King. How very, very sad it
would be if the University should lose so distinguished
a genius, as it has been the wish of everyone in Berlin
that a great number of the most prominent minds
of our century and Fatherland should be united here !
' I will close for to-day, my dear Herr von Hum-
boldt, with many apologies should I have wearied you
with well-known details.

* I remain, as always,

' Your entirely devoted

* Frederick William.*

Alexander von Humboldt replied by return, thank-
ing the Prince for the great efforts which he was
making to preserve to his country one of the greatest
mathematicians of the day. He stated that Professor
Dirichtlet was a man of the strongest character, who
would not swerve from his decision, but that he had
stated that he would remain if the King of Hanover
would release him from his promise. Humboldt had
had an interview with the King, in which the latter
had expressed his annoyance, not with Dirichtlet, but
with the Ministry of Education, for the incapacity and
indifference which had caused so great a loss.

CHAPTER III

THE prince's engagement

1855—1857

About a yeax after the Prince's journey to Italy,
Colonel von Moltke, the Chief of the Staff of the
4th Anny Corps, was appointed his personal aide-
de-camp. This particularly happy choice, and the
wonderftJ care that had influenced the selection,
received the following recognition from the German
press : * It is without doubt not only the eye of the
father, who was so anxious about the military training
of his son, that discovered a man as Mentor for the
young Prince (he was more than aide-de-camp to him),
who was distinguished alike by his many-sided mental
culture and his great knowledge, besides his strategic
talents. Helmuth von Moltke was then already known
as the accomplished author of the * Letters from
Turkey ' ; and in the narrower circle, which included
Princess Augusta, the strategist had already been
recognised as a man of geniu&'

It has often been remarked that the Emperor
William I. had thoroughly mastered the art of dis-

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

covering and drawing to his side, in the many de-
partments of the Government, men of unusual powers,
who all worked together in complete harmony.

Moltke was then fifty-four years old, while his
Telemachus was twenty-four. The bond between the
two was based on their similar tastes, and was more
than the ordinary attachment of brother-officers. The
love of travel which they had in common was an
influence which calls for special attention, for the years
of their companionship formed almost one long and
uninterrupted journey.

The Prince had now passed into manhood amid the
brilliant society of Court life, and yet he often experi-
enced a feeling of loneliness inseparable from his
exalted station. No wonder, then, that his thoughts
often turned to the bright and happy home life he had
witnessed in England, and to the entrancing ambition
of some day establishing such a home for himself. It
was with rose-coloured hopes that the Prince set out
in September, 1855, on a journey to Scotland, which
eventually proved the turning-point of his life. At
Balmoral he met the Princess Royal, who during the
five years that had elapsed since they last met at the
Great Exhibition had developed into a charming girl,
and on September 20 he formally proposed for her to
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

* Now for the bonne bouchcj wrote the Prince
Consort to his firiend and confidant. Baron von
Stockmar, on the same day. *The event you are
interested in reached a definite stage after breakfast.
The young man laid his proposal before us with the
permission of his parents and of the King; we
accepted it for ourselves, but requested him to hold

i857l ^^^ PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

it in Buspense as regards the other party till after her
Confirmation. Till then all the simple restraints of
girlhood are to continue undisturbed. In the spring
the young man wishes to make his offer to herself,
and possibly to come to us with his parents and his
engaged sister. The seventeenth birthday is to elapse
before the actual marriage is thought of, and this will
not take place till the following spring.

* The secret is to be kept tant bien que mal, the
parents and the King being at once informed of the
true state of the case, namely, that we, the parents
and the yoimg man, are under pledge, so far as a pledge
is possible, that the young lady is to be asked after
her Confirmation. In the meantime there will be much
to discuss, and I would entreat you to come to us soon,
that we may talk over matters face to face, and hear
what you have to advise. The young gentleman is to
leave us on the 28 th. In this matter he placed him-
self entirely at our disposal, and I suggested fourteen
days as not too long and not too short for a visit of
the kind. I have been much pleased with him. His
prominent qualities are straightforwardness, frankness,
and honesty. He appears to be free from prejudices
and pre-eminently well intentioned. He speaks of
himself M personally greatly attracted by Vicky. I
regard it probable that she will have no objection to
make.'

Prince Albert again wrote to Baron Stockmar on
September 29 : * Victoria [the Queen] is greatly
excited ; still, aU goes smoothly and prudently. The
Prince is really in love, and the little lady does her
best to please him. . . . The day after to-morrow
the young gentleman takes his departure. We have

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

to-day received the answers from Coblentz, where they
are in raptures ; the communication has been made to
the King at Stolzenfels, and has been hailed with
cordial satisfaction. They are quite at one with us as
to the postponement of the betrothal till after the
Confirmation. '

In the meantime such a tender affection was hard
to conceal, and the intention of keeping it secret from
the Princess Royal proved impracticable. What took
place on the same day is told in ' Leaves from the
Journal of Our Life in the Highlands ' :

* September 29, 1855. — Our dear Victoria was this
day engaged to Prince Frederick William of Prussia,
who had been on a visit to us since the 14th. He
had already spoken to us on the 20th of his wishes,
but we were uncertain, on account of her extreme
youth, whether he should speak to her himself or wait
till he came back again. However, we felt it was
better he should do so, and during our ride up Craig-
na-ban this afternoon he picked up a piece of white
heather (the emblem of good luck), which he gave
her, and this enabled him to make an allusion to his
hopes and wishes as they rode down Glen Gimoch,
which led to this happy conclusion.'

In the following letter to Baron von Stockmar the
Prince continues the story of the engagement :

' Balmobal,

' October 2, 1855.

* Prince Frederick William left us yesterday ; Vicky
has indeed behaved quite admirably, as well during
the closer explanation on Saturday as in the self-
command which she displayed subsequently and at the

1857] '^HE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

parting. She manifested toward Fritz and ourselves
the most child-like simplicity and candour. The young
people are ardently in love with one another, and the
purity, innocence, and unselfishness of the young man
have been on his part touching. . . . Abundance of
tears were shed.

* The real object of my writing to you now is to
enclose Vicky's letter to you, which goes with this,
and in which the child finds vent for her own feelings.*

On his return journey the Prince unburdened his
heart to Mr, Perry, whom he had always treated as
confidant, and to whom he had already hinted at his
hope of winning the hand of the Princess Royal. * It
is not politics,' he said, ' it is not ambition : it was my
heart.'

And six months after, in a letter from Potsdam, of
April 14, 1856, to a relation, the Prince writes :

* My relations to my dearly-loved Jiancee are based
on heartfelt aflFection, which is the true foundation
for my future domestic happiness. Her comparative
youth, her mature qualities, both of heart and mind,
soon brought us together, but owing to the Confirma-
tion this had to be kept secret untU it was over.
The wedding will certainly not take place until next
year.'*

Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg-Gk)tha gives an in-
teresting accoimt of the betrothal in his memoirs, *My
Life and Times' (vol. ii., p. 355 et seq.), and at the
same time points out the political importance of this
event :

* The Confirmation of the Prinoess Boyal took place on
March 20, 1856.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855.

*In its genealogical history, the Royal House of
Prussia has long presented a curious picture of
oscillations between the West and East of Europe.
Whilst family unions between Orthodox Russia and
Catholic Austria were almost entirely excluded, the
Protestant creed in no wise prevented the Hohen-
zollems from a strong tendency towards the family of
the Czars, and the connections which were thereby
made unquestionably exercised their influence upon
Germany. The Crimean War may be considered as a
political lesson upon this chain of circimistances.

* Was it not most extraordinary that, even before
the conclusion of peace with Russia, the Royal House
of Prussia was, in its matrimonial plans, on the point
of manifesting a decided tendency towards the West
of Europe ? Without doubt the union of a Prussian
heir-apparent with a Princess of my wide-branching
House was an event which at the moment certainly
seemed to be contrary to Russian traditions. Bearing
in mind how at the end of the war everyone regarded
my brother as the moving force against Russia, though
at the beginning this waa not manifest, the marriage
of a Prussian Prince who was appointed to the succes-
sion with a daughter of the Queen of England could
not fail to have a marked political character. My
brother, however, loved his eldest daughter too much
to be influenced exclusively by political considerations
with reference to her marriage ; and I often had an
opportunity of observing that the chief desire of his
heart had been for many years to see his favourite
child fill some high position. With fatherly ambition,
he used to imagine his promising daughter, whose
talents had been early developed, upon a mighty

i857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

throne, but, above all, I know that he desired to make
her also really happy. The Prince of Prussia, above
all other scions of reigning Houses, inspired the
greatest hopes for the future. . • .

* The parents of Prince Frederick William had often
seen Princess Victoria during their stay in England in
the year 1853, when she, at the age of thirteen,
made a most favourable impression upon all hearts,
and more especially upon the guests staying at the
English Court. Before this there may have been little
thought of a union between the future Prussian Crown
Prince and my brother's daughter.

* In the year 1855 there was an idea that Prince
Frederick William should travel with a view to choosing
his future wife. He had gone to England just as
I had left for the Paris Exhibition, and he arrived at
Balmoral, where the Court then was, on September 14.
When I, upon my return from Paris, went to visit
the Prussian Royal Family at Coblentz, the news
of the engagement of the young people, which had
in the meantime taken place, was received as a strict
secret.

* At that time a second family event, which was the
cause of our visit, had also taken place at Coblentz ;
for my brother-in-law, the Prince Regent of Baden, on
September 30, became engaged to Princess Louise,
the daughter of the Prince of Prussia and Princess
Augusta.

'Frederick William IV., who was at that time
staying at Stolzenfels with the Queen, received the
news of the two engagements of his brother's children
with enthusiasm ; and my brother was especially
gratified that the union of his daughter coincided so

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855.

exactly with the wishes of the King and of the bride-
groom's uncle.

* Under the circumstances, it was impossible to keep
the news of the happy event from reaching the public
earlier than had been the intention of the Royal
Family, This rumour was more readily believed
because the engagement had been long desired in
Grermany, for seldom had such an event held out a
happier or more promising future, both personally and
politically.

*In spite of this, my brother did not wish this
engagement to be publicly announced. His own con-
ception of the whole occurrence will be doubly welcome
to-day, judging by the confidential notes which he
sent me ; and although I know that details of this
kind can have no general historical significance, yet I
feel sure that, considering the extraordinary interest
which exists for each and all of the persons concerned,
my remarks will be received with kind indulgence.
" Yesterday I received " — writes my brother on
September 24 — " your letter of the 20th, by which I
see that you will arrive in Coblentz to-day on your
return journey from Paris. You may there have
heard what I am going to write to you about to-day,
that our guest expressed to us his wish to marry
Vicky, with the King's consent. We agreed willingly,
but begged that he would not propose to V. until after
her Confirmation next spring. A marriage before her
seventeenth birthday, in November, 1857, cannot be
thought of You will recognise, as we do, the impor-
tance of this event, and rejoice with us. His parents,
who are now at Coblentz, are highly delighted, and

the engagement of his sister with your brother-in-law

1 857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

unites you and Alexandrine all the more closely. I
close only because my lame hand and sore shoulder
compel me to do so. I have only been able to hold
the pen once since yesterday. Fritz William leaves
us again to-morrow. I must ask you for all our sakes
to preserve this secret because of the reasons already
given. All the world will speak of the event, but as
long as no one of us does so it will not matter."

' My brother 8 surmise was correct, for, in spite of
the intended postponement, the formal betrothal of
the Prince with the Princess had taken place during
the following days, and the Prince had departed an
engaged man. Undoubtedly, it was just this secrecy
concerning this event which made it possible for several
newspapers, such as the Times^ which were embittered
against Prussia, to express themselves against the
rumoured union in such a manner as to cause the
Queen and my brother much grief They were the
hardest words which ever feU from the English press
against Prussia and the House of Hohenzollern.

' But the family events at Balmoral and Stolzenfels
gave rise also to all kinds of dissatisfaction in many
reactionary circles of the Prussian capital. The more
the Liberal papers of Grermany applauded, the more
disagreeably was the other side affected by the un-
popularity of the circumstances which threatened to
strengthen at the Court of Berlin the influence of the
royal relations, whose sentiments were not regarded
with favour.

' One of the peculiarities of Frederick William IV.

was that, with reference to his personal sympathies, he

would not submit to any coercion fix)m those who were

familiar with politics and affitirs of State, so that the

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

secret opponents had to beware of expressing their
displeasure at the new family connections.'

A passage from Theodor von Beitihardi's diaries
(vol. ii., p. 330), which gives an illustration, not
lacking in humour, of Duke Ernest, may be inserted
here :

' The young Prince Frederick William developed
most favourably, and showed much character. His
marriage with the Princess Boyal rests on mutual
attachment. He led up to it with much dignity and
diplomacy ; both were necessary, for the marriage is
regarded with horror by the Kreuz-zeitung party, and
they would gladly have done anything to prevent
it. Last year the Prince went on leave to Ostend, and
he only told the King that he intended going to
England in order to ask for the hand of the Princess
Royal when he was bidding &rewell to him just before
his departure. The King, as the head of the family,
immediately gave his consent^ and promised to keep it
secret ; this he did so strictly that even the *^ champions
of the cross," his immediate entourage, only heard of
the event, to their great astonishment, through the
newspapers. General von Grerlach came to the King
quite indignantly with a sheet of the Kolnische
Zeitung, and complained of the absurd reports that
were being spread abroad. It was said that the young
Prince was going on to England from Ostend for the
purpose of proposing for the hand of a Princess. The
King laughed aloud, and remarked, "Well, yes, and
it is really the case." *

In the winter of 1855-56 Prince Frederick William's

parents miade arrangements to enable their son to

gain insight and experience into the Government and

1857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

business of the Ministers, in addition to further
military training ; and it is specially noteworthy that
the Prince showed a keen desire and great con-
scientiousness in the duties which he was to perform.
The following letter, written to Greneral von Schrecken-
stein, shows how the Prince endeavoured to justify
his standpoint by a precise and clear statement con-
cerning the subject under consideration :

'Gabtlb Babblsbebq,
< JtOy 25, 1855.

'Mt dear General,

• I have only had suflBcient time during the last
few days to look through your most interesting
pamphlet on the Battle of Borodino, and as I did not
wish to write to you until I had done so, you must
excuse my not having thanked you before for sending
it to me. I cannot tell you how much it has appealed
to me and what pleasure it has given me to read. I
was especially attracted by the remarks which you
have added to the historical part, in addition to your
personal experiences. I am bold enough to assert that
you have, through them, given to us younger members
of the army admirable practical rules, which each one
may very well take to heart.

* It would be well if you would in this way
communicate a great many such experiences of your
own, and I think the favourable reception which this
publication on Borodino has now received is the best
proof of the gratitude which one would owe you if you
would do so.

* How can I enter into the details ? It would be a
difficult and lengthy matter were I to emphasize aU

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

that which interested, and was new to, me. Pray,
therefore, accept my sincere thanks as a slight proof
of the great pleasure which it afforded me.

* Since my return from my interesting journey in
the Province of Prussia, I have once more gone
through your observations upon horse-breeding with
great interest, as I had an opportunity of seeing
several studs and remount depots, such as Trakehnen,
Neu-Hof, Surgaitschen, etc., where there were mag-
nificent horses, with which the regiments will no doubt
be satisfied this year. It seemed to me that the
breeding of horses is, in general, in a flourishing
condition in that province, and the prices have risen
in an incredible way ; yet I heard the opinion expressed
that in a few years the breeding would yield such a
large number of beautifiil horses that the high prices
would fall in consequence.

* The other day my mother conununicated to me the

letter which you had written to her with reference to

my winter studies. I agree with your suggestions

that I should get to know the affairs of the Ministry

of War and of the Government. I candidly confess,

however, that I do not share your opinion that I

might finish battalion drill simply by drilling several

times in the coming autumn; it is my great wish

to acquaint myself with the course of training of

that corps by taking the command just as I did as a

captain — at least, during the autumn and until the

completion of the spring drill. Knowing myself as

I do, the fact of having conunanded a few times

would not give me sufficient confidence to enable me

soon after to act as a superior officer. It would

also be extremely painful for me to remain in the

i857] THE PRINCESS ENGAGEMENT

immediate neighbourhood of the regiment without
being in any way connected with it, and having to
occupy myself entirely theoretically at a desk. I
venture to tell you, my dear Greneral, since you, as
you know, have my entire confidence, that I am of the
opinion that the army might think I had no special
interest in occupying myself further with the duties
and affairs of the service, were I now to omit the
battalion and regimental training, and then, soon after,
become a superior officer.

* I am sure you will not misunderstand me for thus
pouring out my thoughts to you ; there are so few
people to whom I can do this in the way I do to you.

'Concerning the command of a regiment, I own
that, taking into consideration my youth and slight
experience, the leading of a body of officers certainly
arouses some misgivings in me. I cannot, however, as
yet say much upon the whole subject, because I have
only thought over it in a general way, and had
certainly not reckoned on the possibility of such an
event before next summer.

' It seems to me that, in comparison with the duties
of a Captain or of a commander of a regiment, there is
but little to do until March, and in occupying myself
theoretically during the winter; the command of a
battalion would not be a waste of time therefore.

* These are some of the ideas which have been
suggested by reading and thinking over your words.
I add the question regarding the garrison town, for
Potsdam has not a very favourable reputation. I am
personally especially attached to the 1st Regiment of
Guards, as well as to that town, and I cannot deny
that a second winter in Berlin, where I have already

65 F

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

spent two summers, would be extremely distastefiil to
me. It would not be diflScult for me, were I occupied
frequently at the War Office, to undertake other work
as well on the same days; should I have to attend
these, say, twice a week, I could also undertake some
other appointment at Potsdam, as it is easy to get
there by train.

*I could only occupy myself with Grovemment
affairs at Potsdam, as that town is the seat of the
Gk)vemment, just as Berlin is only for the Ministries,
and there I should gain no advantage by attending
without previous knowledge of the administration in
detail, especially since its representatives are men who
could be of use to me.

' I have thus, my dear General, communicated my
thoughts to you, as well as can be done in writing,
and I beg for a frank rejoinder, should you have the
inclination or the time for it. I must now say farewell,
in the hope that this may find you in good health. I
received news of you through Herr von Brandenstein
and Herr von Heister, and I was glad to hear from
them that you were well ; but I can understand how
trying it must be for you now that so many trusted
friends and acquaintances have been removed, for
you are, as it is, already so very solitary in the big
house.

* I hope I shall have the great pleasure of seeing
you once more, dear General, in the course of the
summer, and I need not say how much I should
appreciate it.'

The more comprehensive the Prince's insight into

the conduct of affia.irs of State became through his

i857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

work in the Ministry, the greater grew his aversion
to the prevailing system of government. His liberal
views and his strict sense of justice disgusted him
with the art of government as practised by the
Manteuffel Ministry. The Prince had poured out his
heart to his future father-in-law in a letter, and had
severely criticised the official methods of elections.
Prince Albert thereupon wrote him the following
reply :

' WiNDBOB GaBTLB,

• November 6, 1855.

*My dear Fritz,

* Accept my best thanks for your friendly letter
of the 22nd ultimo. The state of Prussia, as you
describe it, is most critical, and designs such as those
contemplated by the reactionaries, prosecuted by such
..ean. L a., i thU moment pJtU^d in re^ to
elections, may result in extreme danger to the
monarchy ; for if the world be oveiTuled by Grod, as
I believe it is, vile and wicked actions must bear evil
fruits, which frequently do not show themselves at
once, but long years afterwards, as the Bible tells us
in the words, ** The sins of the fathers are visited on
the children to the third and fourth generation."
This being so, I ask myself what the duties are of
those who are to come after, in reference to the
sowing of such dragons* teeth? And I am con-
strained to answer that they are enjoined by morality,
conscience, and patriotism not to stand aloof as in-
different spectators of the destruction of a Constitution
that has been sworn to. And when I consider what I
should do in the present state of things, this much is
quite clear to me : that I would record a solemn protest

67 F 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

against such proceedings, not by way of opposition to
the Government, but in defence of the rights of those
whose rights I should regard as inseparable from my
own — those of my country and my people — and in
order that I might absolve my conscience from any
suspicion of participation in the unholy work. At the
same time, however, that my conduct might be divested
of every semblance of being dictated by a spirit of
opposition or desire for popularity, and — in order, it
may be, to make the step itself unnecessary — I should
in all confidence make those who are contemplating
the wrong aware of my intention, and should not
conceal the fact from my friends, yet at the same
time I should live on terms of peace with the reign-
ing powers. I am satisfied that an attitude of this
kind would inspii'e the delinquents with a certain
measure of alarm, and help to keep the nation frt)m
losing all hope ; and there is no such solid basis for
patience as hope.

' In your letter of the 3rd instant to Victoria, which
she received yesterday, you speak of your new labours
and studies in the different Ministerial departments.
When you have worked there for some time, the
truth of Axel Oxenstiem's saying, " My son, you will
be surprised with how little wisdom the world is
governed," will become obvious to you. I am only afraid
that it will be nobody s interest to explain essential
principles to you, and that, on the contrary, they will
try, perhaps not imintentionally, to overwhelm you with
the multiplicity of details and of so-called work ; but
this good must at any rate ensue, that you will become
thoroughly acquainted with what is making history.

Most German bureaucrats cannot, and even will not,

1857] THE PRINCES ENGAGEMENT

see the wood for the trees ; they even regard the
abstract idea of the wood as something dangerous,
and measure its value by the density with which
the trees are huddled together, and not by the vigour
of their growth. Added to which, the weight and
number of German official documents is something
appalling/

The spring of the year 1856 at length terminated
the secrecy which hovered about the engagement of
Prince Frederick William and Princess Victoria,
although it was only made known to the public at
large eighteen months later. For the present the
news was communicated confidentially to the relations
of the House of Prussia and to the royalties of other
countries.

The following letters of various dates from Princess
Alice, afterwards Grand-Duchess of Hesse, reflect the
feeling with which the prospective union was regarded
in the English Boyal Family :

'Deab Fritz,

* I cannot tell you what great pleasm*e and
sm*prise it has given me to hear irom my dear parents
that you are henceforth to be so nearly connected with
our dear Vicky, and that we may think of you as of a
brother. We are all so fond of you, and are convinced
that Vicky will be exceedingly happy with you. We
shall, of course, be sorry to part with her, as she has
always been the kindest sister to us ; as, however, her
leaving us will contribute to her happiness, we must,
out of love to her, familiarize ourselves with the
thought that you are going to deprive us of her.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

Please kijss your dear mother's hand for me, and with
much love to dear Vivi,

* Your loving

* Alice.

' April 9, 1856;

'Balmoral Castlb,
' October 13, 1856.

'Dear Fritz,

*I wish you many happy returns of your
birthday, and hope you will spend it in health and
happiness. We will all think of you with affection on
the 18th, and wish that you were here. The enclosed
pin is intended as a small gift from Affie and me, and
we both beg you to accept it from us both. I am
sorry to say we leave Balmoral the day after to-morrow.
We often took the lovely walks which no doubt you
still remember, and they reminded us of you. I lately
spent a whole day out of doors with my dear parents,
and papa shot two fine stags. You cannot imagine
how much I enjoy going out shooting with my parents.

' Good-bye, dear Fritz ; with renewed good wishes,

' I remain,

* Your loving

* Alice.'

< WiMDsoB Castlb,
' December 26, 1856.

'Dear Fritz,

* Before this letter reaches you you will probably

be in possession of the handkerchiefs which Vicky has

sent you through Sir Colin Campbell from us four, and

I hope you will like them. I again wish, though

rather late, that you will spend a very happy Christmas

with your family, and please accept my best wishes

1857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

for your happiness and prosperity in the New Year. I
cannot tell you how much kindness I experienced this
Christmas. I received a quantity of the loveliest
things ; it would only bore you were I to enumerate
them all, therefore have patience until you can see
them with your own eyes. Only think : whilst we
were quite engrossed in viewing our presents, we saw,
to our great surprise, a gigantic Father Christmas
enter covered with snow. He was very gracious, in
spite of his enormous and threatening birch, and
handed us a quantity of Nuremberg ginger-nuts and
gilded nuts from his large bag.

' This surprise had been prepared by papa, in order
that Arthur's wish might be realized, for he had long
wanted to see a Father Christmas.

' Now I must say good-bye, and ask you to thank
your dear mamma many times for her charming
present. I will write to her myself to-morrow.

* With love,

* Your old cousin,

' Maudbn.'*

The Emperor Napoleon wrote to Queen Victoria on
April 12 as follows :

* We heard with the greatest satisfaction that Your
Majesty's plans for the happiness of the Princess
Royal are approaching their realization. We hear so
much that is good of Prince Frederick William that I
am convinced that your charming daughter will be
happy.'

In May Prince Frederick William, accompanied

* A pet name someiimeB nsed by Princess Alice when writing
to her family.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

by Colonel von Moltke, paid a visit of several weeks'
duration to his JiancSe and her parents.

After his return from England the Prince resumed
his miUtary occupation, and on July 3 he was given
the command of the 1st Regiment of Guards, a
battalion of which he had commanded the year before.
The Prince had, however, received injunctions to com-
municate with Colonel von Blumenthal, who in the
subsequent wars became the chief of the Prince's staff,
in matters of importance with reference to the command
of the regiment, when the decision needed greater
military knowledge. In a letter to a relation from
Potsdam, July 14, the Prince says :

' I for my part am living the roughest soldier's Hfe
in the most stirring way, and with it all I am exceed-
ingly well and happy ; but, between ourselves, there
is hardly breathing time.'

In the month of August Prince Frederick William
travelled with a large retinue to Eussia, as the King's
representative at the coronation of the Emperor
Alexander II. at Moscow, and he gives the following
graphic description of the ceremony, which took place
on September 7 :

* The coronation took place to-day, punctually and
exactly as prescribed by the programme, and was
favoured by the warmest and most brilliant sunshine.
This beautiftil ceremony belongs to the rare occasions
of one's life, which are never forgotten ; it passed off
wonderfully well.

* As a final preparation of Their Majesties for the

coronation Communion, a religious service took place

yesterday evening in the Czar's chapel which lasted

fiilly two hours, and at which only the more intimate

1857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

circle of the Imperial Family and I were present.
Aunt Charlotte listened &om outside, and afterwards
blessed Their Majesties by giving them two new and
beautiful images in the state-rooms of the Kremlin.

* The thunder of guns and the ringing of bells this
morning at seven o'clock announced the importance of
the day, and at half-past eight o'clock we assembled in
Aunt Charlotte's drawing-room in the Kremlin. (She
had slept in the state bedroom.)

' I understand too little about the subject to be able
to give a description of the wealth of the gowns worn
by the Grand-Duchesses ; they had jewels on almost
all the seams of the dress and train, and, with the
exception of Mary, had chosen to wear ermine trim-
ming. Mary wore sable d la Bajarde, as she said.
My grandmother in white and drap (Targent^ as well as
Fanny, looked magnificent. Marou9a appeared for the
first time in a train. We Princes, as well as all the
Knights of St. Andrew, wore the chain of the Order,
as did also the Emperor, besides the ribbon of the
Order of St. Vladimir. Shortly before nine o'clock
the Empress Marie appeared, dressed entirely in drap
d^argent and diamonds (like a bride in our &mily),
and with a train ; as headdress, only long curls. Aunt
Charlotte thereupon entered, wearing the diamond
crown on her head, while over her richly-embroidered
gown, trimmed with jewels, she wore the Empress's
cloak of cloth of gold lined with ermine, besides the
diamond chain of St. Andrew. Her headdress con-
sisted of the ordinary curls in front, with longer ones
hanging over her shoulders, and besides this a long
veil.

' At nine o'clock the procession began to move, after

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

both Sovereigns had with much feeling bidden farewell
to Aunt Charlotte. The aunt, with Nisi and Mishi
at her side as supporters, and accompanied by all the
Grand-Duchesses and foreign PrinL and children,
then walked through the large drawing-rooms, where
the Guard of Chevaliers lined the way, and the ladies
as well as the corps of officers were drawn up.

* The moment when we ascended the " crasnoi
cryllyo" staircaae was imposing. The cheering,
closely-packed and gaily- dressed crowd on high plat-
forms, the troops formed in line, the ringing of bells,
mingled with the National Anthem and the thunder
of guns ; finally, the beautiful gowns of the Grand-
Duchesses on the crimson-covered pathway — all this
combined must have made an abiding impression upon
everyone, especially if one recalled the historic past of
these rooms.

*Aunt Charlotte took her place inside the church
under the canopy at the right of the two imperial
thrones, the rest of us being close beside her, but two
steps lower down. The diplomats were on the right
of the altar, whilst on the left stood the numerous
ladies and Maids-of-Honour on amphitheatre-like plat-
forms.

* We had to wait a good quarter of an hour before
the Emperor arrived, walking immediately behind the
regalia, and accompanied by all the clergy. Both
Sovereigns were only to do homage before the chief
images ; but the Empress had already entered a chapel,
when the Emperor caught sight of her, and summoned
her by one of the priests.

* Then the Emperor repeated the Creed loudly and
clearly, after which the actual act of coronation

1857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

followed, when the old Philaret held the crown towards
him, after the long golden cloak and the diamond
chain of St. Andrew had been placed round him. The
Emperor took the large glittering crown with both
hands and placed it on his head, whereupon the
Philaret, after an address, handed him the sword and
imperial sceptre. The Emperor then turned towards
the Empress Marie, who, advancing in front of him,
knelt upon a cushion, held in readiness by Greorge of
Mecklenburg, and was crowned, the Emperor first
removing his own crown, and holding it for a moment
over her head before he placed the small crown on her
head. Four late Ladies-in- Waiting then came forward
to fasten it on, and also to place the cloak and chain
of St. Andrew on her shoulders. The crown suited
the Emperor extremely well, and he looked very hand
some wearing the long gold mantle and with this
regal attribute on his head. After we had all knelt
down to pray, everyone bowed to Their Majesties ; and
then followed a touching moment, when Aunt Char-
lotte advanced to the Emperor and, blessing him,
embraced him. All the Grand-Dukes and Grand-
Duchesses and we Princes hereupon followed likewise,
also kissing Aunt Charlotte's hand. Unfortimately,
when Louis of Hesse approached, the Empress Marie's
crown is said to have fallen upon her cloak (I did not
see it), three diamonds falling out. At any rate, it
was not again put on securely until the actual Mass
began, and this time it was safely attached.

' During Mass the Emperor removed his crown ; and
when the priests had communicated the Emperor was
invited by two Bishops to the anointing as well as the
Holy Communion, and, preceded by the regaHa, he

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

approached the imperial porch of the Iconoetas, followed
by the Ejnpreea When descending the steps he threw
one more glance towards Aunt Charlotte, and then
the anointing and Communion took place ; but I could
not distinguish anything clearly, as there were too
many people surrounding Their Majesties, and, besides
this, the Grand-Duchess Helena, who had several
times to sit down, sank into my arms almost fainting,
and was with difficulty restored to consciousness with
water and smelling-salts.

' These were about the chief incidents in the corona-
tion ceremony. It would be impossible to describe
the dignified bearing of Aunt Charlotte during this
beautiful service ; there can be but one opinion on the
subject. Often standing, and leaning upon Mishi, she
apparently took part in everything that her son had
to go through ; great feeling and force of mind were
evident in her features and in her whole appearance.
She was the picture of an Empress and a woman of
distinction. Thank Grod, she was able to go through it
all without a sign of weakness, walking both up and
down the " crasnoi cryllyo," only having to be carried
through the rooms. She was finally present at the
banquet in full dress, and between eight and ten
o'clock in the evening drove with us in an open
carriage through the streets to view the illuminations.
To-day she drove out about ten o'clock, and I dined
with her.

*To return to details, the exemplary order with
which everything passed off deserves special recog-
nition. Rehearsals bad taken place almost daily ; only
the old fellows who had been honoured with the

bearing of the regalia were occasionally awkward.

1857] THE PRINCESS ENGAGEMENT

The unusually numerous clergy officiating, headed by
three Metropolitans, were robed in cloth of gold, into
which red crosses and ornaments had been woven.
The singing during the whole church ceremony was
fine, but not as specially wonderful as I had expected ;
the second part of the Domine, scUvum^ etc., was,
for instance, very elevating, as was also one part
during the singing of the Mass, where three children's
voices sang alone. Unfortunately the " igi " did not
come in.

* The cloth of gold of the three imperial mantles
was very valuable, and the eagles on them were very
finely embroidered. The Emperor's crown is composed
entirely of diamonds and divided in the centre by a
hoop mounted d jour. There a^e rows of pearls on
the inner sides of the two divided parts, while a
gigantic ruby surmounts the hoop itself

* Whilst we escorted Aunt Charlotte back, the
Emperor and Empress. stiU wearing their crowns,
went the round of the churches ; but going outside
the Church of the Apostles, so that they might be
seen by the public standing between this and the
Nicholas Palace, they did not re-enter the inner court-
yard until they reached the Ivan Veliki.

* One o'clock had struck when we got back to Aunt
Charlotte's after having spent four hours in church.
The banquet took place at three o'clock in Granovitaja
Palata. We Princes did not take part in it, but dined
in the *' taimk," a room half-way over the Granovitaja
Palata, fix)m which the female members of the Czar's
family formerly used to watch the festivities looking
through a narrow, semi-bow window. The three
Sovereigns, each wearing the imperial regalia, sat by

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855-

themselves under the canopy hung with real ermine, and
were waited on by the High Court functionaries. The
diplomatic circle had to look on, standing, until after
the soup, when they retired, walking backwards.
Besides Their Majesties, the Court circle, both men
and women, also dined in the same hall at tables
which surrounded the great centre pillar on the one
side at an acute angle, the other side having to remain
empty to allow of the dishes being carried through,
each one being escorted by two Chevalier-Garde oflScers
with drawn sabres. Each dish, when brought near,
was preceded by the head Court officials carrying
golden staves 8 feet long ; at the top of each was
the double-headed imperial eagle. The most beautiful
silver vessels of enormous dimensions stood on the
sideboard, and altogether this ancient historical hall
presented quite an extraordinary appearance. The
coronation medals were distributed diiring dinner ;
they were even larger than a four- thaler piece (if there
were such), of massive gold, and said to be worth
100 ducats apiece.

* All the foreigners staying here were invested with
various Orders.'

On September 17 the Prince arrived at Berlin, as the
wedding of his sister with the Grand-Duke Frederick
of Baden, fixed for September 20, had induced him to
hasten his journey.

Later on Prince Frederick William, accompanied by
Major-General von Moltke and Major von Heinz, left
on a flying visit for London to congratulate Princess
Victoria on her sixteenth birthday, November 21.

They returned from England vi& Paris December 11,
in order to pay a complimentary visit to the Emperor

i857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

Napoleon, who received his royal guest with special
honours.

Napoleon regarded the family union between the
English and Prussian Boyal Houses with a feeling of
depression. He feared that England, yielding to
Prussian influence, would break off the alliance with
France. But he allowed himself to be tranquillized
by Lord Clarendon, who assured him that Queen
Victoria's private attachment to the House of Prussia
had nothing to do with politics. On receipt of the
letter which the Queen of England had sent to Paris
for the Emperor by her future son-in-law. Napoleon
replied : * We like the Prince very much, and I do not
doubt that he will make the Princess happy, for he
seems to me to possess every characteristic quality
belonging to his age and rank. We endeavoured to
make his stay here as pleasant as possible, but I
foimd his thoughts were always either at Osborne or
Windsor/

In connection with this visit, the Empress Eugenie
is said to have made the following remarks concerning
the Prussian guests (in a letter to Countess W. ) :

' The Prince is a tall, handsome man, almost a head
taller than the Emperor ; he is slim and fair, with a
light yellow moustache — in fact, a Teuton such as
Tacitus described — chivalrously polite, and not with-
out a resemblance to Hamlet. His companion, Herr
von Moltke (or some such name), is a man of few
words, but nothing less than a dreamer, always on the
alert, and surprises one by the most telling remarks.
. . . The Germans are an imposing race. Louis says
it is the race of the future. Bah ! nous rCen sommes
pas encore la.'

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1855.

In the beginnings of the year 1857 the Prince re-
moved to Breslau to assume the command of the 11th
Infantry Regiment, and took up his quarters in the
Royal Palace, where he remained until September.
He soon became the centre of society there, and
invited many of the leading civil and military
authorities to dinner. The ball which the town gave
in the theatre in his honour, and his presence at the
Festival of the Tradesmen's Guilds, were proofe of his
evident popularity, and of his desire to keep in
touch with the educated middle classes. It also
gave universal satisfaction that the Prince was not
exclusively engrossed by his military calling, but
foxmd time and leisure to be also present at the
sittings of the Gk>vemment at Breslau. Neither did
he disregard the intellectual side of the Silesian capital,
for he entered into personal relations with the most
distinguished of its leaders. Many excursions afforded
an opportunity for seeing something of the province,
and in Upper Silesia he inspected aU the principal
centres of the mining industry. The Prince descended
the Louise Mine, near Zabrze, dressed as a miner, and
was greeted in its depths by a choir with songs. The
neighbouring Riesengebirge also repeatedly attracted
him, and the great trading districts of Waldenburg
and Freiburg appeared to him an instructive picture
of the industry of his Fatherland. He even went over
the battlefields of the War of Liberation — the much-
disputed one of Katzbach as well — where Colonel
von Moltke combined historical reminiscences with
military instruction.

During the Prince's stay in Breslau, Von Moltke

was in close companionship with him as his aide-de-

1857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

camp, and described his experiences and travels in a
number of letters to his wife.

More than eighteen months had now elapsed since
the betrothal of Prince Frederick William, and the
reasons which had rendered the publication of this
happy event unadvisable no longer existed. The
Preussische Staatsanzeiger^ on May 16, 1857, therefore
published the following announcement :

* His Majesty the King has to-day been pleased to
announce to the Royal Family, as well as to the Royal
Household, that the engagement of H.R.H. Prince
Frederick William with H.R.H. Princess Victoria
Adelaide Mary Louise, Princess Royal of Great Britain
and Ireland and Duchess of Saxony, has taken place
to-day, with his consent, and with the assent of Her
Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland. A similar announcement has been
made in the Privy Council by Her Majesty the Queen
of Great Britain and Ireland. Public notice is, by
command of His Majesty, herewith given of this event,
which will rejoice not only the Royal House, but also
the entire Monarchy.*

A month after this public announcement, the Prince,

accompanied by Major-General von Moltke, left Breslau

for several weeks to pay another visit to his royal

Jiancde. During his stay at the Court of Great Britain,

a visit was also paid to the Manchester Art Exhibition.

Moltke, in the following letter, describes the events of

that day :

• London,
' Friday, July 3, 1857.

* In Manchester, Prince Albert and the two young
Princes drove with us, at two o'clock, to the Town Hall,

81 G

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1857

where the Mayor and Aldermen presented an address
to our Prince. A canopy of red velvet had been erected
on a dais. An ornithological monster represented
the Prussian eagle, a species which has as yet not been
seen in this country. The " big- wigs " of the town,
with their better halves, filled the hall. After we had
taken our places beneath the canopy of red velvet (it
may have been Manchester velvet), the Mayor read his
speech. I received this piece of eloquence on parch-
ment ; it was quite of the same description as the
address to the Queen, and I handed the Prince his
reply, which he had himself drawn up, and which he
read, in a loud and clear voice, naturally in English
(with a slight Grerman accent, said the Times, by whom
I am called Count Moltke). The speech was inter-
rupted by numerous " Hear, hears !** and then came
the most important event, a splendid luncheon, at
which the stout " Knight " presided as host. Owing
to the honour which had been done to their town, no
doubt, the waiters had become so extraordinarily con-
fused that I rose hungry firom the table. For instance,
two firesh glasses were, at dessert, placed before each
guest, but they aU remained empty, for the simple
reason that no one poured anything into them. To
me, at any rate, a jelly, with strawberries, was handed
immediately after the fowl. I think a mistake must
have been made, and when it was discovered it was
too late to go back to fish and roast beef

The presentation of the Freedom of the City to the

Prince took place in London on July 13, in the

Guildhall, at which, besides the Duke of Cambridge,

the Ministers, the Bishop of London, the Ambassadors

i857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

of Prussia, France, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, and of
the United States of America, were also present.

Prince Frederick William started on the return
journey on July 14, but first went to Baden-Baden
to see his mother, who was paying a visit to her
daughter, recently married to the Grand-Duke of
Baden. He then resumed his command at Breslau.

The Prince Consort, in a letter to the Prince of
Prussia, in the summer of 1857, says :

* It gives me great pleasure to hear that Fritz
returned so well satisfied with his official visit to
England. He will have been convinced that the
country looks with favour upon his alliance with our
&mily, and does full justice to him, meeting him with
kind feelings, as a man and as a Prince of Prussia.
We well knew that this was the case, but it gave us
satisfaction to see it confirmed before the entire world,
and recognised by himself He, on his part, made the
best impression by his public appearance.'

In writing to his wife fix)m Breslau, on August 22,
1857, Moltke remarked :

' Our correspondence has been fairly industrious, but
yesterday the Prince told me that he had a letter of
forty pages from his affianced bride by the last post.
The news must have accumulated rather T

At the end of August the Prince s regiment re-
ceived orders to join in the divisional manoeuvres in
the neighbourhood of Reichenbach, and as at their
termination his command was also to cease, he bade
farewell to the regiment with which he had so
thoroughly shared the many hardships of military
service. The different battalions were drawn up on

the Reichenbach highroad, between Panthenau and

83 G 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1857

Lauterbach, and the Prince addressed them in the
following words :

* I cannot part fix)m you without thanking you
sincerely for the fidelity and obedience with which
you have executed my commands. ... I found dili-
gence and energy from the first moment unto the last.
It afforded me the greatest pleasure when I was able
to present my regiment to my father, the Prince of
Prussia, and I still rejoice that I have had such soldiers
under my command. I shall never forget you nor the
time spent among you, and my greatest wish is that
with you, who are most of you my fellow-students,
I may receive the baptism of fire in the face of the
enemy. The fulfilment of this wish would give me
endless pleasure.'

The Prince then called together the officers and bade
them farewell, speaking words of thanks and recogni-
tion and shaking hands with each of them. Deeply
moved, he then galloped off towards Reichenbach,
followed by the cheers of the regiment.

The Prince s one endeavour had been to gain the
love and confidence of the regiment. At the man-
ceuvres he allowed himself no rest, day or night, and
after the most exhausting marches he would walk or
ride until far into the night, round the outposts and
billets, to ascertain the arrangements made for the
accommodation and comfort of his men. The Prince
invariably bivouacked with the troops, when billets
were not forthcoming, and on one such occasion he
was much amused to find that field-mice had eaten
away the lining of his helmet during the night.

October 3, being the fiftieth anniversary of the

foundation of the 1st Infantry Regiment of Guards,

i857] THE PRINCE'S ENGAGEMENT

as well as the military jubilee of King Frederick
William IV., was kept with much ceremony. Upon
this occasion the Prince was promoted to the command
of the 1st Infantry Brigade of Guards. This new
distinction was enhanced by the addition of the
following words to the royal order :

« As a reward for praiseworthy zeal and gratifying
progress in military studies.'

Some days later the King had a stroke of apoplexy,
and Prince Frederick William, who, as the Kings
representative, was attending a christening in the
family of Prince Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein, at
Castle Prinkenau, was obliged to return in all haste to
Potsdam. The King's continued illness rendered the
appointment of a Regent imperative, and on October 23
the King signed a decree appointing his brother, the
Prince of Prussia, to the post of Regent for a term of
three months.

On October 29 the appointment of Chief of the
Staff, which had become vacant through the death of
Greneral von Reyher, was conferred upon Major-General
von Moltke, and consequently his connection with the
Prince came to an end. When Moltke announced his
transference the Prince wrote sorrowfully :

*My dear Major-General,

* These three years will never be forgotten by
me. I cannot tell whether the laurels of the conquer-
ing warrior, which the soldier Moltke referred to in
his wise instructions near the Katzbach and Leuthen,
are destined for me in the future, but I hope with the
greater certainty to obtain the citizen's crown of olive
branches for the arts of peace which the philosopher

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1857

Moltke pointed out to me. Farewell; a sincerely
grateful Telemachus parts from his never-to-be-for-
gotten Mentor.'

When the Prince of Prussia assumed the Regency,
the duties of his son increased. Until then he had
only been called upon to represent the sovereign or
his father upon special occa^sions, or as patron of public
institutions; but now other important business devolved
upon him.

CHAPTER IV

THB ROYAL WEDDING
1858

The marriage contract between the Princess Soyal
and Prince Frederick William was signed in London
in December, 1857. The foreign royal wedding guests
arrived in London about the middle of January : the
Prince* and Princess of Prussia ; the Princes Albrecht,
Frederick Charles, Frederick Albrecht, and Prince
Adalbert of Prussia ; the King of the Belgians with
his two sons, the Duke of Brabant and the Count
of Flanders ; the Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-
Gotha, the Prince of HohenzoUern-Sigmaringen, Prince
William of Baden, Prince Edward of Saxe- Weimar,
the Prince of Leiningen, and the Prince of Hohenlohe-
Langenburg.

Prince Frederick William had decided to start for
London on the evening of January 21.

Naturally, he was the subject of conversation every-
where. The criticism which France made upon the
approaching marriage, regarding it from a political
point of view, gave rise to the following official state-

* Afterwards the first German Emperor.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

ment from the Prussian Ambassador at the Frankfort
Diet, Herr von Bismarck :

* Feankfobt-a.-M.,

* January 22, 1858.

* . . . My French colleague is not free from anxiety
concerning the extent and the heartiness of the rejoic-
ings in Prussia at the marriage of the young Prince.
Similar sentiments also find expression in the semi-
official Parisian newspaper correspondence. The French
have not got a very clear idea of our relations between
Prince and people, nor of Grerman family life even in
the highest circles. The presence of the whole Royal
family in London impresses them with the idea of a
political demonstration, and Prussia's interest in its
future Queen appears to them to be an unfettered out-
break of national sympathy for England.

* The absence of my English colleague from here,
and there being no festive demonstration in honour of
the day on the part of England in consequence, gives
occasion for some remark. He is in London, and
perhaps returns on Monday.'

The Emperor Napoleon IIL had already given
repeated proofs of his warm interest in the marriage
of the Princess Royal. On the occasion of the wedding
he wrote to Queen Victoria :

*. . . I regret extremely having to trouble Your
Majesty with so serious and absorbing a subject* at a
time when I should only desire to write of the happy
sensation which I experience at the thought that your

* Three days previous the bomb outrage upon the Emperor
had been committed by Orsini.

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

mother s heart will soon be gladdened. I venture also
to request Your Majesty to express to the Princess
Royal my heartfelt congratulations upon her marriage.
Our sincerest good wishes will be with her and with
you on the 25 th.*

The following extract fix)m a letter written about
this time by Herr von Bismarck to his friend, General
von Gerlach, who shared his sentiments, gives evidence
of the views current in Prussian Conservative circles
with regard to the union of Prince Frederick William
and the Princess Royal :

* You ask me in your letter what I have to say to
the English marriage. In order to give my opinion, I
shall have to separate the two words. I do not care
for the English part of it, but the marriage itself may
be quite a good one, for the Princess is praised as a
lady of culture and heart ; and one of the first con-
ditions in this life, which enables one to do one's duty
to the world, be it as King or as subject, is for the wife
to be free fi:om all that which constitutes opposition
of mind and heart, as well as from the consequences of
that opposition.'

The wedding-rings for the Prince and Princess had
been made in Breslau of Silesian gold.

The Prince's departure took place on the day
appointed, and he arrived at Dover on January 23
in the morning, after a good crossing. A guard of
honour with a band awaited him on the landing-stage,
and escorted him to the Lord Warden Hotel amidst
the cheering of the crowd. The Prussian Ambassador,
Count von Bemstorff, Prince Reuss, Count Branden-
burg, and Baron von Langen, had travelled to Dover
from London to welcome the Prince.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

The Prince was received at the station In London
by the Prince Consort, the Prince of Wales, and
Prince Alfred, and reached Buckingham Palace at one
o'clock. He was greeted In the great hall of the palace
by his father, and, taking his arm, he proceeded to
the Queen and the Princess Boyal, who were awaiting
him. The Prince's suite consisted of General Both von
Schreckenstein, Major-General von Moltke, BIttmelster
von LIndem, Major von Schwelnltz, and Lieutenant
von Zastrow.

On the evening after the Prince s arrival the Queen
was received In the theatre with the heartiest cheers ;
and upon repeated calls for ^ The Princess I the
Princess !' Her Majesty, leading her daughter and
Prince Frederick WUlIam, appeared In the front of
the box, and the bridal pair were greeted by the
audience with a burst of cheers.

The state ball given on the 20th at Buckingham
Palace, to which more than a thousand guests were
Invited, was most brilliant, but nevertheless these days
of rejoicing had their touch of sadness for Queen
Victoria. On the day the Court left Windsor the
following entry occurs In her diary :

' We went to look at the rooms prepared for Vicky's
honeymoon. Very pretty. The sight of them excited
me very much. Poor, poor child! . . . We took a
short walk with Vicky, who feels this epoch In her
life, the actual parting with her childhood, so terribly
keenly. For the last time she slept In the same room
with Alice. . . . All that Is at an end now.

* Saturday ^ January 23. — Fine ; frost. Much excite-
ment ; but I feel calm. . . . Such bustle, such ques-
tions, and Albert torn to pieces. Latlsh walk In the

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

garden with Albert and our decu* child. Beautifiil
day. . . . Albert went before one to fetch Fritz, who
had landed at half-past ten o'clock, and at half-past
one he arrived with an escort (as have all the other
visitors), and all the Court waiting for him below. I
received him at the bottom of the stairs very warmly ;
he was pale and nervous. At the top of the stairs
Vicky received him with Alice, and we went into the
Audience Room.

* January 24. — Poor dear Vicky's last unmarried
day ; an eventful one, reminding me so much of mine.
... After breakfast we arranged in the large drawing-
room the gifts (splendid ones) for Vicky on two tables —
Mamma's and ours on one ; Fritz's, his parents', King's
and Queen's (of Prussia), imcle's and Ernest's and
Alexandrine's (Duchess of Coburg), on the other. . . .
Fritz's pearls are the largest I ever saw, one row. On
the third table were three candelabra, our gift to
Fritz. The Prince and Princess of Prussia, the
children, mamma, William, aU the Princes (except
two of the Prussian ones), and ourselves, brought in
Fritz and Vicky. She was in ecstasies, quite startled,
and Fritz was delighted. . . . Service at half-past
eleven. The Bishop of Oxford (Wilberforce) preached
a fine sermon.'

On coming home from a walk, the Queen adds :

• We went again to the present-room, where we
found more fine gifts had been placed, many from
ladies, including a quantity of work. From the
Duchess of Buccleuch a splendid case with table orna-
ments set with coral . . . from the Gentlemen of the
Household a beautiful diamond and emerald bracelet,
etc., etc. Very busy. Interrupted and disturbed every

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

instant. Dear Vicky gave me a brooch (a very pretty
one) before church with her hair, and, clasping me in
her arms, said, "I hope to be worthy to be your
child." '

St. James s Palace, which was filled with so many
historical memories, was chosen as the scene of the
wedding ceremony.

We gather what Queen Victoria's feelings were on
the wedding-day from her diary :

* Monday^ January 25. — The second most eventful
day in my life as regards feelings. I felt as if I were
being married over again myself, only much more
nervous, for I had not that blessed feeling which I had
then, which raises and supports one, of giving myself
up for life to him whom I loved and worshipped — then
and ever ! . . . Got up, and while dressing dearest
Vicky came to see me, looking well and composed, and
in a fine, quiet frame of mind. She had slept more
soundly and better than before. This relieved me
greatly. . . . Gave her a pretty book, called "The
Bridal Offering."'*

Towards noon the Queen went to the Chapel Royal
accompanied by a flourish of trumpets. The pro-
cession was headed by high officials of the House;
then came the two Kings-at-Arms, the Lord Privy
Seal, the Lord President of the Privy Council, the
Lord Chancellor, and the Hereditary Grand Marshal,
the Duke of Norfolk. Immediately in front of the
Queen came the First Lord of the Treasury, Viscount
Palmerston, bearing the Sword of State. The Queen
was surrounded by her children. After her followed

* These and the following notes by Queen Victoria are taken
from Sir Theodore Martin's ' Life of Prince Albert/ vol iv.

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

the Master of the Horse, the Duke of Wellington,
and the Mistress of the Robes, the Duchess of
Sutherland. When the Queen had taken her place
upon the throne, the Gentlemen of the Household
returned to the state rooms of St. James's Palace
to conduct the royal bridegroom. Prince Frederick
William, accompanied by his father on his right
hand and Prince Albrecht* on his left, appeared in
the imiform of a Prussian Greneral; he had only
that morning been promoted to Major-General d la
suite of the 1st Infantry Regiment of Guards. When
near the altar. Prince Frederick William stood still
near the Queen s seat and bowed low, then did the
same to his mother, and knelt down in silent prayer
on the steps of the altar. In solemn silence the bride
entered the chapel, leaning on her father's arm, and
escorted by King Leopold, who walked on her right.
She looked pale and agitated, and one could see the
lace handkerchief in her left hand tremble violently.
The bridal robe was trimmed with myrtle and orange
blossoms ; a bunch of flowers adorned her belt ; and
her train of heavy rich satin, three yards in length,
trimmed with two rows of lace and flowers, was carried
by bridesmaids, walking two and two, beautifully
dressed in white silk and lace, trimmed with red roses
and white heather.

Before the bride reached the altar, she too, like the
Prince, stood still before the Queen and curtsied
deeply, her cheeks for a moment being suffused by a
deep blush. She then advanced to the Prince of
Prussia to do homage in the same way, upon which

* According to General yon Moltke, it was Prince Frederick
Charles.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

the bridegroom came forward, dropped on one knee
before her, and, with a look of deep affection, pressed
her hand to his heart. Both then moved to the places
at the altar which were assigned to them.

The clergy had in the meanwhile appeared at the
altar— first the Archbishop of Canterbury as Primate
of the English Church, then the Bishops of London,
Oxford, Chester, the Deans of Windsor and of the
Chapel Royal. A hymn, chosen by Prince Albert,
WM then sung, and the marriage service proceeded
according to the rites of the Church of England.
The Prince pronounced the responses so clearly and
distinctly that they could be heard in the whole
chapel. The Hallelujah Chorus concluded the service,
and with it the strict Court ceremonial also ended.
Jjist as the Heralds had taken their places, two and
two together, in order to escort the Court from the
chapel, the bride, who could no longer control her
feelings, hastened towards her mother and embraced
her with tears. Again and again the Queen embraced
her dear child, and wept with her, even after the
Princess had torn herself away from her to turn to
her father. Prince Frederick William, who had
embraced his young wife twice immediately after the
blessing, then advanced to his mother, who threw her
arms round him, while his father also embraced him
with much emotion.

The Queen was the first to recover self-possession ;
she walked, or rather flew, across to the Princess of
Prussia, and embraced her with great tenderness,
and shook hands with the Prince of Prussia. He
stooped to kiss her hand, but the Queen did not
permit this, and turned her cheek to him for a kiss

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

instead. Prince Frederick William was standing at
her side, and shook hands warmly with his father-
in-law.

From St. James's Palace everyone returned to
Buckingham Palace, and while the Court were at
lunch the crowd outside called loudly for the bride and
bridegroom. The folding doors of the large central
hall then opened, and the Boyal couple appeared on
the balcony, first alone and then with their parents,
brothers, and sisters; eaxjh time they were received
with loud cheers.

About five o'clock the young couple took leave of
their parents and relations and started for Windsor,
where all kinds of preparations had been made for
their reception. Stands had been erected on the
station platform, from which the arrival of the Prince
and Princess could be seen, and about one hundred
Eton boys had taken possession of one. There was
no lack of banners and laurel wreaths, and in large
brightly-shining letters the motto Congratulatur Etona
gleamed in the setting sun. A second stand was
occupied by ladies and gentlemen from Windsor and
the neighbourhood.

The Prince and Princess arrived about six o'clock,
and were greeted by tremendous cheering. When the
train stopped, the Prince immediately alighted and
gave the Princess his hand. Their appearance on the
platform was the signal for renewed demonstrations of
loyalty, the Eton boys being especially noticeable for
their enthusiasm. The Prince, having shaken hands
with some of the most prominent persons on the plat-
form, and having spoken a few friendly words to them,
escorted his young wife into the Queen's waiting-room.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

The horses which had drawn the carriage to the
station were unharnessed by the Eton boys, who drew
and pushed it to the Koyal Castle.

The Times published the following article on the
wedding-day :

' A very simple and rough enumeration of the facts
will serve to show that this is something else than
what we may find any day in the Court Circular.
Since England emerged from the Wars of the Boses
there have been only half a dozen occasions as that of
this day. The marriage of the Princess Charlotte we
all remember too well. Eighteen years since we had
another royal wedding. Heaven only knows how
much we may owe to it our present prosperity, and
the security jvith which we all look forward to the
future fortune of the British Throne. One result we
see to-day, and it cannot be called a trifling one. . . .
We only trust and pray that the policy of England
and of Prussia may never present any painful alterna-
tives to the Princess now about to leave our shores ;
that she will never be called on to forget the land of
her birth, education, and religion; and that, should
the occasion ever occur, she may have the wisdom to
render what is due both to her new and her old
country. . . . There is no European State but what
changes and is still susceptible of change, nor is this
change wholly by any internal law of development.
We influence one another. England, indeed, has ever
been jealous of foreign influence, and she would be the
last to repudiate the honour of influencing her neigh-
bours. For our part, we are confident enough of our
country to think an English Princess a gain to a

Prussian Court, but not so confident to deny that we

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

may be mutually benefited, and Europe through us,
by a greater cordiality and better acquaintance than
has hitherto been between the two countries.'

Prince Frederick William was invested on January
28 with the Order of the Garter in St. George's
Hall, Windsor Castle. Besides the twenty-six English
knights, the Order of the Grarter can only be conferred
on foreign crowned heads ; a special announcement
had, therefore, to be made in the Chapter of the Order
that Prince Frederick WilUam of Prussia was eUgible
as a descendant of King George I. of Great Britain.

Next day the newly married couple received an
address of congratulation from the Lord Mayor, the
Sheriflfe, the Town Council, and the representatives of
the Corporation of London, which was read aloud by
the Recorder. On the same day the Queen had
invited the representatives of the aristocracy to
St. James's Palace to present their congratulations.
General von Moltke, writing to his wife from
London, on Saturday, February 2, thus refers to
the festivities :*

' I was again very comfortably quartered at Windsor
in my old turret. The Prince was decorated with the
Order of the Garter, but it was done without any
special ceremony. Since that occasion we have been
again in London, where f(§tes, operas, concerts, balls
and drawing-rooms have quite occupied our tima

*Many handsome and gorgeous presents fix)m
various manufacturing towns have been handed over
by deputations. The Prince was installed as a
member of the Guild of Fishmongers, which is now
1,200 years old. Very pleasant indeed was the

* Moltke's Letters to his Wife, yoL ii., p. 90.

97 H

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

occasion of a visit by a deputation from the City of
London. The young Princess read her reply in a
most admbable manner, so simple, from the heart, and
with such a dear, frdl-toned voice, that an involuntary
'* sensation" went through the assembly, and the
■■ old fl«ao wigs ■• felt L, coming to'their eyea
Everyone who heard her could not help likmg her.
I am perfectly certain that she will be a great &vourite
among us.'

Congratulatory addresses were presented by de-
putations frt)m many towns of the British Empire,
and in many instances were accompanied by hand-
some presents. Thus, a deputation from the Town
Council of Birmingham sent a number of wedding
gifts, the products of the industry of that town,
which were valued at £2,000 sterling. The following
were among the most costly of the many wedding
presents : A diamond tiara from the King and Queen
of Prussia ; a diamond necklace and three diamond
brooches of the same design from Queen Victoria,
who also gave the young couple three massive and
artistically modelled silver candelabras, the centre one
being about four feet in height. The Prince Consort
gave a bracelet set with diamonds and emeralda
The bride received another, formed of the same jewels,
from the Gentlemen of the Royal Household. The
jewels given by the Prince of Wales were exceedingly
costly, consisting of a necklace, brooch and earrings of
diamonds and opals of unusual beauty. The bride-
groom's present was, however, the most valuable of
all ; it was a necklace of pearls so large in size that
thirty-six suflBced to go round the throat easily, and

of these the three middle ones were the finest of their

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

kind. The gifts from the Prince and Princess of
Prussia were also truly regal — a necklace of diamonds
and a neck ornament set with tinrquoises of rare
beauty. Each of the bride's foiu* younger sisters gave
a brooch of the same pattern, but set respectively with
diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires.

In accordance with Court etiquette, several English
Ministers and other difrnitaries also received fidfts.
Lord Clarendon, the Slter of Foreign aIu,,
shoidd, according to the foreign custom, have received
a snuff-box with a portrait, as he was the chief signa.
tory of the marriage articlea As the English law
does not permit any State official or Minister to
receive or accept any distinction for services rendered
to the State, Lord Clarendon could not accept an
official present. Prince Albert, however, considered
that it would be suitable for the bridegroom to give
his lordship a souvenir such as would not have the
appearance of a smn of money, in the shape of a
costly article, but which might be characterized purely
as a gift of personal kind feelings, and a life-sized
portrait of the bridegroom seemed to the Prince to
be most suitable for such a purpose. When Lord
Clarendon, some time after the marriage, was in-
formed by the Prussian Ambassador, Count Bernstorff,
that His Majesty intended, in spite of this, to present
him with a pair of valuable vases, he received this
communication with gratitude, and jokingly remarked
that he hoped that the vases were not of too great
value, so that they might not give rise to the
remark that he had sold England to Prussia.* A

* Private letter of Gotint Bernstorff to Minister yon Man-
teoffel, Maroh 4, 1858.

99 H 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

private gift was also considered suitable by Prince
Albert for the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had
performed the ceremony. Prince Frederick William
decided on a Bible, and had a large folio one printed
by the Court printers, with the most beautiful letter-
ing, and illustrated with engravings after Kaulbach.
The cover had massive silver clasps in Old German
style, and the book weighed some seventy-seven
pounds.

The departure of the Prince and Princess had been
fixed for February 2, and they left Buckingham Palace
about noon on that day. The Queen, with her ladies,
and the chief officials of the Household, escorted them
as &r as the great outer halL A troop of Horse
Guards rode in advance ; then followed the bride and
bridegroom with the Prince Consort and the Prince
of Wales. Many hundreds of flags displayed good
wishes, and hearty cheers rose from thousands of
throats.

At Gravesend, the last place at which the Princess
with her husband stood on English soU. two gaUy
decorated fir-trees had been placed at one of the cross-
ings ; at another there was a triumphal arch, with the
words, * Farewell, Fair Rose of England,' and * We
give her to your care.' All the streets as far as the
landing-stage were decked with flags and garlands,
and at the landing-stage itself — which consists of a
roomy hall with pillars, extending far into the river
— seats were arranged for 1,200 people. In the centre
of the hall the Lord Mayor presented a congratulatory
address. On the bridge sixty young girls scattered
flowers. A salute resounded from the river when the

young couple, accompanied by Prince Albert, the

100

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred, went on board
the Victoria and Albert The appearance of the
Prince Consort, in spite of his eflforts to look cheer-
ful, revealed how much he felt the pang of parting
from his beloved daughter. When the anchor chains
of the yacht were drawn up, weather-beaten fisher-
men still crowded round in their boats, and called
all kinds of injunctions to Prince Frederick William :
*Keep her well r *Be true to herT 'Grod bless you
for it !'

As the paddle-wheels of the yacht began to move,
the gims of Tilbury Fort and the opposite heights
thundered a salute. Prince Frederick William had,
before leaving, sent a beautiftJ gold snuff-box, with
his monogram set in diamonds, to the Lord Mayor, Sii*
John Key, through the Prussian Ambassador, Count
von Bemstorff, as a mark of recognition for the manner
in which he had carried out the wishes of the Common
Council of London by conferring upon the Prince the
Freedom of the City. The Princess had, in a suitable
and thoughtful way, provided presents for all the
ladies and servants of the Court.

The royal yacht, escorted by the convoys, left the
mouth of the Thames about two o'clock in the morning,
en route for the Continent.

Queen Victoria writes in her diary, February 2 :
* Wretched day. A dull, quiet, thick morning. Got
up with a heavy heart. Went over to dear Vicky's
room, to fetch her for the last time. Struggled with
all my might against my sad feelings. . . . About a
quarter to eleven Vicky came, with a very sad face, to
my room. Here we embraced each other tenderly, and
our tears flowed fast ; then we recovered for a time.

lOI

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

Albert joined us. We tried to talk of other things/

(The Princess then dressed for her journey.) * And

now the dreadful time was at hand. We all went

into the Audience Boom, where were Mamma and all

the children. ... I still struggled, but as I came

to the stairs my breaking heart gave way. My

beloved Albert most kindly said he grieved so much

to leave me. I went first, followed by Vicky and

Fritz. The hall was fuU of aU our people and their

people (including Lady Churchill and Lord Sydney,

who accompanied them to Berlin). Many of the

servants also there, and I do not think there was a

dry eye. Poor, dear child ! . . . I clasped her in my

arms and blessed her, and knew not what to say. I

kissed good Fritz, and pressed his hand again and

again. He was unable to speak, and the tears were

in his eyes. I embraced them both again at the

carriage door, and Albert got into the carriage, an

open one, with them, and Bertie, Alfred and George

(Duke of Cambridge) were in the next. The band

struck up. I wished good-bye to the good Per-

ponchers. General Schreckenstein was much affected.

I pressed his hand and the good Dean's (of Windsor),

and then went quickly upstairs.

*A dreadful moment and a dreadful day. Such

sickness came over me, when I thought of our dearest

child being gone for so long, all, all being over ! . . .

It began to snow before Vicky went, and continued to

do so without intermission all day. ... At times I

could be quite cheerful, but my tears began to flow

afresh frequently, and I could not go near Vicky's

corridor. Everything recalled the time now past —

all programmes, dinner lists, etc., lying about still, as

102

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

if all were yet going on — ^and all, all over, such
desolation. . . .

* At four my beloved Albert returned, with the two
boys, very sad, and my grief agam burst forth. The
separation had been terrible. . . . Albert seemed
much impressed by it ; nothing could exceed the
loyalty, enthusiasm and feeling shown by the count-
less thousands in the City, and again at Gravesend,
where the decorations were beautiful. Young girls
with wreaths, in spite of the snow, walked on the
pier, strewing flowers. . . .

* Albert waited to see the ship leave — what a
moment it must have been ! — but Vicky did not come
on deck. Rested and felt very low.'

On February 3 the royal couple arrived at
Antwerp, on their way to Brussels, but their stay at
the Belgian Court was not of long duration. At
Verviers they were waited on by a deputation of
the Town Coimcil and the directors of the Bhenish
Eailway.

When the Prussian fix)ntier was reached, at Her-
besthal, the train was met by the Lord High Steward,
Count von Redem, who had arrived from Berlin for
the purpose of welcoming the British Princess upon
Prussian soil in the King's name. Many other officials,
as well as the British Ambassador, were also present on
the platform.

At Cologne addresses were presented on the station

platform by the Mayor and the Town Council, after

which the Prince and Princess, amidst the chiming of

the bells and the cheers of the people, went to the

Cathedral, which was beautifully illuminated. The

Cardinal Archbishop gave an address, referring to the

103

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

Prince 8 sojourn at the Rhenish University of Bonn,
and, in wishing every blessing to their union, he con-
cluded by saying * that such wishes, spoken in the
sacred precincts of the Cathedral, were prayers sent up
to the Almighty for their preservation, as well as for
the safety of the whole Royal House.'

At Hanover the King, accompanied by the Dukes
of Brunswick and Altenburg, received the royal guests.
During dinner the King conferred upon the Prince the
Order of St. Greorge, and gave the Princess his portrait
in medallion, to be worn on the left shoulder on the
ribbon of the Guelphic Order.

The Prince and Princess were welcomed on Feb-
ruary 6 at Brandenburg by Field-Marshal von Wrangel
on behalf of the army, and by the President of the
Province of Brandenburg. The journey was then
continued to Potsdam, which was reached in the
afternoon. Their reception was extremely enthu-
siastic, the Prince of Prussia embracing his son as
well as his youthful daughter-in-law with much feel-
ing. At the entrance to the railway-station, where
the Prince and Princess were received with a flourish
of trumpets, a guard of honour was in attendance ;
the National Anthem was sung by the choirs of the
guilds and corporations, and as soon as they had
entered the carriage the procession started for the
royal castle.

The journey to Berlin was resumed by carriage on

February 8, a halt being made on the way at Castle

Bellevue, where the King and Queen had gone to

welcome the young couple. The King advanced to

meet the Princess at the stairs. When she was about

to stoop to kiss his hand, he embraced her and ex-

104

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

claimed with much feeling, * How nice it is that you
are here at last !'

From an early hour in the morning the various
guilds, headed by bands, with flags and emblematic
banners, had entered the town of Berlin, and taken up
the places assigned to them along the route as far as
the royal palace. The Guild of Butchers, as well as
those tradesmen who, according to an ancient privilege,
were permitted to appear on horseback and head the
procession on such occasions, also took up their position.
The cavalcade started from Castle Bellevue about one
o'clock and reached the Brandenburg Gate, where
Field-Marshal von Wrangel advanced to welcome the
Prince and Princess in the name of the troops stationed
at Berlm. It then proceeded as far as the first of the
stands erected along the route, where another halt
was made, and the members of the Town Council,
headed by the Mayor, presented an address. The
Princess, wearing a diamond crown on her head and
an ermine mantle on her shoulders, repeatedly acknow-
ledged the salutations by bowing. The procession
now once more advanced towards the castle, followed
by all the various guilds, and by twenty-four
Marshals, bearing the magnificent new banner of
the city.

At the state banquet in the White Hall the Prince
of Prussia proposed a toast for the happy alliance
between Great Britain and Prussia, and for the happi-
ness of the young couple. In the evening Prince
Frederick William and his wife once more drove
through the town to view the illuminations.

During the following days they received innumer-
able deputations from all parts of the country, bearing

105

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

the congratulations of corporations, towns, and villages.
The wedding present from the town of Berlin consisted
of a vase with a stand, placed on a so-called state
table, and two candelabra, made of pure silver. The
clergy of Berlin presented a Bible, and from this arose
the custom for the clergy to give to each newly-
married couple in the capital a copy of the Holy
Writ.

On February 11 Prince Albert wrote as follows to
his daughter :

* You have now entered upon your new home, and

been received and welcomed on all sides with the

greatest friendship and cordiaUty. This kindly and

trustfiil advance of a whole nation towards an entire

stranger must have kindled and confirmed within you

the determination to show yourself in every way

worthy of such feelings, and to reciprocate and requite

them by the steadfast resolution to dedicate the whole

energies of your life to this people of your new home.

You have also received from Heaven the happy task

of effecting this object by making your husband truly

happy, and of doing him, at the same time, the best

service by aiding him to maintain and to increase the

love of his countrymen. That you have everywhere

made so favourable an impression has given intense

pleasure to me as a father. Let me express my ftillest

admiration of the way in which, loyal to the duty

exclusively which you had to fulfil, you have kept

down and overcome your own little personal troubles,

perhaps also many feelings of sorrow not yet healed.

This is the way to success, and the only way. If you

have succeeded in winning people's hearts by fi:iendli-

ness, simplicity, and courtesy, the secret lay in this,

106

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

that you were not thinking of yourself. Hold fast to
this mystic power ; it is a spark from Heaven.

* To Him who has shaped everything so happily, I
am gratefiil from the very depths of my soul for the
happy climax to the most important period of your
life. Dear child, I would fain have liked to be in the
crowd to see your entrance, and to hear what the
multitude said of you ; and so, too, would your
mamma. We are. however, kept admirably informed
of everything by the telegraph, the post, and the
papers. The telegraph wires must have been amazed
when they flashed : " The whole Royal Family is
enchanted with my wife. — F. W." ' *

Amongst the tasks which the Prince Consort had
set the Princess Boyal in the studies for her new
position was the translation of a pamphlet entitled
"Karl August und die Deutsche Politik," by J. G.
Droysen, which had appeared on the occasion of the
Goethe- Schiller Festival at Weimar on September 3,
1857. This essay was in every way a remarkable one
for the condensed force with which it dealt with the
past policy of Germany, and advocated a policy for
the future which, being at once liberal and national,
might give to the German race a fitting position
amongst the States of Europe. It was full of thoughts
to nurse the right ambition of one destined to become
the fixture Sovereign of a great people. But the
intellect of a girl not yet seventeen must have been
developed in no ordinary degree for the Prince to feel
assured that she could enter so thoroughly into the
ideas of the writer as to put them into adequate

* Telegram from Prince Frederick William to his parents-
in-law.

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

English. With a natural pride, he sent the Princess's
translation to Lord Clarendon to read, and on
February 16 received an acknowledgment, in which
his lordship said :

' The fact of its being translated by the Princess
Boyal made me suspend all other occupations in order
to read it, which I have done with peculiar interest,
for I felt all the time that the being engaged in works
which convey knowledge and stimulate inquiry and
demand reflection has, under the guidance of Your
Royal Highness, made the Princess what she is. Her
manner, which charms everybody, would not be what
it is if it were not the reflection of a highly-cultivated
intellect, which, with a well-trained imagination, leads
to the saying and doing of right things in right places.

' In reading Droysen, I felt that the motto of
Prussia should be Semper eadem^ and in thinking
of his translator I felt that she is destined to
change that motto into the Vigilanda ascendimus of
Weimar.

* These were no words of flattery, and a remark of the
Prince Consort s to his son-in-law, that the Princess
Royal " had a man s head and a child's heart," the *' in
wit a man, simplicity a child,*' of the poet, was soon
confirmed by the report of many a shrewd observer in
Germany. One of these wrote to the Prince some
weeks after her arrival in Berlin : *' She sees more
clearly and more correctly than many a man of com-
manding intellect, because, while possessing an acute
mind and the purest heart, she does not know
" prejudice." '*

The correspondence of a father with such a daughter

* Sir Theodore Martin's ' Life of Prince Albert/ vol iv.

108

1858] THE ROYAL WEDDING

could not be an ordinary one. All the thoughts and
experience which the tenderest love could inspire were
placed at her disposal During that critical time when,
after all the excitement and adulation of the last
months, a reaction might be expected, the Prince wrote
admirable words of warning and encouragement :

* February 17, 1858.

* Your festival time, if not your honeymoon, comes to
an end to-day, and on this I take leave to congratulate
you, unfeeling though it may sound : for I wish for you
the necessary time and tranquillity to digest the many
impressions you have received, and which otherwise,
like a first revel, first inflame, then stupefy, leaving
dull, nerveless lassitude behind. Your exertions and
the demands which have been made upon you have
been quite immense ; you have won all hearts, or what
one calls the hearts, of all. In the nature of things
we may now expect a little reaction. The public, just
because it was rapturous and enthusiastic, will now
become minutely critical, and take you to pieces
anatomically. This is to be kept in view, although it
need cause you no uneasiness, for you have followed
your natural bent, and have made no external demon-
stration {nichts dusserlich affichirt) which did not
answer to the truth of your inner nature. It is only
the man who presents an artificial demeanour ( Wesen)
to the world who has to dread being unmasked.

* . . . Your place is that of being your husband s

wife and your mother s daughter. You will desire

nothing else, but you will also forego nothing of that

which you owe to your husband and to your mother.

Ultimately your mind will, from the over-excitement,

109

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858

&XL back to a little lassitude and sadness. But this
will make you feel a craving for activity, and you have
much to do. ... To success in the affairs of life
apportionment of time is essential, and I hope you will
make this your first care, so that you may always have
some time over for the fiilfilment of every duty.'

CHAPTER V

TBDB ACCESSION AND CORONATION OP KING WILLIAM L
AND THE APPOINTMENT OF THE BISMARCK MINISTRY

1858—1862

The newly-married Prince and Princess spent the first
months of their married life in the Royal Castle at
Berlin, as the alterations and restoration of the palace
intended for them, which had been inhabited by King
Frederick William III. until his death, were not yet
completed.

From the first the palace of the Prince and Princess
became the home of art and science. Soon after his
marriage. Prince Frederick William had introduced hie
former mathematical tutor. Professor Schellbach, to his
wife.

' The first words,' Schellbach writes,* * which the
Princess addressed to me, with the greatest amiability,
were : " I love mathematics, physics and chemistry."
I was much gratified, for I saw how kindly the Prince
must have spoken to her about me. Under the
guidance of her highly educated father, who had
himself studied natural science, Princess Victoria had

* * My BeminiBoenoes of the Crown Prince Frederick William
of Prussia,' by Professor Schellbach, Breslau, 1890.

Ill

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

become acquainted with this science, and had even
received her first instruction from such renowned
teachers as Faraday and Hoffmann.

* Our beloved Crown Princess early manifested her
love for art and science, as well as her delight in
creating problems of her own. Her Royal Highness
at first endeavoured to continue her studies in physics
and mathematics under my direction, but soon her
artistic work absorbed the remnant of time which the
demands of Court life left to her.

' Soon after the marriage I had tried to interest His
Royal Highness in the idea that greater importance
should in future be attached to the study of mathe-
matics and physics in the curriculum of the upper classes
of the higher schools. The Minister of Education was
asked, with reference to this matter, to form a Com-
mission to find out how far such an idea would be
feasible and suitable. Our Crown Prince was kind
enough to take an active part in the discussions, as I
gathered from the following note from him :

' " I have just arranged with the Minister of Educa-
tion that the conference with reference to the teaching
of mathematics and science in schools shall be held
in the Ministerial buildings on Friday next at twelve
o'clock, and I intend to be present myself. Therefore
be prepared !" '

Unfortunately, this conference did not lead to the
result desired by the Prince and the Professor.

The Prince was more successful in his endeavour to
secure the recognition and admission of English Free-
masons, who happened to be of the Jewish faith, as
visitors to Prussian Lodges, a right which had hitherto

been denied them.

112

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM L

With the arrival of the warm weather, the Prince
and Princess took up their residence at Castle Babels-
berg, and there they had the pleasure during the
first days of June of receiving a visit of several days'
duration from the Prince Consort. Prince Albert
wrote to Queen Victoria on June 4 :

* Fritz met me this morning at Grossbeeren, and
about nine I reached Babelsberg, where Vicky and the
Prince received me. . . . The relation between the
young people is all that can be desired. ... I have
had long talks with them singly and together, which
gave me the greatest satisfaction.'

A visit firom Queen Victoria and her husband at
Babelsberg on August 12, for a stay of some length,
was a joyful event for the Prince and Princess. Prince
Frederick William travelled as far as Magdeburg to
meet the royal visitors. The Prince Regent and his
wife spared no efforts to pay due honour to their
guests. Queen Victoria's diary gives a detailed
account of this visit.* In it she says of Field-Marshal
Wrangel and Minister von Manteuffel :

*Wrangel is seventy-six, and a great character.
He was full of Vicky and the marriage ; said she was
an angel; called me meine liebe Konigin; and said
I looked als oh Sie zum Tanze gingen (as if you
were going to a ball). Manteuffel was most unpleasant,
cross, and disagreeable.'

In a letter to Baron von Stockmar, the Prince
Consort says of the Prince Begent ;

«I had an opportunity of gaining a clear insight
into his nature, and of finding that he deserves far

* Compare Theodore Martin, 'The Life of Prince Albert,'
vol. iv., pp. 286-306.

113 I

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

more consideration, esteem, and confidence than is
evinced by the majority of persons who surround
him. When he expounded to me his views concerning
Prussia's policy with reference to a neighbouring State
(Austria), I found they were so sensible, so simple, so
sincere and honourable, that I kissed his hand.'

About Prince Frederick William he writes :

*He is firm in his constitutional principles, and
despises the Ministry. The coolness with which the
Crown Prince and the Ministers (Manteuffel and his
colleagues) met was obvious.'

The population of Potsdam and Berlin manifested a
hearty interest in the parents of the princely couple,
and gave them an enthusiastic reception. Queen
Victoria assured Burgomaster Naunyn, of Berlin, that
she felt exceedingly happy there, because she had
realized with what love and devotion everyone was
attached to the Royal House and to her daughter. It
had been a real delight to her to hear of the hearty
reception which had been accorded to her daughter by
the town of Berlin upon her entry ; but she also
rejoiced over the many proofs of sympathy which the
town had shown upon every occasion when she had
visited it. This had deeply touched her, and she
would never forget the happy days which she had
spent in Berlin.

The royal guests left Prussia on August 28.

A year had passed since the serious illness of King
Frederick William IV., and since Prince William of
Prussia had acted as his representative. Having now
gained sufficient experience, the Prince declared that
he could only continue to act as the King's representa-
tive on condition that he received the full powers

114

i862l ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM L

of a Begent. On October 7 a royal decree was
published, in which the King called upon his brother
*to exercise the royal authority to the best of his
ability as Regent with sole responsibility towards God.*
On October 26 the Prince Regent took the oath
unconditionally in the presence of his son and the
assembled Prussian Landtag in the White Drawing-
room of the royal castle.

Everyone realized that with the commencement of
this new era the Manteuffel Ministry, a compromise
of irreconcilable elements, would come to an end.
On November 8 the Prince Regent presented the
new Liberal Ministry, of which Prince Charles Anthony
of Hohenzollem was the President, to his son. On
this occasion the Prince Regent made a speech which
created a great sensation far beyond the borders of
Prussia. In it he said, amongst other things, that
there would be no question of a breach with the past,
but that an improving hand should be applied where
an3rthing of the nature of despotism, or anything
contrary to the demands of the times, manifested
itself. 'We cannot deny that an orthodoxy has
ariBen in the EvangeHcal Church which U not con-
sistent with its ftmdamental views, in consequence of
which it has dissemblers amongst its followers. All
hypocrisy — in fiact, all Church matters which are em-
ployed as means to egoistic ends — must be exposed
wherever it is possible. True religion is manifested in
the whole conduct of a human being ; this must ever
be kept in view, and distinguished from outward
appearances and display. . . . The world must know
that Prussia is prepared to protect the right every-
where.'

115 1 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

After this introduction to the Ministry, Prince
Frederick William for years regularly attended the
meetings of the Ministry of State, and in the person
of Privy-Councillor Brunnemann he had a member of
the Council at his side whose task it was to keep him
informed of the progress of State affairs.

In the meantime the palace, Unter den Linden, had
been prepared for the Prince and Princess Frederick
William, and on November 20 they moved into it.
On the following day, the birthday of the Princess,
the change of residence was consecrated by a service in
the palace chapel, at which the Prince Regent and
the Princess of Prussia, as well as all the Princes and
Princesses, were present.

The happiness of the royal couple was crowned,
on January 27, 1859, by the birth of a son, the now
reigning German Emperor. This happy event wm
welcomed with unusual rejoicing and exceedingly
friendly interest, not only in Berlin, but also in all
parts of the Prussian Fatherland, and awakened no
less interest in the Princess's own country. The
solemn strains of the hymn ' Praise God, the mighty
King of Hosts,' from the dome of the royal castle
at five o'clock proclaimed the gratitude of the happy
father.

In the evening the Prince Regent held a reception,
about which Gustav zu Putlitz, then a member of the
Prussian Landtag, wrote to his wife :*

* It was like a great family festival ; everyone
crowded there with congratulations, and when the
young father, radiant with happiness, appeared, the

* * Oastay zn Patlitz : a Life Pictnre,' by Elizabeth zu Patlitz,
vol i., p. 243.

116

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM L

rejoicing increased. This joy is shared by all classes
of society, and bears witness to the extent of the
popularity of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess/

Prince Frederick William received the congratula-
tions of the Upper and Lower House on January 29,
and made the following reply :

'I thank you most heartily, gentlemen, for the
interest which you have shown in the happy event,
which is of such importance to my family and to the
country, and I beg you to thank every member of
the Upper House in my. name. If Gk)d should pre-
serve my son's life, it shall be my foremost endeavour
to educate him in the opinions and sentiments which
unite me to the Fatherland. To-day it is almost a
year since I told you how deeply touched I was
by the univerBal sympathy which was manifested
towards me as a young married man by the whole
country. It was this sympathy which made the
Princess, my wife, who had left her home to come to
the new Fatherland, appreciate that love and attach-
ment which have now, through the birth of the son,
become indissoluble. May Grod therefore bless our
endeavours to bring up our son worthy of the love
which has been so early shown towards him. The
Princess, whom I was able to inform of your intention,
desires me to express her sincerest thanks.'

The christening of the newborn Prince took place
on March 5, when he received the names of Frederick
William Victor Albert. The following public expres-
sion of thanks was issued by the royal parents on the
same day :

*• The birth of our son has been received in all parts

of the country with sjrmpathy that will never be

117

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

forgotten by us, just as the reception which greeted
us just a year ago, when we were newly married,
remains ineffaceable in our minds. We believe there
can be no more suitable day on which to express to
the whole country our most sincere and heartfelt
thanks for all the countless proofe of joy which were
expressed by the kind congratulations than to-day,
upon which our child has received Holy Baptism.
May we be enabled with the help of God to bring up
our son to the honour and for the good of our beloved
Fatherland.'

When war broke out between Austria and Italy, in
June, 1859, the Prince Regent of Prussia ordered the
army to prepare for war in order to protect the dignity
of the Prussian State.

On May 14 the mobilization of the Guards, 3rd,
4th, 5th, 7th and 8th Army Corps, was ordered.
On the same day Major-General Prince Frederick
William of Prussia, commanding the 1st Infantry
Brigade of Guards, was appointed to the command
of the 1st Infantry Division of Guards during the
war. But when the danger which threatened Prussia
was over, and a peace effected between the belligerent
Powers, the mobilization was rescinded (July 25, 1859).
On the same day Major-General Prince Frederick
William's promotion to command a division was
confirmed by the Prince Regent, and he retained his
former position as Commander of the 1st Infantry
Division of Guards.

On November 7 the Prince and Princess Frederick

William, with their suite, paid a visit to the Court of

Great Britain in London, and were present at the

coming of age of the Prince of Wales, on November 9.

118

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

As the accommodation at Babelsberg was now
insufficient for the extended requirements of the
Prince's household, the New Palace, near Potsdam,
became their summer home. It was there that
Princess Victoria was able to set the example of
that helpful and happy country life which she had
learned to value in England, so that it was not long
before its simple domestic character became proverbial,
and exercised a far-reaching influence.

Under her fostering hand, the old-fashioned pleasure-
grounds and neglected gardens became a pattern of
taste and arrangement. In their neighbouring farm
at Bornstadt the Prince himself superintended every
detail, and gained an insight into the management
of land and labour, while the dairy and poultry-yard
were the particular care of the Princess. The in-
habitants of the neighbouring villages quickly learned
to appreciate their kindly solicitude ; domestic sanita-
tion, care for the sick and aged among their tenants,
schools, children's holidays, all engaged their sympa-
thetic interest. One of the Prince s most striking
characteristics was his love for the people, his genuine
sympathy with the humbler walks of life. It was his
special pleasure to visit the village school and listen
to the children's lessons, and sometimes he would
take the teacher's place and put the questions him-
self. It must have been on such an occasion that
the pretty reply was given which is recorded in the
following story :

* To what kingdom does this belong V the Prince

asked a little girl, touching a medal suspended to his

chain. 'To the mineral kingdom,' was the answer.

' And this T pointing to a flower. * To the vegetable

119

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

kingdom.' * And I, myself/ he asked, * to what
kmgdom do I belong V * To the kingdom of Heaven/
was the child's reply.

Major von Bemhardi in his Diary* refers to a
lengthy conversation which Professor Greffken had
with the Prince in January, 1860, in which the Pro-
fessor explained to him that Prussia would be obliged
to aim at the annexation of the smaller German
States. Napoleon HI. had already more than once
oflPered Schleswig-Holstein to Prussia.

Strange to say, reactionary plans at that time were
connected with the person of Prince Frederick William.
Thus, we learn from a conversation between the Duke
of Coburg and Theodor von Bemhardi on March 16,
1860, that the 'Junker* party would insist upon the
resignation of the Regent if the military proposals
were not carried, and that they entertained great
hopes of bringing it about.

Since the Regent had sworn fidelity to the Con-
stitution, the 'Junkers ' were anxious to induce Prince
Frederick William to assume the supreme power and
grant privileges without the Constitution.

A special honour was done to the Prince when a
battleship belonging to the British Navy, on being
launched at Portsmouth on March 24, 1860, was
named Frederick William. The vessel was christened

* Theodor yon Bemhardi, to whom repeated references are
made in the ' Life of the Emperor Frederick/ was a distinguished
Prussian historical writer and diplomatist. He was entrusted
at different times with important missions in Italy, Spain,
and Portugal He enjoyed besides the confidence of the Prussian
Boyal Family to an exceptional degree. His recently published
reminiscences form a valuable source of information concern-
ing German political events of the latter half of the nineteenth
century.

120

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

by Countess Bemstorff, the wife of the Prussian
Ambassador.

In the month of June the Prince Begent, accompanied
by his son and several Ministers, went to the Province of
Prussia to be present at the opening of the Konigsberg-
Eydtkuhnen Railway. Two days after, on June 4,
there was a parade of the whole Konigsberg garrison
under the command of Lieutenant-General von Stein-
metz. The Regent and Prince Frederick William
were approaching the 1st Infantry Regiment, when
the former said to his son :

* Fritz, I appoint you to the 1st Infantry Regiment,
the oldest corps in the service.'

At the march-past the regiment was led by its
new commander, who on July 1 was promoted Lieu-
tenant-Greneral.

Soon after the Prince's domestic happiness was
further increased by the birth of a daughter, on
July 24, who received the names of Victoria Eliza-
beth Augusta Charlotte.*

The death of the Dowager Empress of Russia,
Alexandra Feodorowna, on November 1, five years
after the death of her husband, the Emperor
Nicholas I., was a very sad loss to Prince Frederick
William. She had in the truest sense of the word
been a motherly firiend to him up to the time of her
death, and he, for his part, had always reciprocated
the kindly feelings of his royal relative.

During the night of January 2, 1861, a peaceful

death ended the long sufferings of King Frederick

William IV. Prince Frederick William had always

enjoyed the special favour of his uncle, and he now

* The present Hereditary PrincesB of Saxe-Meiningen.

Z2Z

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

moumed the loss of a paternal friend. The Prince
Regent ascended the Prussian Throne as King
William I., and Prince Frederick William now became
Crown Prince of Prussia.

The reorganization of the army which had been
begun by King William L as Prince Regent was
completed on January 18, 1861, with the consecration
of the colours of the newly-formed regiments in front
of the well-known statue of Frederick the Great,
Unter den Linden. The Crown Prince was in com-
mand of the troops ordered to be present at the
ceremony.

While her husband was thus busily engaged with
his new duties, the Crown Princess's artistic efforts
gained full recognition from the Royal Academy of
Arts in Berlin. In the middle of February she
received a deputation of its members, and accepted
their diploma m an honorary member.

During the years 1861 to 1866 the historian

Privy Councillor Max Duncker was assigned to the

Crown Prince as Reporting Councillor in State

matters. Duncker by his previous life, which had

been devoted to scientific research and patriotic

labours, had made himself in every way thoroughly

competent to assume the important task of being the

political adviser to the Heir Apparent. He had

attained distinction as Professor of History at the

Universities of Halle and Tubingen, as a member of

the Frankfort and Er^rt Parliament, as well as a

Prussian deputy. He had also attracted the attention

of King William during the " fifties," when he was

one of the Prince of Prussia's secretaries.

A personal connection had existed between Prince

122

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

Frederick William and Max Duncker since the first

months of the year 1860. All kinds of drafts of

memorials and letters point to instructions given by

the young Prince. The Crown Prince and Princess

often saw Duncker and liked him. In this they

followed the views of an old adviser to the English

Royal Family, Baron Stockmar. It was at the

end of November, 1860, that Stockmar summoned

Max Duncker to him, as he had selected him as his

successor in the guidance of the Prince. He now

formally confided his own political post to Duncker,

and discussed the Crown Prince and Princess with

him. Duncker's relations with the Prince had by that

time already become firmly established. He willingly

acceded to the Prince's request that he would regularly

conmiunicate to him the course of public events, and

he was pleased with the trust, the goodwill, and the

earnest efforts with which the young Prince strove to

understand and judge things impartially. The pleasure

afforded him by the characters of the young Prince

and of his lively and clever young wife, and his delight

in teaching and guiding — which came so naturally to

him — made it easier for him to bear the trials and the

fruitless efforta of his other duties. Here it might be

possible, perhaps, for him to sow a seed in silence,

which might some day spring up — nay, was even now

springing up in the deeper interests and the more

important position of the Prince. Referring to the

part taken by the Crown Prince in the Ministers'

deliberations. Prince Charles Anthony of Hohen-

zoUem, the President of the Ministry, said to Duncker

in March, 1861: 'The Crown Prince is the only

support of the Ministry ; now that he has come into

123

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

contact with you» he has become quite a different
being.'

It had seemed proper to King William after his
accession to the throne to mark his assumption of the
position as ruler by a ceremonial act. For weeks the
opposing factions had been occupied with the question
as to whether the oath of allegiance of the Estates
would be compatible with the new constitutional law
proposed by the King. The King at last decided in
favour of the simple coronation, which was to take
place at Konigsberg on October 18, in the presence
of the Landtag.

This decision induced the Crown Prince, who was
at that time on a visit to the British Court with his
femily, to write the following letter, remarkable by its
determined opposition to the King's views :

* OSBOBNB,

• July 6, 1861.

*My DEAR Father,

* From your telegram, received to-day, we
heard of the final solution of the long-pending ques-
tion regarding the oath of allegiance, and I rejoice to
hear that a settlement has at last been arrived at, and
that, in consequence, your departure for the undis-
turbed enjoyment of the rest, so necessary to your
health, is now practicable. Without doubt, the dis-
cussions during the last week must have been most
painful, and I can imagine that the decision with
regard to the coronation must have cost you an effort.
As, however, no other course was possible without a
rupture with the Ministers who enjoy your confidence,
you will still regard as an evil the ceremony decided

upon, and retain your former opinion, that the authority

124

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

of the Crown will be endangered by the omission of
the traditional oath of allegiance. I will not discuss
again my divergent view, with which you are ac-
quainted, but instead I will make a request. It is
that you will not regard the approaching coronation
with repugnance. . . . What I want to say is this :
that even if the coronation appears to you as an evil,
it is nevertheless necessary to extract the good which
it contains, and to take its good results into considera-
tion. In the first place, the despotic act of assuming
the crown of our ancestors is, just in our time, a
solemn proof that it is not conferred by any earthly
power, in spite of the many prerogatives which were
abandoned in 1848.

' Then, again, that solemn ceremony obliges all the
great Powers to pay you homage, and, by the presence
of their Ambassadors, to show Prussia their deference,
after we have had to sacrifice much consideration and
many advantages during the past years. For just as
you gained for us fresh prestige as a great Power in
Baden and in Teplitz, so you will, undoubtedly, by
your coronation bring Prussia's important position into
prominence before the eyes of the world. Thus, that
ceremony gains a political character, which gives it a
solemn — nay, a sacred — significance. On accoimt of
this Berlin would certainly be more suitable for the
coronation than Konigsberg, which was in former
times the capital of the small kingdom, while Berlin
is now the capital of the entire great nation. The
thought, too, might speak in favour of Berlin (apart
from its grander associations), that just as Frederick I.
by his coronation at Konigsberg laid the foundation of

a new State life, so you, dear &ther, as the founder

125

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

of a new form of government which opens up the
way for our future, the defenders of the afiau^ of
the united German territories, aUow this important
ceremony to take place in the centre of Prussia.

* I consider it the more necessary, therefore, that
you should go with mamma to Konigsberg before
the coronation in Berlin, in order to appear there,
according to ancient custom, either for a large recep-
tion or to receive the oath of allegiance from the
officials, Bishops, etc., before official ceremonies take
place in the other provinces. Could this not be
carried out immediately before the Rhenish man-
oeuvres ? By this means any preparation which may
already have been made in Konigsberg would not have
been made in vain.

* I have ventured to express my views quite frankly,
dear father, though my partiality for the coronation
ceremony may, perhaps, surprise you. The matter
is simply this, that I have often quietly considered
this with Vicky as the only favourable issue, when I
perceived the growing difficulties which rose up in
your mind with regard to the oath of allegiance.
Well knowing your aversion to enter into this ques-
tion, I did not like to touch upon it before necessity
required it. Moreover, I may add that my view on
this point is fully shared here.

* Finally, I call attention to the fact that at the

coronation the whole country must be represented by

witnesses ; therefore, all the districts and large towns

should send deputies. All commanding Generals

ought, also, to appear, as well as the chairmen

and presidents of the highest legal and scientific

colleges.'

126

i863] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

His advice was not accepted, for on October 18
the coronation of the King and Queen took place with
much splendour at Konigsberg, in the presence of the
Princes and Princesses, the Ambassadors of foreign
Courts, besides the aristocracy and the representatives
of the nation. The Crown Prince assisted his father
in the act of putting on the purple mantle, after the
crown had been placed on his head, and as the first in
the land he did homage by kissing the King's hand.

Upon this occasion the Crown Princess was ap-
pointed to the second colonelcy of the 2nd Hussars of
the Guard.

The General Council of the Royal Albertus Univer-
sity at Konigsberg had requested the Crown Prince to
accept the oflice of Rector of the University, in place
of Frederick William IV., who had held that position
for half a century, first as Crown Prince and then as
King. The Crown Prince acceded to the request, and
on the day of the coronation he assumed his duties
at the University of Konigsberg. On the following
day he was invested with the academic purple, on
which occasion the Pro-Rector, Professor Rosenkranz,
presented an address. The Crown Prince replied in
an extemporary speech, saying that he felt proud that
his ancestors had always proved themselves the pro-
tectors of learning, for which he, too, cherished the
greatest veneration. He had not, it was true, been able
to devote himself much to study at the University, like
other students, but he had, nevertheless, not lost sight
of learning since. He entered upon the rectorship of
the University in the hope of being able to promote its
further well-being.

The year 1861 was not to close without bringing the

127

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

deepest sorrow into the happy married life of the
Royal couple, for on December 14 the Crown Princess
lost her dearly-loved father. In him the Crown
Prince lost an adviser, whose moderation and political
insight he had always sincerely admired, and a
paternal friend to whom he had always been imited
by the deepest attachment. The duty of representing
the Prussian Court at the funeral of Prince Albert fell
to the Crown Prince, and once again General von
Moltke accompanied him to England.

In July, 1861, Baron von Schleinitz, weary of office,
had retired from the Ministry of Foreign Affisiirs, and
Count von Bemstorff had been appointed as his suc-
cessor. Owing to Schleinitz's retirement, the Ministers
became less united, and were thus weakened in
supporting the King, the democratic results of the
elections of December 6, 1861, proving further that
they possessed no support in the nation. It was the
greatest shock which the Ministry of the new era had
yet received. Some days after the election, by the
Crown Prince's desire, Duncker drew up a rough
memorandum, intended for the perusal of the King, in
which he inferred that the King was himself partly to
blame for the failure of the Ministry of the new era,
by not having supported it sufficiently. In another
memorandum, addressed to the Crown Prince imme-
diately before his journey to England in December,
Duncker predicted the fall of the Liberal Ministry.
He also, for the first time, gave the opinion that
another prospect — by no means the worst — would
be the necessity of placing the reins in Herr von
Bismarck's hands.

Duncker 8 prediction was soon realized. After the

x«8

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

representatives of the Lower House had passed a vote
of censure upon the Government on the Budget, the
Liberal Government resigned at once. Duncker here-
upon suggested that the Crown Prince should advise
the King to accept this resignation, and to authorize
Herr von Bismarck to form a new Ministry. The
Crown, in reply to the vote of censure, ordered a
dissolution, and a new Ministry was formed. Once
more both parties handed in their programmes. As
was to be foreseen, the King regarded that of the
Liberals as impossible, for it contained, besides the
security of a free ballot, only the authorization for the
carrying through of the laws of organization in the
Upper House, economy in the Military Budget, and
a reduction of the increased taxes, and he feared it
might lead to Republican institutions in Prussia, and
that there would be nothing left for him to do but to
abdicate.

Li his reports during this crisis, Duncker warned
both the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of the
danger inherent in prolonging the then prevailing
modus Vivendi by trying to govern now with the
Liberals and now with the Conservatives. His plan
was to replace the Ministers of the new era by
business men of little party spirit, who would know
how to govern as * Liberals on a Conservative basis,*
the one stipulation being that they should be as
honourable men as their predecessors. But every-
thing would depend on their actions. He concluded
by saying, * If Count Bemstorff is not in a position
to lead such a powerful policy, Herr von Bismarck
should be employed to strengthen the Ministry.'

On March 15, 1862, the investiture of the Crown

129 K

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

Prince with the Spanish Order of the Golden Fleece
took place, with the customary ceremony, in the Boyal
Castle at Berlin. At the request of Queen Victoria,
King William had decided to send the Crown Prince
to the approaching Great Exhibition in London. The
greater the interruptions which had occurred to this
magnificent undertaking, owing to the death of Prince
Albert, the more important, according to the views of
the English Commission, became the presence of the
Prussian Prince, who was also the nearest relative of
the English Boyal Family, amongst the royal visitors
at the opening ceremony. By the presence of Prince
Frederick William, a powerful representative was
secured for the exhibits of German art and industry
there. The reception accorded to him at the opening
of the Exhibition was a very striking one, as he occu-
pied the first place amongst all the royal personages
present at the ceremony, and had already previously
displayed great interest and energy as President
of the Exhibition Commission appointed to prepare
Prussia's share in the second Great Exhibition in
London.

A second son, Henry, was born to the Crown
Prince on August 14, and a week later Queen Augusta
wrote to her son, from Baden, as follows :

'My deab Fritz,

* Your first letter touched me deeply, because

of your loving heart, and on account of all the details

it contained concerning our beloved Vicky. ... I

certainly expected that your son would be called

Albert, because that name, no matter whether more or

less German, really should be transmitted as a legacy

X30

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

from the never-to-be-forgotten grandfather — and I
believe that Queen Victoria expected it too.*

The new Cabinet was formed entirely of Con-
servatives, whose names formed a striking con-
trast to those who had retired. The nomination of
this Cabinet placed the Crown Prince in a serious
difficulty, for he had without disguise given both his
confidence and his support to the late Ministry ; and
it would have been contrary both to the principles
of the monarchy as well as to the interests of the
Royal Family to manifest even the appearance of a
diflTerence before the eyes of the world. Duncker's
advice to the Crown Prince under these trying con-
ditions may be summarized as follows :

After advising him to absent himself for a time, he
then recommended him to become acquainted with the
aims of the Government, and to acquire not only a
clear knowledge of the subjects under discussion, but
also of the Ministers and their methods, and finally
of the methods they might employ to induce the
King to assent to their measures. The Crown Prince
should be present at the Ministerial sittings, on the
condition that this should only be on the occasion of
the discussion of important subjects, and he should
never himself take part in them, except in such cases
when it seemed right to him to oppose resolutions
which might prove detrimental to the State. In
such cases he should read a written declaration, and
demand that it should be added to the minutes.

Duncker further maintained that the Crown Prince

knew the limits which bound the will of the ruler too

well to regard the constitutional form of government

131 K 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

as a eompulsory concession to the spirit of the time ;
and that he would rather recognise it as the necessary
expression of the changed moral and material basis
and strength of the Prussian State life, and as the
condition whereby that strength might be turned to
the best account for the common weal.

Duncker 8 programme was, therefore, the recom-
mendation of a wise reserve, which yielded nothing
and yet missed nothing. The Crown Prince at that
time gladly accepted Duncker's political advice, as
the fact shows that the Crown Prince energetically
opposed the attempt of the Ministers to remove his
adviser by a call to the Bonn University, because he
did not meet with their approval He emphatically
declared that he did not wish to lose his counsellor.
The Ministers gained nothing by this move beyond
a trenchant certificate regarding the learned doings of
the proposed candidate being laid before the King,
while the Crown Prince gave a proof of his attach-
ment to the man whom they did not regard as their
friend.

On September 17, 1862, the Chamber declined to
vote the millions demanded for the completion of the
military reforms ; and as the King firmly adhered to
the execution of the reform in its entirety a conflict
ensued. A change of the Ministry became necessary
a second time, and Prince Hohenlohe, amongst others,
retired. Two days afterwards Bismarck arrived in
Berlin, having been summoned to undertake the ad-
justment of the Government in this difficult crisis.

The next day (September 20) the Crown Prince

sent for Bismarck, and in reply to the questions

regarding his intentions, Bismarck said he would

132

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

first have to learn the King's wishes. The oppor-
tunity for this did not arrive until September 22, at
Babekberg.

The Crown Prince was at Beinhardsbrunn when
Duncker announced Bismarck's appointment to him in
a report which dealt with every detail of the event in
question and clearly defined the situation. The Heir
to the Throne had this time abandoned the attempt
to influence the decisions of his royal father sooner
than Duncker had desired. The King's threats that
he would rather abdicate than give in disarmed him.
and, besides, there were other advisers, representing the
view that under such circumstances the Prince might
be tempted to indefensible compromises, and that by his
presence and interference he himself might be com-
promised. This opinion was backed up by the Crown
Princess's secretary, the younger Stockmar, and also
by Herr Samwer.* The opinion of these men was
that, as events had become so sharply defined, every-
thing depended upon the Crown Prince maintaining
his position unimpaired and a name untouched by
party strife. The more remote he kept himself during
that time from the course of events, the better it
would be.

The Crown Prince paid attention to these represen-
tations. Whilst thanking Duncker heartily, he ex-
pressed the opinion that the next few weeks or months
would bring nothing of special importance after this
last evil turn of events, and offered Duncker a long
leave of absence, as he, too, was on the point of

* Earl Friedrich Lucian Samwer, member of the State Ministry
of Ootha from 1863 to 1866, and Gounoillor to Duke Frederick of
Augustenborg.

^33

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1858-

setting out for a long journey to Italy, as the guest
of the Prince of Wales.

On October 15 the Crown Prince and Princess
started on their travels in Italy. On the 22nd they
quitted Marseilles on the English yacht Osborne, in
company with the Prince of Wales, and landed at
Hy^res the same afternoon before travelling on to
Palermo. There they were met by the Prussian
Consul, who accompanied them on a drive in the
afternoon, through the principal streets, to the Royal
Palace and the Marine Promenade. On the 25 th they
proceeded to the coast of Africa, the English frigate
jDom now escorting the Osborne. After Divine service
on the 25th they landed at the Goletta Fort in
the Gulf of Tunis, and visited the ruins of Carthage.
At Tunis the bazaar was inspected, and a visit was
then paid to the Bey, at his Castle Al-Bardo. Owing
to the breaking of the axle of the left paddle-wheel
on the Osborne, she had to be towed to Malta by the
DoriSy where she arrived after a rough voyage of fifty-
six hours.

Naples was reached on November 5, and imme-
diately after their arrival the Crown Princess drove
along the Strada Nuova to sketch the lovely bay. The
invitation from the King to the Palace of Capodimonte
was declined, as the royal party were to remain on board
the Osbomey so that they could take long walks and
excursions into the town and neighbourhood incognito.

An excursion up Mount Vesuvius was undertaken
the next day. As the great crater remained inactive,
the small fumaroles were all the more active ; the air
was as transparent as crystal, and the view beautiful
beyond description.

134

i862] ACCESSION AND CORONATION OF WILLIAM I.

On November 10 the joximey was continued to
Borne, where a lengthy stay was made. After a brief
visit to Florence the royal couple returned to Berlin
on December 19, touching at Genoa, Verona, Venice,
Trieste and Vienna en route.

135

CHAPTER VI

THE CROWN FRINGE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

1863

Hitherto the life of the Crown Prince had been of a

comparatively idyllic nature ; but Heir von Bismarck's

energetic policy necessarily affected his position, and

soon resulted in his adopting a new attitude. It

was from the first one of strong disapproval towards

the policy of the Government, which, strange to say,

was destined in the course of events to gain for him

undying military fame. The Crown Prince decided to

withdraw for a short time from political life, and, as

already stated, set out, on October 15, 1862, with the

Crown Princess, for a tour in Italy.

About this time the Lower Chamber unanimously

revolted against Bismarck's contention that, if the

House voted a Budget which the Upper House and the

Crown were obliged to reject, the King was entitled to

authorize the expenditure in question in order to carry

on the Government, the Constitution containing no

provision for such a case. Thus, the session of the

Landtag closed on October 13 with an accentuated

difference of opinion, but in the general confiision

there still appeared, for the first time for many years,

136

i863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

a fixity of purpose which did not escape the notice of
the Crown Prince.

' I trust/ — so he wrote to Bismarck on October 21 —
* that, to use your own words, success may attend your
efforts in the present difficult phase of the constitu-
tional life of our country, and bring to pass that which
you yourself describe as the urgent and essential under-
standing with the representatives of the nation. I
am following the course of affairs with the greatest
interest.'

The Crown Prince also condemned Bismarck's first
undertaking in the field of foreign policy, which con-
sisted of a Convention with Biussia for co-operation
in the suppression of the Polish insiurection. He
lamented what in his eyes was an unnecessarily
accentuated tone of friendliness towards Bussia on
the part of Herr von Bismarck, and also the isolation
of Prussia resulting therefrom. Still, he abstained
fi^om any active opposition, well knowing how
strongly the King resented any disapprobation of his
policy.*

In the meantime, the conflict between the Second
Chamber on the one side and the Crown and the
Upper Chamber on the other was gradually becoming
more acute.

On May 12 the Ministry laid a note before the
Lower Chamber, declaring that the Ministers could
not appear in the House as long as its members per-
sisted in claiming the right of checking free speech on
the part of the Ministers, and demanding a formal
declaration by the Chamber that it possessed no

* ' Memoirs of Dake Ernest II. of Baxe-Coborg-Qotha ' : ' Aos
meinen Leben,' vol. iii., p. 281.

137

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

disciplinary powers over them. The House thereupon
passed a resolution proposed by the Committee for the
Conduct of Ajffairs, which asserted the right of the
President of the Chamber to interrupt any speaker,
even a Minister ; that the Ministers could not make
arbitrary conditions for their appearance in the
Chamber ; and, finally, that the Chamber was imable
to furnish the required declaration. On May 27 the
President read the King's reply to the remonstrance
addressed to him by the Second Chamber, This
document, which did not bear the counter-signature of
a Minister, set forth the fact that Ministers had been
interrupted ; that the House, in so doing, claimed a
privilege which it did not possess ; and that the
Ministers were not subject to the disciplinary powers
of the Chamber. *The Ministers,' continued the
message, * enjoy my confidence, and their actions have
my sanction. I thank them for opposing the uncon-
stitutional aggression of the Chamber.' A royal edict
prorogued the session the same day, and the House
dispersed after an expression of confidence on the part
of the President that the country would stand by the
Constitution and the national representatives against
all arbitrary measures.

During this critical period the position of the Crown
Prince was far from being an easy one ; for whereas
the King was determined that the rights of the Crown,
in which he saw the main elements of the strength of
Prussia, should not be sacrificed to the claims of the
Lower House, the Crown Prince leant strongly towards
the English system of Parliamentary government, and
saw in his father's action a serious danger to the

stability of the throne. That such were his views was

138

i863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

well known, and he was besieged with letters and
memorials from all sides. He was simultaneously
cx)urted by the Progressives, and implored by the
Conservatives to save the throne by joining hands
with the Government.

Thus placed between duty and conviction, he at first
endeavoured to act in accordance with the spirit of the
words he had addressed to Max Duncker :

* I am silent, and live in a state of passive neutrality.
I shall neither achieve nor prevent anything, as every-
thing is the direct outcome of circumstances which have
been deliberately created and brought to pass.'

But a few days later, on May 31, on the point of
starting on a journey of military inspection in East
Prussia, probably carried away by the fear that the
King might proceed to arbitrary measures, he ad-
dressed a letter to his father, which contained the
following remarkable passage :

* The expressions you lately made use of in my
presence regarding the possibility of having to force
your measures upon the country compel me to speak
plainly on the subject. On dismissing the Auerswald
Cabinet, you told me that, being more Liberal than
yourself, I now had an opportunity of playing the
usual part of a Crown Prince, by throwing difficulties
in the way of your Government. I promised you at
that time to keep in the background, to remain silent,
and to offer no opposition. But, though I still intend
to keep my promise, I feel it my duty to address you
privately. I beseech you, my dearest father, not to
infringe the law in the way you hinted. No one is
more fully aware than I that to you an oath is sacred,
and not to be trifled with. But the position of a

^39

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

Sovereign in regard to his Ministers is sometimes a
very difficult one. Skilled as they are in the art of
advLey, and expert in interp,Jtion, they are able
to reprewnt a meaeure as fair and neoeeeary, and. by
degrees, to force a Sovereign into a very different path
to the one he intended to tread.'

In reply, the King wrote as follows :

' You say you do not intend to offer any opposition.
Then you cannot have used sufficient care, for oppo-
sition speeches of yours have got abroad and found
their way to me. You have now an occasion for
making amends by expressing yourself in a different
way. by keeping Lt^lror. l'prog«»ive., and by
turning towards the Conservatives. The decree of
June 1,* besides being in accordance with the Consti-
tution, and more particularly with Clause 63, will be
laid before the Landtag. The decree, so far from being
the enormity you think, should have been introduced in
the shape of a Bill, even by the last Liberal Cabinet ;
for it was on this condition only that I sanctioned the

* On June 1, 1863, shortly after the close of a barren session,
the Staataameiger published a press ordinance, by which the
authorities were empowered to suppress the publication of any
local newspaper or periodical, either for a time or permanently,
for persisting in an attitude endangering the commonweal. The
pubhc safety was to be considered as endangered, not only by
the contents of single articles giving rise to penal proceedmgs,
but also by the general tendency of the newspapers in question to
pursue any of the following directions :

Undermining respect and loyalty towards the King ; endanger-
ing the public peace by stirring up subjects against each other ;
exposing to hatred or contempt State institutions, public authorities
and their measures by the suppression or distortion of facts or by
means of abuse and derision ; inciting to disobedience of the law
or the orders of the authorities ; undermining religious and moral
law ; ridiculing the doctrines, institutions or ritual of any of the
Christian Churches or recognised religious bodies.

140

1863J THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

law protecting printing-offices against the supervision
and interference of the police.'

On June 8 the Crown Prince wrote a strong letter
to the Minister President, in which he remarked :;

* I deem the proceedings of the Cabinet to be both
illegal and injurious to the State and the dynasty. I
declare the measure to have been taken against my
wishes and without my knowledge, and I protest
against any inferences or assumptions which may be
founded on my relations with the Council of State.'

By the King s express commands the formal com-
munication to the Ministry of the Crown Prince's
protest, as demanded by this letter, did not take
placa However, Bismarck considered it necessary to
acquaint his colleagues privately with the important
action taken by the Prince.

Again, on June 4, the Prince wrote to the King,
stating in vigorous language that the Constitution
had been evaded and set aside in the case of the
press ordinance; that he knew what he was about,
and was well aware of the pain he caused His
Majesty.

Even among Bismarck's admirers, the press ordin-
ance caused great dismay. Privy Councillor Abeken
was strongly against it, while Theodor von Bernhardi
went so far as to propose to impeach the Ministry.

Among the men who pressed the Crown Prince,
during his presence in Dantzic, to defend the Con-
stitution, Burgomaster von Winter* was one of the
most urgent. At the reception, on May 5, of the
magistrates and other functionaries of the city at
the Town Hall, Winter, in welcoming the royal

* Von Winter had formerly been Chief of the Police at Berlin.

141

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

guests, declared that the authorities and citizens
regretted that circumstances made it impossible for
them to give free vent to their delight at the royal
visit.

The Crown Prince replied as follows :

* I thank you for the sentiments you have expressed,
and I am glad to meet an old acquaintance whose
energies formerly so well proved are sure to bear fruit
also here. I regret with you that my visit has
chanced upon a time of conflict between the Govern-
ment and the people, the news of which I received
with the greatest surprise. I knew nothing of the
decrees which have caused it. I was absent at the
time, and took no part in the deliberations which led
to these ordinances.

* But we all, and I myself most of all, since I know
best the noble and paternal aims and lofty sentiments
of His Majesty the King — we all have confidence that,
under the rule of His Majesty, the kingdom of Prussia
is advancing steadily towards that greatness which
Providence has destined for our nation.'

This speech was drafted by the Crown Prince
himself.

The first news of the Crown Prince s speech in

Dantzic reached Duncker through the newspapers,

and it was only after several days that he received

a full account of the matter fi:om the Crown Prince

himself, in a letter written at intervals during the

joiuney. Duncker was extremely anxious to prevent

the Crown Prince being led by the applause of the

Opposition to express himself again in a similar fashion

in public. In order to counteract the influence of the

Progressive party, Duncker availed himself of the

142

i863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

circumstance that the Crown Prince was about to pay
a visit to a friend of his, Herr von Saucken-Julienfelde.
In a letter to Saucken, Duncker could oppose the
Progressive views and demands, to which Saucken
himself was inclined, far more warmly and freely than
in a direct communication to the Prince himself. He
held it to be his duty to repel the exaggerated notions
of the more extreme Liberals, who already began to
prophesy for the dynasty the fate of the Stuarts and
Bourbons. * I consider it unwarrantable,' he writes to
Saucken, * to disturb the Crown Prince with such com-
parisons, and to incite him to action for the rescue of
the dynasty, which up to now, at any rate, is not in
danger. Such proceedings are hardly less justifiable
than the insinuations of the Conservatives, who com-
pare the Prince's position since Dantzic with that of
the Duke of Orleans towards Charles X.*-^ After show-
ing that, even without the Prince s speech, there had
never been any signs of sympathy on his part with
the Ministerial system, he concluded : * Endeavour,
therefore, to prevent any further action of the nature
of the speech at Dantzic fi:om being urged upon the
Crown Prince. Such would only tend to widen the
breach with the King, estrange the Prince fi:om the
army, and be of service to the other side ; for it would
encourage the Kadicals, and thus perhaps render the
conflict throughout the country more acute, whilst
endangering the throne more seriously than is the
case at present.'

At this period, however, there was no longer any
danger that the Crown Prince would proceed farther
in this direction.

According to his own account to Duncker, he had

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

received a very grave letter from the King on June 7,
in answer to his own of June 4, and with it a criticism
of the Dantzic speech, which had been telegraphed to
Berlin. The letter contained, besides a severe reproof,
grave injunctions concerning the fiiture conduct of the
Prince.

According to the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung of
July 9, this letter called upon the Crown Prince to
amend the speech, in case the press had reported it
inaccurately, or to withdraw his words, if they had
been published correctly; to treat with coolness such
Progressives as presented themselves; and to enter
upon closer relations with the Conservatives. In the
event of further utterances of a similar character, the
result would be his immediate recall to Berlin, and even
the deprivation of all military command. The letter
was far milder than had been expected by the King's
immediate circle. At first proposals of greater severity
had been made, especially by several officers of high
rank, in which Herr von Bismarck concurred ; and the
King also seemed inclined to take this view. But on
the following day Bismarck recognised the clumsy, im-
politic nature of these suggestions ; and he therefore
opposed them with signal success.

This letter of the King was answered by the Crown
Prince in the following words:

* The address I delivered at Dantzic was the result
of calm reflection. I have long owed it to my con-
science and my position to profess, before the whole
world, a view, the truth of which has forced itself
upon me more fully from day to day. Only the hope
of being able after all to avoid placing myself in
opposition to you stifled the monitions of my con-

144

i863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

science. But now, ignoring my dissentient views, the
Ministry have taken a step imperilling my Aiture and
that of my children, I shall make as courageous a
stand for my Aiture as you, dear father, are making
for your own. I cannot retract anything I have said.
All I can do is to keep silence. Should you wish me
to do so, I hereby place my commission in the army
and my seat in the Council of State at your disposal.
I beg you to appoint me a place of residence, or to
permit me to select one myself, either in Prussia or
abroad. If I am not allowed to speak my mind, I must
naturally wish to dissever myself entirely from the
sphere of politics.'

At the same time the Prince entreated the King to
forgive the vexation he caused him.

The royal answer to this letter, on June 11,
passed over in silence the complaint against the
Ministry as well as the request for dismissal. * With
parentcJ love, but with kingly solemnity,' His Majesty
declared himself willing to forgive the past ; after a
severe reproof of the Crown Prince's action in making
pubUc opposition and setting up a banner, which might
have caused the nation to have to choose between
father and sod, he accepted the promise of the Prince
to abstain from frirther utterance, and expressly bound
him over to silence.

That this incident closed in an amicable fashion
seems to have been chiefly due to the exertions of
Bismarck. In his ' Thoughts and Eecollections ' he
says (vol. i., p. 318) :

' Although I was obliged to admit that the King's
irritation was justified, I endeavoured to prevent its
being followed by any State measures. In the interest

145 L

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

of the dynasty, I set myself the task of appeasing the
King and restraining him from steps which would have
recalled memories of Frederick William I. and Klistrin.
This was achieved on June 10, during a drive from
Babelsberg to the New Palace, where His Majesty in-
spected the Instructional Battalion; the conversation
was carried on in French on account of the footmen on
the box. I was enabled to pacify the paternal indigna-
tion by means of the State reason that in the approach-
ing conflict between the throne and Parliament any
discord in the royal house must be avoided and ignored,
and that the King and father must take especial care
that the interests of both were not injured. " Deal
gently with the young man Absalom," I observed,
alluding to the fact that the clergy were already
preaching on 2 Samuel xv. 3 and 4 ; ** your Majesty
would do well to avoid any decision ab irato ; State
reasons alone must be considered." He appeared par-
ticularly impressed by my reminding him that in the
conflict between Frederick William I. and his so* the
sympathies both of contemporaries and posterity were
with the latter, and that it was not advisable to make
a martyr of the Crown Prince.'

The paternal mildness of the King s letter, which
showed an evident intention of letting bygones be
bygones, had the efiect of disarming the Crown
Prince. However, he still cherished resentment and
anger against * the insolent Ministers, whom he had no
wish to see.' His princely pride revolted against the
Premier (Bismarck), who had at last replied to his
protest of June 3 in an autograph letter dated
June 10, in which Bismarck mentioned that he had been

forbidden by His Majesty to bring the said protest to

146

freeze

i - -s

1863] 'I^HE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

the knowledge of the Ministry. He remarked that
it was true that the Crown Prince could either aid
or impede the difficult task of the Ministry; yet
the Ministers were the faithful servants of the King,
and could only continue to act as they had done.
Bismarck reiterated that the press ordinance of June 1
could not be considered as an infringement of the
Prussian Constitution.

Three weeks later the Crown Prince sent Bismarck
the following rejoinder :

* Stettin,

* June 30, 1863.

* I see, from your letter of the 10th instant, that at
His Majesty's command you have omitted to communi-
cate officially to the Ministry of State my protest re-
specting the ordinance restricting the liberty of the
press, which I sent to you from Graudenz on June 3.
I can easily understand that the opportunity of treat-
ing as a personal matter an incident which, as you
yourself have acknowledged, might in its consequences
acquire widespread significance, was not unwelcome to
you. It would serve no purpose for me to insist on
that communication being made, as I am justified in
inferring from your own words that it will have been
done unofficially.

* It is necessary for me, however, to speak plainly to
you respecting the alternative which you place before
me : namely, to lighten or to render more difficult
the task which the Ministry has undertaken. I cannot
lighten that task, as I find myself opposed to it in
principle. A loyal administration of the laws and of
the Constitution, respect and goodwill towards an

147 L 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

eaany led, inteUigent and capable people— these are
the principles which, in my opinion, should guide
every Government in the treatment of the country.
I cannot consider the policy which finds expression
in the ordinance of June 1 as being in harmony with
these principles. It is true you seek to prove to me
the constitutional character of that ordinance, and you
assure me that you and your colleagues are mindfiil of
your oath. I think, however, that the Government
requires a stronger basis than very dubious interpreta-
tions, which do not appeal to the sound common-sense
of the people. You yourself call attention to the
circumstance that even your opponents respect the
honesty of your convictions. I will not inquire into
that assertion, but if you attach any importance to
the opinions of your opponents, the circumstance
that the great majority of the educated classes
among our people deny the constitutional character
of the ordinance must necessarily awaken scruples in
your mind. . . .

'And what is the success which you anticipate
from this policy? The tranquillizing of the public
mind and the restoration of peace ? Do you believe
that you can appease public sentiment by once more
offending its sense of justice ? It seems to me contrary
to human nature to expect a change, when the existing
feeling is constantly confirmed and aggravated by the
action of the Government. I will tell you what results
I anticipate from your policy. You will go on quibbling
with the Constitution until it loses all value in the
eyes of the people. In that way, you will on the one
hand arouse anarchical movements that go beyond the

bounds of the Constitution ; while on the other hand,

148

i863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

whether you intend it or not, you will pass from one
venturesome interpretation to another, until you are
finally driven into an open breach of the Constitution.
I regard those who lead His Majesty the King, my
most gracious father, into such courses as the most
dangerous advisers for Crown and country.

* P.S. — Even before June 1 of this year I rarely
made use of my right to attend the sittings of the
Ministry of State. From the foregoing statement of
my convictions you will understand my request that
His Majesty the King should allow me to abstain alto-
gether from attending them at present. A continuous
public and personal manifestation of the differences
between myself and the Ministry would be neither in
keeping with my position nor my inclination. In every
other respect, however, I shall impose no restriction
upon the expression of my views ; and the Ministry
may rest assured that it will depend upon themselves
and their own future actions whether, in spite of my
own strong reluctance, I find myself forced into furth^
public steps, when duty appears to call for them.' *

In reference to this letter, Prince Bismarck remarks
in his * Thoughts and Recollections' (vol. i., p. 319) :

' The fact that I persisted in the path I had entered
upon, after receiving this declaration from the Heir
Apparent, was in itself strong evidence that I cared
little about remaining in office after the succession of
the new Sovereign, which might have taken place very
soon. At the same time, the Crown Prince obliged
me to tell him this in the plainest language, in a
conversation to be mentioned later.'

* Moritz BuBch, ' Bismarck : Some Secret Pages of his
History/ vol iii., pp. 235-287.

149

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

The relations between the Crown Prmce and
Duncker seemed to be unaffected by what had
occurred. The correspondence between them con-
tinued with unabated vigour, and it was arranged
that Duncker should shortly visit the Prince at
Putbus, where he was then residing. During this
period, owing to some unexplained indiscretion, the
correspondence between the King and Crown Prince
was published in the Times. Duncker sent the
article which appeared on this subject to the Prince,
at the same time expressing his deep regret that the
Prussian Royal Family should be presented in such a
light to the English public. The following day he
addressed a strong letter to the Crown Prince, re-
presenting Hhat only a system well weighed and
consistently adhered to, free from improvised resolu-
tions,' was worthy of his high position, and could
alone avert disastrous consequences. The Prince had
to decide between two systems, between *what I
might call the English system,* and which was sup-
ported by the Progressive party, and the opposite
course, which he himself had recommended both in
March and September of the previous year. The
former system demanded that the Prince should hold
himself aloof, and by means of long journeys abstain
from even the representative appearances required by
the Constitution, and that by the assertion of his
differences with the then unpopular Government, by
the help of the home and foreign press, he should
assume such a position as to inspire the Opposition
with hope, and thus rescue the nominally imperilled
dynasty. The contrary system, recommended by
Duncker, urged the Prince not to go beyond those

150

1863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

forms of opposition which his fether himself had once
made use of, not to assert his convictions elsewhere
than in the Cabinet, where he had a right to do so,
and to seek popularity in no other path than that of
faithfiil and laborious fulfilment of duty. Duncker
explained how the episode at Dantzic, though not in
accordance with this system, would be construed as a
single act of protest against the exclusion of the
Prince from the deliberations of the Cabinet upon the
press ordinance. He demonstrated the logical possi-
bility of a change of plan, and expressed the hope that
the King would not refuse to recall the disrespectful
Ministers to a sense of their duty towards the Heir
Apparent. But a choice between the two systems
was absolutely indispensable.

Duncker next made an effort to counteract the
exertions of the Progressive party to win the Crown
Prince over to themselves and to the * English system,'
and he also endeavoured to expose their secret machi-
nations. An allusion to the Crown Prince's conviction
of the necessity for reorganizing the army sufficed to
point out the breach that separated him from the
Progressives. It was not difficult for Duncker to
show that, when the Prince was called upon to rule,
he would not be in a position to do so according to
Progressive ideas, and that it was therefore not
advisable to awaken hopes in that direction.

To these warnings on Duncker s part, the Crown
Prince replied on July 14, from Putbus, in the
foUowing words :

' It almost seems to me as though you, my dear
Duncker, think that I have made a secret compact
with the Progressive party, and that the publication

151

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

in the press of my correspondence with His Majesty
is the result of such a connection.

* I also gather from your letters that you have the
feeling that your personal and official advice no longer
carries weight with me.

* I beg you to be completely reassured on both
points. What I wrote to you lately still holds good,
and you have already been invited by my telegram to
visit me here on Saturday.

■There hae never been any question of puUieatioo.
and it would amuse me to learn how the Progressives
intend to print a correspondence which they do not
possess, since both originals and copies are in my own
hands. If occult arts have been at work, then indeed
my powers are of no avail, and I should not be sur-
prised if, by means of a system of personal espionage
not unusual in certain circles, they had contrived to
possess themselves of copies through Bismarck ! We
shall know this some day.

* If the Progressive party insist on staking all in
order to count me among their numbers, I can as little
prevent it as I could hinder the &ct that Bismarck
zealously endeavoured to enrol me among his followers.

' My views are shown by the speech at Dantzic ; I
will neither say nor do anything more, nor will I lead
the Opposition.

* K Waldeck and his friends are Progressives, I
have nothing in common with them. But if by that
name one understands the Liberals, with whom, un-
fortunately, the Old Liberals are no longer in unison,
I have no reason to regard them as enemies.'

The speech of the Crown Prince at Dantzic was
not without painftd consequences for his reporting

152

1863] THE CROWN PRINCE AS CONSTITUTIONALIST

Councillor. Duncker was summoned on June 9 to
the Minister-President, but declined to give any reply
when questioned as to the * intentions of the Crown
Prince/ A second interview with Bismarck took place
on June 23, with regard to the article in the Times.
Duncker now learned that his refusal of any elucida-
tion had met with the King s disapproval. Bismarck
informed him that, in consequence of this, his position
with the Crown Prince was endangered; that he
(Bismarck) had supported him, and would endeavour
to do so if the matter should again be called in
question, since, although he knew him of old to belong
to the Opposition, he also knew him to be a true
Prussian ; but that possibly another Councillor with
Ministerial views might be associated with him.
Duncker replied that he regarded it as his duty to
resign whenever there was any possibility of his
position forming the subject of a serious disagreement
between the King and the Crown Prince. Duncker
was summoned yet a third time to Bismarck on
July 17, and this time examined on oath as to his
knowledge of, or participation in, the publication of
the above-mentioned correspondence. His declaration
was to the effect that no one had been directly or
indirectly placed by him in a position to make use of
the contents of the letters, and that he was absolutely
ignorant of the manner in which the disclosure had
taken place.

Thereupon Duncker betook himself to Putbus, in
accordance with the Crown Prince s invitation, deter-
mined, not, indeed, to demand his dismissal, but to
express his views freely. At Putbus he met Herr
Samwer. The two old fiiends here confronted each

153

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

other as the representatives of opposing systems, and
Duncker hinted that he was not blind to the nets
and pitfalls that were so industriously being spread in
his path. Duncker's account of his interview with
Bismarck on July 17 made a strong impression on the
Crown Prince. It was now evident that His Royal
Highness was no longer so determined in his attitude
of opposition. A rupture was prevented, and the
Prince 8 adviser returned to Berlin greatly encouraged
to persevere in his course of counselling moderation.

154

CHAPTER VII

OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAB

1863

In order to understand the attitude of the Crown
Prince towards the Grovemment, the profound distrust
inspired by Bismarck's accession to power must be borne
in mind.

No one had the least idea of the real objects of the
new Minister in framing a policy so greatly at variance
with that of his predecessors, and consequently the
wildest schemes were attributed to him. He was
generally regarded as a man who would not be adverse
to ceding the left bank of the Rhine to France, in
exchange for the annexation of Hanover and Mecklen-
burg. It was also known that Bismarck desired an
alliance with Napoleon III., and that he wished to
magnify Austria's intrigues at the Diet into a casus
belli.

As early as September 24, 1862, Max von Forcken-
beck* wrote:

* A diBtingoished Prussian politioian; at one time President of
the Prussian Lower Chamber, and subsequently of the Beiohstag.
He was also suocessiyely Chief Burgomaster of Breslau and
Berlin. Forckenbeck was a Liberal, and one of the few men who
was simultaneously in the good graoes of Bismarck, King William
and the Crown Prmce.

155

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

* Bismarck-Schonhausen represents government with-
out a Budget, martial law at home and war ahroad. I
regard him as most dangerous to the freedom and
prosperity of Prussia/

On October 2 he writes :

* I believe we shall soon be rid of him.'

At the end of January, 1863, the opinion was
generally and openly expressed that Prussia was
rapidly approaching a coup (TStat, and many were the
apprehensions that the Crown would be defeated in
the conflict with the national representatives. The
Crown Prince himself shared this apprehensive view.

The resistance and disapproval which Bismarck's
policy then encountered from public opinion was based,
as the events of later years have shown, on a misunder-
standing of a nature which could not be cleared up at
the time. Long afterwards Bismarck himself once did
his adversaries of the conflict period the justice to
admit that their former opposition was fully justified
from their point of view. On April 5, 1876, he said, in
the Lower Chamber:

* I think my mind is sufficiently impartial to enable
me fully to comprehend the train of ideas followed by
the Lower Chamber at the time of the conflict about
the Constitution. / have every respect for the deter-
mination with which the representatives of the Prussian
people at that time stood up for what they considered
inght. I cannot reproach anyone. They could not
know, and I could not tell them, the real aim of my
policy ; and if I had been able to tell it them, they
would still have had a right to reply, " We are more
concerned for the rights of the Constitution of the
country than for its foreign policy." '

156

1863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

One would be fully justified in applying this declara-
tion also to the attitude of the Crown Prince at that
time. In his * Reflections and Reminiscences ' (vol. i.,
p. 822 et seq.) Prince Bismarck acquaints us with the
further development of his relations with the Crown
Prince after the Dantzic episode.

In August, 1863, the Crown Prince paid a friendly
visit to Bismarck at Grastein, in the course of which
he sought to explain his previous attitude towards the
Government as being the result of his aloofness fix>m
affairs. He spoke unreservedly as a man who sees his
error, and seeks to excuse it by the influences which
controlled his actions. However, already, in Septem-
ber, after the Crown Prince, the King and Bismarck
had returned from Gastein to Berlin, the influences
which had inspired the Prince to action in June now
once more gained the upper hand. The day after the
dissolution of the Lower Chamber had been decided
on, the Crown Prince wrote to Bismarck as follows:

' Bbblin,

< September 3, 1863.

* I informed His Majesty to-day of the views which
I expressed to you in my letter from Putbus, and
which I begged you not to submit to the King before
I myself had done so. An important resolution was
taken yesterday at the Council. I did not wish to
remonstrate with His Majesty in the presence of the
Ministers ; to-day I have done so ; I stated my opinions
and expressed my grave apprehension for the future.
The King is now aware that I am a decided opponent
of the Ministry.

'Frederick William.'
157

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

The request preferred in the Crown Prince's letter
of June 30, for permission to discontinue his attendance
at the meetings of the Cabinet, now formed the subject
of discussion.

The King decided that the Crown Prince should
continue to be present at the meetings of the Cabinet,
as he had been since 1861, and commissioned Bismarck
to inform him of the fact.

* I fancy,* Bismarck relates, * that the audience re-
quested for this purpose never took place ; for I recollect
that the discussion was brought about by the arrival of
the Crown Prince by mistake for a meeting, which did
not take place on the day in question. I asked him
why he held himself so much aloof from the Govern-
ment ; in a few years, after aU, it would be his own; if
he had other principles, he should rather seek to bring
about a transition of ideas than raise opposition. He
rejected this suggestion brusquely, apparently under
the impression that I was endeavouring to pave the
way for being taken into his service. I have never
forgotten the hostile expression of Oljnnpian haughti-
ness which accompanied the words, and I still seem to
see the Prince's head thrown back, his heightened
colour, and the look he cast at me over his left
shoulder. I suppressed my own indignation, thought
of " Carlos and Alba " (Act II., scene 5), and replied
that I had spoken in an outburst of dynastic feeling,
with the intention of bringing him into closer relations
with his father, in the interests of the country and
the dynasty, both of which were impaired by the
estrangement ; and that I had done all that I could in
June to restrain his august father from resolutions ah
irato^ because I desired the maintenance of harmony

158

i863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

in the Royal Family, in the interests of the nation,
during the struggle against Parliamentary dominion.
I said that I was a faithful servant to his august
father, and wished that he, when he came to ascend
the throne, might find servants as faithful as I had
been. I hoped that he would put away the idea that
I was possibly aiming at some day being his Minister ;
for that I should never be. He was mollified in a
moment, as suddenly as he had fired up, and closed
the conversation with a few friendly words.'

The Crown Prince still adhered to his wish of not
being present at the future meetings of the Cabinet,
and forwarded a memorial to the King in September,
setting forth his reasons in a manner that served at
the same time to defend his action in June. A private
correspondence ensued between the King and Bismarck,
which was closed by the following note from the King :

' Babblsbbbg,

« November 7, 1863.

* I herewith send you my answer to my son the
Crown Prince, in reference to his memorial of Sep-
tember. For the sake of clearness I enclose the
document, and your own remarks, which I made use
of in my answer.*

Bismarck did not take a copy of this memorandum,
but its contents are easily seen from his comments,
which are printed in his * Reflections and Remi-
niscences.' These conunents were certainly justified
in many ways, and from a political point of view the
Minister-President had a better right on his side than
the Crown Prince. But the moral right of opposing

159

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

a system which he not only considered faulty, but
even tending towards the ruin of the State, cannot be
denied to the Prince ; and in his opposition he by no
means went so far as his father had done at the time
of the Manteuffel Ministry.

The bitterness with which the Prussian nation
resented the new policy of the Bismarck regime was
clearly demonstrated on the fiftieth anniversary of
the proclamation An mein Volk^ on March 17,
1863, when the foundation-stone of the memorial to
Frederick William III. was laid in Berlin. The Crown
Prince, who had just been appointed Inspector of the
1st Army Inspection for the period of one year, com-
manded the military parade, and accompanied his
father to the festivities in honour of the survivors of
the War of Liberation and the Knights of the Iron
Cross.* The citizens of Berlin held aloof from the
festivities, which were only attended by members of
the KreuZ'Zeitiing party. The popular feeling was
well expressed by an article in the Liberal Grenzhoten
by Gustav Freytag, who thus refers to the celebration :

* All good Prussians will pass this day quietly and
seriously, and will consider the means by which they
may best preserve the illustrious house of Hohenzollem
for the future welfare of the State.'

A few days later the Crown Prince and Princess
paid a visit to the Altmark, the ancestral dominion of
the Prussian monarchy, and returned to Potsdam on
May 29 for a few days' rest before commencing a tour
of military inspections in the provinces of Prussia,
Pomerania and Posen, where the troops composing the

* A deooration created and first bestowed daring the War of
Liberation, 1818.

i6o

i863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

1st Army Inspection were quartered. The Crown
Princess performed the ceremony of christening a
newly-built corvette, the Vineta^ at the royal wharf
of Dantzic on June 4. After visiting Konigsberg,
Pillau, Memel, Tilsit and Trakehnen, the Crown Prince
proceeded alone through Lithuania and Masuren to
Posen, which he visited for the first time on June 21.

At the reception at Government House, neither the
Archbishop of Gnesen and Posen, Monseigneur von
Przyluski, nor his Suflfragan, nor the greater number
of the Chapter, were present to welcome the Heir
Apparent.

The Archbishop, who had reached the advanced age of
seventy-four, excused his non-appearance on the ground
of a liver complaint ; the Sufl&^igan, Stefanowicz, alleged
ecclesiastical business (hearing confessions) ; while the
Metropolitan Chapter pleaded that they had received
no invitation to the festivity. There was a conten-
tion between this latter body and the President of the
province, because he had omitted to pay ceremonial
visits to the members of the Chapter, or, at least, to
the Head and the Su&agan Bishop, on taking up his
appointment.

This incident caused the King to desire the Ambas-
sador to the Holy See to mention the behaviour of
the Archbishop of Posen to the Cardinal-Secretary
of State, Antonelli. The latter, without hesitation,
strongly censured the conduct of the Archbishop.
The Pope personally took the same view, with the
result that a communication was sent from Bome to
the Archbishop, informing him of the opinion of the
Pope with regard to his conduct, as well as that of
his Sui&agan and the Metropolitan Chapter. Sub-

l6l M

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

sequently the censured ecclesiastics humbly apologized
for their behaviour.

The feeling created by the then existing conflict
between the Crown and the Parliament had again
been clearly demonstrated by the fact that the pro-
gressively inclined communal authorities of the towns
visited by the Crown Prince and Princess abstained
from any celebration of the royal visit. In reference
to this attitude, the following remarks occur in a
letter to Ludolf Parisius from Herr von Saucken-
Tarputschen, who was then a member of the Pro-
gressive party, and subsequently a confidential friend
of the Crown Prince :

' I am very glad that I was not at home lately ; the
Crown Prince crossed my estate whilst driving to
Julienfeld. Our party has agreed to make the Prince
suffer for his fathers sins, though he has publicly
declared that he has no share in them. I do not
quite understand the logic of this demonstration. I
think it would have been far more painftJ, and
therefore salutary for the King, if the Crown Prince
had received official addresses everywhere, and been
informed that the people rejoiced to hear that he
had no share in the violation of the oath. Then the
Prince would have been obliged to speak out, and
that would have been a good thing in any case, yet
best of all if the scandal had been increased by
deputations being prohibited.'

In the same letter, Saucken describes the impression
made by the Crown Princess in East Prussia :

* Everyone was pleased with the Crown Princess :

she possesses a mmd of her own. She told President

Eichmann that she reads the Volkszeiticng, the

/ 163

1863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

Nationalzeitung , and the Times every day, and that
her views were in complete agreement with these
newspapers. This was a great shock to him, and he
did not know what to reply. . . .'

In Dantzic, the attitude of the authorities had had
the effect of restraining the mass of the people fi-om
making any public manifestation of pleasure at the
royal visit. But elsewhere, while the civil authorities
followed the example of Dantzic, the people, on the
contrary, gave full vent to their loyalty to the royal
pair, so that their journey through the three provinces
almost resembled a triumphal progress.

Immediately after the tour of inspection, the Crown
Prince and family visited Prince and Princess zu Put-
bus on the island of Riigen, and stayed there for
several weeks. From time to time excursions were
made to Further Pomerania, and Stralsund was also
visited.

The Crown Prince had been requested by the
Committee of the International Statistical Congress,
which was to meet in September in Berlin, to become
its patron and president. The King, however, was
opposed to this. Dimcker persuaded the Crown
Prince to address a memorandum to His Majesty,
the subdued tone of which, whilst expressing his
readiness to accept the honour thus offered to him,
was calculated to restore him to his rightful position
in public affairs, and to sink the late unfortunate
events in oblivion. Besides laying stress on the
scientific and moral importance of the Congress, the
memorandum bore a markedly anti-Progressive char-
acter. The Progressive party were ready to regard

the postponement of the Congress as a political

163 M 3

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

demonstration. With a like intention, the magistracy
of Berlin had resolved to refi^in from taking any part
in it. Against this demonstrative attitude the memo-
randum declared that it was so much the more * our '
task to welcome the strangers, and that in the present
state of affairs it was to the interest of Prussia to
show 'that we possess self-respect and consciousness
of our strength, and feel neither vexation nor anxiety.'
The fact that men like Virchow and Schulze-Delitzsch
were members of the Committee had nothing to do
with their political views; party feeling might be
ignored on the neutral ground of statistics, and it
would tend to diminish the political excitement if men
of conflicting political views were to work together for
objects of a non-political nature.

The King, probably by the advice of the Cabinet,
nevertheless persisted in declining this proposal. On
August 25 Minister von Roon wrote as follows to
Bismarck at Baden-Baden :

* It appears to me beyond all doubt that the King
will not be able to open the Statistical Congress. I
am equally convinced that the Crown Prince will not
be allowed to take any active part in it. The most
natural arrangement would be for the rdle to fall to
the Minister for Home Affiiirs.'

And so it happened. Count Eulenburg opened the
Congress on September 7 in the great Assembly Hall
of the Upper House, and the members were then
formally received by the King. The Crown Prince
personally attended the meetings of the Congress, and
also received the members in the New Palace on the
occasion of their visit to Potsdam on September 12 to
see the sights of the place.

164

1863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

In the stimmer of 1863 the Austrian (Schmerling)
Cabinet made an attempt to anticipate Prussia in a
scheme of reform for the German Federal Constitu-
tion, and to take the solution of the German question
out of her hands. On July 31 the Emperor Francis
Joseph invited the Sovereign Princes and fi^e cities of
Germany to a Conference, on August 16, at Frankfort-
on-the-Main, to debate the reorganization of the Con-
federation on more modern lines. On August 2 he
visited King William, then staying at Gastein with
Bismarck, in order to gain his consent to the plan.
The Austrian proposals culminated in the nomination
of a Federal Directory of five members and a Federal
Parliament, composed of delegates from the Chambers
of the various States, with deliberative but not deter-
minative powers. The moment for urging a reform of
this kind was not unskilfriUy chosen on the part of
Austria. Owing to the Russophile sympathies of
Prussia in the Polish question, Austria could rely on
the support of France; her internal condition, too,
appeared settled in comparison with the existing Con-
stitutional conflict in Prussia. She hoped by the
Liberal character of her proposals to win over the
German nation to Federal reforms, since confidence in
the Prussian Grovemment had been considerably shaken
during the last few months.

King William was not averse to the Austrian pro-
posal, but Bismarck insisted on a refiisal being sent.
A further suggestion in a letter from the Emperor,
that the King should send the Crown Prince as his
representative to the Congress of Princes, was also
declined. This proposal was the reason for the King's
summoning his son to Gastein. Herr K Haym, in his

165

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

biography of Duncker, relates that the Crown Prince,
while at Gastein, advised the declining of the Austrian
invitation, whereas H. Friedjung, in his work, * The
Struggle for the Hegemony of Grermany,' asserts that
the Crown Prince regarded the decision of the King
not to attend the Congress of Princes at Frankfort
as a mistake. He thought that Prussia ought, by
taking part in it, to have manifested her goodwill
towards German unity. This contradiction may be
explained by the hypothesis that the Crown Prince
altered his views later on, and this theory is confirmed
by a letter to Duke Ernest of Saxe-Coburg quoted
below.*

During the Congress of Princes at Frankfort,
numerous relatives of Duke Ernest were assembled
at Coburg. The Queen of England was spending the
summer at the Eosenau; on August 19 the Crown
Princess of Prussia went there to stay with her,
followed by her husband on the 23rd. This family
gathering was, however, overshadowed by the grave
nature of the political situation. The Queen of
England was seriously concerned at the isolated position
of Prussia, and it needed all the persuasive powers of
the Crown Prince to appease the fears as to the futiu^
felt by both Queen Victoria and the Crown Princess.

After his return from the Congress of Princes at
Frankfort, Duke Ernest forwarded to the Crown
Prince a memorandum, dated September 2, setting
forth the reforms proposed by the Congress, and
the danger incurred by Prussia in persisting in her
present attitude.

The Crown Prince replied on September 6 :

♦ See p. 167.
166

i863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

* My dear Uncle,

*I received your letter by the hands of
Lieutenant von Schleinitz with sincere pleasure, and I
heartily thank you for writing so soon. The same
evening I handed your letter to the King, who wished
to answer it, or at least make marginal comments.
As the King has kept your letter, my answer must be
confined to generalities, and you must kindly recollect
that I am obliged to trust to memory.

* The fact of the meeting of the Congress of Princes
is in itself an important advance in the struggle for
Grerman unity, and Austria has gained the immense
and lasting advantage of being the author of the work.
Of late years Prussia has missed every favourable
opportunity for this project of reform, and at last her
Parliamentary conflict of now nearly two years' duration
has provided her opponent with a welcome opportunity
of forestalling her as the natural champion of the
solution of the Grerman question.

* These are historical facts. The German Princes
publicly proclaimed their readiness and generous
wishes for the progress of Germany. But Austria
unmasked herself by finally demanding a simple vote
of assent or dissent to the project of reform, which
resulted in the signatures of a niunber of interested
Federal Princes. That the latter were unwilling to
regard anything as binding which did not also receive
the sanction of Prussia is natural, but I consider your
action, as the head of the Liberal Princes, equally
comprehensible and correct in finally accepting the
Austrian proposal, weighty remonstrances and counter-
arguments notwithstanding, simply in order to obtain

167

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863

a foundation of some kind, which is, after all, better
than the baseless status quo of the past. But the
mere idea of a joint directory appears to me to show
the unstable nature of the Austrian scheme, apart
from the present impossible idea of Prussia and Austria
working side by side to decide the fate of Germany.
They may call it alternation, co-ordination, or anything
else, but Germany will never reap any benefit at the
hands of the two rivals so long as both wish to exert
equal influence.

* You will not agree with me herein, but I cannot
think otherwise, and yet I am of opinion that Prussia
must now go halfway, and, by a close examination of
the amended proposals, openly declare all her views,
assents and objections in order to display her honest
desire to help Germany.

* I should consider a manifesto containing nothing
but demands to be foolish, apart from what has taken
place in Frankfort. A mere rejection would be equally
reprehensible. I do not know what will happen, and
I shall probably not hear immediately, as I am in a
new dilemma. In consequence of the dissolution of
the House, I have requested the King to allow me to
be absent from the meetings of the Cabinet. . . .

* And under such auspices Prussia will reply to the
labours of Frankfort for Liberal reform.

' Affectionately yours,

'Frederick William.

* P.S.— The King has just given me his rough copy,

which I have written out again for you, as it was

rather hastily done. I am sending it off at once ; and,

in spite of the manoeuvres, I will manage to answer

168

1863] OTHER EVENTS OF THE YEAR

your kind letter, with the original beside me, more
fiilly than was possible to-day/

At the urgent request of Queen Victoria, the Crown
Prince and his family paid a long visit to Balmoral,
interrupted by a short journey back to Berlin in order
to attend the opening of the Landtag by the King on
November 9. Returning to England a few days later,
the Crown Prince joined the family circle at Windsor
Castle, and remained there until the middle of
December, when visits were paid to the Courts of
Brussels and Karlsruhe before the royal pair returned
to the Prussian capital.

In political circles, the prolonged absence of the
Crown Prince was interpreted, probably not without
some foundation, as being a demonstration of his
antagonism to the existing system of government,
which in the meantime had suffered another check
at the hands of the Progressive party. The press
ordinance of June 1, on being rejected by the Lower
Chamber, as had been expected, was annulled on
November 21.

169

CHAPTER VIII

THE WAR WITH DENMARK

1863—1864

While the Crown Prince and his family were still in
England, King Frederick VII. of Denmark, the last
of his house, died on November 15, 1863; and thus
the vexed question of the succession to the throne of
the Elbe Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein was
brought up.

By the Treaty of London of May 8, 1852, the
possession of the Duchies was assured to Denmark on
condition that the independence of these provinces
and the rights of the German population were to be
preserved. The treaty also stipulated that Schleswig
was not to be separated from Holstein, which belonged
to the Grerman Confederation. But in order to insure
the integrity of the Danish kingdom, Duke Christian
of Sonderburg-Augustenburg accepted an indemnity
of 2,500,000 thalers, and resigned his hereditary
claim to the Duchies. The two sons of the Duke,
however, did not acquiesce in this arrangement ; on
the contrary, the Hereditary Prince Frederick*

* The Pretender to the saocession of the Dachies of Sohleswig-
Holstem is alternately spoken of as Hereditary Prince and as

170

1863] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

asserted his rights of succession by a subsequent
declaration. The German ([Confederation also had not
signified its assent to the settlement. These were
facts which might become of great importance in the
event of a dispute.

Denmark had paid but little heed to the conditions
agreed to in the Treaty of London. After promulgating
a number of measures contrary to the agreement, and
after much oppression of the German population and
boycotting of their language, the programme of the
powerful Eider-Danish party was carried out ; and by
royal charter on March 20, 1863, a new Constitution,
conceived entirely in Danish interests, was granted to
Holstein, paving the way for the incorporation of
Schleswig, which did not belong to the German Con-
federation, in the Danish monarchy. Denmark, so &r
from withdrawing this charter at the invitation of the
German Confederation, went even a step farther when
threatened with * Federal execution. ' On November 1 3,
1863, the Danish Parliament passed the new Constitu-
tion for Denmark-Schleswig which had been laid before
the House. Two days later King Frederick VIL
died, and his successor, Christian IX., of the House of
Glucksburg, was compelled to sign the new Constitu-
tion by his Minister Hall amid the menaces of the
mob siuTounding the royal castle.

These proceedings caused a great sensation through-
out Germany ; public opinion clamoured for the com-
plete separation of the Duchies fix>m Denmark under
the rule of the Hereditary Prince Frederick of
Augustenburg. The latter, in a proclamation issued

Duke, aoeording to the point of view of the authority quoted. As
a matter of fact, his ducal title was never recognised in Prussia.

171

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

on November 16, 1863, from the Castle of Dolzig,

declared that, *by virtue of his father's deed of

renunciation executed in his favour,' he assumed the

government of Schleswig-Holstein, and appealed to the

German Confederation for the support of his rights

and the national privileges of the Duchies.

The majority of the German Cabinets were on the

side of the Prince. The Grand-Duke Frederick of

Baden, the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, was warmly

interested in his favour, and instructed Herr von

Mohl, the Ambassador of Baden to the Diet, to

announce his accession to the Duchies as Duke

Frederick VIII. to the Diet. In the Prussian Chamber

the members Stavenhagen and Virchow introduced a

motion for the recognition of Prince Frederick. On

December 2 the Lower House declared, by 261 to 63

* ^ ' *' votes, that the honour anS interest of Germany

required the recognition and active support of the

Hereditary Prince.

It is not to be wondered at that the Crown Prince

also took the part of the Hereditary Prince, to whom

he was united by old bonds of friendship. In early

years, while at the University of Bonn, the Princes

had first become intimate, and ever since they had

been on the most cordial terms. During his period of

service in the 1st Foot Guards, Prince Frederick had

been constantly at the Prussian Court, and the Crown

Prince had even stood godfather to one of the Prince's

children. Thus, at a moment when the prospect of a

dukedom lay before the Hereditary Prince, it was

natural that he should endeavour to secure the

friendly support of the Crown Prince and Princess of

Prussia.

172

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

There were at that time three ways in which Prussia
might decide the Schleswig-Holstein question. The
most desirable of these, from the Prussian point of
view, was the acquisition of the Duchies by Prussia.
Secondly, there came the question of establishing the
Augustenburg dynasty and the creation of a new so-
called Middle State, provided that Prussian and
German national interests were guaranteed. A third
solution lay in the improvement of the position of the
Duchies, either in the form of personal union or some
other way. From the first Bismarck had kept the idea
of annexation steadily in view without losing sight of
the other modifications, but this aim remained his own
secret. His next step, in conjunction with Austria at
the Diet of Frankfort, was to decree the immediate
enforcement of Federal execution against Denmark, on
the ground of the Treaty of London, with the avowed
object of forcing the Danish Grovernment to withdraw
the November ([Constitution and finally fulfil their
engagements.

When the time for action arrived, the Crown Prince
was m England, and as his personal relations with
Bismarck were s;vered, he was entirely dependent for
information on the reports forwarded to him by
Duncker. The Crown Prince, who desired the
immediate realization of the Augustenburg candida-
ture, adopted the view that Prussia should at once
proceed to occupy the Duchies in favour of Prince
Frederick. He did not share the hope of his adviser,
that another way might also lead to the same result.

The Crown Prince's views on the situation were set
out in a letter addressed to Duncker on December 8
fi:om Windsor Castle.

173

/ 1

i; ,c

¥ »

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

* From Bismarck,' wrote the Crown Prince, * I expect
no result that will meet with my approval ; he hates
the Augustenburg family, and regards the national
aspirations of Germany as revolutionary. He wishes
to strengthen Denmark and adhere to the treaty.
And that ends the matter. Prussia has to thank him
for being again too late to assert her position at the
head of Germany.' He continued that he had ex-
pected that this would turn out to be the case when
he heard the news of the death of King Frederick, and
justified his absence from Berlin during the period of
decision, inasmuch as he had not wished to give rise
by his presence to the suspicion of being associated
with that fatal policy. He had not even thought of
^ " being able to influence the King by supporting a policy
opposed to that of Bismarck. * Here in England^ I
have daily defended the cause of my dear finend Duke
Frederick, well supported by my wife, who displays
warm and thoroughly German feelings to a highly
touching degree.'

We learn from an account by Major Theodor von
Bernhardi how irrevocable, in the opinion of the Crown
Prince, was the course of policy now entered upon by
Prussia. On December 2 Bernhardi travelled by rail
from Gotha to Weimar with the royal couple, who
were on their joinrney home from England. It was
arranged that Bernhardi should meet at Grotha, at
one o'clock a.m., the train by which the Crown Prince
was travelling from Frankfort to Berlin. On the
arrival of the train at Grotha, the Hereditary Prince
Frederick and Herr Samwer left the Crown Prince's
carriage ; the Crown Prince also alighted, greeted
Bernhardi, and asked : ' Well, can you come with us V

174

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

' Yes, your Boyal Highness, I can come as far as
Weimar ; I can get a return train there.'

In the carriage Bernhardi met the Crown Princess.
In reply to her first hurried questions, he was obliged
to confess that things looked black in Grotha as well as
in Berlin ; that the Hereditary Prince ought to hasten
to Holstein ; that instead of coming to a decision he
and his counsellors demurred and raised endless
difficulties.

In the conversation which ensued, Bernhardi alluded
to Bismarck's policy with the remark that a change of
system alone could save Prussia, and that this must
be brought about at all costs. The Crown Prince
declared that his intervention would be absolutely
hopeless; he had no power; all that he could say
would be in vain, etc.

Bernhardt : ' But no matter how small the chances
of success are, every exertion must none the less be
made ; too much is at stake for things to be quietly
left to take their course ; it is a question of nothing
less than the possible ruin of Prussia. Everybody
must do his utmost : thcvt is ones duty J

The Crown Prince : * My duty, you mean V

Bernhardi : * The duty of us all ; it is the duty of
every Prussian to do his utmost. Above all, we must
endeavour to win the King over to our views.'

To the Crown Prince's question, how long Bern-
hardi was likely to stay in England,* he replied that
it would depend on circumstances. Unless Prince

* At Duneker'a snggestion, Bernhardi had placed himgelf at
the disposal of PrinoeFrederiok, and had been commissioned by
him to go to London and as far as possible represent the Prince's
interests there.

175

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

Frederick decided to start for Holstein in a few days,
he, Bernhardi, would not go at all ; and in any case
he would return if Prussia were engaged in a serious
war, and join the army. For, although he was ad-
vanced in years, he would still do his duty. This
pleased the Crown Prince.

It may be mentioned here that in an audience
granted to Bernhardi by the Queen of England, on
June 3, 1864, Her Majesty touched upon the situation
in Prussia, and the difficult and unpleasant position of
the Crown Prince. She remarked that he naturally
wished to hold aloof from the Grovernment imder the
circiunstances created by the present system. His
real wish was to obtain a military command in the
provinces, which would enable him to live at some
distance from the capital ; the post of Commander-in-
Chief in Breslau would best meet his wishes.

Bernhardi repUed that the position of the Crown
Prince was certainly a very difficult one, and that
there was much to be said in &;Vour of his wish for a
command in the provinces. At the same time there
were many objections to such a coimse ; the fact of his
absenting himself for a time from the centre of affairs,
and thus renouncing all his influence, might possibly
tend to aggravate the general situation. The most
intelligent Liberals, personal friends of the Crown
Prince, were already lamenting that Queen Augusta,
as well as the Prince himself, had been so long away
from Berlin, as there was now no one from whom the
King might have heard any views differing from those
of the E;eactionary party.

After the troops of the Federal execution had com-
pelled the Danish force to retire from Holstein, the

176

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

Hereditary Prince waa proclaimed as Duke Frederick
VIII. in every community of Holstein. These pro-
clamations were afterwards confirmed by the National
Assembly at Elmshom on December 27. Prince
Frederick now left Grotha, his residence hitherto, and
settled at Kiel, against the wish of King William,
for the purpose of assuming his ducal functions on
December 30. While there he more than once re-
quested the advice and mediation of the Crown Prince.

It must be borne in mind that King William at first
did not share Bismarck's disapproval of the candida-
ture of the Prince of Augustenburg, and it required
all the strong influence of the Minister-President to
win the King over to his views about the Elbe Duchies.

The Augustenburg party, well knowing that their
endeavours to enlist the sympathies of Herr von
Bismarck would never be crowned with success, at-
tempted to approach the King by the mediation of
the Crown Prince, whose heart still warmed towards
the Hereditary Prince. Their object was to obtain a
promise to support the Prince from the monarch, and
thus create a stimibling-block in the way of Bismarck's
plans.

The following letter from the King to Bismarck, on
January 16, 1864, refers to this matter :

' My son came to me again this evening to present
the request of the Hereditary Prince of Augustenburg
that I would receive a letter from him by the hands of
Herr Samwer, and for this purpose asked me to attend
his soiree, where I could meet S. quite unobserved in
a private apartment. I declined to do so before
having read the Prince's letter, and commiasioned my

177 N

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863.

son to send it to me. He did so, and I herewith
enclose the letter. It contains nothing objectionable
except at the close, where he asks me whether I cannot
give S. any hope. Perhaps you could draw up an
answer by to-morrow for me to give to Samwer. If I
were willing to see him incognito at my son's, I could
only give him the hope indicated in the stipulation,
i.e., that after victory we would see what new bases
were to be established for the future, and to await
the decision of Frankfort-on-the-Main regarding the
succession.

On January 1 8 the King wrote again to Bismarck :

* I have to inform you that after all I decided to
see Samwer at my son's for about six or ten minutes
in his presence. I spoke to him in the spirit of the
answer which you prepared, but even more cooUy, and
very seriously. I laid especial stress on the point that
the Prince was on no accomit to enter Schleswig.

The King's answer of January 18, 1864, reproached
Prince Frederick with imprudence, and regretted that
he was not surrounded by Conservative advisers, and
that he had rendered it difficult for the King to defend
the rights of the Duchies in a manner consonant with
the wishes of the Hereditary Prince; it was, more-
over, impossible for the King to enter into relations
with Samwer, and entrust him with the reply, since
he, as the Prince's Minister, had written to the

Prussian Cabinet in a style as if the Prince were

178

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

already recognised as the Sovereign of Schleswig-
Holstein. Only at the dose did the old kindly feeling
of the monajTch display itself.

In order not to render the situation more serious*
this letter remained unanswered. Only one point —
the * Conservative advisers ' — required explanation,
and this was requested from the Crown Prince. On
February 29 Samwer was informed by his friend
Stockmar that the Crown Prince had replied with an
energy and decision that had rejoiced his heart. The
Crown Prince wrote that it was inconceivable that
Samwer should have injured his cause with the King ;
that the Duke need not imagine that he could please
Bismarck, for if there were not this to find fault with,
the Minister would find something else. In the
opinion of the Crown Prince, Samwer was the Duke's
good genius, and if he separated from him it would do
him untold injury in public opinion.

The Schleswig-Holstein question now entered on a
new phase owing to the declaration by which Austria
and Prussia separated from the majority of the Diet.
Both Powers had demanded that the Diet should
require the King of Denmark to annul the new Con-
stitution of the Duchy of Schleswig, and should also
declare that, in the event of a refusal, the Confedera-
tion would occupy the Duchy, and hold it as a pledge
for the fulfilment of its demands. On January 14
the Diet rejected this motion by 11 votes to 5, where-
upon Austria and Prussia announced that they would
jointly manage the affairs of Schleswig-Holstein, and
accordingly issued an ultimatum four days later to
Denmark demanding the annulment of the November

Constitution within forty-eight hours. Immediately

179 N 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863.

after the reftisal of the Danish Cabinet the allied
troops set out for Schleswig under Field- Marshal von
Wrangel, and opened the campaign by crossing the
Eider on February 1.

Von Wrangel, at that time the only Field-Marshal
in the Prussian service, had been selected for the
command, in spite of the doubts of his capacity
awakened by his advanced age, as it was essential
to have an officer of the highest rank owing to the
presence of the Austrian troops, commanded by Field-
Marshal -Lieutenant von Gablenz. Whilst Prince
Frederick Charles was appointed to the command of
the Prussian contingent, the Crown Prince was
attached to the Field-Marshal's staff, with the tacitly
understood task of preventing any disastrous decisions
on the part of the aged leader. The Crown Prince
was accompanied by Major von Schweinitz and Captain
von Lucadou as his aides-de-camp, and Prince Charles*
of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen as his orderly officer.

Subsequent events showed the importance of the
Crown Prince's presence at headquarters. In the
course of the campaign his views gained an ever-
increasing influence on the momentous decisions that
had to be taken. In the often serious disputes caused
by rivalries among commanders as well as troops, the
Crown Prince maintained order by his conciliatory,
tactful, and unflinching attitude. Some even went so
far as to assert that the Crown Prince alone showed
any idea of strategical combinations on a large scale.
Moltke had not been his instructor for nothing ; and
Heinrich von Treitschke declares that in this campaign
the Crown Prince rendered his first important service

* The present Eling of Boamania.

180

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

to the State, for by his energetic initiative bolder
tactics became the order of the day.

By his kind and thoughtful behaviour towards the
troops the Crown Prince soon won their whole-hearted
affection ; they cheered him enthusiastically wherever
he appeared. Like a true soldier, he shared with them
all the hardships of a winter campaign. The higher
officers were also much impressed by the clearness and
firmness of his judgment, as well as by his circum-
spection in difficult situations.

How extremely difficult official intercourse had
become between the Chief of the General Staff and
the Commander-in-Chief, Field-Marshal von Wrangel,
is shown by a letter from General Vogel von Falcken-
stein to the Minister for War, Von Boon, written
from headquarters at Damendorf, February 5 :

'It passes all human understanding to grasp the
difficulties which I have had to contend with in
order to prevent disgrace being brought upon our
undertaking.

' Thank God 1 I meet with universal support for our
military operations, especially from H.R.H. the Crown
Prince, Prince Frederick Charles, and General von
Gablenz, and I hope to overcome Scylla without
falling into Charybdis.'

When years afterwards the official account of the

Danish War by the General Staff exposed the futility

of WrangeVs strategy in 1864, Professor Hans Del-

brtlck wrote an essay on this subject in the Prussian

Jdhrhiicher. The Crown Prince, after reading this

essay, told Delbriick that he was glad to see the

matter openly discussed at last. The Prince then

related several incidents of the war, and among other

181

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

things he described the relations of the CJommander-
in-Chief with the Chief of the Staff. Although
Wrangel had himself appointed Greneral Vogel von
Falckenstein to his staff, he had differences with him
before long. When in the morning Falckenstein sub-
mitted a plan to him, Wrangel would say : * No, my
dear fellow ; we will not do it so, but in this way.'
After a time Falckenstein would return, having re-
written the orders according to the altered instruc-
tions. * No, my dear fellow ; you did not understand
me. What I want is ' and then came Falcken-
stein s own proposal, which the old man had rejected
in the morning. At last Falckenstein and his two
colleagues, Podbielski and Stiehle, appealed to the
Crown Prince. When in the morning the Field-
Marshal had given an absolutely crazy order, the
Crown Prince had to go to him in the afternoon, when
the old man was more good-humoured and easy-going,
and coax an alteration out of him.

Two days after the arrival of the Crown Prince at
headquarters he received a deputation of burghers at
Rendsburg on February 2, who gave him a hearty
welcome, as the fact of his taking part in the war
encouraged hopes of the fulfilment of all their wishes
for an undivided Schleswig-Holstein under Duke
Frederick VIII. The Crown Prince replied as follows :

'Although I cannot as yet give the Prince you

mention that title — I am here simply as a soldier, and

beg you to consider me as such, and also as your

countryman — I join your prayers that Providence will

promote your welfare. You know that my relations

with my cousin have long been of the most friendly

character. I shall inform my royal father that you

182

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

have welcomed me so kindly. You can rely upon it
that his heart is also in the matter.'

At Flensburg, on February 10, the Crown Prince
received a deputation of citizens, who begged him to
use his influence in order that 'we Schleswig-
Holsteiners may soon be subject to our lawfiil ruler,
our beloved Duke Frederick VIII. . . . and that our
town may soon be cleared of all Eider-Danish officials,
who are our worst enemies.* The Crown Prince, in
reply, made reference to the answer which he had
given to the Bendsburg deputation, that he Sjrm-
pathized warmly with the wishes of the country and
the Hereditary Prince of Augustenburg, but that he
was here only as a soldier. He thanked them for
their gratitude to the Prussian Army, and would
inform his royal father of their feelings.

What straits the Crown Prince was often driven to
in order to counteract the unfortunate orders of Field-
Marshal von Wrangel is illustrated by the following
incident related by him to Professor Delbriick :

* On approaching the frontier of Jutland, an order,
ba^ed on diplomatic reasons, not to cross the frontier
was received from Berlin. Wrangel was much annoyed,
and, resolving to disregard this order, sent for General
Flies to give him private instructions without a staff
officer being present. Falckenstein and the others,
guessing his intentions, at once went to the Crown
Prince and asked for his assistance. The Crown
Prince thereupon went towards Wrangels quarters
and stationed himself at a cross-road which Flies had
to pass on his way back, but which Wrangel could
not see from his windows. Here the Crown Prince

waited for Flies, and asked him what orders he had

183

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

&om the Field-Marshal Flies was a man of the old
martinet type, and declined to answer. * Then I will
tell you/ said the Crown Prince : * he ordered you to
cross the frontier of Jutland to-morrow.' Somewhat
alarmed, Flies admitted the fact. 'Well, if Your
Boyal Highness knows it already, there is no neces-
sity for me to conceal it.* *0f course I know it/
continued the Crown Prince, ' and I order you not to
do so.* Flies replied with decision : ' I am not in a
position to take such an order.* The Crown Prince
rejoined : ' I give you the order in the King s name,
and take the responsibility of it upon myself' Flies
thereupon considered himself justified in promising to
obey.

The advanced guard of the Guards Division, how-
ever, entered Kolding a few days later, on February 13,
1864, before receiving the order not to cross the fix)ntier
of Jutland. A victorious engagement of the Hussars
of the Guard with the Danish cavalry took place north
of Kolding, but next morning the Commander-in-Chief
suddenly resolved to evacuate Kolding. Here, how-
ever, the influence of the Crown Prince prevailed, this
being all the more natural, as the Field-Marshal, who
had preserved great bodUy activity notwithstanding hia
advanced age, did not always pay sufficient regard to
the often complicated considerations of strategy. An
order to evacuate Kolding, which was drawn up. at
8.30 a.m. and signed by the Field-Marshal, was not
issued, as the Crown Prince represented that the
withdrawal of the troops was unjustifiable from a
military point of view, and that in any case the
King's orders must be await-ed. Thus the advanced

guard continued to hold Kolding.

184

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

The Crown Prince witnessed the reconnaissance in
force in front of Diippel (near Niibel) on February 22,
1864, from a hill north of SchmoL During the action
he was constantly exposed to the fire of the heavy
artillery fr^m the entrenchments.

After the Crown Prince's departure for headquarters,
Bismarck found the King's resistance to his views
greatly diminished, though he had not as yet entirely
succeeded in overcoming the King s sympathies with
the Prince of Augustenburg.

In conducting his candidature, the Hereditary Prince
had kept the object in view of gaining the support of
Prussia. Naturally, Prussia was to receive certain
desirable advantages in exchange for her assistance.
In this matter he availed himself of the Crown Prince's
mediation, and mentioned the concessions he was pre-
pared to ofier in return for Prussia's championship.

On February 24 the Crown Prince wrote to Prince
Frederick from Hadersleben, thanking him for his
letter and expressing his hope of a favourable issue.
He said that every endeavour was being made to
avoid the establishment of official communication with
him qvA Duke, and that caution was therefore neces-
sary, though there could be no objection to a simple
communication between friends.

Two days later he forwarded the Prince's letter to
the King, with his own remarks (February 26) on the
concessions* he considered desirable. He indicated

"^ At the oonclusion of peace with Denmark, on October 30,
1864, conditions were formulated under which the Berlin Cabinet
agreed to the formation of a new State of Schleswig-Holstein as
not endangering the interests of Prussia and Germany. They

185

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

the following demands on the part of PrufiBia as being
justified by circumstances: Bendsburg to become a
Federal fortress; Kiel a Prussian naval station; the
entry of Schleswig-Holstein in the ZoUverein; the
construction of a canal between the North Sea and
the Baltic; finally, a military and naval convention
with Prussia ; and he entertained the hope that the
Hereditary Prince would willingly accede to these
terms.

The King acknowledged the receipt of the letter on
February 28, and wrote : * I am fully sensible of his
(the Hereditary Prmce's) wish to meet us halfway,
but this course would necessitate his recognition by
us. Although I have still every sympathy for him
and his cause, the opponents of this recognition
increase in number with every step that brings us
nearer to the end of the war.'

After the battle at DUppel, on February 22, the
King bestowed the Fourth Class of the Red Eagle
upon the Crown Prince. In a letter to Duncker, the
Crown Prince modestly expressed himself deeply
touched by the paternal mark of fisivour, while at the
same time he was ashamed * to be decorated after so
little experience and active service, while as yet no
ofl&cer has received any mark of distinction, although
deserved by many.'

On March 8 the Crown Prince was present at the
engagement before Fredericia (near Hejse Cro), and
again was under fire by the side of the Conunander-
in-Chie£ About this time a modification of the chief

were oommunioated to Vienna on February 22, 1866, and coinoided
with those recommended by the Grown Prince.

186

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

command took place, which was generally recognised
to be necessary. In virtue of this new arrangement,
special powers were entrusted by the King to the
Crown Prince, so that the leadership was practically
placed in his hands. Hitherto his activity under very
difficult conditions had been restricted to the exercise
of his personal influence, but Wrangel now received
instructions not to issue any military order without
having first consulted the Crown Prince.

Some expressions in a letter firom Greneral von
Goeben are worthy of note, since they show the active
part taken in this war by the Crown Prince :

' Du-ectly after dinner the Crown Prince came in.
I must tell you that he is doing wonders here, to the
surprise and delight of all persons of discernment.
He is extremely discreet and intelligent, and has the
happiest influence upon old Wrangel, who is really
very aged. He remained with me for a quarter of an
hour, discussing the situation; as he was going to
Ballegard, I offered to ride with him, which he
accepted with thanks. In this way ... I talked
everything over with him . . . ; the Prince is un-
usually dear and circumspect in his views. He
accompanied me back again, and was really remark-
ably pleasant and friendly.'

On the day before the storming of the entrench-
ments at DUppel, the Crown Prince addressed the
following reply to two political letters from Herr von
Bismarck. The cordial tone of this document shows
that a distinct improvement had taken place in their
relations since the preceding year. But it is also
interesting in another respect, as it shows that the
Crown Prince then regarded the ftiture events of 1866

187

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

as absolutely impossible, while Bismarck's mind was
already filled with mighty projects.

' Hbadquabtbbb at Flenbbubg,
' April 17, 1864.

' Many thanks for your two letters of April 1 1 and
12. The communication of the 11th is very in-
teresting ; but I am unable to grasp the aim of your
policy sufl&ciently to enable me to support any single
measure with conviction from my own standpoint. I
am not of opinion that it is too early to come forward
with a definite programme, and I fear that we shaU
gain nothing by postponing the solution of the
question ; on the contrary, we shall increase European
complications by so doing. However this may be, we
ought at least to have a positive programme for our-
sdveSy the realization of which would depend on
circumstances. Instead of this, I only find in your
communication the proposal '' to act according to
circumstances," imless I am to conclude from a few
scattered indications that you have certain secret
intentions, such as are attributed to you, and which
certainly appear to coincide with many of your earlier
utterances, especially at the last Council of State
I attended before joining the army. In reference to
all such arriere-pensdes as to the aggrandizement of
Prussia, I will give my opinion in a few words : the
pursuit of your scheme will throw out the whole of
our German policy, and will probably lead to our
downfall in Europe. It would not be the first time
that Prussia had attempted to outwit the world, with
the result of finding herself in the end between two

stools/

188

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

On April 18 the entrenchments of Duppel were
stormed. The -Crown Prince and Field-Marshal von
Wrangel witnessed the first part of the attack from
the hill near the Grammelmark battery, and the &rther
course of it from the Spitzberg and^terwards further
to the front on the Sonderburg'^ highroad. Two
officers from headquarters were told ofi* to each of the
six storming columns, in order to report at once on the
progress and success of the attack to the Crown Prince
and the Field-Marshal. It was due to the Crown
Prince, who obtained the order in question from the
King, that the attack did not commence from the
second parallel — as Prince Frederick Charles desired
— but that they advanced nearer to the enemy.

When the news of the victory was brought to Prince
Frederick Charles, he bared his head, his example
being followed by the Crown Prince, Prince Albrecht,
his son Prince Albrecht, Prince Charles, and all the
Generals and aides-de-camp : Prince Frederick Charles
in deep emotion exclaimed : ' I thank God and our
brave army for this glorious victory.'

Overcome with joy, the Crown Prince warmly
embraced his cousin. The solemnity of this striking
scene was heightened by the groaning of the wounded,
who lay in and before the entrenchments. The Crown
Prince spoke words of praise and thanks to the
victorious troops. To the men of the 35th Regiment
he called out : ' You are real heroes 1 How glad your
King will be to hear of your brave deeds 1*

On April 21 the Kin g^ arrived at the seat of war ;
he was received by the CrOwn. Prince at Flensburg.
On the afternoon of the same da ^he_r eviewed the

storming columns beyond Gravenstein on the so-called

189

"^ ^^rc^C rf^c r

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

Buffelkoppel (Buffalo's Hill), on which occasion by
royal command the men marched past in the weather-
stained uniforms they had worn at the capture of the
Diippel redoubts. On the following day the King
ordered that the Crown Prince's regiment should
henceforth be called after its chief, and bear the name
1st East Prussian Grenadier Regiment * Crown Prince.'
The Prince's pleasure at this distinction was expressed
in the following lines, written from Flensburg to the
commander of his regiment :

* His Majesty the King has graciously bestowed the
name of " Crown Prince " upon my beloved regiment.
Nothing could honour me more nor give me greater
delight after the glorious events of the campaign and
of April 18 ; mention this to all my regimental com-
rades, of whom I have thought so often during these
achievements.*

The Emperor of Austria bestowed the Knights'
Cross of the Order of Maria Theresa on the Crown
Prince, in order to mark his recognition of the im-
portance of the victory.

After the capture of the Diippel entrenchments, the
Crown Prince wrote to Max Duncker :

* I shall never forget my experiences and indescrib-
able, sharply contrasting feelings at Diippel on
April 18. I thanked God that after fifty years
Prussia was still in 1864 the same nation in arms that
she was at the time of the great War of Liberation, and
that the army had done its duty, and fully justified
the confidence placed in it.'

The Crown Prince would have been glad if an

armistice had been concluded, which might have

enabled him to leave the army and return home.

190

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

* As you know what a happy home awaits me/ he
wrote to Dimcker, * you will understand that my pro-
longed absence £sdls heavy on me/

Although the military successes achieved by the
allied troops filled the Prince with proud satisfaction,
the terrible sights on the field of battle and in the
hospitals deeply moved his humane feelings. Obeying
the noble dictates of his heart, he sought to take a
leading part in healing the wounds of sorrow and
distress caused by the war. His profound sympathy
with every form of the miseries of life found a fitting
expression in the foundation of a fond to aid the
disabled and support the families of those who had
fallen fighting for their country.

On May 18 the command of the army was trans-
ferred fix)m Wrangel to Prince Frederick Charles, and
by this change the Crown Prince's mission came to an
end.

A few days previously the Crown Prince had left
the seat of war, in consequence of the armistice, to
meet his consort in Hamburg ; after a separation of
more than three months, she had hastened to join
him, hoping to return with him by Liibeck to Berlin
and Potsdam. The Crown Princess had originally
had the intention of going as far as Schleswig, to
visit the Prince in the midst of the victorious army
and to manifest her sympathy with the wounded in
the hospitals. But, yielding to urgent advice, she
eventually gave up this plan and restricted herself to
the visit to Hamburg.

On his journey to Hamburg the Crown Prince was

received everywhere with great festivities. In

Rendsburg especially the heartiest enthusiasm was

191

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

manifested for the Heir Apparent of Prussia. Some
young ladies presented him with a laurel wreath, as
well as several bouquets for his consort, which the
Prince received in his winning way with the remark :
* Why, I am bringing a whole springtide of flowers to
my wife !'

On May 14 a meeting in Hamburg between the
Crown Prince and the Hereditary Prince Frederick
gave rise to the most far-fetched conjectures and
political auguries. How little ground there was for
serious concern may be seen from a letter from Samwer
to Duke Ernest of Coburg, dated May 19, 1864, in
which he says among other things : * There is nothing
of significance to report to your Highness concerning
the interview of the Duke (Prince Frederick) with the
Crown Prince and Princess. The only thing is that
the Crown Prince takes a graver view of the annexa-
tion schemes than is generally taken. ... I did not
accompany the Duke, in order to prevent any political
significance being attached to the interview. The
King did not give his consent to the meeting, but
only expressly forbade the Crown Prince to see the
Prince in Holstein.'

The Crown Prince and Princess went from Hamburg
to Liibeck, and left there on the I7th, the Princess
going to the summer residence at Potsdam, and the
Prince travelling straight to Berlin to greet his royal
father.

The King requited the Crown Prince's services in

the campaign by bestowing upon him the Third Class

of the Order of the Red Eagle, afterwards the Grand

Cross of the same Order, and by appointing him on

May 18 to the command of the 2nd Army Corps.

192

i864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

The part taken by the Crown Prince in this campaign
has been the subject of the following critical appre-
ciation by Field -Marshal Count von Blumenthal,
who was Chief of the Princes Staff in 1866 and
1870-71 :

* On the occasion of a General Staff ride in 1854 in
the Nieder-Lausitz under the direction of General von
Reyher, in which I took part, I not only recognised
the rare qualities of heart and universal kindly feeling
that animated His Boyal Highness, but I also foimd
repeated opportunities of convincing myself that he
possessed a simple, clear and natural judgment on
warfSsire, notwithstanding a still imperfect military
education. He was fond of discussing strategical
situations, and also allowed himself to be convinced
and instructed by sound argument, without obstinately
holding fast to a preconceived view or opinion. This
particular characteristic may have induced superficial
judges at that time to regard him as vacillating and
undecided, and lacking the true military instinct in
spite of his strikingly fine martial appearance. I by
no means shared this opinion, for even then I saw
indications that he, indeed, possessed qualities which
would prove him pre-eminently fitted for military
command as well as for his exalted destiny as a
ruler.

' The campaign of 1864 against Denmark repeatedly

confirmed this opinion of mine. The military and

diplomatic position of His Royal Highness in regard

to Field-Marshal Count Wrangel was altogether a

suitable school for the future General. It gave him

an insight into the inner workings of the staff which

so seldom come to the knowledge of a Commander-in-

193 o

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863-

Chief, and yet have such a powerftd effect on the

issue of affairs.

'The experience gained in this manner by Hifi

Koyal Highness had a most favourable influence

upon his subsequent career as a commander, and

enabled him to appreciate the work which devolved on

his stafl* in later important campaigns. It is impossible

for me to say what direct part His Eoyal Highness

took in the decisions of the Conmiander-in-Chief,

Field-Marshal Count Wrangel, since I, as Chief of the

Staff of Prince Frederick Charles, was always some

mUes away from the supreme command, and thus was

not in daily communication with the same. On the

other hand, I often had occasion to observe the

favourable influence of His Boyal Highness on the

decisive operations of the 1st Army Corps when

these were complicat'Od by orders, instructions, and

political news from Berlin, and often had to be

altered in spite of the opposing views of the General

in command. At these times the Crown Prince often

acted as mediator, and supported an energetic plan of

campaign without paying undue attention to political

considerations. This was especially the case in April,

1864, when an attempt at crossing from Ballegard to

the island of Alsen was prevented by stormy weather,

and when the siege and capture of the entrenchments

at Diippel became necessary. The Crown Prince was

at his post on both occasions, as well as in almost all

the more important engagements in Sunderwitt, and

I gathered from the opinions and remarks he uttered

that he was against all half-measures, and always

urged bringing about a decision without too nervous

a regard for the necessary sacrifices.

194

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

' The numerous conversations which I had with the
Crown Prince in Gravenstein were of great value to
me personaUy. and fiUed me with veneration and
gratitude. Through a series of unfortunate events,
which I am unable to touch upon more closely, my
position as Chief of the Staff to His Royal Highness
Prince Frederick Charles had become so difl&cult that,
unless I had found some support, I should have been
unable to remain in his service. In my trouble, I
therefore spoke openly on several occasions to the
Crown Prince, and begged for his advice and media-
tion. With winning kindness and simple clearness of
judgment, he always succeeded in tranquillizing me,
pointing out that I must place my duty first, and
suppress the feelings of agitation and vexation which
might act as a hindrance to it. In this way a media-
tion would not be necessary. These repeated inter-
views enabled me to become acquainted not only with
the Crown Princes strongly defined sense of duty,
but also with his simple, clear, and sound views on
military matters, and I gained the firm conviction
that he would some day do great things as a leader
in war. The subsequent campaigns in which His
Royal Highness played such a conspicuous and suc-
cessful part are a suflScient proof of the accuracy of
the opinion I conceived so forcibly at that time. If,
however, his excellent military qualities have not been
fully recognised by individual critics in spite of the
great results achieved, the fact is due to conditions,
found in every army, which not seldom expose the
greatest General to unmerited blame. A blackamoor
cannot be washed white, and a man cannot be con-
vinced against his will, or who shuts his eyes to facts

195 o 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863.

rather than alter or modify his own hasty and super-
ficial judgment.'

The Schleswig-Holstein question had now moved
back from the military into the diplomatic sphere.
On May 19 Bismarck sent for Privy Councillor
Duncker, and informed him that Prussia's policy was
now at an important turning-point. As the interests
of the Royal Family and the State were involved, and
the Crown Prince was so closely concerned in these,
he desired that His Boyal Highness should continue
to be fully acquainted with the situation. He would
therefore, in view of the important interests at stake,
not withhold the most secret details, as he had full
confidence in the Crown Prince s absolute secrecy.

* I have succeeded,' continued Bismarck, ' in doing
what seemed impossible to most people — that is, in
inducing Austria to repudiate the Treaty of London.
The independence of the Duchies, together with the
material guarantees we demanded for them at the
Conference, were at once rejected by the Danes. The
dynastic question thus rises into prominence. I have
nothing against the Augustenburg party. It is of no
great importance to Prussia to possess 200 to 300
more German square miles of land, together with half
a million subjects, if she can obtain the advantages
offered by the possession of this territory by other
means. The great point is with regard to the navy.
We also need the canal, which we have already
demanded in London. A mUitary Convention is
desirable, but not imperative. In addition to holding
such a position in the Duchies, we require guarantees
of Conservative government.*

It was now, he continued, for the Hereditary Prince

iy6

1864] THE WAR WITH DENMARK

to take the initiative. As the Crown Prince was on
fiiendly terms with the Augustenhurger, the idea
suggested itself that he might give him a hint that
those Conservative guarantees were an indispensable
condition of recognition. Duncker must undertake to
persuade the Crown Prince to communicate this to the
Hereditary Prince. In conclusion, Bismarck mentioned
the subject of annexation. He understood that the
views of the Crown Prince were decidedly against this
course.

* To speak openly to you, we can eflTect the annexa-
tion whenever we please. Austria would rather see
the Duchies in our hands than in those of the
Hereditary Prince Frederick. Bavaria and WUrttem-
berg are so much alarmed at the establishment of a
Democratic stronghold on the Elbe that they would
even prefer an augmentation of our territory. Herr von
Beust is also in agreement with this idea. France agrees
to annexation, in the hope of embroiling us thereby with
England and Austria ; she desires no ftirther engage-
ments on our part. In regard to England this hope
might be realized, unless the English reconcile them-
selves to the fait accompliy as I believe they will ; in
regard to Austria there is no chance of it. I am not
acting in the Danish question without an understand-
ing with Austria, and this is the bfuais of our security
against France. Russia is again endeavouring to
come to an agreement with France upon affairs in the
East. She, perhaps, has objections to the annexation,
but is not likely to take action against us.'

After this interview with Bismarck, the particulars

of which were faithfully reported by Duncker to the

Crown Prince, there followed several more interviews

197

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1863.

between the Prince's Councillor and the Minister-
President. In the course of these, Duncker was
commissioned by Bismarck to obtain through the
Crown Prince that the Prince Frederick should
come as if on his own initiative and make his pro-
posals in Berlin.

The Hereditary Prince accordingly arrived in Berlin
on the morning of June 1. After paying a visit to
the Crown Prince at Potsdam in the morning, and to
the King in the afternoon, he had an interview in the
evening, of three hours' duration, with Bismarck,
which, however, led to no result. The Hereditary
Prince declared himself unable to accept certain
important points of Bismarck's demands, while
Bismarck gave him to understand that he under-
stood his position, and also did not conceal from
him that no conditions, not even the risk of a Euro-
pean war, would induce Prussia to accept the r&le of
' one who had done his work and could be shunted.'

On June 25, the London Conference, opened on

April 25, was dissolved without any result. The

Danes insisted that the river Schlei should be the

new frontier of Schleswig, while Austria and Prussia

declared themselves for a line passing through

Apenrade and Tondem. England proposed to

submit the point to arbitration, but this suggestion

was only agreed to by the German Powers on the

condition of being free to accept or reject its decision.

France then proposed a plebiscite in the mixed district

of Schleswig, between Schlei and Apenrade. But

neither Denmark nor Austria and Prussia would agree

to this.

Hostilities thereupon recommenced between the

198

,i€64i' THE WAR WITH DENMARK

belligerent Powers ; on June 29 the island of Alsen
was taken, and after the German arms had gained
further successes in Jutland and also at sea, the
Danish Cabinet decided to sue for peace. On
July 26 peace negotiations were opened in Vienna,
between Austria and Prussia on the one part and
Denmark on the other ; on August 1 the preliminaries
of peace were agreed upon, and on October 30 the
treaty was signed by which the Duchies of Schleswig,
Holstein and Lauenburg became independent of Den-
mark

199

CHAPTER IX

THE HOME LIFE OP THE CROWN PKINCB

1864—1865

The military inspections undertaken by the Crown
Prince in June, as Commander-in-Chief of the 2nd
Army Corps, quartered in the garrisoned towns of
Pomerania, were interrupted by a short visit to Prince
and Princess Putbus in the island of Riigen. On
their return to Berlin they took up their residence at
the New Palace at Potsdam.

At this period Gustav zu Putlitz, the well-known
dramatic author, held the oflSce of Chamberlain to the
Crown Princess. Some of the incidents of these
happy weeks, illustrative of the domestic life of the
royal couple, are related in his diary-like letters to his
wife :

* Putbus,

' June 26, 1864.

* I arrived here yesterday after a two hours' journey.
I was shown into the drawing-room, which was empty,
but immediately the door opened, and the Crown
Princess came in with Princess Putbus. . . . The
Crown Princess wished to go for a drive, but it poured

2CX>

1864] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

with rain, and I spent a most charming hour in the

following way. As I was passing through the

drawing-room on the way to my room, I came upon

the Crown Princess with Countess Hedwig Briihl, the

former being engaged in searching for the text of a

song of Goethe's, which she partly knew from memory,

while Hedwig played the air. They could not find the

song in Goethe, and I did so for them. Then we had

a most interesting conversation about literature. The

Crown Princess is marvellously well read: she has

literaUy read everything, and knows everything

more or less by heart. She showed us a print,

which had just arrived, of a drawing she had

executed for the benefit of the Crown Prince's

Fund. It consists of four pictures as a souvenir of the

victory at Diippel — four soldiers, full-length figures,

representing four different branches of the services.

The first, before the attack (morning). The second,

waving the standard (noon). The third, wounded, is

listening to " Now thank we all our God " (afternoon).

The fourth, the victor, with helmet and laurel wreath,

stands mourning at an open grave (evening). The

last was finished, and was exceedingly powerAil and

natural, without any sentimentality. It is conceived

with real genius and most artistically executed. This

young Princess has more than average gifts, and,

besides, is more cultured than any woman I know of

her age. . . . And, then, she has such charming

manners, which put one perfectly at one's ease in spite

of royal etiquette.

*Now that the Crown Princess is not allowed to

ride, she is in the habit of driving out twice a day for

several hours, practising pistol-shooting, etc. In fact,

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864.

she possesses a mental and physical energy of which
Count Haseler relates wonders.

^ P.S. — No one knows how long we shall stay here.
The Crown Princess wishes to remain, although
Danish gunboats are cruising round the island.

* June 27 {after dinner).

^ This morning I had just closed your letter, when

at nine o'clock the Crown Princess sent for me in the

garden. A despatch from the Crown Prince gave her

permission to remain unless the naval captains think

it likely that the Danes may land. I telegraphed in

aU directions. Six Danish ships are in sight, but our

naval officers think there is very little danger.

Breakfast at ten, then a drive to the shooting-box.

The view from the tower gives a fine panorama of the

island. A Danish ship was in sight, and also our

gunboats cruising round the island. The Crown

Princess ascended the tower. I do not know what

she has not a passion for — music, art, literature, the

army, the navy, riding and hunting. On leavmg she

went down the mountain on foot, and I accompanied

her through the rain-swept wood. She took the last

number of the Grenzboten from her pocket, and gave

it me. It is astonishing that she not only r^ads, but

commits everything to memory, and she discusses

history like a historian, with excellent judgment and

decision. After dinner the Crown Princess sang

English and Spanish songs with a pleasant voice and

true musical expression.

' June 28 (early).

* Yesterday I had a very agreeable conversation

with the Crown Princess about Hebbel, whose poems

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1 865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

she knows very well. But the Danes are still the
chief subject, since a landing on Riigen may be
expected. But it seems to me that there is little to
fear, for, if it came to the worst, there would still be
time to escape by Stralsund.

* PUTBUS,

* June 29, 1864.

* Yesterday I had rather a tiring day. At nine
I attended the Crown Princess in the garden.
Telegrams come from all parts of the island, announc-
ing how many Danish ships are in sight and where.
Yesterday there were three or four. The Crown
Princess wished to see them. After breakfast we
went for a four hours' drive in a little hunting carriage
with four horses, the Crown Princess, Hedwig Brtihl,
Herr von Strantz and myself. We were in and out of
the carriage, and walked up a hill that gave us a view
of the sea and the Danish ships, which even I could
see with the naked eye, much more the sharp young
eyes of the Crown Princess. Then came the business
of the bouquet — I mean a bouquet of wild-flowers.
She wanted every kind of flower we could find, and
she knew the names of each variety in English,
German, and Latin. We picked a large quantity
during our walk. Every moment we stopped she
jumped out of the carriage and picked a flower which
her keen eye had discovered, and which was not in the
bouquet.

* P.S. — RUgen IS strongly garrisoned, and a landing

of the Danes is expected, so the night despatches

announce. The Crown Prince is at Stettin to-day.

We are going there immediately.'

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864-

' Stbttik, Jwm so.
* At the end of my letter of yesterday I told you of
our sudden move from Putbus. I had had the Crown
Princess's saloon carriage brought to Stralsund the
day before by way of precaution. The journey passed
off very well, without any stoppages. Our party in-
cluded the Crown Princess, Hedwig Briihl, Prince
Putbus, Lucadou, and myself, as far as Stralsund ;
then on here. It was a pleasant journey. The Crown
Princess talked quite openly and very pleasantly on
all kinds of subjects, such as personal incidents,
politics, art, and literature, all in a bright and clever
manner. At the same time she displayed unaffected
energy, setting about and arranging everything her-
self. We talked for five whole hours without
interruption, except at the stations, where there were
crowds of people, who threw flowers into the carriage,
and interrupted our conversation with endless cheers.
Here we were met by the Crown Prince. He was
very pleasant to all, myself included, and looks
exceedingly well At headquarters, where we got out,
everything was still in disorder. The Crown Princess
began putting things right at once— had furniture
moved and pictures hung — and in half an hour the old
place had gained a certain air of comfort under her
guiding hand. But the whole expedition was a failure,
for the Crown Prince cannot stay on. He leaves to-
day for Stralsund, and only comes back for flying
visits, so we are going to-day to Potsdam.'

*Thb New Palacb,

' June 31, 1864.

*We had a busy time at Stettin. The Crown

Prince left at eight o'clock, and the Crown Princess

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i865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

set about the arrangement of the rooms, as the head-
quarters are to be fitted up for the Crown Prince, who
will remain there for some months. Wall-papers were
chosen, furniture set in place, pictures hung, all these
things having been brought from the palace at Berlin.
Then we went through the whole house with the
architect, and the Princess gave her directions in a
prompt and practical manner. Then we drove out to
make purchases of frirniture, and the necessary articles
for the writing-table and washstand. Everything was
suitably and thoughtfrilly chosen.

' We then had a lively conversation about the Cotirt
at Schwerin. The Crown Princess speaks very highly
of the Grand-Duke and the young Grand-Duchess,
and also of the children, which pleased me very much.
Then we touched upon the English drama and
literature, and that was very interesting. I am kept
in continual amazement by her youthful and natural
bearing, so full of versatility, decision and good sense,
and I have to remember that I have only known her
for a few days. We were only half an hour in the
palace at Berlin, but the Crown Princess showed me
all over it, as I told her I had never gone farther than
the room containing the visitors' book.'

' Nbw Palacb,

* July 1, 1864.

' Yesterday evening we had tea at half-past seven.
Besides myself there were Hedwig Brllhl, Frftulein von
Dobeneck, and Herr von Normann.* After tea we

* Ernst von Stockmar, the private secretary to the Crown
Prinoe and Princess, had been obliged to resign his post through
iUness. His place was filled, at first temporarily, by Captain
Earl von Normann.

205

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864.

went into the Princess's room. The young mistress of
the palace was sitting at a spinning-wheel, in a very
simple black woollen dress, her hair bound with a
black ribbon ; she was spinning and singing snatches
of all manner of songs, accompanied by a rather absent-
minded-looking Lady-in-Waiting. At a little distance
a Chamberlain was reading poems by Geibel, or
prompting others by Heine and Goethe which were
recited by the royal lady at the wheel. There you
have a complete picture, and it is ciuious to think that
this is in the palace built by Frederick the Great in
ridicule of Austria and France, enlivened by the most
curious entertainments of his successor, decorated by
Frederick William III. in the stiff fashion of the day,
at the time of the festivities in honour of his imperial
daughter, thrown open by Frederick William IV. at
the representation of " Antigone " and " A Midsummer
Night's Dream " to an intellectual and artistic audience,
and now the pictui*e of informal modern culture. I
like the last best.'

' The royal children are very sweet and very well
brought up. One can see the influence of the straight-
forward nature of Sophie Dobeneck. The Crown
Princess is strict with the children, which is very
laudable in so young a mother, who from her position
has neither the time nor the obligation to take an
active part in their education.

* People will open their eyes at this gifted and

cultured nature, when once free rein is given to her

will.'

206

i865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

* July 8, 1864.

' The Crown Princess would like a book to be
written about the New Palace, and discussed the plan
with me at some length.

' This morning I was commissioned by the Crown
Princess to write to Geibel, and thank him for a poem
on Duppel, which he sent her. . . .

' In the afternoon the Crown Princess went to the
Peacocks* Island, accompanied by Hedwig Brlihl, Herr
von Normann and myself. There she had her little
one-horse chaise, and drove herself It was really a
delightftil afternoon, and I keep on wondering at the
originality of this gifted young Princess. At eight we
took tea in the little garden which the Crown Princess
has had made here close to the palace, and which is
very pretty and pleasant.

* After dinner the children came in : they are indeed
delightful. I gave the Princes rides on my head, and
they come running from quite a distance when they
catch sight of me. Prince William is a very bright
child — he looks healthy and fresh ; and Prince Henry
is charming.

* Tea in the little garden. Then I read aloud out of
" Schon EUerif' which the Crown Princess did not
know, and by which she was moved to tears. This
led to anecdotes and detaiib of the war in India, and
Hedwig Briihl was commissioned to write to England
for a picture of the Defence of Lucknow for Geibel.'

' July 6, 1864.

' At half-past five the Crown Princess drove to the

station to meet the Crown Prince. We were all

assembled, and he gave us a hearty greeting.

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864-

' Tea in the little garden at half-past seven. I was
most agreeably impressed by the Crown Prince this
evening. His manners are perfect ; he is friendly and
cheerful, and grave, simple and frank in serious
conversation. The whole company went for a walk
after tea, and we talked chiefly about historical
recollections of the New Palace, always with refer-
ence to the present. It was a real pleasure to me.
Here one feels perfectly secure from intrigue, and
only meets with frankness aiid clear intelligence. All
evil designs must necessarily fail in the end before
such qualities. About nine o'clock we were dismissed,
and the royal couple continued their walk alone.'

«/i%7, 1864.

'Yesterday was a particularly pleasant day, not
because of any special incident or anything of ex-
ceptional interest, but from the whole spirit animating
our little circle. The Crown Princess was full of
gaiety, and the Crown Prince really delightful as
regards manners, mood, and amiability. The two
natures complete each other perfectly, and the mutual
influence is unmistakably a happy one. The royal
couple had breakfasted alone, and I was on the point
of going into the town, afler sending off several
letters, when I met them down on the terrace, both
fiiU of almost childlike merriment. Then came the
royal children. Prince William was riding his little
pony, when his hat fell off and struck it between its
ears : the animal reared, and the Prince was thrown
off on his back. Both parents remained quite calm,
and apparently took no notice : the Prince mounted

again and went on riding. Their whole education

208

i865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

seems very sensible^ and this is proved by results^ for
the children are quite natural, obedient, bright and
well behaved. One of them came up after another.
This unceremonious company was very charming, and
I rejoiced at the really perfectly happy relations of
all. Prince William wore a very nice simple fix>ck of
gray linen the other day, and I asked FrUulein von
Dobeneck for the pattern of it. The Crown Princess
said yesterday : " Remember me to your wife, and
tell her, as you liked the frock, I am having one made
for your son, to remind you of William when you are
at hLe again." Was it Lt kind of her ?

'After tea we had glees. The Prince was very
cheerftd, talked about my writings most pleasantly,
and spoke of our own history and of modem politics
and persons with much knowledge and candour. The
Princess joined the conversation with intelligent and
often surprising observations. This was certainly the
best evening that I have spent here, and all the more
welcome to me as it displayed the Crown Prince in
such a favourable light, and at the same time revealed
the perfect harmony of this union, in which the
Crown Prince, notwithstanding the more brilliant
qualities of the Princess, still preserves his simple
and natural attitude and undeniable influence. Abso-
lute sincerity is the chief characteristic of his entire
nature. One can see many points in him which
remind one of the King.*

« July 8, 1864.

* . . . Yesterday we talked a great deal of Queen

Louise and Frederick William III. ; in what an ideal

light the former is always represented, and how the

209 p

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864-

King had become so popular, in spite of his roughnesSy
and although he made the nation famous more by the
force of circumstances than by his own deeds. I
suggested that it was the sight of a happy marriage
and family upon the throne for the first time, together
with the common misfortune of the King and the
people, that had afibrded a natural basis for his
popularity. In this household one may really lay
stress on this point, for the union is undoubtedly a
happy one.

'The New Palace will certainly be their favotirite
residence, and is going to be improved and re-
decorated.

* Afternoon.

* I told Hedwig Briihl, who asked me why I was so
serious, that the state of your health gives me anxiety.
The Crown Princess came at once, and made the
kindest inquiries. After dinner it seemed as though
she wished to be especially kind, for she called me
into her room, and gave me photographs of her apart-
ments here, the garden, her own portrait, and one
of the Prince and the royal children ; in short, it
was her kind wish to give me pleasure at a time
of sadness. The Crown Prince asked for a new
photograph of you ; he said that the one you had
sent was almost an insult to the recipient as well as
to you.'

' July 10, 1864.

* This is my last letter. I have been the guest of
a most highly gifted Princess and a most wonderful

woman, rich in mind, culture, energy, kindness and

210

1865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

benevolence. The acquaintance is most valuable to
me. The Crown Prince has completely won my
heart.*

A third son was born to the royal pair on Septem-
ber 15, 1864. The christening took place a month
later, on his father's birthday, when the child received
the names Franz Friedrich Sigismund.

About this time the celebrated English geologist,
Sir Charles Lyell, was received by the Crown Princess
during his stay in Berlin. It was he who first made
known to the public a detailed account of the Crown
Princess's scientific studies. The Princess showed
herself well acquainted with the latest products of
scientific investigation. She knew Lyell's ' Principles
of Geology ' and his work * The Antiquity of Man,'
written under the influence of Darwin. Lyell had an
animated conversation with the Crown Princess upon
Darwinism.

* She was very much au fatty' writes Lyell to
Darwin, ' with the " Origin " [Darwin's remarkable
work * On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection '] and Huxley's book [* Evidence as to Man's
Place in Nature '], with the " Antiquity " and with the
Lacustrine Museums which she lately saw in Switzer-
land. She said that, after twice reading you, she could
not see her way as to the origin of four things,
namely, the world, species, man, or the black and
white races. Did one of the latter come from the
other, or both from some common stock ? And she
asked what I was doing, and I explained that in re-
casting the "Principles" I had to give up the in-
dependent creation of each species. She said she

211 p a

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864-

fiilly understood my difl&culty, because after your book
the old opinions had received a blow fix)m which they
would never recover.**

In the latter part of June, 1865, Gustav zu Putlitz
and his wife were again the guests of the Crown Prince
at Potsdam. Frau zu Putlitz gives an account of her
visit in the following letters to her sister :f

< June 20, 1865.

* The Crown Princess received us, and expressed
her pleasure at our arrival in the kindest manner :
" FritzJ said at once that you would certainly come if
you could, but I was afraid that you might have other
plans." We accompanied the Crown Princess into her
little gardens, which, surrounded by beech hedges, lie
close to the palace, and are kept as neatly as little
jewel-boxes ; she laid them out and arranged them
herself. The strawberries, growing on beds of white
moss, look charming. She picked some enormous
specimens for us, and showed us a new flower which
the Crown Prince brought her from Hamburg, LUium
giganteunty a native of the Himalayas, a tall, fantastic-
looking stem, with fresh green leaves and bell-shaped
white lilies with a mauve calyx. She picked one of
these for me in the sweetest way. Meanwhile she
showed us all the little beds and plantations, which
she knows so much about that it is surprising. A
professional gardener could not go to work more
thoroughly. And all the time she is as gay, bright

'^^ ' Life, Letters and Journals of Sir Charles LyelL' London :
Mnrray.

t ' Gustav zn Patlitz,' vol. iL, p. 87 et zeq.
X The Crown Prince.

212

1865J THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

and smiling as a child. Yet a few moments afterwards
she is immersed in a deep and learned conversation,
expressing the soundest and most important opinions.
She said to Gustav :

* " I spoke the other day to the President of the
Ministry about the performance of your piece * For
the Crown.' The King told me that Hiilsen* must
submit it to the Minister for approval, and I told him
that with all his business he had no time for reading,
but that I had read it, and it was very good and
interesting ; he ought to have it performed."

* Then she talked about Prince William, and how
much she wished to have him educated later on with
other boys of his age away from home. She also
told us about her reading, and that only lately she
had read the conversations of Goethe and Eckermann,
and the correspondence with Frau von Stein. Her
criticisms were so sound and clever that Gustav was
delighted.'

< June 21.

' We dined at two o'clock, and then came the royal
children, who are simply charming — so bright and
lively ; Prince Sigismund is really a delightful child.
The Princess then took me into her room, and while
she painted one of the beautiful lilies which she gave
me, I had a long talk with her. I know no one who
has such a fascinating way of speaking ; it is a real
pleasure to listen to her and to experience the charm
of her peculiar personality. The Crown Princess is
always dressed very simply, but perfectly, and looks
wonderfully nice with her beautiful expressive eyes.

* Director of the Boyal Theatre, Berlin.

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864-

There is an indescribable charm about her whole
person/

' June 23.

'Yesterday the Princess sang me her favourite
songs most delightfully : Scottish ballads, English
hymns, and a very fine Christmas hymn composed
by Prince Albert. Her characteristic style and
delicate feeling showed me that she is thoroughly
musical. In the intervals she told me all about her
home, in a charming way complained of her frequent
separations from the Crown Prince, talked about her
songs and some very pretty albums which she let me
see. All relics and souvenirs of her father are pre-
served with touching love and devotion. She hardly
ever mentions him without tears ; his death affected
her very deeply.'

< Jtme 23.

* A letter came from the Crown Prince, the first
page of which the Crown Princess gave Gustav to
read ; the Crown Prince wrote how glad he was to hear
that we were with the Princess, and sent us messages.
The Crown Princess feels the Prince's absence very
much, and is often quite melancholy.*

< June 25.
'How often I wish you were here now, so that

you might enjoy all the treasures which the Crown
Princess shows me I Her books, collections of en-
gravings, albums and pictures, are all arranged with
such artistic feeling, and everything about the Crown

Princess is so simple and natural ; she never makes

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i865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

use of stock phrases, and that has an especial charm.
She is looking particularly well at this moment.'

< June 26.

' Yesterday after tea we spent a very pleasant
evening ; the Princess gave us a most interesting
account of the English drama, and quoted a great deal
from Shakespeare, whom she seems to know half by
heart. She declares that she speaks English with a
Grerman accent, but to me it sounds very soft and
sympaihique.

'In the morning Gustav read the Princess the
" Address to my People," which she did not know,
and which pleased her very much. She has a decided
opinion about everything brought to her notice. Then
she fulfilled an old promise by reading us some
extracts from Shakespeare, a family edition which her
father gave her. Gustav was quite delighted with
her delivery, her quick intelligence and sympathetic
expression.'

For change of air in the summer the Crown Prince
and family spent several weeks at the watering-place
of Wyck, on the island of Fohr. The following corre-
spondence refers to their visit :

* Anyone who did not know that the Crown Prince
and his &mily were staying here would scarcely guess
that such exalted personages are among our visitors,
they behave so simply and unassumingly. The royal
couple go on shopping expeditions in the little town.
The afternoons are generally employed in excursions
to the neighbouring villages of the island, and the
Princess frequently visits the neat, pretty houses,

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1864-

where she is evidently pleased, it is said, at the
universal Frisian cleanliness and neatness. The
steam yacht Grille^ riding at anchor in the roadstead
of Wyck, often carries the royal couple to the small
islands (Halligen) dose at hand. They lately under-
took a somewhat longer trip of two days to the coast
of Norway, where they landed for a mountain drive.'

From Wyck the Crown Prince paid a visit to the
large camp of exercise of the Schleswig garrison troops
on the Lockstedt Heath. After meeting his consort
at Flensburg, the Crown Prince accompanied her to
the heights of DUppel, to view the redoubts and earth-
works and the graves of the fallen. On the memorial
to the fallen Prussians the Crown Princess laid a
large wreath of wild-flowers, which she had herself
picked and arranged on her way through the fields
where the earthworks stood, and which she bad
adorned with a blue silk scarf she was wearing. From
DUppel the royal pair went to Satrup and NUbel,
visiting the graves of the &llen, and drove over the
spot where in the preceding year the Crown Prince
had received his baptism of fire.

In the ecclesiasticcJ questions of 1864 and 1865 the

Crown Prince took up a very decided position. In the

autumn of 1864 Duncker had won the thanks of the

Crown Prince by a memorandum on the subject of the

proceedings at the episcopal elections for Treves and

Cologne, setting forth the legitimate claims of the

State. The Crown Prince used all his influence to

prevent the rights of the State fix)m suffering by

the election of men of Ultramontane tendencies, who

were brought forward by means of a system of

proposal lists, introduced by Rome in spite of former

216

1865] THE HOME LIFE OF THE CROWN PRINCE

engagements on the subject. In opposing the list
system, he addressed the King, and even Bismarck,
representing the dangers of Jesuitism, and complaining
of the lukewarmness of Mtihler, the Minister for
Public Instruction, and of Bismarck's disinclination to
go thoroughly into the matter. Duncker was en-
trusted with negotiations with the Minister for Public
Instruction; information regarding the personages
proposed was exchanged between them, and Duncker
effected the cancelling of the candidature of von
Ketteler by means of a character-sketch. However,
the earnest efforts of the Crown Prince in this matter
did not lead to any encouraging results. Nevertheless,
the Prince did not hesitate to advise the abolition of
the Catholic section of the Public Instruction Office in
an autograph memorandum to the King in November,
1865.

The Crown Prince at this time also endeavoured to
strengthen the Grerman element in the formerly Polish
provinces, by means of the purchase of Polish estates
and the settling of Grerman farmera In this connec-
tion also Duncker was commissioned to correspond
with the Royal House Minister and with the President
of Posen.

In the late autumn of 1865 (from the end of October
till the beginning of December), the Crown Prince and
family paid another visit to the English Court.

ai7

CHAPTER X

THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

1865—1866

By the Peace of Vienna the government of the
Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein passed under the
joint control of Prussia and Austria, thereby creating
a political situation which was bound to lead to
a conflict, owing to the ancient rivalry of the two
great German Powers. The administration of the
Duchies was placed in the hands of Prussian and
Austrian Commissioners, and the Federal execution
troops were withdrawn from Holstein. In this way
the Diet was deprived of the power of taking active
measures for the investiture of the Hereditary Prince
of Augustenburg. Austria was convinced that it was
useless to demand a cession of territory, such as a
portion of Silesia, from her ally in return for her
consent to the annexation of the Duchies by Prussia,
and therefore urged that Prince Frederick should be
placed at the head of the Duchies, if only provision-
ally. Bismarck declined the Austrian proposal on the
ground that an act of this nature would forestall the

claims of other pretenders. He observed that Prussia

218

1865] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

could certainly not annex the Duchies without Austrian
consent, although this step would be in the highest
degree conducive to Prussian interests without being
opposed to those of Austria. Prussia s geographical
position bound her particularly to insure the Duchies
against any return to a state of anarchy. By this
declaration the Prussian statesman voluntarily dis-
closed the aim of his policy. His plan as yet found no
support in the public opinion of Grermany, which still
clung, as before, to the candidature of the Prince of
Augustenburg. The idea of annexation, however, had
naturally gained ground in the Prussian army, for
had not the occupation of the Duchies been achieved
with its blood ?

The Crown Prince, with laudable consistency, still
championed the hereditary rights of Prince Frederick.
The pursuit of a policy of conquest by such devious
paths as those of annexation was an enterprise which
his straightforward nature wa^ unable to approve.
Aspirations of this kind found no response in him.
He regarded the Prussian territory a^ ah-eady suf-
ficiently extended, and he was troubled to think that
the army should be in favour of annexation.

After the Crown lawyers had been called upon for
a legal opinion upon the hereditary rights of the
different claimants, the conditions upon which Prussia
was prepared to receive the Prince of Augustenburg
were communicated to the Cabinet of Vienna on
February 22, 1865. The demands went much farther
than those which the Hereditary Prince had en-
deavoured to arrange in June, 1864. He expressed
his objections to Prussia's military demands in a letter

dated March 29, suggested by the Crown Prince, to

219

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

whom it was addressed, though intended for the
King s perusal.

The Crown Prince highly approved of the letter,
and informed the Hereditary Prince on April 6 that
the King had expressed himself to the following
effect :

' On the whole the contents are good, but in regard
to the military question the same difficulties are being
raised as in other countries. Our intention is to unite
the future troops of the Duchies firmly with ourselves
(Prussia), in order that, should a precarious situation
arise, we may not be deprived of a direct influence
upon the troops by means of a Convention liable to
be overthrown at any moment. The Convention of
Coburg can be annulled at any time. It has been
proposed by Baden and another Federal State that
the Convention with the Duchies should be made for
forty years only ; but if the period is to be as long as
that, a complete union with Prussia would not be very
different. I shall have to consult with Bismarck as
regards answering the letter.'

The counter-proposals which Ahlefeldt was com-
missioned by the Hereditary Prince Frederick to offer
on the subject of the February conditions (April 5,
1865) met with an emphatic rejection by Bismarck.
He remarked that an unfavourable light had been
thrown upon the Princes cause by the fact that
Austria, Bavaria, Saxony, and Hesse - Darmstadt
had in the meantime brought the subject before
the Diet. Although the Prince might have had
nothing to do with this action, he was still the
cause of dispute, and the union of Germany was

endangered by him. Prussia would now not only put

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i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

forward her own claims, but also dispute the claims of
the Prince to Schleswig and considerable portions of
Holstein, and, fiirthermore, would lay stress upon the
formal renunciation of Duke Christian Augustus,
which he — Bismarck — had himself effected.

The joint administration of the Duchies by Prussia
and Austria entailed constant friction. The two
Powers assumed an increasingly hostile attitude in
Schleswig-Holstein, while the answers from Vienna to
Prussian complaints became more and more un-
satisfactory, imtil at last a separation was imminent.
On May 29, 1865, the King summoned a Council of
State, at which the Crown Prince and Moltke were
present. On this occasion Bismarck declared the
annexation of the Duchies to be desirable, and
remarked that it could only be achieved by means
of a war which was in any case unavoidable sooner
or later. * We cannot advise His Majesty to follow
this course ; the decision can only proceed from his
own royal conviction. Should he take such a deter-
mination, the entire Prussian nation would joyfully
follow him.'

The majority of the Ministers announced their con-
currence with Bismarck's representations. The Crown
Prince alone actively opposed them, declaring that war
with Austria would mutilate Germany and produce
foreign intervention, and protesting at the same time
that the Prince of Augustenburg was a true Prussian.
This statement was contradicted by Count Eulenburg,
while Bismarck replied that an Austrian war could
not be considered as a civil war, since Austria had
always desired a French alliance, and would accept
one at any moment if France was agreeable to it.

221

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865.

Before the King closed the meeting, he asked
Moltke : * What is the opinion of the army V

' My personal view,' replied Moltke, * is that annexa-
tion is the only satisfactory solution for Prussia and
Schleswig-Holstein. The gain is so great that it is
well worth a war. The army is also in favour of
annexation. I think that we shall probably be
successful, and we can bring superiority of numbers
to bear at the decisive point.'

The King reserved his decision.

It is clear that to the Crown Prince's mind the
Schleswig-Holstein affair had become chiefly a ques-
tion of the Hereditary Prince. He regarded the
recognition and investiture of Prince Frederick as the
best means of peaceably accommodating the political
differences between the two great Grerman Powers.
As a decision was imminent, Duncker renewed his
attempts to influence the Crown Prince s views. The
importance of the Prince's attitude, having regard to
his position in the army and the State, made it
imperative for Duncker not to neglect to lay the
question once more before him with all the arguments
at his command.

The Ci'own Prince started with the assumption that
at that time, but not afterwards, voluntary union was
the only means of forming a new German Federal
State. The conditions of union with Prussia entered
upon by the Elbe Duchies would be a model for the
whole future Federal State. Duncker's arguments
contested this view.

About this time King William first acknowledged to

his son that since the events at DUppel and Alsen he

was no longer so averse to the idea of annexation ; in

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i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

fisujt, his inclination to that course was now stronger
than before.

In a letter dated June 1, 1865, King William re-
proached Prince Frederick with having entered the
Duchies against his advice, surrounding hunself with a
regular Government, and making conLon cause with
the enemies of Prussia. It would be well for the
Prince to consider how far his present position was
consistent with his duty as a Prussian subject and a
Prussian officer. By virtue of the Peace of Vienna,
the monarchs of Prussia and Austria were the only
rightful Sovereigns of the Duchies. To set up another
Government without their consent was a criminal act
of rebellion. The moment would come when he, the
King, would be bound to employ his power and
authority in defence of his rights. In conclusion, the
King called upon the Prince to quit Schleswig-Holstein
during the convocation of the Estates.

On July 2 the Prexissische Staatsameiger published
Bismarck's account of his interview with the Here-
ditary Prince the day before. As the Crown Prince
had conveyed to the latter the invitation to Berlin,
and thus guaranteed discretion in the matter, especially
with regard to confidential utterances on the part of
the Hereditary Prince, this disclosure was at the same
time a blow aimed at the Crown Prince. Although
Prince Frederick considered Bismarck's account in-
accurate, he resolved to keep silence, in order not to
provoke further steps from the Prussian Government.
The Crown Prince approved of this attitude and wrote
on July 9 :

' Bismarck's publication of his conversation with

you was certainly designed to do you material injury.

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

This measure has, however, exactly the contrary effect,
as people approve of your appeal to the country, and
understand that a three hours' interview does not pass
without moments of excitement; the connection of
the whole affair is also important, and the one-sided
account from one party cannot be received as a state-
ment of what really took place. To me it appears
judicious on your part not to have immediately issued
your own account of the interview, as a weapon of
that kind may be of still more value in the fiiture.'

Unfortunately, there now appeared an increasing
tendency on the part of the Augustenburg party to
use the Crown Prince as a tool for their own ends.
One of their newspapers reported that a personage very
near the throne of Prussia had declared Bismarck's
account of his past conversation with the Hereditary
Prince to be incorrect, denouncing as a * pure inven-
tion ' the Prince's reported remark that he had not
appealed to the Prussians. This induced Max Duncker
to wrestle once more with the Crown Prince's prejudice
against Bismarck's course of action. The Crown Prince
himself gave him an opportunity of referring to this
publication of Bismarck's, and of disposing of the
assertion that the Minister had been guilty of mis-
representation of the facts. Duncker furthermore
pointed out the decline of public sympathy with the
Augustenburger, which was apparent even amongst
the Opposition in the Prussian Lower Chamber. He
explained to him how far Austria was fvom being in a
position to make an independent agreement with the
Prince of Augustenburg, seeing that she had but
lately failed in her domestic policy, had laid down her
arms in Italy, and waa in strained relations with

224

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

France. He was thankfiil to receive a promise &om
the Crown Prince that he would refrain from any
kind of demonstration on his journey from Wyck to
the island of Fohr.

In July, 1865 — the Prussian Crown lawyers had in
the meanwhile given their judgment against Prince
Frederick, whose candidature thus seemed at an end
as far as Prussia was concerned — the most disquieting
rumours of an imminent breach with Austria reached
Berlin from Karlsbad, where the King was staying
with Bismarck.

In this critical situation, Duncker wrote to the
Crown Prince on July 14 :

' The delicate and difficult position in which yoiu*
Boyal Highness is placed renders it imperative for me
to suppress nothing. An overwhelming majority in
Prussia not only desires the realization of the demands
of February 22, but also annexation. The army is
unanimous in this wish ; they want to have fought for
Prussia, not for Duke Frederick. In the last few
weeks I have repeatedly met with the opinion that
the resistance offered to the Prussian demands by the
population of Schleswig-Holstein arose from a report
spread from Kiel that your Royal Highness would
oppose and hinder not only the annexation, but also
any material restriction of the Duke's sovereignty.
At Kiel they rely not so much upon Austria as upon
your Royal Highness to stir up the country against
Prussia. Your Royal Highness has stronger duties
towards Prussia than towards Duke Frederick. It is
the fate of Princes to be obliged to serve the interests
of their State, and not to follow their personal inclina-
tions. It is the fate of Princes to be forbidden to be

225

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

magnanimous where the interests of their State are at
stake. The question is how to preserve the Government
from conceiving prejudices and impressions which may
last all the longer because the Schleswig-Holstein
question is not merely a question of the day and of
ephemeral feeling, but closely involves the interests of
Prussia's existence ; nay, it not only involves, but
determines, the future of Prussia and Germany.'

Duncker concluded by remarking that the Prince
had every right to * an attitude of complete reserve, for
your Royal Highness knows yourself to be free fix)m
any share in Bismarck's tortuous plans, and equally
free from any participation in the fatal resolutions of
the policy at Kiel.'

In two further reports of July 18 and 20, 1865,
Duncker reiterated the same aspect of the case, the
same requests and warnings, insinuating that the
Duke's renunciation of his rights in consideration of
an indemnity would be the most desirable solution, and
lastly hinting that even in the Royal Family the Crown
Prince's attitude towards the problem of the Duchies
might be employed in a certain quarter to injure him.

It is certain that friendship for the Hereditary
Prince Frederick was a motive for the position assumed
by the Crown Prince in the Schleswig-Holstein ques-
tion ; but it is equally certain that he was also moved
by greater, more essential, and more general considera-
tions. These motives originated in the decided political
conceptions and habits of thought in which the Crown
Prince had become more and more confirmed. A
man less liberally minded by nature would not have
allowed himself to be so persistently addressed and

lectured ; but the even temper of the Crown Prince

226

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

prevented his regarding mere difference of opinion as
affording grounds for displeasure or a rupture. He
prized Duncker*s frankness and the honesty of his
views, since he understood his standpoint, but — he too
had made his decision. Though he was obliged to
refrain from offering open opposition to Bismarck's
policy, he expressed his opinion to the King and
Bismarck in a letter addressed to Regensburg, where a
Cabinet Council* was held on the question of the war,
on July 21, 1865. His answer to Duncker clearly
shows the gist of his views. He reasoned as follows :
' If it was desired to settle the aff5i.irs of the Duchies
immediately after our victories, an agreement might
have been made with Duke Frederick, the vital
question for Prussia confidentially adjusted with him,
and his candidature then supported. But the plan
was to ruin him. So matters were allowed to drag on
until Austria, according to her old custom, interested
herself in an anti-Prussian enterprise, and tried to lay
pitfalls for us everywhere in a country under our joint
control. These are the fruits of an alliance with our
natural antagonist.

* Under the circumstances, apart from my well-
known reasons for the investiture of Duke Frederick,
I can only conceive the possibility of Austria's con-
senting to the annexation of the Elbe Duchies by
Prussia after a successful war between us and the
Imperial State. Compensation in the form of payment
of the expenses of the war by Prussia would be
an impossibility in view of the Emperor s disposition.
His counsellors would agree to this sooner than he

* On the King's journey to Gastein the Ministere met by
appointment at Begensborg.

227 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865.

himself. However, in this case, Prussia would be
purchasing the Duchies, and would not really acquire
an iota of right to their possession.

'You consider that I ought to influence Duke
Frederick to accept the conditions of February 22.

' But do you believe that he is so dependent upon
my advice ? Would he not, on the contrary, allow
himself to be deported out of the coimtry under military
arrest rather than yield, persuaded as he is of the
justice of hU olauns, .nd ™pported by the m^ty
of his adherents ? And how shall I now prevail on
him to consent to those conditions, afler Bismarck's
remark to me on June 18 that they were drawn up
so as to be impossible for Duke Frederick to accept
them?

* A conflict is desired, in order to adjust om* present
incurable internal dissensions. That is tolerably dear.
And even if Duke Frederick were to yield, and were
he to accept even more onerous conditions, we should
still manage matters so that new complications might
arise in order to obtain war.

' My position is, and remains, a passive one ; my
views are known to the King and Bismarck, and I
have expressed them yet again by letter. Nobody
knows better than I do that my opinions are of no
weight ; but I was bound at least to show that I did
not regard the projected conflict as unavoidable.

' Only remember that my arguments are not

prompted merely by my friendship with Duke

Frederick, but above all by my love for my country,

and by the conviction that the welfare and prosperity

of Prussia will not be advanced by continuing the

present course of action.'

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i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

Once more, though only temporarily, was the
danger of war between Austria and Prussia averted
by means of the Convention of Gastein (August 14,
1865). Without abandoning the joint right of posses-
sion of the two Duchies, enjoyed by both Powers,
an agreement was made by which the administration
of Schleswig was placed in the hands of Prussia, to
whom, moreover, important privileges were also
granted in Holstein. The administration of Holstein
itself fell to the hands of Austria, while Lauenburg
was ceded absolutely to Prussia for a money considera-
tion. This was a curious expedient, but also plainly
another step on the way towards annexation, and a
heavy blow to the Augustenburg agitation, which
Austria could no longer support in the present state of
affairs.

A noticeable feature was the secrecy with which
Bismarck carried out the plan submitted to him by
the Austrian Ambassador, Count Blome, at Munich.
In a special report dated Gastein, August 1, 1865,
Bismarck besought the King to keep the whole project
absolutely secret from the Crown Prince, because he
anticipated the storm that would be raised by the
Augustenburg party after the publication of the Con-
vention, since they would regard it as the beginning
of the final division, and would not doubt that the
territories coming under exclusively Prussian rule
would be lost to Augustenburg. The following
passage of Bismarck's report is highly characteristic :

*If, trusting to ties of relationship, a hint fi:om Coblenz

should reach Queen Victoria, the Crown Prince and

Princess, Weimar or Baden, the fact that we had not

kept the secret, as I promised Count Blome at his

229

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865.

request, would arouse the mistrust of the Emperor
Francis Joseph and bring failure upon the negotiation.
But behind this failure there inevitably lies a war
with Austria.' Thus, Bismarck went as far as to
threaten the King with war, in order to obtain bis
silence on the subject of the treaty, which, after all,
he only regarded as 'patching up the rents in the
building. '

The above special report is a remarkable proof
of the degree to which the Crown Prince was shut
out of the policy of the time. He first heard of
the Convention on meeting the Hereditary Prince
Frederick at Hamburg on his return journey from
Fohr, on the evening of August 17, 1865. *He was
stupefied at the news of the partition,' the Hereditary
Prince wrote to Samwer. It was no wonder that his
aversion to Bismarck's procedure increased still more,
when he learned with what care the threads of his
policy had been concealed from him. His mind was
filled with gloomy reflections. He foresaw the first
indications of a revolution that would assail the
monarchic principle of the existing system of govern-
ment, and Duncker had some difficulty in convincing
him, by a detailed account of the circumstances of the
administration, the exchequer, the army, and the
economical situation of the nation, that the State,
although diseased in a single spot, was otherwise
entirely sound. It was therefore not surprising that
a speech made by President Grabow at the opening of
the Landtag on January 15, 1866, gained the appro-
bation of the Crown Prince, as it drew the gloomiest
picture of the situation of Prussia, without a word of

acknowledgment of the success of the Cabinet in

230

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

foreign affairs. On the other hand, he was indignant
at the decision of the High Court of Justice, given
under questionable circumstances, against the right of
members of the Chamber to free speech. The Crown
Prince ascribed the judgment to the direct influence of
the Minister of Justice, exercised with the intention
of undermining the Constitution.

The sudden dismissal of the Lower Chamber on
February 23, 1866, became necessary by reason of the
absolute futility of their transactions in view of the
dangerously strained relations between Prussia and
Austria. The Crown Prince saw nothing but light-
headed rashness in Bismarck's measures, and thought
that his intention was to produce a great confusion,
perhaps even a European revolution, because he could
not maintain his footing otherwise. He desired war \
in order to rid himself of internal difficulties ; this was \
unprincipled trifling with the fate of Prussia. He -

would not scruple to make use of revolutionary ex- ^ ,

pedients in the case of intervention on the part of
France. The King also desired war, but not revolu-
tion ; however, the omnipotent Minister led the King
as he pleased. He, the Crown Prince, was not afraid
of a just war, a war of defence ; but now the ques-
tion was simply to gain possession of the Duchies at
any cost; to ruin the Hereditary Prince had been
Bismarck's idea from the first ; the February con-
ditions had only been offered in order to be rejected.
In the Crown Prince s opinion, there had been a way
by which war might have been avoided ; a secret
agreement might have been made with the Hereditary
Prince, and carried out after the withdrawal of th(rf

Austrians. The war with Austria would be a

231

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

firatricldal war. He was well aware that Prussia
had gained her position under Frederick the Great
through war with Austria, but the time had long
gone by for such a course of action. The chances of
the war seemed also unfavourable to him. His chief
anxiety was on the subject of the expected interven-
tion of France, who would prevent the Italians from
siding with Prussia, and he also dreaded the possibility
of having to cede territory to Austria.

In reply to all these objections, Duncker maintained
that Bismarck did not prosecute a policy of principle,
but of interest — of Prussian and German, and there-
fore also of HohenzoUern, interests ; that the moment
was incomparably favourable for war, as Austria was
in difficulties with Hungary, and in want of money,
which Louis Napoleon could not remedy, even if he
were to come to the assistance of the Austrians. The
war precluded the possibility of cession of territory,
and on the other hand could only be avoided by the
sacrifice of Prussia's power and prestige.

Duncker's arguments failed to convince the Crown
Prince ; he continued to oppose the idea of war, and
gave his vote against it in the Council held on
February 28, 1866.

The political horizon now grew dai'ker day by day,
and sharper notes continued to be exchanged between
Austria and Prussia on the subject of the Augusten-
burg agitation. Austria began to arm, and on March 16
announced her intention to the Grerman Grovemments
of submitting the decision with regard to Schleswig-
Holstein to the Diet, and of demanding the mobiliza-
tion of the Federal army against Prussia. There-
upon Bismarck, to the surprise of everyone, proposed

232

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

the convocation of a Gennan Parliament by universal
suffrage.

It is a striking fact that the Crown Prince paid no
heed to the change of ideas which many strongly
Liberal politicians experienced in judging the political
situation ; among these were the Prince of Hohen-
zoUem, the Chief Burgomaster Seydel, and Theodor
von Bemhardi. The latter had an audience with the
Crown Prince on March 3, which he thus describes in

his diary : T^Ir >> f^ nJt

* Our conversation, which lasted an hour and a half,
has left with me a very unsatisfactory and almost un-
comfortable impression.

* The Crown Prince began by inquiring what I could
tell him with regard to the feeling of the country.
I replied : " There is certainly great excitement in the
country, but as matters stand at present I do not
consider it alarming. There is no fear of revolutionary
agitations. It is neither possible nor desirable that
the present system of home government should con-
tinue for an indefinite period ; sooner or later a change
must be made — the longer it is postponed the more
difficult the change will be, and the more dangerous
may it become under certam conditions."

* The Crown Prince replied to this remark by the eager

rejoinder : " Ah, why do they push matters to a head !"

speaking as though Bismarck had brought about this

critical situation, and as if, driven to despair by the

Parliamentary conflict, he urged for annexation and

even breach with Austria, with the indistinct idea of

maintaining his position by playing a dangerous game

and increasing the general confusion.

' " I am far from approving of Bismarck's policy in

233

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

every respect," I replied, " nor can I defend it upon
every point ; but such looking backward is useless, as
we must confess even when we lament the fact ; it
does not help us now to say how much better every-
thing might have been arranged. Mankind has no
power over the past. In general life, and more
especially in politics, we always have to accept the
past as over and done with, and to deal with matters
as they are at the actual moment."

' The Crown Prince agreed to this, but continued in
the same strain, even asserting that Bismarck had
entered upon this course of policy merely through
dislike of the House of Augustenburg and the Liberal
party, which was disposed to support that House.
There is some truth in the statement that he was
unwilling to enter upon the matter because it was the
affair of the Liberal party, but it is equally true that
he was prepared to come to an arrangement with the
House of Augustenburg upon certain conditions. The
Crown Prince maintained exactly the contrary, de-
claring that the Hereditary Prince had always been
perfectly correct in his behaviour, and was always
ready to concede all reasonable advantages to Prussia.

* I thereupon related a whole series of negotiations
which clearly showed this not to have been the case.
The Crown Prince listened with much attention, as
these details were of great interest to him, especially
with reference to the policy of Bavaria, which he
believed capable of anything ; but he appeared not to
notice the real point of my remarks. In his opinion
the Augustenburg policy was not affected in the least
by what I had said. It was in vain that I added —

with all the precaution which Max Duncker had

234

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

impressed upon me to use — that the Hereditary
Prince had fallen into the common error of counting
too much upon the enthusiasm of the German nation,
and believing that no other support was needed. The
Crown Prince paid no attention. He insisted
repeatedly upon the "loyal Prussian heart" of the
Augustenburger, and asserted that he would have
agreed to anything that Prussia could demand ; '' but,
of course, if conditions are made with the intention
of forcing a refusal "—the Crown Prince broke off and
looked straight in front of him.

' (N.B. — That certainly happened, but only quite at
the last, when all hope was abandoned of coming to an
understanding with the Augustenburger.)

* The Crown Prince : " Bismarck has contrived to
get the King completely into his power ; how he has
managed this I do not know, but it is the fact ; the
King sees everything only with Bismarck's eyes.
And so we are making straight for annexation, and we
shall carry it out, for the King wishes it. Manteuffel
told me before he went away : * The annexation must
take place, for the army and the nation desire it.' "

* /: " Although Greneral Manteuffel says so, there is
some truth in it. The feeling in the provinces is
decidedly in favour of annexation."

* The Crown Prince : " Really ?"

* /: " Yes, your Royal Highness. What surprised
me most is that the Rhinelanders are urgent for
annexation. In general the feeling of the country is
so strong that it would be looked upon as a defeat of
Prussia, and would cause great discontent and vexa-
tion, if the annexation did not take place. If your

Royal Highness will allow me to speak quite openly —

235

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

as a loyal subject I owe you the whole truth — the feeling
of the country is so strong that, outside the little
circle that your Royal Highness can trust implicitly,
it must not be known that the Crown Prince of
Prussia is against annexation."

* The Crown Prince : ** Oh, that is a matter of
indifference to me 1 I have known that for a long
time. I have already heard some very unpleasant
remarks, but I shall take no notice of them, even were
any violent step to be taken against me."

' He continued to speak against the annexation,
implying that it would be the ruin of German aspira-
tions. ^' This matter ought to have been set up as a
standard for the relations between the separate States
and Prussia as the ruling Power ; the Middle States
are well aware that this will be an example of the way
in which they would all be mutilated." Here the
Prince made a gesture with his fingers as of a pair of
scissors cutting downwards. " And in order that this
may not take place, and to prevent such an example
being given, the Middle States wish Prussia to annex
the Elbe Duchies !" The Crown Prince then spoke of
the chances of the war, which I could not believe to be
unfavourable.

* /: "The Austrians are not in a very good position,
and Kussia will not interfere in the matter — at any
rate, not in favour of Austria. It is a point against
the latter that Italy will of course not remain quiet,
and France will be neutral : for Napoleon cannot
possibly fight for Austria against Italy, for the sake
of maintaining Austria in possession of Venice."

* The Crown Pnnce : " Well, yes ! So France will

remain neutral ! But after the first few engagements

236

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

Napoleon will offer his mediation ; it will be declined.
He will offer it again and again — at last peremptorily
— will perhaps dictate the terms of peace as he wishes
them to be, and will certainly say : * You shall have
the Duchies, but give me Belgium I' "

'I admitted that there was no doubt as to
Napoleon's desire for Belgium, and that possibly a
secret partition treaty had already been made with
Holland.

' The dinner-hour had now arrived, and the Crown
Prince's carriage was announced. He dismissed me
with the words that during the next week much that
was of importance would take place, and that he
would then like to have another conversation with
me.*

In the approaching conflict with the Austrian
Government, the Crown Prince nearly succeeded in
effecting a settlement. The following account is taken
from the diplomatic reminiscences of Lord Augustus
Loftus, the British Ambassador of the time :*

At a soiree given by Count von Bismarck (in the
middle of March, 1866), at which Their Majesties and
suite were present. Lord Augustus Loftus assured the
King of the willingness of the British Grovemment to
use their good oflBces on behalf of a peaceable arrange-
ment of the differences between Prussia and Austria.
The King was not averse to this proposal, and on the
following day asked the Crown Prince to submit the
matter to Queen Victoria, and ask Her Majesty to
undertake the mediation. The Crown Prince gladly
and readily assented. The project, however, fell

* 'The Diplomatic Beminisoences of Lord AnguBtus Loftus,
1862-1879,' vol L, p. 46. London.

237

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

through, by reason of the refiisal of Count Bismarck,
who, when interrogated by Lord Augustus Loftus on
the subject, merely replied that the Government of
Great Britain should address themselves to Vienna,
for Austria was the party who threatened to be the
disturber of the peace.

In a work by E. Tempeltey, entitled * Duke Ernest
of Coburg and the Year 1866/ published in 1898,
two letters are given, which King William and the
Crown Prince wrote to Duke Ernest by chance on
the same day (March 26, 1866). These letters are
striking examples of the antagonism between the
views of father and son with regard to the existing
political situation, and the duty it imposed upon
Prussia.

The King's letter to the Duke ran as follows :

' Many thanks for your kind wishes for the 22nd.
Certainly I cannot be sufficiently grateful to Heaven
for preserving my mental and bodily powers, and not
making me an object of public derision, now that I
have been permitted to attain this advanced age !
But how long I may still be so preserved is known to
Heaven alone.

' You are very right in observing that the new year
I have now entered upon is presenting itself under
somewhat gloomy auspices. Everything in my power
will be done to maintain peace, as long as is com-
patible with the honour of my country. But if
Austria does not cease to attack my honour in the
most insulting manner, not only in the Duchies, but
in all Europe, and even farther ... in order to render
Prussia everywhere detestable, then my patience is at
an end. Grastein was the result of the feeling that an

238

1 866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

end must be made of Halbhuber's* misrule, if we are
to exist peaceably side by side in the Duchies. But
scarcely had two months passed, when the misrule
broke out again in a higher and ever increasing
degree. My well-founded remonstrances in January
were rejected in the most insulting manner on Feb-
ruary 7. Since then the newspapers on both sides
employ terms of the greatest acrimony. For the last
fortnight Austria has been arming and concentrating
bodies of troops on the Silesian frontier, and yet until
now I have not moved a single man, which is suflBcient
proof that I am not the aggressive party. The future
union of the Duchies was again stipulated at Gastein.
But it is unfair and unjust to employ the intervening
time to rob me of all sympathy by means of insult and
invective. If Austria desires war, I shall not seek to
avoid it. All dangers connected with it I look upon
just as you do. Whoever is on my side will never
have anything to fear fix)m Prussia, in spite of the
fifty-year-old nightmare that Prussia's three Kings are
only aiming at annexing their German neighbours.
Even although a reform of the Confederation with
regard to North Germany appears necessary, this
cannot be termed annexation, and you have set the
example by taking the first step in the matter. Just
as at Badenf I stood at your head, united with you
all, so I still stand to-day, should Austria's rivalry
end in the friendly recognition of Prussia as an equal
Power. This I believed to have attained in 1864 after

* Baron Halbhuber was the former Anstrian Civil Gom-
missioner in the Duchiea

t At Baden-Baden, at the time of the meeting with the
Emperor Napoleon III. in June, 1860.

239

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865.

the conclusion of peace, but the eighteen months that
have since elapsed prove that it is not so. If this had
been the case you would all be at our back. Why
were you not in the same position when Prussia and
Austria stood together in 1864? The supposititious
rights of the Augustenburger caused many of you to
become our opponents. These rights can only possibly
apply to certain portions of land, not to the whole of
the Duchies ; the judgment of my Crown lawyers is
decisive in my eyes. On the same side are ranged
public opinion and the desire of my people, who regard
the annexation of the Duchies as a reparation for the
sacrifice of life and property. The King of Prussia
must reckon with these. The mterests of Prussia and
Grermany are identical if the former is in possession of
those territories. Why, therefore, should there be
war?

'There you have in a few words my confession of
faith in the political situation of the moment. God
will manifest His will in the future.

' Your devoted friend and cousin,

* William/

The Crown Prince wrote on the same day (March 26,
1866) :

* My dear Uncle,

* Thanks for your letter ; I am writing by
Schleinitz to tell you in general terms that I am in
great trouble at the present time.

* Fratricidal is the expression I employ to designate

Bismarck's resolve of forcing a war with Austria upon

us. Things are not yet at their worst. . . .

240

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

' The King is certainly not in favour of war, but
rather is fully sensible of the tremendous responsibility
he incurs by entering upon a war of this kind. Yet
he is irritated by Austria's attitude in the Holstein
business, and also by the press . . • and now that
troops are moving in Bohemia and Galicia, this cir-
cumstance will act as ftiel to the flame. . . .

' I cannot understand B.'s temerity in undertaking a
German war on Grerman soil against the sympathies
of the narrower and also the wider Fatherland, since
nothing in the world would be more welcome to the
Emperor Napoleon than the certain prospect of acting
as mediator in Germany.

* But here they rely on the favourable situation of
the moment. (?)...

* But if we are not immediately victorious, if our
neighbours declare against us — what then ? It is a
terrible prospect, which is just as possible as the
success which here they are so confidently counting
upon.

*We are surrendering ourselves bound hand and
foot to a blind fate. I for my part shall leave no
means untried to meet, to avert, to warn, to obviate
the mischief But you know how little power I
have. . . .

* Ever, my dear uncle,
' Your faithftJ and devoted nephew and friend,

* Frederick William.'

In this time of anxiety a second daughter was bom

to the Crown Prince and Princess, and received the

name of Victoria.

The wish to win the Crown Prince over to his

241 R

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

side in the great conflict just commencing caused
Bismarck to acquaint Duncker, in a private conversa-
tion, with his plans. The following day the latter
explained to the Crown Prince the importance of the
reform of the Bund and Bismarck's general train of
ideas. Although the alliance with Italy, the Parlia-
ment and the Grerman Federal State were in accord-
ance with the general tendency of the Crown Prince s
views, they lost all value in his eyes by reason of their
being stamped with Bismarck's image. He believed
that the Minister would never succeed in inducing
the King to carry out such audacious projects. The
Parliamentary plan without hard and fast rules was
regarded by the Crown Prince as immature, and the
whole affair as ' a criminal trifling with sacred things.'
He thought that because Bismarck was in difficulties
he made propositions in ignorance of their true signifi-
cance and tendency. With his own programme for
the future ready in his mind, the Crown Prince con-
demned the programme proposed by the statesman at
the head of affairs. He insisted that only by * a
definitely Liberal system of government, conforming
to the requirements of the time,' could the supremacy
of Prussia be established in Germany. He expressly
indicated this as the task that he had set hmmself,
unless Bismarck cut the ground from under his feet.
His aim was to establish the German Confederation
with the help of the people on a Liberal basis, employ-
ing force, if necessary, against the resisting Princes.
Herr von Roggenbach, the Minister for Baden, who
had laboured so long and earnestly for the Augusten-
burg cause, made decidedly more impression upon the

Crown Prince than Duncker had done. He was in

242

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

Berlin from April 25 to May 2 In obedience to a
summons from Bismarck, and he endeavoured to
influence the Crown Prince by a defence of the exist-
ing policy of Prussia.

Theodor von Bemhardi writes in his diary on
April 30, 1866 :

* Went to see Duncker, He told me that it was Bis-
marck's own idea that Roggenbach should enter the
service of Prussia, and he even proposed to him to do
so. But Roggenbach declined, as he feared by this
step to lose at least some of his influence upon the
Liberal party outside Prussia. He said he was " a far
more useful ally " to Prussia in an independent position
than if he were in her service. (N.B. — He is prob-
ably right.) Roggenbach also had a long audience
of the Crown Prince, and discussed the present situa-
tion from our own point of view — referring to the
annexation of the Elbe Duchies as the most desirable
solution under any conditions, and now an absolute
necessity ; declaring the war to be inevitable, and
expressing his conviction that on that very account
Bismarck must now be supported and maintained in
power. The Crown Prince listened to all this in
silence.'

Facts had more effect upon the Crown Prince than

all this well-meant advice. The approaching war

appealed to his mUitary instinct. His country was

in danger, and the responsible task fell to him of

defending Silesia at the head of an army against an

Austrian invasion. The first change in his views was

brought about by the gravity of the situation and the

onerous duties devolving upon him.

On May 7, Von Roon, the Minister for War,

243 R 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865.

remarked to Theodor von Bernhardi : * One is glad to
observe a noticeable change in the views and temper
of the Crown Prince. He recently told the officers on
parade that he had been wrong in opposing Bismarck's
policy, for he now saw that the war was unavoidable,
etc. He evidently wishes his remarks to be made
public*

On the same day Karl Cohen, a stepson of Kari
Blind, the well-known Baden exile, made an attempt
to assassinate Bismarck. Immediately after the deed
the Crown Prince visited the Minister President to
congratulate him on his escape.

Moved by the grave and urgent representations of
Moltke and the other Generals, who, in allusion to
Austria's warlike preparations, declared that they
must decline all responsibility for the safety of the
State, the King signed a number of orders between
May 3 and 12 for the mobilization of the army.

While several corps assembled on both banks of the
Elbe and in Lusatia were given the name of the First
Army and Elbe Army, under the command of Prince
Frederick Charles, a Second Army was formed for the
defence of Silesia, and the command of it entrusted to
the Crown Prince.

This Second Army originally consisted of the

5th Army Corps (General von Steinmetz) and the

6th Army Corps (General von Mutius), but this was

soon supplemented by the 1st Army Corps (General

von Bonin) and the Guard Corps under Prince

Augustus of Wlirttemberg. A division of cavalry

was specially formed from the various regiments of

the 5th and 6th Army Corps, under Major-General

von Hartmann.

244

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

The appointment of the Crown Prince, now General
of Infantry, as Commander-in-Chief of the Second
Army was dated May 17, while on June 2 he was
made Military Governor of the Province of Silesia,
with Major-General von Blumenthal as his Chief of
Staff.

On May 23 the Crown Prince had a remarkable
political conversation with Theodor von Bemhardi,
though at this time he was entirely engrossed with
preparations for the impending war.

Bernhardi writes as follows :

* The Crown Prince returned from a drive and
received me. After a few words he inquired why, in
my opinion, there was going to be war.

* /: " The general view in the country is that we
are not making war, but that war is being forced upon
us, that Prussia is being attacked and must defend
herself, and Herr von Beust is pointed out as the
person who has really brought about the war."

* The Crown Prince always speaks from the point of
view that the war might have been avoided ; he talks
of the great danger that the Austrians may only
make a show of defending Venice, and— after con-
cluding a " Peace of Villafranca " — proceed to fall
upon us with all their troops, aided by the whole of
Germany, and even, as he hints, by France.

* /; "As matters stand at present, the probable
course of events seems to point to the contrary.
Austria persists in her claims; she will neither
give up Venice, her supremacy in Italy, nor the
hegemony of Germany. For the present Austria will
remain apparently on the defensive in Italy, in order
to fall upon us in great force, and after defeating

245

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1865-

Prussia, as she hopes, to turn in her fiill power against
Italy."

* The Crown Prince recurs to the idea that the
situation is very unfavourable to Prussia.

*/: "A great deal has turned out to be more &vour-
able than could be expected. The Parliamentary
session went off very well ; we can be quite content
with the resolutions which they passed. That is one
good result of the presence of Herr von Bennigsen
here at Berlin, as he endeavoured to see how matters
really stood."

' The Crovm Piince : " 80 he gained confidence here
in our affairs ?"

' I : " Herr von Bennigsen saw that matters stand
rather differently from what he thought when at a
distance."

*The Crown Prince again came back to the fact
that the chances are unfavourable for us, and that
Prussia has public opinion against her.

* /: " The war appears to me to be an act of
madness on the part of Austria. We have a great
deal at stake in the war, but Austria is risking her
very existence."

* The Crown Prince (apparently admitting this in
some measure) : " We may lose provinces. Well !
they can be won back later. If justice were done to
the requirements of the time, Prussia would take her
natural position at the head of Germany."

*/; "Not without violence even then, your Boyal

Highness ; I do not wish to say that it is not a very

fine thing and highly desirable to have public opinion

on our side ; but the union of Germany is a question

of power. Your Royal Highness knows the spirit of

246

i866] THE SETTLEMENT OF THE ELBE DUCHIES

the dynasties as well as I do : the dynasties have
great powers of resistance in their orgLiized forces,
in their organized armies and finances, and in the
system of g?vemment,which is their strength ; they
will certainly not submit without resistance."

' The Crown Prince : " The King desires peace ; he
catches at every straw in order to maintain peace/'

* /; "It is well known how willing the King is to
maintain peace, and how earnest he is in the matter,
and there lies a certain danger in the King's very
sincerity. The King is always ready to enter
sincerely upon negotiations that are started in-
sincerely, and which only have the object of gaining
time. Therein lies a great danger."

* The Croivn Prince: "If justice were done to the
requirements of the time, and the Hereditary Prince
of Augustenbiu-g were installed in the Elbe Duchies
under conditions satisfactory to us, peace would still
be possible."

* /; " Does your Royal Highness consider that still
to be possible V*

* The Crown Prince : " Certainly ! the Hereditary
Prince would immediately accept." '

247

CHAPTER XI

THE CROWN PRmCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR*

1866

* While commanding a brigade at Cologne, I was
pleasantly surprised by a royal Cabinet Order on
May 19, 1866, appointing me Chief of the Staff of
the Second Army, under the command of His Koyal
Highness the Crown Prince. Although I had hoped
to receive some independent command in the approach-
ing war with Austria, I was nevertheless delighted to
enter on such close relations, not merely with a royal
Prince, but with a man whom I esteemed so highly
and whose accpaintance I had made under unusual
circumstances. . . .

* As Chief of the Crown Prince's Staff in the two
campaigns of 1866 and 1870-71, and enjoying his
entire confidence, I have had fuller opportunities than
anyone else of recognising and appreciating his quali-
ties as a commander. These qualities have sometimes
escaped the notice of those who were not so closely
connected with him, though they produced splendid
victories. However, I do not intend to dilate further

* Narrated by Field-Marshal Count von BlumenthaL

248

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

on this point, lest I incur the suspicion of being partial
and eulogistic. I will content myself with recording
a few recollections of the war, from which it is not
diflScult to draw conclusions.

* I must, however, mention one characteristic of the
Crown Prince, which has probably often been the cause
of erroneous judgments concerning him. Outwardly
always calm and self-possessed, he was not easily led
into hasty decisions ; on the contrary, when time per-
mitted, he delighted in talking over situations and
viewing them in every possible light. But when he
had once made up his mind and issued the necessary
instructions, he remained firm, and the attempts of
officious persons to persuade him to change his decision
were always fruitless. He fully realized that vacilla-
tion in a resolution once taken is almost more
dangerous than a hasty decision. His kindly dis-
position prevented him from offering sharp opposition
to those who, with the best intentions, gave him their
opinions, and he therefore preferred to hold back his
own views. Thus, he not infrequently made an im-
pression of being irresolute and vacillating. How little
they knew him who thought they could influence him
because he seemed undecided and easily convinced I
Through this peculiarity of the Crown Prince, the
business of the staff was performed with the greatest
ease and regularity. The certainty that orders once
given would not be altered without the most impera-
tive reasons, and that neither the influence of out-
siders nor a predilection for details or individuals
could cause any change in them, gave his subordinates
a sense of security which cannot be rated too highly.

It increased our confidence in our beloved chief, for

249

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [x866

whom everyone would have gladly shed the last drop
of his blood.

* The following observations, written from memory
and arranged chronologically as far as possible, are
only intended to rescue from oblivion a few incidents,
remarks, etc., which are probably known to none, or to
very few, besides myself.

*0n my arrival at Berlin on May 20, 1866, I was
received most graciously by His Koyal Highness the
Crown Prince, and acquainted with the general situa-
tion. I also called upon Prince Frederick Charles,
whom I found occupied in drawing up a special ordre
de bataille for the First Army, under his command.
Expressing himself with great frankness, he told me
that he desired to introduce a system of combined
commands into his army, so that the cavalry and also
corps artillery might be brought into action in large
masses. I was unable to agree with this scheme, but,
aU the same, promised, at his request, to mention it to
the Crown Prince. I was pleased to hear the Crown
Prince say at once that he disapproved of the plan,
and that in his army the 07^dre de bataille as given by
royal command must be adhered to. His principle
was that the army corps and divisions should march
separately on diflferent roads whenever possible, only
being united in large masses for an engagement, if
necessary, under the command of one man. This was
carried out, and the very first days of active engage-
ment, especially the Battle of Koniggratz, proved the
correctness of the Crown Prince's view. While in the
First Army great diflficulties and loss of time were
experienced in bringing the three arms of the service

up to the battlefield at the right time, the advance of

250

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

the Second Army at Koniggratz was carried out
quickly and without diflSculty by every unit.

* Whilst the decision for peace or war was still
trembling in the balance, at the end of May, and the
royal headquarters were obliged to remain at Berlin,
His Royal Highness took the opportunity to go to
Silesia, with His Majesty's consent, to tranquillize the
inhabitants by his presence, who were alarmed at the
prospect of war, and also to visit certain districts of
the probable theatre of war in Upper Silesia, with
which he was imfamiliar. I had the good fortune to
be allowed to accompany him. At Breslau on the 28th,
and at Gleiwitz and Cosel on the 29th, numerous con-
versations took place with the authorities of the
province, as well as inspections of the Landwehr.
The impressive personality of the Crown Prince, his
aflfability, the confidence and decision with which he
discussed the situation, visibly allayed the fears of
many and won the hearts of all. In Gleiwitz many
Landrdthe* informed him that they had received
orders to remove all the ready money and more
important docmnents if the enemy should enter their
district. They expressed their doubts as to the
advisability of such a course, and begged for his
decision. Of course he was not in a position to
decide this question, but said to them : " If I were a
Landrath I would on no account leave my district
during the campaign ; former wars, and notably the
last in Jutland, have shown the serious consequences
that ensue from the local authorities being absent, and
the enemy finding no one to whom to apply in making

* State offioiak entrusted with the administration of a
district.

*5i

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

their usual requisitions. Local authorities who set
the example of flight to the inhabitants fail in their
most sacred duty." This and similar remarks by the
Crown Prince did much towards encouraging the
population, and created a confidence in him which was
afterwards splendidly justified. The neglect of this
part of the duty of a commander has, as we learn
£>m the history of war. not seldom rendered barren
the most brilliant victories.

* As the chances of peace became still more remote,
the headquarters of the Second Army were transferred
on June 4 from Berlin to the Castle of Fiirstenstein,
near Schweidnitz, and remained there until the 14th.
The Crown Prince employed this period in inspecting
all the regiments of the 5th and 6th Army Corps, in
making their acquaintance, and giving them an
opportunity of seeing their commander.

* Reconnoitring reports and other sources of informa-
tion gave the impression that the Austrians would
concentrate their forces on the frontier of Upper
Silesia, and from thence invade Prussia. In order to
check them, the Crown Prince resolved to push
forward with the army as far as the environs of
Neisse, and to take up a position, not only most
defensible, but which, after the arrival of the expected
reinforcements, admitted either of an attack or a
march to effect a junction with the First Army, in
case the enemy should move their main forces into
Bohemia. This resolution of the Crown Prince, which
certainly influenced the later operations of the whole
army, could not be executed without the express per-
mission of His Majesty the King. Hence several days

passed before the royal sanction arrived from Berlin,

252

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

upon the repeated and urgent representations of the
Crown Prince. The army marched off on June 12
strong enough for any independent operations, as it
had meanwhile been reinforced by the Guard Corps
and the 1st Army Corps.

* On the 14th the headquarters were established at
Neisse, and remained there until the 24th. Here the
Crown Prince busied himself with reconnoitring the
ground and thoroughly studying the theatre of war,
giving special attention to the roads leading to
Bohemia. Unfortunately, on the 18th the melancholy
news arrived of the death of little Prince Sigismund,*
which deeply affected His Royal Highness. He
succeeded in maintaining outward composure, and in
concealing his grief from the eyes of those around him ;
but an expression of deep gravity, foreign to his
countenance, betokened the inward struggle. The
military business went on without interruption.
Every report about the enemy's movements indicated
that they were pushing up into Bohemia, and that an
incursion into Upper Silesia was no longer probable.
A message was also received from the royal head-
quarters that the Prussian First Army and that of the
Elbe would enter Bohemia, and were to be supported
by an advance of the Second Army in a westerly

* A few days before the departure of the Crown Prince for the
army, his youngest son, Sigismund (born September 15, 1864), fell
seriously ul. The disease (meningitis cerebralis), the nature of
whioh was at first difficult to determine, soon took a fatal turn,
and the little Prince died on June 18. The news reached the
Crown Prince at the fortress of Neisse, whither he had trans-
ferred his headquarters on June 14 ; his army was on the point
of entering Bohemia, and their leader could not be spared. On
the evening of the sad day Queen Augusta travelled to Neisse to
visit her son and give him the details of Prince Sigismund's last
hours.

253

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

direction. The town of Gitschin was indicated as the
point of junction. The working out of the proposed
marches was commenced immediately, and on the
evening of the 20th the Crown Prince sent Major von
der Burg to GrorUtz with a letter to Prince Frederick
Charles, in order to learn the intentions of the Prince
and act accordmgly. Retummg on the morning of
the 22nd, Major von der Burg brought a letter from
Prince Frederick Charles, in which he thanked the
Crown Prince for his plan of joining him, but con-
sidered it his duty to point out that the march through
the mountains was very diflficult, and that Frederick
the Great in his day had not thought it advisable to
undertake it. When the Crown Prince read me the
letter, I feared lest it should render him irresolute or
wavering, but he said quite calmly : " Well, then, we
will do it, and it will not be so difficult, considering
the improvement in the state of the passes and the
tactical mobility of our troops." This prediction was
realized in its entirety, and served to increase the
confidence of the troops in their royal leader

•The Battle of Nachod, on June 27, aflTorded the
Crown Prince and his staff an opportunity, for the
first time in this campaign, of being present and
taking an active part in the fighting. The direction
of the battle lay chiefly in the hands of General von
Steinmetz, whose army corps here received their
baptism of fire, and went through it so splendidly. It .
was especially evident in this battle that the Crown
Prince possessed that rare gift of a commander, of not
interfering unnecessarily with his subordinates in their
own sphere of duty, and yet keeping the general
course of the action well under his control. In the

254

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

most advsuiced lines and under the heaviest fire, he
maintained his composure and gave the troops a fine
example of coolness and devotion to duty. He also
knew well how to rouse all to animation and enthusi-
asm by encouraging them with fiiendly remarka He
showed great sympathy with the wounded, and,
although thoroughly tired, visited them, looked after
them, and comforted them in the field-hospitals after
the battle, so that every soldier would have gladly
given his life for his beloved leader.

' At the beginning of the battle an incident occurred
which is of interest as showing the coolness of the
Crown Prince. As he was riding with his stajff on
the road beyond Nachod towards the firing line,
already engaged, in order to gain a good point of
view, almost all the advancing troops suddenly halted
as if by word of command, and some even turned
about. We checked our horses, and saw a troop of
Prussian Uhlans on our right riding back to Nachod
at a quick pace, as though they were being pursued
by a strong force of cavalry. The Crown Prince
immediately rode back about a hundred paces to some
rising ground, and on coming up with him I found
him laughing, as he stationed a battery to defend the
Nachod defile. He had not taken this panic as a bad
omen, but was struck by the humorous side, and he
was not shaken in his confidence in the advancing
troops for an instant.

'After our victory, we arrived late that evening
dead tired at our quarters at Hronow, and after our
meal the Crown Prince desired me to go to bed at
once, saying that he would sit up to receive any
reports that might arrive. This vigour after so hard

255

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [x866

a day, and his consideration for me and my exhausting
duties, seldom exhibited so unselfishly by any com-
mander, quite overwhelmed me. I obeyed, and slept
soundly, until I was roused after midnight by the
smiling Crown Prince to take his orders for the next
day, aided by Major von der Burg. Then only did he
lie down to rest.

* On July 2 we received orders at Koniginhof, from
the royal headquarters for the Second Army, to halt
on the line of the Elbe, and execute extensive recon-
naissances in the direction of Josephstadt along both
banks of the river. The Crown Prince was much dis-
turbed by this order, and said to me : " Our happy
independence is now at an end, and we are compelled
to adopt a measure which is absolutely a mistake to
my mind. Instead of at once uniting with the army
of Prince Frederick Charles, we must separate, and
perhaps be beaten singly. In order to obey orders I
shall halt, and only send out very small reconnoitring
parties.'' He ordered me to go at once to Gitschin
with Major von Verdy, to remonstrate with His
Majesty against the separation of our forces, and to
gain information regarding the objects and intentions
of the royal headquarters. Soon after six o'clock we
arrived at Gitschin, and I was fortunate enough to be
received at once by His Majesty. After giving a short
report of the affairs of the Second Army, and repre-
senting the Crown Princes objections, the King
seemed to recognise the justice of them, and asked
me what the Crown Prince thought about the
prospects of the next few days. I could only say
that his opinion was that the entire Prussian army

ought now to unite on the right bank of the Elbe for

256

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

a great battle, which must result in victory for us if

our forces were united. After winning the battle the

whole army would then march by the shortest route

to Vienna. His Majesty seemed pleased at this idea,

but General von Moltke, who was present, put a

question to me to which it was hard to reply : What

did we want in Vienna, since our chief object must be

the enemy's army ? I could only answer that I shared

the Crown Prince's view, because so many wars had

been quickly and successfully decided in a similar

manner, and that the Crown Prince's remark need

not be taken quite literally. About a quarter to

four in the morning we reached Koniginhof after a

fatiguing journey, and I awoke the Crown Prince to

make my report to him. Then we had a short rest,

and soon afterwards a royal aide-de-camp. Count von

Finkenstein, arrived, with the desired order to cross

the Elbe.

* At seven o'clock on the morning of July 3 our

troops began to cross the Elbe, and the Crown Prince

then followed with his staff. It was a difficult ride,

as it was not easy to pass the troops on the roads,

which were both wet and cut up. The continual

thunder of cannon and the smoke rising on our right

clearly showed that Prince Frederick Charles was

already hotly engaged, and holding his ground against

a strong force of Austrians. The question now arose,

whether to march in the direction of the firing or to

keep on our way. The Crown Prince chose the latter

course, as the 1st Army Corps and the cavalry division

had already pushed forward to support Prince Frederick

Charles on his left flank, and the Second Army, by

following then* present direction, would probably come

257 s

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

upon the flank, or perhaps the rear, of the AustriaoB.
On reaching the hill at Choteborek, the Crown Prince
noticed a tree at Horenowes which could be seen from
a great distance, and immediately decided upon this
as the point de viie for the left wing of the Guards
and the right wing of the 6th Army Corps. The
5th Army Corps was to follow as a reserve. The
heavy artillery bombardment and the incessant
advance of the two gallant army corps soon turned
the tide of battle in our fevom*, and now that the
cavalry division and the 1st Army Corps had rein-
forced oiu" wing, one could read on every face the
certainty of a victorious junction with the First Army.
It was a gratifying feeling for the Crown Prince to
have brought about a successful issue so speedily by
coming up at the right moment and to the right
place with the Second Army. In the midst of a
heavy shell fire he graciously pressed my hand, and
said : " Now we can even think about the pursuit."
The 5th Army Corps, which was still intact, and the
cavalry division received orders to advance through
the first line and to undertake the pimsuit. Un-
fortunately, the cavalry division delayed in carrying
out this movement, as the enemy were app£u:*ently
retreating in perfect order, and when the 5th Army
Corps reached the head of our forces, the pursuit was
stopped by General von Moltke by the King's order.
The Crown Prince was disappointed at hearing of this
order, which might possibly have the effect of losing
us the chief fruits of the victory. About six o'clock
in the evening, when the firing had almost entirely
ceased, and the Austrian army was in full flight, the
Crown Prince rode over a large portion of the battle-

258

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

field of the Second Anny with us, made a few brief
speeches to the troops and their leaders, praising and
thanking them, and talking kindly to the wounded,
and then went to look for His Majesty the King,
whom we at last found at Botzis. It is impossible for
me to describe their touching meeting. After also
greeting Prince Frederick Charles, we all rode gravely
and silently back across the battlefield to Horenowes,
where we had established our quarters. We arrived
there at ten o'clock at night in complete darkness,
and found but a sorry lodging awaiting us. The
strongest nerves were overwrought by fifteen hours
on horseback in cold wet weather, in constant suspense
and excitement, with no food all day but a small piece
of dry bread ; but the Crown Prince set us a fine
example, for he showed not a trace of fatigue. He
was only concerned for the troops and for us, and
seemed never to think of himself and what he had
done. He only lay down to rest after being con-
vinced that there were no further arrangements to be
made.

*The days immediately following the great battle
were not utilized as the Crown Prince desired, since
his hands were tied by superior orders. Although he
urged a swifter and more energetic pursuit of the
enemy, only comparatively short marches were made,
and it appeared as though politics were the obstructing
element. The Crown Prince was exceedingly anxious
that an armistice should not be concluded. A little
incident that happened on July 8 indicates this. The
headquarters of the Second Army arrived on the 7th
at Chroustowitz, a castle belonging to the Prince of

Thum and Taxis. The next morning I was suddenly

259 s 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

awoke by the appearance in my room of an old

acquaintance, the Austrian General von Gablenz, who

informed me that he was on his way to Pardubitz to

the King, but could go no farther, as his horses were

entirely done up ; he therefore asked me to supply him

with fresh ones. As he seemed very tired, I made

him a comfortable bed on my sofa, and let hun have

half an hour s rest. While he was breakfasting I had

the Crown Prince roused. He at once got up, and

said to me : '' He wants to arrange an armistice, but

that must not be allowed. I must get first to the

King at Pardubitz, and protest against it; we must

detain Gablenz. Tell him to come to me in half an

hour's time." After a tolerably long audience, General

von Gablenz entered his carriage and drove oflF. I

had ordered the driver on pain of heavy punishment

to drive as slowly as possible by a roundabout way

that I had indicated. Meanwhile the Crown Prince

drove immediately to Pardubitz by a shorter route,

and went at once to the King. I am not aware of

what transpired, but on the arrival of Gablenz, half an

hour later, he was not received by His Majesty, and

was obliged to return without having accomplished his

purpose. We also returned at once, and although one

of our horses fell on the way, and much time was lo6t

in harnessing a transport horse in its place, we were

already at work when General von Gablenz again

arrived to enjoy a good dejeuner before proceeding on

his journey. He had no idea that the Crown Prince

had also been to Pardubitz.

*At the time the Crown Prince visited the royal

headquarters at Pardubitz, on July 6, it seemed

tolerably certain that the main body of the defeated

260

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

army would retreat, not upon Vienna, but on Olmiitz.
His Majesty the King therefore decided, with regard
to fiirther operations, that the Second Army should
pursue them in the direction of Olmiitz, but that the
First and Elbe Armies should march straight for
Vienna, as the Crown Prince had advised even before
the great battle. On the 7th the Prince's head-
quarters moved through Chroustowitz, Hohenmauth,
and Leitomischel to Triibau (in Moravia), where they
arrived on the 10th. At this juncture the Second
Army received orders to take up a position near
Hohenstadt, north-west of Olmiitz, with their rear
towards Glatz, and to retreat in that direction if
pressed by superior numbers of the enemy, thus
inducing them to carry the pursuit into Silesia. At
the same time their communications between Olmiitz
and Vienna were to be cut, all movements along that
line were to be prevented, and the left flank of the
First Army was to be supported. The Crown Prince
was not a little disturbed by the reflection that such
an elaborate manoeuvre, based upon uncertain reports,
would lead to the complete separation of the Second
Army from the main force, and might entail the danger
of being defeated singly by the concentrated troops
of the enemy, and thus prevent them fulfilling the
other tasks assigned to them* When General von
Moltke arrived at Triibau on the evening of the
10th, the Crown Prince told him of his fears, and
endeavoured to convince him that the Second Army
must take up a position in the west or south-west
of Olmiitz, if they were to succeed in their other
tasks. General von Moltke seemed disinclined to

adopt this view, and returned to Zwittau without

261

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

coming to any decision. The Crown Prince therefore
resolved to send Major von Verdy next day with a
memorandum on the situation to His Majesty at the
royal headquarters, begging him to sanction the
movement of the army, not to the environs of
Hohenstadt, but to Prossnitz. At five o'clock in the
evening Major von Verdy came back with the royal
sanction, and at seven orders were given to mareh.
Although there were reasons for uneasiness in the fact
that the 1st and 5 th Army Corps and the head-
quarters were marching in the direction of Prossnitz,
with the enemy on their left flank, and almost im-
passable mountains on their right, yet all were in the
best of spirits, and the Crown Prince only smiled at
the fears of the Duke of Coburg, who endeavoured to
infect others with his own uneasiness and despondency.
*0n July 13 the Crown Prince marched with his
staff to Opatowitz, and thence sent Captain Mischke
to the royal headquarters for a verbal explanation of
the reasons which prevented the Guards and 6th Army
Corps from following the Second Army, and led them
to march in the direction of Briinn. On the 14th we
entered Konitz and took up our quarters in the un-
comfortable old castle of that name. The reports of
the cavalry, as well as reliable news from scouts,
clearly showed that the enemy's army had comimenced
their march from Olmiitz to Vienna several days
previously. It was now evident how accurately the
Crown Prince had gauged the situation, by marching
with the army to Prossnitz instead of to Hohenstadt.
Orders were immediately given for a reconnaissance in
force next morning in the direction of Prerau, for the

purpose of gaining reliable information and making a

262

i866] THE CROWN PRINCE IN THE AUSTRIAN WAR

vigorous attack on the still retreating enemy. The

feeling that now matters were taking the right course

was not to last long, for at noon on the 15th Captain

Mischke returned from the royal headquarters with

orders for the Second Army which threatened to cause

important alterations, of which the details were not

entirely clear ; the Guards and the 6th Army Corps

were to be brought up to the environs of OlmUtz.

Moreover, General von Moltke expressed himself

greatly dissatisfied with the slow advance of the Second

Army, forgetting that orders and directions from the

royal headquarters had increased the difficulties of

the toilsome march in a mountainous region.

' The Crown Prince was very much irritated at this.

It appeared to him that there was a conspiracy to

bind his hands and direct his movements to the

smallest detail, for which he would then have to bear

the responsibility. He spoke to me very bitterly on

this subject, and hinted that he would request His

Majesty to relieve him from his command, if this went

on. I therefore proposed to send Colonel von Stosch

to the royal headquarters, desiring General von

Moltke to allow the Guards and the 6th Army Corps

to continue their march on Briinn, and in the event of

a refusal giving His Majesty a personal account of

the Crown Prince's views with regard to the further

operations of the Second Army. The Crown Prince

consented to this plan. As Colonel von Stosch was

entering his carriage at five o'clock in the afternoon,

the news arrived of a successful engagement at

Tobitschau, in which eighteen guns and nearly

200 prisoners were taken. Armed with this good

news, he found full appreciation at Briinn of the Crown

263

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

Prince's ideas, and obtained fiill sanction for his
arrangements of the next few days. He returned at
noon on the 16th to our new quarters at Proedlitz,
and so did much to allay the feelings of uneasiness in
the headquarters of the Second Army. On the 17th
an orderly brought the formal sanction, with His
Majesty's command that the Guards and 6th Army
Corps should continue the pursuit by way of Briinn.
The situation was so far simplified that it was now
thought sufficient to leave only the 1st Army Corps
before Olmiitz, and to march southwards with the
5th Army Corps to join hands with the First Army.
This ended the active part taken by the Second Army
in the campaign.'

264

CHAPTER XII

OTHER INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS* CAMPAIGN

1866

During the stay of the headquarters of the Second
Army at the Castle of Furstenstein, near Freiburg in
Silesia, the Crown Prince received Duncker's applica-
tion to retire from his service. In this document he
gave as his chief reason that the Crown Prince had
made but little use of his services during the last few
months, and concluded with the request that the
Prince would permit him to petition the King for
some other employment — if possible, in the State
Archives. The Crown Prince replied as follows to
Duncker's application on June 13 :

' You will imderstand that your letter of Jime 1 2
and the request it contained moved me deeply. After
five years of fisuthful and unselfish labour in aiding
me to prepare for the gravest and most important
of earthly dignities, you now ask my permission to
petition His Majesty the King for some other State
employment.

* I am boimd to grant your request, as it is my
principle never to stand in the way of any who are in
my service, when an occasion offers for them to find

265

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [i866

agreeable or advantageous employment elsewhere. I
will gladly do all that lies in my power to fulfil your
wish for employment in the Archives, unless a chsAr at
the Berlin or any other University should accord better
with your talents and your former fruitful activity.

' Let me say frankly that it will be hard for me
to part from you. On looking back at the years that
you have spent at my side, these seem to include an
important period of my life — I may say, even the most
important of my manhood. Your discourses, the dis-
cussions with you, and the numerous tasks you have
undertaken for me — all these have contributed in a
great degree to develop my appreciation of our time
and our institutions. The recollection of those years
will remain inseparably connected with the sincerest
gratitude for all that you have done for me, the more
so as I am aware that you have often been obliged to
suppress your own inclinations. As the conflicts which
have unfortunately arisen in the life of our State since
1858 became more acute of late, we have often had
differences of opinion. Occasionally you personally
experienced the annoyances which are only too often
the fate of those in close relations with those in a high
position, and which occur both in public life and in the
attacks of the daily press. But you have always pro-
claimed your views openly and straightforwardly, and
have never made such affairs a pretext for breaking
our personal connection. My duty now calls me, as
Heir to the Throne, to draw my sword in a quarrel
arising from a system with which you sympathized,
while I renounced it altogether. I can perfectly
well understand that you have been oppressed by my

recent reserve, and that you feel a desire for some

266

1 866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

other occupation, at the prospect of a war that will
probably keep me away from home for a considerable
period.

*Let your future labours be what they may, my
affectionate sympathy will always attend you, and you
will always find in me one who listens to your views
with pleasure, and intends to make further use of the
treasures of experience and manifold knowledge you
possess. I therefore now bid you farewell at the close
of your personal service to me, assuring you once more
of my sincere gratitude.*

On the evening of June 20 a royal command
was received at the headquarters of the Silesian Army,
directing that on the morning of the 21st the Crown
Prince should notify all the commanders of the oppos-
ing Austrian outposts that Austria's conduct at Frank-
fort-on-the-Main was considered an act of war, and
that the Prussian troops had received orders to act
accordingly. On the same evening the Crown Prince
issued the following Greneral Order to his troops :

' Soldiers of the Second Army !

* You have heard the words of our King and

War Lord. His Majesty's endeavours to secure a

continuance of the blessings of peace to the country

have been in vain. With a heavy heart, but strong

in purpose, relying upon the devotion and gallantry of

his troops, the King has determined to fight for the

honour and independence of Prussia, as well as for

the reorganization of Grermany, and its formation into

a powerful entity. The gracious confidence of my

royal father having placed me at your head, I am

proud, as the Kings first servant, to stake my life

267

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

and my fortunes to secure the possession of all that is
dearest to our country.

'Soldiers! for the first time for fifty years an
enemy equal to us m strength stands arrayed agamst
us. Trust in your strength and the proven excellence of
your arms. Bemember, our task is to beat an enemy
whom our greatest King defeated with but a small
force.

' Forward, then, with the old Prussian cry, " With
God for King and Fatherland."

' Frederick William, Crown Prince,
* Commander-in-Chief of the Second Army.

' Hbadquabtebs at Nbisse,
'June 20, 1866.'

This was the first occasion on which the Crown
Prince addressed the troops under his command before
a great and decisive event.

General von Verdy du Vemois, the former War
Minister, in his work ' With the Royal Headquarters
1870-71,' relates the following incident of the Battle
of Skalitz, which throws a strong light on the Crown
Prince's capacities as a commander :

' I take this opportunity, in order that I may not be

thought to undervalue the military capacity of this

departed scion of the Hohenzollerns, who will ever be

dear to all German hearts, to insist particularly on the

fact that the Crown Prince united in his person to an

eminent degree all the qualities of an army leader.

Everyone knows this who was near him during either

of the two campaigns, and I myself can attest it from

my own experience, as I had the good fortune in 1866

to serve on his staff.

268

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

* It was on June 28 of that year, when the
5 th Corps was engaged near Skalitz and the Guards
near Soor, that the Commander-in-Chief of the Second
Army found himself obliged, much to his regret, to
remain at some distance from the actual fighting, so
as to direct the various corps according to the reports
as they came in. He therefore took his stand on the
heights of Kosteletz, midway between the two corps
then engaged.

'We had been present the day before at the
victorious engagement of the 5th Corps at Nachod,
but we also knew that the attempt of the 1st Army
Corps to debouch on the same day from the mountains
at Trautenau had not been successful. Moreover,
while on the heights we received telegraphic informa-
tion of our defeat at Langensalza, and that of our
allies at Custozza. On the issue of the two engage-
ments then proceeding depended the success or failure
of the operations of the Crown Prince s army. It was
indispensable that we should be victorious in both
places, for only then would it be possible for the
whole army to debouch from the mountains, and to
establish communications in the direction of Gitschin
with the army of Prince Frederick Charles and that
of the Elbe, which had already penetrated into
Bohemia. Our position was therefore most serious.

* The Crown Prince assembled the officers of his

staff around him ; leaning on his sword, and fixing

his clear eyes on us, he explained to us once more

minutely and in the most lucid manner the whole

position of his army ; he repeated the instructions

which had been given, as well as the reasons for them,

alluding at the same time to the great importance of

269

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

the day. To this he added the question whether any
one of us had any proposal to make which we thought
might contribute to success. When we had answered
in the negative, he finished with the words : " Well,
then, we have done our duty. We have considered
our situation in every direction to the best of our
ability, and have made dispositions which, so &r as
we know, must and should succeed ; aU the rest lies
in the hand of God." Not a trace of excitement, no
glimpse of a pessimistic view of things, was observable
in our noble Prince. With the greatest calm and
attention he followed the course of the two engage-
ments, and perused the reports as they came in with
the greatest calmness before issuing orders. As is
well known, the bravery of the commanders and the
troops gained a victory at both places, at Soor and at
Skalitz.'

Prince Krafl zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, an equally
high authority, has also given an account of the
Crown Prince on the day of Skalitz. He writes as
follows :

* In adding a few remarks to show the Emperor

Frederick 8 eminence as a commander, I prefer to

dwell on our meeting on the heights of Kosteletz.

About ten o'clock I reported myself to him after a six

miles' march with one battalion, one squadron, and

five batteries. He asked me whether I were acquainted

with the situation, to which I replied in the negative.

He then said : " Yesterday at Nachod Steinmetz beat

an Austrian corps, and is now fighting at Skalitz.

He has probably two and a half army corps against

him. But as he has Hoffinann's brigade of the

6th Corps as a reinforcement, a General like Stein-

270

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

metz can hold his own against a twofold superiority of
the enemy. Yesterday Bonin retreated from Trau-
tenau into Silesia. I have lost all communication
with the Guard Corps. Advancing by the Eipel Pass,
they may have been annihilated out there, or may
have fought the most glorious battle that one can
imagine. My whole reserve force here at the defile of
Kosteletz consists of one company and what you have
brought me. Here I am condemned to do nothing
but smoke one pipe after another, for I have given
directions that reports are to be made to me on these
heights, and if I leave them I shall be throwing the
whole army into confusion." The Crown Prince said
all this in the same tone as if he were ordering a
dinner.

' In some consternation I remarked that in this case
the second echelons of the ammunition columns were
marching straight towards the enemy. He inquired
what direction they had taken, and on hearing that
they had orders to march from Braunau to Parschnitz,
he remarked quite calmly : " Well, then they are
lost." I informed the Crown Prince that this march
had been ordered by the Supreme Command, which
had threatened to court-martial any who disobeyed
the orders for the march, and that I had been directed
to take my further orders from the Guard Corps here
at Kosteletz, but finding none of the Guard Corps, I
begged him to send me to countermand the orders of
the ammunition columns. He replied quietly : " No,
I will not interfere with the special orders of the
corps." He then measured the distance on the map,
asked when the columns had started, and said : *' Any-
how, the disaster must have taken place already. It

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

is impossible now for an order to reach them in time,
80 leave the matter as it is."

* He replied in the affirmative to my inquiry as to
whether there was time for my troops to have a meal
after their six miles' march. He then asked whether
I had happened to see anything of the fighting fix>m
any point on my way. I told him that from a hill
between Hronow and Kosteletz I had seen fighting in
the distance with my marine telescope in a direction
south of Trautenau, and had not been able to under-
stand it. The troops having their rear towards
Silesia, whom I took to be ours, were in difficulties,
for their artillery and infantry were firing from the
same alignment ; the enemy, facing Silesia, had their
infantry some distance in front of the artillery, and I
had seen infantry lines advancing. I had therefore
believed that the First Corps (Bonin) was being driven
back. What was inexplicable to me was that shrap-
nels were constantly bursting in the air over the
Austrian lines, and we had no ammunition of the
kind. " Then," he said, " the troops where the
shrapnels were bursting had the advantage ?" " Yes,*'
I replied. " I will explain that. The Guard Corps is
fighting with its front towards Silesia, for it crossed at
Eipel in rear of Gablenz, and the Austrians are fighting
south of Trautenau with their rear towards Silesia.
What you took for the Austrians was the Guard
Corps, and they were having the best of it when you
saw the battle." This was all said as calmly as if he
were talking of the most trivial matter.

' After some time the cannonade at Skalitz ceased.

It was very warm, and the air was so still on the

top of the hill that on lighting a cigarette the

272

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS* CAMPAIGN

matx^h burned with a straight flames as though in a
room.

' All at once the thunder of cannon was heard on
the left of SkalitZy and clouds of dust were seen rising
towards Nachod. The Crown Prince looked at them
through his glass, and called up Colonel Walker, of
the English Army : '' Let us speak English, so that
nobody shall notice that I am anxious. You have
more experience in war than I have. Is this dust
caused by moving troops ?" " There is no doubt about
it," replied Walker. " Then Steinmetz is beaten, and
is in retreat, still fighting, towards the county of
Glatz." "I think so, too," said Walker. I spread
out the map, took my bearings, and after five minutes
remarked : *' The dust has moved half a mile in five
minutes, and troops even in flight cannot move as fast
as that. The dust cannot therefore be caused by
troops on the march." " What else can it be ?" he
said quietly. " The air is still." I kept silence, for I,
too, could not explain the phenomenon. Soon after-
wards the thick cloud of dust came towards us along
the road from Jaromirz to Skalitz. " That is Prince
Albrecht (the son) with the Heavy Cavalry Brigade
of the Guard, which I sent to Steinmetz, in full flight,"
said the Prince, smiling, but in some concern. " I
should like to ride towards him, but I must wait here
for a report fix)m Steinmetz." I now became uneasy,
and asked the Crown Prince whether I might occupy
the defile of Kosteletz with five companies and five
batteries.

* ^* Let the troops have their meal in peace. The
dust is still several miles away. The enemy can-
not be here under two hours. We have still an

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

hour's time before we need disturb the troops." The
dust soon approached us with the speed of the wind,
and we could see the road underneath it, and ascertain
that no one was moving in it. A few minutes later
we were in the midst of a whirlwind that made it
hard for us to remain on the hill. It also thundered
violently without rain. It was a sandstorm.

* When the storm was nearly over, a report came
from Steinmetz that he had taken Skalitz, and the
enemy was in retreat. " Now I can visit the wounded
at Kosteletz," said the Crown Prince, and he allowed
me to quit my position in reserve, with the permission
to march after the Guard Corps by way of EipeL

" During our long stay on the heights of Kosteletz,
I expressed to Ceneral von Blumenthal my admiration
of the Crown Prince s calmness. " Oh, you don't
know him yet !" said Blumenthal. " When I sub-
mitted the plan of the march across the frontier to
him, and pointed out the dangers we should run if
Benedek attacked the separated corps with his entire
force and destroyed them one after the other, he
answered : ' Do you take me for a child that you tell
me this now ? I saw it long ago. But what does one
army matter ? The whole of Prussia is at stake in
this war. If my army is beaten, I shaU not return to
Silesia alive.'

The appearance of the Crown Prince at the time of
the campaign is thus described by Louis Schneider, of
the royal suite, in an account written at Nikolsburg
on July 20, 1866 :

' Towards evening the Crown Prince came &t)m his
headquarters at Eisgrub to visit his royal father. This

was the first time that I saw him wearing the Order

274

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

Pour le Mdrite, so nobly earned at Koniggratz. He
had grown a full beard, and looked as fine a man as
one could wish to see, bearing in his countenance
traces of the late tremendous events he had passed
through. ... In the field the Crown Prince pre-
sented a most striking and imposing appearance, and
the thought involuntarily occiured to one that he
would know how to keep what had been lately
won.'

At Nikolsburg the future development of the
German question was already being discussed, and the
Crown Prince gave it as his opinion that his father
should assume the title of King of Grermany . Bismarck
reminded him that there were other Kings in Germany,
such as those of Hanover, Saxony, etc.

' They must take the title of Duke again,' was his
reply.

* But they will not like that,' rejoined Bismarck.

' They will have to,' cried the Crown Prince.

Later on the Crown Prince gave up this idea, but

declared at the beginning of 1867 that the King ought

to assume the title of German Emperor. The title

of President of a Confederation, he said, conveyed

nothing to the nation ; but the unity now achieved

would, as it were, be visibly incorporated by the

revival of the imperial dignity, while the memory of

the ancient power and greatness of the empu-e would

be universally inspiring. This idea in itself was

perfectly correct. But it was evidently premature ;

a North German Empire would have aroused no

enthusiasm in the north, and would have retarded the

completion of the national work in the south. King

William decisively rejected the proposal ; with his

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

love of simplicity he desired only to be the chief of Uie
Confederation, and the first among his peers.*

The Crown Prince here showed his powers of dis*
cernment in State affisdrs by successfully supporting
Bismarck's policy at the critical moment, for through
his personal intervention he succeeded in gaining his
father s consent to the modified conditions of peace,
concerning which the King had had a violent dispute
with Count Bismarck.

The position at that time was exceedingly difilcult.
All the Grenerals shared the disinclination to break off
the uninterrupted course of victory ; and during these
days the King was more readily accessible to military
influence than to that of Bismarck, who was the only
person at headquarters who laid stress upon the
general political point of view in the negotiations.

A council of war was held, on July 23, under the
pi^esidency of the King, in which the question to be
decided was whether pecu^e should be made under the
conditions offered or the war continued. Bismarck
declared his conviction that peace must be concluded
on the Austrian terms, but remained alone in his
opinion ; the King supported the military majority.
At this juncture Bismarck set to work to commit to
paper the reasons which in his opinion spoke for the
conclusion of peace, and begged the King, in the event
of his not accepting the advice for which he was
responsible, to relieve him of his functions as Minister.
Armed with this document, he set out the following
day to amplify it by word of mouth.

In the royal antechamber he found two Colonels

with a report on the spread of cholera among their

''' Von Sybel, ' DU BegrUndung dt$ Deutschen B&ichst* vol. v.

276

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

troops, barely half of whom were fit for service. The
alarming figures confirmed his resolve to make the
acceptance of the Austrian terms a Cabinet question,
and he unfolded to the King the political and military
reasons which militated against the continuance of the
war.

In Bismarck's opinion the victors must avoid
wounding Austria too deeply, leaving behind un-
necessary bitterness of feeling or desire for revenge ;
they ought rather to keep the possibility in view of
becoming friends again with their adversary of the
moment. It appeared to Bismarck that a prosecution
of the war in Hungary, whither it would probably be
transferred, would not repay them, and that the
successes to be won there would be insignificant com-
pared to the victories they had hitherto gained, and
consequently would be calculated to diminish their
prestige — quite apart fix)m the fact that the prolonga-
tion of the war would pave the way for a French
intervention. Prussia must end matters rapidly,
before France gained time to bring further diplomatic
action to bear upon Austria.

To all this the King raised no objection, but de-
clared the actual terms inadequate, without, however,
definitely formulating his own demands. The chief
culprit could not be allowed to escape unpunished, but
justice once satisfied, they could let the misguided
partners ofi* more easily, and he insisted on cessions
of territory from Austria. Passing on to the German
States, he spoke of various acquisitions by pruning
down the territories of all the opponents of Prussia.*

Bismarck pointed out that Prussia's aim was not to

* ' Bismarck/ vol. ii., pp. 43-48.

277

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

administer retributive justice, but to pursue a policy ;
that he wished to avoid, in the German Federation of
the f\itiu*e, the sight of mutilated territories, whose
Princes and peoples might very easily (such is human
weakness) retain a lively wish to recover their former
possessions by means of foreign help ; such allies
would be very unreliable. The same would be the
case if Wiirzburg or Nuremberg were demanded of
Bavaria, for the purpose of compensating Saxony, a
plan, moreover, which would interfere with the
dynastic partiality of His Majesty for Anspach.
Bismarck also had to resist plans aiming at an
enlargement of the Grand-Duchy of Baden, the
annexation of the Bavarian Palatinate, and an exten-
sion in the region of the Lower Main. The Aschaffen-
burg district of Bavaria was at the same time regarded
as a suitable compensation to Hesse-Darmstadt for
the loss of Upper Hesse, which would result fix)m the
projected Main frontier. Later, at Berlin, the only
part of this plan still under negotiation was the cession
of that portion of Bavarian territory which lay on
the right bank of the Main, inclusive of the town
of Bayreuth, to Prussia; the question then arose
whether the boundary should run on the Northern or
Red Main, or the Southern (White) Main.

The resistance which Bismarck was obliged, in
accordance with his convictions, to oflter to the King^s
views with regard to following up the military
successes, and to his inclination to continue the
victorious advance, excited him to such a degree that
a prolongation of the discussion became impossible,
and, under the impression that his opinion was rejected,

Bismarck left the room with the idea of begging the

278

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

King to allow him, in his capacity as officer, to join
his regiment.

On returning to his room, Bismarck was in such a
mood that the thought occiured to him whether it
would not be better to throw himself out of the open
window on the fourth story. The door opened, and
though he did not look round, he suspected that the
person entering was the Crown Prince, whose room in
the same corridor he had just passed. Bismarck felt
a hand placed on his shoulder, as the Crown Prince
observed :

* You know that I was opposed to this war. You
considered it necessary, and the responsibility for it
lies on you. If you are convinced that our end is now
attained, and that peace must be concluded, I am ready
to support you and your opinions with my father.'

The Crown Prince then repaired to the King, and
came back after a short half-hour in the same calm,
friendly mood, but with the words : * It has been a
very difficult business, but my father has consented.'
This consent found expression in a note pencilled on
the margin of one of Bismarck's last memoranda,
something to this effect : ' Inasmuch as my Minister-
President has left me in the lurch in the face of
the enemy, and I am not in a position to supply his
place here, I have discussed the question with my son,
and as he has associated himself with the Minister-
President's opinion, I find myself reluctantly compelled,
after such brilliant victories on the part of the army,
to bite into this sour apple and accept a disgraceful
peace.'*

* BismaFok'B 'Befleotions and BeminifloenoeB,' voL ii., pp.
43-48.

279

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK fi866

The preliminaries of peace were signed on July 26,
and the ratifications exchanged on the 28th.

Later on the Crown Prince expressed hinoself to
Professor Delbrtick with regard to his rdle of mediator
at the negotiations of Nikolsburg as follows :

* You know that I was very much opposed to
Bismarck during the conflict, but when the welfare of
the country was at stake, I went to him and assured
him of my support. As I was going up the steep hill
to the castle at Nikolsburg, I met Greneral von Moltke
halfway, who said to me : " You will find a fine state
of things up there ; the King and Bismarck are not on
speaking terms. The Emperor of Austria has offered
peace through the mediation of the Emperor Napoleon
on condition of the integrity of Saxony being pre-
served. The King will not agree to this." On my
arrival I found matters really in this state : the Eong
and Bismarck had shut themselves in their rooms, and
neither would go to the other. I acted the pcui; of
mediator. A council of war was called and the affidr
discussed. Then the King turned to me, the only
occasion on which he did so, and said : " Speak, you,
in the name of the future." '

The Crown Prince then related in detail the further
negotiations with Saxony until the definite settlement
in Beriin with King John in person.

Duke Ernest of Coburg gives the following account
in his memoirs of the further intervention of the
Crown Prince during the peace negotiations :

* On taking leave of Count Bismarck at Nikolsburg
(July 29), I was surprised to hear that even at this
stage of the negotiations for peace all difficulties,

especially with regard to Hanover and Hesse, were

280

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

not yet settled. I therefore proposed that the Count
should drive with me to the Crown Prince at Eisgrub.
The Crown Prince expected me to breakfast, as I
hoped to get back in time. Count Bismarck gladly
accepted my proposal.

*0n our arrival at Eisgrub, Count Bismarck went
at once to the Crown Prince, while I made my pre-
parations for my next day's journey and took leave of
many of my comrades at headquarters. Count Bis-
marck left us after breakfast and returned to Nikols-
burg. The Crown Prince promised to follow him
thither next day, and later on I had an oppor-
tunity of hearing that this last intervention by
the Crown Prince with regard to the settlement
of the annexation questions had been highly suc-
cessful, so that the King's message of incorporation
could be read in both Chambers of the Landtag on
August 17.'

After the conclusion of the preliminaries of peace,
the dispute between the Crown and the Parliament
had to be arranged, and the Crown Prince again took
an active part in the negotiations during the return
journey from Prague to Berlin on August 4, 1866.
Bismarck explained at length to the Ring in the
presence of the Crown Prince the reasons why it was
now necessary for the Crown to obtain a bill of
indemnity from the Landtag sanctioning the late
acts of the Qovemment. The King, strong in the
consciousness of victory, was vehemently opposed to
the idea of asking pardon by means of a bill of
indemnity, while Bismarck considered it necessary to
build a golden bridge for the retreat of his Parlia-
mentary opponents, restoring the internal peace of

281

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

Prussia before continuing the German policy of the
King. Bismarck's conversation with the King and
the Crown Prince lasted for some hours, and took
place in a railway-carriage. Though the Crown Prince
did not support Bismarck openly, he at all events
manifested his full agreement with him.

By means of a correspondence between Bismarck
and the other Ministers during the stay of the former
at Nikolsburg, the draft of the Speech fix>m the
Throne had been drawn up, and had been accepted by
His Majesty, with the exception of the clause relating
to the indemnity. At last, however, the King re-
luctantly assented to that also, and the Landtag was
opened on August 5 with the announcement that
the representatives of the country were to proceed to
an ex post facto approval of the administration, carried
on without an Appropriation Act.*

The Crown Prince reached Berlin on August 4, and
went to Potsdam the following morning to visit the
tomb of his deceased son Sigismund in the Friedens-
kirche. He then attended the opening of the Landtag
by the King on August 6, before rejoining his consort
and children at Heringsdorf to enjoy a few days of
peace and happiness after the toils and excitement of
the campaign.

The Crown Prince now took an eager part in the
regulation of German affairs. He admitted to the
Ministers that during the campaign he had become
convinced of the skill with which the diplomatic
business had been conducted. He said he would not
give up what had been gained by the Prussian

* Bismarok's 'Beflections and Bemimscencee/ vol. iL, p. 69
et seq.

282

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

victories for anything in the world. He was now in
favour of annexation, and expressed himself strongly
at a Cabinet meeting against the Guelphs and the
Houses of Hesse and Nassau. During the first part
of August all the Ministers of South Germany
assembled in Berlin to negotiate with the Prussian
Government. At this period powerful eflforts were
constantly made to influence King William in favour
of the mediatized German Princes, but the King
remained firm. In this connection Herr Abeken
remarks in reference to the Crown Prince in a letter
of August 10 to his wife :

*The Crown Prince is acting very well, and the
campaign and the stirring time have had a good
effect upon him, not the least of the successes of
that period being that there has been a rapproche-
ment between him and Bismarck, and that at least in
external and German policy he thoroughly agrees
with him.'*

The Crown Prince did not, however, desire to be
identified with the Prussian Ministry, and in an-
nouncing his reconciliation with their external policy
at the same time declared his strong disapproval of
their domestic policy.

At that time the idea was mooted that the Crown
Prince should take up his residence at Hanover as
Viceroy. Both the town and country were accus-
tomed to a Court in their midst, and it was desirable
that the capital should not suffer firom the change.
Moreover, the sympathetic personality of the Crown
Prince and his warm interest in matters of public

* Heinrioh Abeken, 'A Simple Life in Tronblons TimeB,'
p. 346.

283

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

utility guaranteed a favourable development of affisurs
under the altered circumstanoes. The plan fell
through, however, as the Crown Prince made the
acceptance of this position dependent upon conditions
which in the interests of the uniform government of
the Prussian State could not be granted.

During the following weeks the Crown Prince and
fiEimily stayed at Schloss Erdmannsdorf in Silesia.
He devoted his whole time to the supervision and
improvement of the war hospital established in the
Hirschberg district. He was assisted herein by his
royal consort, who had already at Berlin and during
her stay at Heringsdorf given the warmest support to
the care of the wounded, and had fitted up a number
of rooms in her palace for the reception of wounded
officers. They made visits of inspection together
almost daily, and only a few days were devoted to
recreation, in the form of mountain excursions.
During these trips the mountaineers got to know
the Prince as a happy father, whose greatest delight
was to take one or the other of his children on his
back and carry them up the steepest inclines of the
road. The people were sorry indeed to part from the
royal couple on September 18.

Later on the Crown Princess arranged a charity

bazaar in her palace at Berlin, to which the most

heterogeneous collection of gifts was sent fix)m all

parts of the monarchy, and even of the world. Soon

an astonishing quantity of costly and usefiil articles

were set in order. The bazaar waa arranged in

numerous sections, with saleswomen of high rank

presiding at each, while the Crown Prince himself

went round with a purse to collect money for his

284

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

brave soldiers. Thousands of thalers were obtained
in this manner for the wounded.

Peace between Prussia and Austria was signed
at Prague on August 23, and the exchange of rati-
fications took place a week later. Austria agreed to
recognise the dissolution of the German Confedera-
tion, consenting to the reorganization of Grermany to
the exclusion of the Austrian Empire, and trans-
ferring her rights to Schleswig and Holstein to
the King of Prussia. By the incorporation of these
Duchies, together with Hanover, the Electorate of
Hesse, the Duchy of Nassau and the free town of
Frankfort, the Prussian State acquired an increase of
above 1,300 square (Grerman) miles of territory and
more than 4,000,000 of inhabitants.

On September 5 the Prussian army set out on
its homeward march fix)m Austria, and the Crown
Prince issued the following army order to the troops
led by him :

' Peace has been made with Austria. A campaign
unequalled in glory throughout history has been
brought to a brilliant close in less than three montha
The dignity and position of Prussia have been con-
siderably augmented, and the principles of a prosperous
and successful development of the destiny of Grermany
have, Grod willing, been safe-guarded.

' The Second Army has had a decisive share in the
successes of this campaign. By the engagements at
Nachod and Skalitz, at Schweinschadel, Soor and
Koniginhof, we protected the fair province of Silesia
from invasion, defeated four Austrian army corps one
after another, and established communications with

285

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866

the First Army. In the glorious battle of Koniggratz,
won under the King's command, the Second Aimy
had the honour of deciding the day. In an eager and
untiring pursuit of the enemy we fought several
victorious engagements at Tobitschau and in the
neighbourhood of Olmiitz, and had at length reached
the gates of the enemy's capital, when Austria
negotiated for peace.

' You can look back on yoiu* deeds with just pride ;
every one of you has done his duty in the full sense
of the word ; and the achievements of the Second
Army will take a worthy place in oiur history, already
rich in glory and honoiur. With you I thank God
for leading us from victory to victory, and after a
short and glorious war to an honourable peace. As
long as I live it will be an inspiring feeling and a
dear and everlasting remembrance to have stood at
the head of the brave troops of the Guard Ck>rp6,
and the 1st, 5th and 6th Army Corps during this
memorable war.

' On bidding a hearty £strewell to my gallant and
beloved Second Army, I thank the Generals and
officers, the non-commissioned officers and soldiers,
for their bravery, endurance, and devotion to duty,
and I express my anticipation that during the peace
all will endeavour to preserve untarnished and undi-
minished the old, but still well maintained, reputation
of the Prussian army.

' Frederick William,

* Crown Prince.
' Bbbluy, September 8, 1866.'

A week later the dissolution of the command of

286

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

the Second Army was announced by a Royal Cabinet
Order.

In his diary Theodor von Bemhardi cites an inter-
esting remark made by the Emperor Napoleon on
the subject of the Crown Prince s victories about this
time :

* I spent the evening at Droysen s. Baron Dyhm
told us that the Princess Biron of Courland, nSe
Princess von Meschtschersky, is in correspondence
with some members of the present Court circle in
France, and that in letters she has received
Napoleon III. is said to have been veiy much dis-
turbed and put out by the Prussian victories ; on
hearing of the Crown Prince s successes he struck the
table with his hand in a sort of despair, and exclaimed,
" The future King a good General, too ! That is the
last straw !" or words to that effect.'

On September 18 the Crown Prince took part in
the triumphal entry of the troops into Breslau. King
William took up his position on horseback near the
monument of Frederick the Great, while the victorious
troops marched past with waving standards and martial
music, amid the loud cheers of the people.

On the same morning the Crown Prince received the
following letter from his father :

' Berlin,

' September 20, 1866.

' At the commencement of the war now so gloriously
concluded, I gave you the greatest possible proof of
royal and paternal confidence, by entrusting you with
the command of an army. You have fiilly justified

287

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [i866

this confidence by winning victory after victory at the
head of the Second Army, which has gained one of the
foremost positions in the history of the Prussian Army
by its endurance, devotion, and bravery. By an
honourable peace, a future is opened up to Prussia and
Germany, which you one day will be called upon to
consummate with the aid of God.

'In recognition of your glorious leadership, and
following the example of my late Eling and fetther in
1815, I have prepared a special decoration for you and
Prince Frederick Charles, consisting of a golden star
with the medallion of our great ancestor, Frederick
the Great, and the inscription " Pour le mSrite,*' and
the cross belonging to it, to be worn round the neck ;
I herewith send it you. The army commanded by
you will see, in this decoration bestowed upon you, a
new recognition of their deeds, which have earned the
warmest gratitude of their King and country.

' Your grateful King and father,

'William.

* To my son, the Grown Prinoe.'

On September 20 and 21 the Prussian Guards made
th'eu' special entry into the capital. On this occasion
the Crown Prince received a further mark of distinction
from his father. When the Rifle Battalion of the
Guards had reached the position of the King, on their
march through the Brandenburg Gate, the monarch
placed himself at the head of the battalion, and led
them past the Crown Prince with drawn sword.

A complete political amnesty was granted on the
occasion of the triumphal entry of the troops into

Berlin. The merit of having persuaded the King to

288

i866] INCIDENTS OF THE SIX WEEKS' CAMPAIGN

this act of grace is due to the joint exertions of the
Crown Prince and Count Bismarck.

On the day of the entry Bismarck visited the
Crown Prince at Potsdam. On this occasion he is
said to have observed to the Crown Prince : * What
matter if they hang me, provided the rope by which
they string me up unites this new Cermany more
firmly to your throne V

It was universally remarked on the second day of
the entry that the Crown Prince and Bismarck had a
long and apparently cordial conversation during the
march past of the troops.

289 u

CHAPTER Xm

THE CROWN PRJNCE UNDER THE NORTH OEBJCAN

CONFEDERATION

1866-69

In the month of September, the marriage of the
Czarewich with Princess Dagmar of Denmark took
place, and in compliance with the Kings commands
the Crown Prince set out with a large suite for
St. Petersburg in order to represent his father on
that occasion. After the ceremony was over, the
Crown Prince remained in Bussia until the middle of
November as the guest of the Czar, who treated his
German visitors with great distinction.

On his return to Berlin the Crown Prince found
some useful work awaiting him. An International
Exhibition was projected in Paris for the following
year, and he was called upon to preside at the consul-
tations at the Ministry of Commerce with reference to
the question of sending exhibits to Paris.

According to Kothan s work, * L'Affaire du Luxem-
bourg * (p. 92), when the cession of Luxemburg to
France was first mooted (early in December, 1866), the
Crown Prince questioned Bismarck upon the subject

of the rimiour of an alliance between Prussia and

290

i866] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

France, and made the inquiry : * Against whom is it
directed ? I am not aware that either Austria or
Bussia is in a position to threaten us.' Bismarck's
reply is not known, but at the end of February or the
beginning of March, 1867, he remarked to Benedetti
that he was glad to be able to report that the Crown
Prince was beginning to realize that the only means
of averting war and risking the gains of 1866 con-
sisted in an arrangement with France.

At this period certam officers of high rank con-
sidered a war with France to be inevitable ; and that,
if it were not imdertaken at once by Prussia, it would ^
be forced upon her in a few years* time, after Napoleon ' IJ
had completed his preparations, when her chances
would be less favourable. Count Bismarck did not
share this view. * Every year,' he said, * that is won
for peace increases the prospect of its lasting main-
tenance, and lessens the actual danger of war.'
The Crown Prince shared the Minister-President's
view.

A remarkable observation of the Crown Prince
on the subject of war, made in May, 1868, has been
reported by Professor Bluntschli, as follows :

' You have not seen war ! If you had seen
it, you would not utter the word so calmly. I
have had experience of war, and I must tell you
that it is the greatest of all duties to avoid war
whenever possible.*

The following interesting letter was written about

this time by the Crown Prince to his cousin, the

Prince of Boumania, to whom he was deeply attached.

Their friendship had been greatly strengthened during

the campaign against Denmark, in which Prince

291 u 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

Charles of HohenzoUem-Siginaringen, as he then was,
had acted as orderly officer to the Crown Prince :

'BSBLIN,

< Jamary 27, 1867.

* To-morrow your brother is passing through here
on his way to you, and I seize the opportunity of
writing to you after so long a silence. First I must
thank you most heartily for the kind and firiendly
letters that reached me in the most sublime and at
the same time the most tragic moments of my life-— at
the grave of my son, your godchild, and after the
victories that I was enabled to gain ! . . . There is
no grief to be compared with that of seeing one's own
child fading away and sinking into the grave. One
would gladly give one's own life to save that which
owes its existence to one s self. To know that one's
child is in the grave is a thought which we mortals
cannot realize until we stand before the tomb itself
in all its horrible reality. Such experiences rob life
of all charm that still remained to it, and only the
thought of duty gives one courage to go on living.

* Forgive these wanderings, but I assure you that
when I think of my dead boy I ask myself, and so
does Victoria, how it is possible after such a loss to
bear the burden of everyday life. God helps us on,
and allows time to blunt the sharpest pangs, though
the grief remains unchanged. . . .

* You can imagine, dear Charles, how I missed you
during the campaign. Leopold was a welcome
substitute, and had the opportunity of seeing war at
first hand ; he was a great comfort to me in the days

when I had to struggle between my grief and the most

292

1869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

important decisions. The experiences that you and I
gained in 1864 were of the greatest help to me, and
not less so was the advice of men like Blumenthal and
Stosch, for whom I have the greatest esteem. Both
of them will do great things for the army, if they are
rightfully employed. My army corps were the
greatest help that I could have wished for, as the
good sense natural to our coimtrymen, combined with
the training given by our officers, proves that Prussia
is a nation in arms in the best sense of the word.
Steinmetz was the right man in the right place at
Nachod and Skalitz, and poor Mutius did wonders at
Koniggratz. The Guard Corps had good leaders, and
every man in it fought splendidly.'

The political reorganization of the country rendered
reforms and new arrangements of various kinds indis-
pensable. Here we find the Crown Prince eagerly
following the current of affairs, and seeking informa-
tion from every available source, by means either of
conversation with eminent politicians or requests for
memoranda on the topics of the day, as well as by
close study of the best available political^ pei^iodicala

Among the men whose opinion was valued by the
Crown Prince, Coimt Bethusy-Huc, an able politician
imbued with strong patriotism, took a leading posi-
tion. Inclining more to the Right than to the Left,
Bethusy was neither a reactionary nor yet a dogmatic
Liberal. The Crown Prince expressed a desire to learn
his views regarding the course to be piu*sued by Prussia,
after the establishment of the North German Confedera-
tion, and whether the policy initiated by Bismarck met

with general approval.

293

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

In compljang with this request, Count Bethusy
drew up a lengthy memorandum, handed to the Prince
on February 25, 1867, which is one of the soundest
pieces of work penned by that expert political writer.
This document, rendered still more forcible by the
verbal explanations of the author, exerted a powerful
influence on the Crown Prince, and caused him to come
round more and more to his fathers, or rather
Bismarck's, policy, and to abandon all opposition to
the men who had achieved victory along the whole
line. The leading arguments adduced by Bethusy
were briefly : The unity of Germany was desired by
the German nation and the Hohenzollerns, but was
opposed by all German Cabinets, Court Chamberlains
and Court tradesmen, as well as by(every)foreign nation
and Government. Since power must precede unity,
and unity liberty, the first step towards the aims of
Germany must be the introduction of universal service,
so abhorrent to the supporters of * particularism. ' To
reap the full benefit of this increase of strength, the
Parliament must sanction the normal military ex-
penditure for a term of five, or at the le€U3t three, yeara
After considering the objects to be aimed at in
legislating for communal administration, the judica-
ture, and the commercial interests of Prussia with
political liberty for all creeds. Count Bethusy turned
to the men in whose hands the policy of Prussia had
been placed.

Admitting that Count Bismarck was * perfectly un-
principled in the usual political sense of the word,' he
added that for all that the Minister-President adhered
strictly to the one cardinal principle — to make Prussia

the greatest and strongest power in Germany, which

294

i869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

involved the converse of eflTecting the unity of Germany
through Prussia. Bismarck's apparent delight in
political strife and his unique ability to draw advantage
fix)m disadvantageous situations often led him to
irritate his opponents by openly showing his contempt
of their idealistic tendencies. Bismarck's influence on
the King was greatly overrated, for though the latter
was e€U3ily deterred, he could only be persuaded to take
action by the greatest efforts — at times not at all.
The subtle and ever-changing views of his Minister,
who had gained his position only at a time of the
direst need, were naturally antipathetic to his simple
and straightforward nature.

Bismarck, the hero of the Conservatives, was now
forced to requite their services with concessions which
rendered a rapprochement with the Liberals daily more
difficult. Isolated in the present time and without
prospect of support in the ftiture, Bismarck would be
forced to abandon his great ideal for the sake of
ephemeral success. His most effective support would
be the Crown Prince of Prussia,;^who) after convincing
himself that Bismarck had the same object in view,
could hold the balance now trembling between the
ideal and the practical. Supported by that tower of
strength in the present, and a still more powerftd one
in the future, the Minister-President would be able to
devote himself whole-hearted to the realisation of his
fisirseeing plans.

' The ftiture of the Crown Prince is the ftiture of
Prussia and Germany. The Crown Prince is not
merely the Heir Apparent ; he is also a Hohenzoller,
he is a Prussian. It is in this capacity that the Father-
land even now expects him to employ all his energies.

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

* The Crown Prince has joyfully risked his life for
the Fatherland. If he considers it of any service, he
will as gladly sacrifice himself daily and hourly to
such labours/

In the meantime, on February 24, the Constituent
Parliament was opened at Berlin, to firame a Constitu-
tion for the North German Confederation. The
Government had the difficult task of settling a
multitude of details with the Parliament. The
debates on the responsibility of Ministers, universal
suffirage, the creation of an Upper House, the duration
of the sessions, and the payment of members, were
hotly contested, while the discussions on military
matters and the finances of the Confederation lasted
for weeks.

Finally, on April 17 Bismarck was able to announce
the acceptance of the draft by the Federated Govern-
ments, whilst the dangers arising from the Luxemburg
dispute were set aside by the mediation of the Great
Powers, who guaranteed the neutrality of Luxemburg
in return for the withdrawal of the Prussian garrison
and the razing of the fortifications.

The Crown Prince had taken a warm interest in

the participation of the German industries at the

International Exhibition at Paris, and in his capacity

as President of the Prussian Committee he decided to

visit the French capital, though no doubt political

considerations also had some influence on this decision :

after the peaceable settlement of the Luxemburg

affair, a visit of the Crown Prince of Prussia to the

Imperial Court could only tend to promote firiendly

relations between the two countries.

Although the Crown Prince and his consort travelled

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1869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

incognito, the Emperor sent his aide-de-camp, General
Count Reille, to meet them on their arrival in Paris
on May 24. At noon the following day the royal
guests drove in state to the Tuileries, where they were
cordially welcomed by the Emperor and Empress, who
gave a state banquet in their honour in the evening.

The Crown Prince and Princess were present at
the races in the Bois de Boulogne, and sifterwards
at the performance at the Comedie Fran9aise in
the evening. After receiving the return visit of
the Emperor and Empress on the 28th, the royal
couple attended a ball given by Prince Mettemich
at the Austrian Embassy. The daily intercourse
with the Imperial Family was of a very cordial and
friendly character.

Among the eminent persons who had the honour of
being presented to the Crown Prince and Princess
was Ernest Benan, the author of the ' Vie de J^us.'
Benan was invited to visit them at the Prussian
Embassy, where he discussed questions of philosophy,
metaphysics and literature with the Crown Princess
and her consort. The French savant spoke of her
aft;erwards as a ' very remarkable woman.'

Under the influence of the cordial welcome extended
to him, the Crown Prince succeeded in persuading his
father to join him in Paris. Attended by Count
Bismarck, the King reached the French capital on
June 5, having been met at Compi^gne by the Crown
Prince.

On the following day a grand review took place in

the Bois de Boulogne in honour of the Prussian

royalties and the Czar of Bussia. As the Crown

Princess quitted Paris on the 7th, the Prince joined

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

his father at the TuilerieB, and aocompanied the
Imperial Court to Fontamebleau on June 11, after
attending a magnificent fdte given in their honour at
the H6tel de Ville.

The Crown Prince made good uee of his visit by
thoroughly acquainting himself with every section of
the Exhibition^ and by inspecting the great public
institutions of the capital. The impression he made
on the Parisians was very favourable, and added to
the reputation he already enjoyed as a successful
commander in the late war with Austria. The visit
came to an end on June 14,. when the King and his
son returned to Prussia. fk -

In the autumn of 1867 the Province of East Prussia
suffered severely owing to the failure of the crops
and the scarcity of employment. The relief works
authorized by the Government were supplemented by
the foundation of a relief society at the instigation of
the Crown Prince, with whose active help the society
did much to improve the situation of the unfortunate
inhabitants, by procuring light work for the women
and children as well as for the less able-bodied men.

On February 10, 1868, another son was bom to
the Crown Prince and Princess, and received the
names of Joachim Friedrich Ernst Waldemar.

An observation of Count Bismarck to Professor
BlUntschli about this time (April, 1868) gives ample
evidence of the value of the Crown Prince's attitude
at that critical period in deciding not only the fate of
Prussia, but of Germany as well. It ran thus :

' At the time of the suggestion of an indemnity for
the Government without a Budget after the 1866

campaign, the question of restoring absolutism again

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cropped up. I personally am not a supporter of any
constitutional system, and I told them so.* *^ Prussia
can be governed by absolutism, and she attained her
greatness under absolutism. But it is impracticable
to rule now thk way. now that way. The State
cannot flourish if it wavers between two systems.
Have you obtained the consent of the Crown Prince
to the reintroduction of an absolutist regime ? K not,
we must not abandon the path of the Constitution
and return to absolutism, for the latter would only
prevail until the accession of the Crown Prince."
This consideration proved decisive, as they knew that
the Crown Prince would never consent.*

In the spring of 1868 the Crown Prince formed the
plan of returning the visit paid to the Prussian Court in
1867 by the Italian Heir- Apparent, Prince Humbert.

The conduct of the correspondence between the
respective Cabinets was entrusted to the Prussian
Under-Secretary of State, Herr von Thiele, who had
from the first supported the idea as being one likely to
produce favourable political results. Count Bismarck
was also impressed with the advantages of a closer
connection with the Italian Court, and found no
difficulty in obtaining King William's consent.

In reply to Thiele s inquiry about the feeling of
the Italian Court and Government towards the pro-
posed visit. Count Usedom, the Prussian Ambassador
in Florence, was able to state that the visit would be
received with great pleasure. No sooner had Coimt
Menabrea, the Minister- President, mentioned the
subject to King Victor Emmanuel than the latter

* A deputation of the Gonseryative party met Bismarck at
Prague on the terminatioD of the war witn Austria.

299

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

gave orders to prepare residences for the Crown Prince
in Turin and Florence. In a veiy cordial letter Prince
Humbert invited the Crown Prince to be present at
his marriage with Princess Margherita, daughter of the
Duke of Genoa.

Meanwhile Count Usedom had informed Bismarck
that General La Marmora might possibly intend to
pay his respects to the Crown Prince, notwithstanding
the hostile position he had assumed towards Prussia,
and especially towards Bismarck. In his public speeches
La Marmora had hinted at being on good terms with
the King of Prussia, and that his grudge was solely
directed against the person of the Minister- President.
The possibility therefore existed that the General
might reckon on the Crown Prince ignoring his former
insulting utterances and insinuations. In Usedom's
opinion, the policy of Prussia would be seriously com-
promised if such presumption were to be tolerated
from an opponent of La Marmora's standing, and he
therefore desired that the Crown Prince might be
advised not to receive the General until the latter had
publicly withdrawn his insinuations against Prussia
and Bismarck.

The following letter, forwarded to the Crown Prince
by Bismarck before the commencement of the journey,
contains a reference to this subject, in addition to some
political observations for the Prince's guidance :

' BsBLm,

• April 13, 186a

* Most Illustrious Crown Prince,

*I have the honour to submit to your Royal

Highness the copy of a report forwarded by Count

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i869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

von Usedom on the 5th inst., in which he draws
attention to the possihility that the former Minister,
General La Marmora, might attempt to pay his
respects to your Boyal Highness, at the same time
expressing his fears as to the impression which might
be made on public opinion by the reception of the
General by your Boyal Highness.

* In obedience to a verbal command from His Majesty
the King, I humbly beg to add a few general remarks
to the Ambassador's observations.

* Your Boyal Highness is aware that public opinion
in Italy and the Sjonpathies of the Italian nation form
the chief element of our relations with Italy, and our
best support against those tendencies which seek to
urge the Italian Government in another direction.
Your Boyal Highness has yourself regarded your visit
in the light of a sympathetic demonstration, through
which the great national party may be encouraged
and strengthened in their attachment to Prussia.

^ Greneral La Marmora stands at the head of the

party generally known as the Franco-Piedmontese,

which, though small, is influential in the upper classes

of society and at Court. Courteous and agreeable in

his manners and conversation, the General was very

well received here in Berlin on a former occasion.

During his term of office, however, he showed little

sympathy with Prussia, and has not assisted the

accomplishment of the alliance in any way ; it is said

that he desired to gain Venice without a blow by

means of a peaceful negotiation with Austria, and that

he was only thwarted in this by the force of public

opinion. During the Italian war in the year 1866 he

displayed such lukewarmness and want of energy that

301

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

even at that time his abilities were doubted less than
his sincerity and good faith. Since then he has not
only opposed Prussian policy in speeches and pamphlets,
but has endeavoured to rouse suspicion against it by
calumnies. Your Boyal Highness will remember a
speech he made last year, as well as his published
address to his constituents in Biella not long aga I
take the liberty of humbly enclosing two pamphlets of
recent date, which, although not bearing his signature,
have been published under his directions, and a copy
of the report with which Count Usedom forwarded
them, as a glance at these will be of interest to your
Boyal Highness at the present moment. In all these
publications a rapprochement with France, in opposi-
tion to a closer alliance with Prussia, is represented as
the only safe course for Italy ; and there can be nO
doubt that public opinion is correct in ascribing to
General La Marmora the intention, should he ever
again stand at the head of a Ministry, of directing
Francophile policy, and of taking an active part in a
possible conflict with Prussia. From the French point
of view, the re-entrance of La Marmora into power in
place of Menabrea is therefore both desired and
favoured.

'As it is assuredly in the interest of Prussia to
prevent this, we shall find our best support in public
opinion and the sympathies of the Italian nation,
which assert themselves both within and without the
Chambers in an energetic fashion.

' General La Marmora himself appears to feel the
weight of this same public opinion, and to realize that
therein lies the chief hindrance to his re-entrance into

power. He therefore desires to have it believed that he

302

1869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

is not an unconditional opponent of Prussia, and in
certain circumstances would even be in a position to
enter into connection with our country. Hence the en-
deavours referred to by Count Usedcwn, to feign good
relations with the highly placed personages in Berlin,
and to represent himself as a persona ingrata only to
the present Ministry of Prussia. These attempts are
transparent enough to be recognised — at least, here—
not as a conversion, but as a temporary manoeuvre to
influence public opinion.

* A gracious reception of the General by your Royal
Highness would promote the success of this manoeuvre
with the public, and hence further his prospects ; I
trust I may take it for granted that your Royal
Highness will avoid this. The prospect of winning a
former opponent by kindness seems delusive, even
should personal motives have contributed to his
antagonism, owing, it is said, to his disappointment of
the expected Order (the Black Eagle). I am not in a
position to decide whether this has any foundation ;
it would only be an act of weakness to make good
anything of the kind now.

' The history of former Cabinets in Florence shows
clearly how powerful public opinion in Italy still
is. After the forced resignation of the Ricasoli
Ministry, which had very pronounced sympathies with
Prussia, and tended to render Italian policy indepen-
dent of France by means of a closer connection with
us, a French policy was universally anticipated from
the Ratazzi Ministry ; nevertheless, they, too, were very
soon drawn into the national current, though through
exaggeration in this direction they were swept away,
and fell, to a certain extent, victims to this policy.

303

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

The course of the present Ministry is very similar,
only that it proceeds with less vehemence. Having
secured Batazzi's position through French influence,
they are again subject to the same necessity of doing
justice to the national sympathies by seeking the
fi:iendship of Pnissia. The attitude hitherto observed
by the* Cabinet gives us no reason to question its good
will, or to recognise any advantage that we might
gain by its falL This development certainly seems
to show that direct action contrary to these national
sympathies, and the return to a FrancophQe poUcy,
would only be possible by means of French violence
and by a coup (Tetat. La Marmora is the right man
for such a scheme, and his C€mdidature would be
regarded as involving this course.

'Your Boyal Highness will allow me humbly to
remark that while the confirmation and revival of
the national sympathies is an important object of
your journey in the eyes of His Majesty the King,
yet there would be objections to detailed discussions
of the future and the impending development of the
political position, or remarks upon the subject of
the attitude of Prussia, beyond a general assurance
of goodwill

* With deepest respect, I remain,
' Your Boyal Highness's most humble servant,

* VoN Bismabcel'

On April 16 the Crown Prince started on his
journey to Italy. On his arrival in Munich the
following day he was greeted with a demonstrative
reception at the railway-station amid the loud cheers

of the crowd. Prince Otto of Bavaria and the highest

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i869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

officials were present to welcome him, as the King was
prevented by indisposition from leaving the castle.
Louis II. was, however, able to receive the Crown
Prince on several occasions.

The Crown Prince had several conversations with
Prince Hohenlohe, then President of the Bavarian
Ministry, before continuing his journey on the evening
of the 18 th.

In a series of long letters to his father, the Crown
Prince described the magnificent reception accorded to
him by the Italian nation at every halt on his journey.
Wherever the Prince or any of his suite appeared,
they were greeted with enthusiastic cries of ^ JEwiva
Prussia/' ^Evviva Prussia fFangelo protettoreiT Italia f
and the like. The Italian troops naturally attracted
the Prince's attention. But whilst the Bersaglieri,
with their picturesque, semi-Garibaldian imiform, the
well-horsed cavalry and artillery, evoked his favourable
comment, he was obliged to confess that the army as
a whole, like other institutions of the State, was still
more or less immature, and that years must elapse
before the standard aimed at by the King of Italy
could be attained. He was particularly struck with
the great esteem in which the artillery was held, since
nearly all the Generals and royal aides-de-camp
were selected from that branch of the service. The
Crown Prince was delighted to observe that even
in the hospitals and the arrangements for tending
the wounded the Italians were inclined to follow the
Prussian rather than the French modeL

In an article describing the Crown Prince's recep-
tion at Turin, a writer in the French newspaper
Le Monde quoted a remark of a Turin journal, to the

305 X

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

effect that no such enthusiasm had been witnessed in
Turin since the arrival of the first French battalions
in 1859. It then continued: 'I call that good luck.
This one Prince is as much to the people of Turin
as all the soldiers and money of France, and as
the crown which the French presented to Victor
Emmanuel on the point of their bayoneta Lucky
Prince of Prussia !'

The following accounts are taken fix)m other Conti-
nental newspapers :

' On his arrival at Turin, the Prince of Prussia
embraced Prince Humbert and his brother with
marked fervoiu*, and seems to have made a strong
impression upon the people of Turin. The Prince is
a fine-looking man, tall and well made, with a martial
air. He smiles almost constantly, and meets with
ovations wherever he goes.'

* This morning the Crown Prince of Prussia visited
some of our military establishments. The Prince is
much liked by our soldiers, who speak with pleasure
of the interest displayed by His Royal Highness in
all that concerns the minutest details of the military
service. A subject of general pleasure is the extreme
politeness and the amiable courtesy shown by Prince
Frederick William during the journey fix)m Verona to
Turin. In every garrison town a detachment was
sent to the station to pay military honours to the
Prince. In spite of the rain, His Royal Highness
always alighted at every station, to pass along the
line of troops and personally thank the officers,*

The political importance ascribed to the Crown
Prince's visit by the Italian nation is expressed in

an article of the Riforma of April 23, 1868, which

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1 869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

reports that fix)m every quarter the inhabitants
hastened with spontaneous enthusiasm from Verona
to Turin to welcome the Crown Prince of Prussia,
whilst the other guest, the French Prince, landed
in silence at Genoa, and arrived in silence at Turin,
so that no one knew of his presence except those
who were bound to greet him by ties of duty or
relationship. In this contrast lay a lesson, a sign and
a warning. The feeling that the French alliance, as
interpreted by the policy of the *heir of Mentana,'
was now but a shameful servitude had penetrated all
classes of the population of Italy, and this explained
the cold reception of the Prince, who still represented
the Liberal policy. The welcome given to the Crown
Prince was not only an act of gratitude to the leader
of the war which gave Venice to Italy, but also a
proof that the conscience of the Italian people would
always decline to consent to a new proposal of alliance
to the injury of the prospects of German unity — a
proposal aiming at a conquest which had nothing to
do with Italy, and the object of which was a pre-
ponderance of power which was as injurious to the
liberty of Italy as to that of other nationa The
Italian people had instinctively hastened to greet in
the hero of Sadowa the probable opponent of an
intolerable and redoubtable enemy.

The ovations which the Crown Prince had received
made some impression at the Court of the Tuileries.
It is said that Prince Jerome Napoleon wrote at once
to his imperial cousin from Turin, pointing out the
necessity of entering upon a different policy with regard
to the Roman question.

In a conversation which took place between Count

307 X 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

Bismarck and Profeosor BlUntschli on April 30, 1868,
at Berlin, the former referred as follows to the Grown
Prince s Italian visit :

' The Crown Prince's reception in Italy has surprised
nobody except the Crown Prince himself. The King
sent him there, because we knew that he would be
enthusiastically received, and because we wished to
prevent a La Marmora Ministry. Our aim has been
achieved. A Ministry hostile to us is no longer
possible.'

There was but one opinion concerning the tactful
reserve maintained by the Crown Prince in reply to
the demonstrations of the Italian population. At the
tournament at Turin he was the hero of the crowd,
whose cheers were for him exclusively, though he
very properly ignored this fact in the presence of the
Boyal Family. A similar occurrence took place at the
Pergola Theatre in Florence on the evening of May 1.
The Bolognese too wished to celebrate the presence
of the Crown Prince by festivities, which he declined.
In short, during the whole time of his visit he kept
himself continually in the background, without showing
that he was aware of being the chief object of interest
to the people.

It was the subject of great annoyance at the Vatican
that the Crown Prince abandoned the idea of going
from Florence to Rome, to visit the Popa The (it)wn
Prince, however, was of opinion that a journey to
Home would spoil the whole effect of his visit, in
consideration of the incessant and cordial manifesta-
tions of the Italian enthusiasm for Prussia; he laid
stress upon this in a telegram to his august £Either.

In recognition of the achievements of the Crown

308

1869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

Prince in the Austrian campaign, King Victor Em-
manuel conferred upon him the Grand Cross of the
Military Order of Merit of Savoy.

The following amusing incident may be related in
conclusion :

Princess Margherita was dancing at a Court ball
with the son of the banker Cassano, who accidentally
trod upon and tore the trimming of the Princess's
dress, to the great excitement of the embarrassed
Ladies-in- Waiting. The Crown Prince of Prussia drew
a little case from his coat pocket, slipped off an elastic
band, took out a small pair of scissors, and, kneeling
down on one knee, cut off the strip of torn trimming.
When the Princess held out her hand to take the
fragment of lace, the Prince, to the general surprise,
stood up, pressed the precious relic to his heart, and
then methodically folded it up and put it in his coat
pocket. ' He is a true knight !' was the murmur
among the onlookers.

In reference to this incident, the Stuttgart Beobachter
remarked at the time : * These Prussians are sharp
fellows, always armed, and ready for everything.'

The following extracts firom letters by the Crown
Prince to the Prince of Boumania were written about
this time :

'Bbblim,

* AprU 16, 1668.

' I send you these lines on the eve of starting for
Italy to be present at the wedding of the Crown
Prince. . . .

* In politics everything seems in confusion ; yet

nobody wishes for war, and as long as Napoleon can

309

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

keep his fire-eaters in order we shall probably be
spared it. Many people think that in time the
burden of military expenses here in Germany will
result in fresh conflicts, which will be as serious as
those in Prussia of 1859-63. But I have confidence in
the good sense and experience which we have gained
during the last few years. May God guide our
destiny in peace to the union of the entire German
Fatherland ! . . .'

< PoTBDAM, New Palacb,

' September 21, 1868.

' . . . My Italian visit, of which, by the way, the
papers for once gave a correct account, was a great
succesa I do not suppose that any German, as repre-
sentative of his nation in Italy, ever before received
such an ovation as the Italians gave me this year, to
show their gratitude for our work of union ; I re-
turned highly delighted with my visit, during which
I became great friends with Victor Emmanuel
personally. Italy has a future before her, if she
Z^ b good hand. The Crown Prin.e« is in
every way adapted to play an important part in this
respect.*

The Crown Prince left Florence on May 8, and on
his way home paid a short visit to the Grand- Ducal
Court at Darmstadt. In reference to this the Grand-
Duchess Alice wi-ote to her mother, Queen Victoria,
on May 14, 1868 :

' Fritz spent a few hours with us on his way back
from Italy, and had much to tell us of his journey.
He has heard the most extraordinary reports that

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France intends to open hostilities against Germany
quite suddenly, and he asked me what you thought
about the probability of a war this summer.'

In the summer of 1869 the Khedive of Egypt
invited the King, the Crown Prince and Princess, and
Count Bismarck, to attend the ceremony of the
opening of the Suez Canal. His Majesty felt obliged
to decline the invitation on account of his age and of
the fatigues of the journey. Count Bismarck also
excused himself on the grounds of his official duties.
In regard to the invitation to the Crown Prince, the
King referred the question to Count Bismarck. The
King on his part hesitated, partly on account of the
great expense which the acceptance would entail.
Count Bismarck overcame these scruples, representing
the political eflTect from a visit of the Crown Prince
en route to the Emperor of Austria.

A notification was accordingly sent by telegram to
Vienna, that the Crown Prince, in accepting the
invitation of the Khedive to attend the ceremony
of the opening of the Suez Canal, would visit the
Emperor and the Imperial Family at Vienna, if it
should be agreeable to His Imperial Majesty.

A reply was immediately sent by the Emperor that
it would give him much pleasure to receive the visit of
the Crown Prince.*

The Crown Prince accordingly started on his journey
on October 3, accompanied by the Grand-Duke Louis
of Hesse, the husband of Princess Alice of Great
Britain.

He first went to Vienna, the object of this visit

* 'The Diplomatio BeminisoenceB of Lord Aogastas Loftu8|
1862-1879,' vol. L, p. 263 et seq. London, 1894.

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

being a renewal of firiendly relations between the two
Courts after the events of 1866. After passing several
pleasant days in that city as the Emperor's guest, he
travelled by way of Venice, Ravenna, and Brindisi to
the island of C!orfu, where he spent his birthday.
From thence he sailed along the coast of Albania to
Corinth, and arrived at Athens on October 20. On
board the ship Hertha he crossed the iEgean Sea two
days later, making an excursion to the site of Troy,
passed the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora, and
arrived at Constantinople on the morning of October 24.
The Sultan placed at his disposal a palace situated on
the Asiatic shore, and at his request ceded the site of
the ruined Convent of St. John at Jerusalem to the
King of Prussia, for the purpose of erecting a German
Protestant church.

On October 29 the Crown Prince left Constantinople,
and restched Jaffa on November 3. After visiting the
settlement of the ^Jerusalem Friends,' he set out
for Jerusalem, accompanied by a cavalry escort and
thirty marines of the German squadron ; the night
was passed at Bab-el- Wady.

At sunrise next day the long procession of riders
and beasts of burden continued their journey ; at the
village of Kolonieh the Crown Prince was received
by the German colony of Jerusalem ; the nearer he
approached to the city, the greater became the con-
course of people. Greek and Abyssinian monks came
to pay homage to him, while the spiritual and temporal
authorities, both Christian and Mohammedan, were
presented to him. The towers of Jerusalem and other
buildings now became visible. On arriving at the

Jaffa Gate, he turned in a north-easterly direction to

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1869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

the Damascus Gate, through which only the Sultan
and his representatives are allowed to pass, and made
his entry into Jerusalem. Dismounting near the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, he was received by the
clergy and conducted to the sacred spots. He carried
away a quantity of flowers from the church, to give,
as he said, * to his wife.'

The Crown Prince devoted the whole day to visiting
churches and other sacred places, and shortly before
sunset repaired to the Mount of Olives, where he
ascended the minaret of the mosque, which affords a
glorious view over the whole city.

About nine o'clock the whole German conmiunity
assembled in the Consular Building and presented an
address. In his reply the Crown Prince said that
*if everyone would labour industriously in his own
sphere, with the help of God, the great aim would
be accomplished, and German energy would achieve
what was necessary for the good of the Fatherland.'

The Crown Prince rode to Hebron, where he in-
spected the graves of the patriarchs, the mountain
reservoirs of King Solomon, Bethany, and some other
places of interest in Jerusalem on November 5 and 6.
The following Sunday, after a solemn service in the
Christ Church, where the Prince received Holy Com-
munion, possession was formally taken of the ruins
of the former Church of the Knights of St John.
The Governor of the city handed the Prince the
keys, whereupon the latter gave orders to fasten the
Arms of Prussia to the wooden entrance gate. After
this had been done the Prince advanced, bared his
head, and spoke in a clear voice :

' In the name of His Majesty the King, I hereby

313

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1866-

take possession of the ancient Church of the Knights
of St. John, and of all ruins and other remains of the
same both above and below ground. Three cheers for
His Majesty the King !'

The Prince then moimted the largest heap of ruins
in the inner space, where a small table was placed,
upon which lay the deed of cession, and signed it,
Consul- Greneral von Alton and the Pasha following his
example. After the completion of the ceremony and
a walk round the ruins, he returned to the Consulate.
About three o'clock the Crown Prince took leave and
rode to Jafia, to take ship for Beyrout, where he
explored the mountains and valleys of Lebanon
and Anti-Lebanon, before reaching Damascus on
November 11. Three days later he returned to
Beyrout, and on the 15th he travelled to Port Said,
the starting-point of the procession through the Suez
Canal, and there met the Emperor Francis Joseph of
Austria-Hungary, the Empress Eugenie of France,
Prince Henry of the Netherlands, and the Khedive of
Egypt.

On November 16 the religious ceremony of conse-
crating the Suez Canal took place, followed next day
by the formal opening. The Khedive led the van,
after him the Empress Eugenie, then the Emperor of
Austria, the Crown Prince of Prussia, and the Prince
of the Netherlands, each on a separate ship with his
own suite, followed by many other vessels. Ismailia
was reached on the first day, and Suez on the second.

Afiier taking train to Cairo, the Crown Prince
started on a voyage up the Nile as far as the First
Cataract, accompanied by his suite, now augmented by
Professors Lepsius and Dumichen. On November 25

i869] THE NORTH GERMAN CONFEDERATION

the Crown Prince landed in Upper Egypt, visited the
ruins of Luxor and Kamak in the plain of Thebes, and
on the 27th sailed as far as the First Cataract. Here
the whole party mounted camels and rode through the
desert. The Nile island of Philae and the ruins upon
it were visited the following day.

The Crown Prince returned to Cairo on December 3,
where he laid the foundation-stone of an Evangelical
church and ascended the Great Pyramid of Gizeh.
After a short stay at the Egyptian capital he pro-
ceeded to Alexandria and embarked on his homeward
voyage.

After a stormy passage to Naples the Crown Prince
received news from Cannes, where his family was
staying, that the Crown Princess was unable to meet
him on account of the illness of Prince Waldemar, and
the Prince therefore rejoined his family at Cannes.

On December 26 be travelled to Paris, and again
met with a very cordial reception by the Emperor
Napoleon III. and the Empress Eugenie.

After an absence of nearly three months, the Crown
Prince returned to Potsdam on the last day of 1869.

315

CHAPTER XIV

THE GROWN PRINCE IN THE FRANOO-GERMAN WAR

1870—1871

The beginning of the year 1870 aflTorded no visible
premonitory indication of the tremendous events which
were destined so soon to convulse the Ciontinent of
Europe. The proposed candidature of the Hohen-
zollem Prince for the throne of Spain — already
confidentially mooted and declined in the previous
year — was known to very few. Nor did it occur to
those who were in the secret that the project might
possibly crop up again. Thus, to all outward ap-
pearances, everything pointed to peace, and, as if to
emphasize the serene aspect of affairs, the Crown
Prince in the month of March attended the centenary
meeting of the Masonic Lodge, so-called Zur Liebe
und Treue^ at Stettin. Far from all expectation of an
approaching harvest of death, public opinion in Prussia
was occupied with the project of preserving the life of
malefactors by abolishing the death penalty, at least
for political offences — a proposal brought forward in
the North German Parliament in the month of April,

with the hearty support of the Crown Prince, who at

316

1870] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

all times strenuously opposed the Infliction of the death
penalty.

A third daughter was bom to the royal couple on
June 14, and received the name of Sophe. The
Kings of Bavaria and WUrttemberg stood godfathers
to the child, whose baptism took place on July 24,
when war had already been declared between France
and Prussia, and the Crown Prince was on the point
of leaving his family to take his share in the struggle.

The Crown Prince was appointed to the command
of the Third Army, composed of the 5 th and 11th
Prussian, the 1st and 2nd Bavarian Corps, the Baden
and WUrttemberg Divisions, and the 4th Cavalry
Division — in all 128 battalions, 102 squadrons, and
80 batteries. Nearly every race of Teuton blood was
represented in the Prince's command, fix)m Pome-
ranians to Bavarians, and so gave emphatic ex-
pression to the political tendency of the war — ^the
fusion of North and South Cermany. The marked
satisfaction of the Crown Prince at being placed at
the head of the Southern contingents was soon repaid
by the undying devotion of those who had been his
opponents but four years before.

*I cannot deny,' writes Field- Marshal von Blu-
menthal,* then Chief of the Prince s Staff, * that I was
somewhat anxious about the mood in which I should
find the Crown Prince, since his well-known love of
peace would probably not send him to the war with as
light a heart as the remainder of us so-called '^ men-
at-arms." Great, therefore, was my joy at being

* These perBonal reminiscenoes of Count Blnmenthal, as well
as those preceding them, were written expressly for the use of
the present work.

317

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

received in his usual kind, quiet manner — ^naj, heartily
— with strong confidence in a successful termination of
the unavoidable campaign. No superfluous conversa-
tion took place as to whether the war might perhaps
have been put off, and we only discussed what was to
be done to develop the whole strength of Grermany to
its fullest extent.'

The Crown Prince attended church on July 25 for
the last time before leaving for the seat of war, and
partook of the Holy Communion with the Crown
Princess. The next morning found him far fix)m
Berlin, which he quitted without saying farewell to
his wife, in order that she might be spared the grief
of parting. At Munich, Stuttgart and Karlsruhe
Princes and people greeted the Commander of the
Third Army with such enthusiasm that no doubt
existed any longer of their devotion to the national
cause of Germany.

In addressing the officers of the Ingolstadt garrison,
the Prince said : * I cannot tell you how honoured I
feel at being entrusted with the conunand of the
Bavarian Army by your King. We must not conceal
from ourselves that we are entering upon a difficult
campaign, but the universal enthusiasm in every part
of Germany permits me to hope that, with Gods
assistance, it will be crowned with victory, and lead
in the end to a peace that will bring happiness to the
German Empire. Let us rely also on our proven
rights and — our good swords.*

The Third Army advanced from its cantonments
round Landau on August 4, and soon became engaged
with the enemy posted at Weissenburg. * The struggle,'

writes Count Blumenthal, *was very severe, as the

318

1871] THE FRANCO'GERMAN WAR

enemy fought with great bravery, and did not abandon
Weissenburg and the Gkiisberg until after 2 p.m.,
when they retreated before superior forces. As soon
as the Crown Prince reached the Gaisberg, to con-
gratulate his brave and victorious troops, he ordered
the divisional cavalry of the 11th Corps to pursue
at once in the direction of Sulz. Great was the
enthusiasm and joy of the soldiers at their first
victory.'

On the battlefield the band of the King's Regiment
played Lohe den Htrm^ den mdchtigen Konig der
Ehren^ to which the Prince listened with folded
hands. As soon as the hymn was finished, he stepped
forward and said : * That was well done, my dear
bandmaster; we owe the deepest gratitude to the
Almighty for to-day.'

The Third Army was now to concentrate in rear of

the river Sauer, fronting westwards, prior to resuming

the ofiensive against the strong French position at

Worth on the 7th. But, as Count Blumenthal relates,

the attack took place a day too soon. 'Whilst the

headquarters were still enjoying a well-earned rest on

the morning of the 6th, the Crown Prince entered

my room suddenly, and told me that he had heard

cannon-shots, apparently from the direction of the

Sauer, adding that we ought to ride there at once.

But since I beUeved that only minor encounters were

taking place with the enemy close at hand, and that

reports must be awaited, the Crown Prince only

ordered our horses to be saddled in readiness, whilst

we waited for news. The 5th and 2nd Bavarian Corps

were directed, if in any way possible, to avoid or break

off any unnecessary actions, in order to gam time for

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

the other corps to come up. But as the thunder of
the guns increased considerably about 11 a.nL, and no
doubt could be entertained regarding the magnitude
of the engagement, we mounted and galloped through
Preuschdorf to the Sauer, near Worth. Finding the
battle already in full swing, the Crown Prince took up
his position on a height east of Worth, from whence a
good portion of the battlefield was visible, whilst
orders and directions for the troops would suffer the
least delay. The Crown Prince soon realized that the
hostile position at Elsasshausen and Froschweiler was
very strong, and barely capable of being forced, and
that it could only be taken by energetic pressure on
the flanks, and by threatening the line of retreat.
Quietly, almost nonchalantly, he remarked that even
the last man must be staked to gain the heights, and
then sent his orders in all directions.

' The ensuing long and costly struggle, in which both
sides fought with unparalleled determination and con-
tempt of death, ended after 5 p.m. with the capture of
Froschweiler and the headlong flight of the enemy.
The Crown Prince congratulated and thanked his
brave troops and their leaders on the battlefield by
the light of the burning village, and gave orders for
the pursuit in the general direction of Beichshofen.
It is impossible to realize the enthusiasm and joyful
excitement of the troops at the sight of their beloved
commander, and from this day forward he was called
" Oiu* Fritz " everywhere ; the bond of union with our
South German comrades was henceforth £j:in and
unbreakabla Whilst bullets were still whistling over-
head, Heil dir im Sieger Kram and the Wacht am

Rhein were sung amid cheering.'

320

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

On reaching the 58th Regiment, the Prince halted
and, calling to the front Lieutenant Baron, who had
carried the colours at the assault of the Weissenburg
cemetery, said to him : * I have caused a special report
to be made about you ; but, my children, I do not
know how to reward you. Gentlemen,' exclaimed the
Prince, turning to his suite, 'this is the standard-
bearer of Weissenburg !' Then, with the words, * In
the name of my father, I thank you again for your
heroic deed/ he bent down and embraced the young
oflBcer.

The Crown Prince then paid a visit to the French
Greneral Baoult, who lay dangerously wounded at
Reichshofen, and inquired sympathetically whether
anything could be done for him. Major Duhoussel
had carried his wounded chief out of the thick of the
battle, for which act of bravery the Crown Prince set
him free with the words : * I give you your liberty in
recognition of your gallant conduct.'

During the evening the Prince observed to Gustav
Frey tag, who accompanied the headquarters : * I detest
this butchery. I have never longed for war laurels,
and would willingly have left such fame to others
without envying them. Yet it is just my fate to be
led from one war to another, and from battlefield to
battlefield, before I ascend the throne of my ancestors.
I^ is a hard lot.'

The feeling of the Third Army is well described by

the Chief of the Staff : * The great importance of the

brilliant victories gained in the first two battles to

the iliture course of the campaign, to the King and

the Fatherland, was felt by us all ; but still nearer to

our hearts lay the thought of what we might further

321 Y

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [iSjo^

achieve under so sure and proved a commander. In a
few days the Prince had become the idol of his army.
Assurance and unconditional mutual confidence inspired
as with an electric spark the army which had just
been formed from the most varied elements, and
henceforward no task seemed too difficult for it. The
Crown Prince's rare talent of trusting his subordinates
and showing that he trusted them reaped gratitude
and devotion, and the less he interfered in details, and
left these entirely to his excellent corps commanders,
the more certain was he that everyone endeavoured to
please him, and to act in accordance with his inten-
tions. From this time onward one might say of the
army, " Union is strength." The Crown Prince also
had visibly gained self-confidence in the first successful
days of the campaign, and often remarked to me that
he hoped that he, with his army, would be employed
in executing independent operations in the future as
well.*

But this hope was doomed to disappointment, as
the orders issued by the royal headquarters for the
further advance practically put an end to the in-
dependent operations of the Third Army. The Crown
Prince was directed to continue his march to the line
of the Moselle, through Saarbiu*g, Bl&mont and Lune-
ville, to Nancy. On the 17th a messenger arrived
from the King inviting the Crown Prince to be present
at an impending decisive battle near Metz. Though
the temptation to accept was most inviting, the Prince
sent word to His Majesty that he could not leave his
troops at so critical a moment. But when Major von
Hahnke arrived early on the 19th with the news of

the glorious victory achieved on the 18th, the Crown

322

iSyi] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

Prince was no longer bound by such considerations,
and drove to Pont k Mousson to congratulate his
father.

In the meantime the whereabouts of MacMahon's
force caused great anxiety, and it was not until
August 25 that the cavalry were able to report the
enemy's movement to the north-east, apparently to
relieve Bazaine. At an interview at Bar le Due, the
King left the Commander of the Third Army to decide
whether he would continue the march on Paris or
move north at once. Without hesitation the Prince
decided on the latter course, and was thus able to take
a prominent part in the great battle.

'Very shortly after our arrival at Ch^mery, on
August 31,' writes Field-Marshal von Blumenthal,
' General von Moltke came over to discuss the situa-
tion with the Crown Prince. On entering my room
he rubbed his hands, and said with a sarcastic smile :
"Now we have got them into a mouse- trap." We
were all in the highest spirits that day. . • .

* About 4 a.m. the Crown Prince and I followed the

advancing troops in our carriage as far as Donchery,

where we climbed up a hill of considerable height on

the left bank of the Meuse, expecting to obtain a view

over the greater part of the battlefield. For a time,

however, we were disappointed by a dense mist,

though it eventually sank lower and lower until we

could see over it. The Crown Prince had despatched

staff oflScers in various directions to send or bring in

reports, so that on the whole we were well posted as

to the course of the battle. As the combat in front of

the 5 th and 11th Corps increased in violence after

10 a.m., the Crown Prince became very restless, and

323 Y 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

said to me that he could endure it no longer, that he
must join his brave troops, as he could not play the
part of a distant spectator. For a time I succeeded in
detaining him by drawing his attention to the fact
that by so doing he would deprive the Third Army of
its commander, but in the end I had to give way and
order the horses to be held in readiness at the foot of
the hill. At this moment Major von Hahnke appeared
in the nick of time with important despatches fix)m
the 5th Corps, which called for various orders and
directions, and convinced the Prince that he could not
leave his post for some time, at any rate.

' From our position we were able, with the aid of a
multitude of telescopes, to make a minute observation
of the actions in progress. We soon recognised that
the 5th and 11th Corps, as well as the Army of the
Meuse, were making constant progress, and that the
circle enclosing the French army was being correspond-
ingly narrowed. By noon no doubt existed any longer
but that the day was ours, and that every escape was
barred to the French. On the thunder of the guns
ceasing almost entirely about 4 p.m., I rode over with
the Crown Prince to His Majesty, who had taken up
his position for the day on a height about a mile away.
Shortly afterwards a French Greneral, Reille, rode up
with a flag of truce and a letter from the Emperor
Napoleon. The battle was at an end. We hastened
back to Donchery in order to issue the necessary orders,
and then drove to Chfemery, where the troops had
improvised illuminations. During the journey the
Crown Prince was very quiet and reflective, owing, no
doubt, to the multifarious thoughts and feelings which

presented themselves, as well as to fatigue. I was

324

iSyi] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

able to infer from a few remarks that he was well
satisfied with his decision, arrived at in Bar le Due, of
discontinuing the advance on Paris in order to march
northwards, which alone had rendered so magnificent
a result possible. He also showed a lively appreciation
of the eflforts of the 5th and 11th Corps, who had
correctly gauged their task and advanced so timely, so
energetically, and so decisively.'

On the morning after the battle, the Crown Prince
met the King on the Donchery road just before
General von Moltke reported the result of the negotia-
tions for the surrender of MacMahon s army. Owing
to the absence of news regarding the intentions of the
French commander, the King ordered the staffs of the
two headquarters to rendezvous on the heights near
Fr^nois at 11 a.m., as a bombardment might still take
place. The arrival of General von Moltke half an
hour later, with the capitulation duly signed and
completed, prevented further bloodshed. Handing
the document to General von Treschkow, the King
ordered it to be read aloud, after which he briefly
expressed his joy at so momentous a success achieved
by the aid of the South German troops, and shook
hands with the Bavarian and Wurttemberg Princes
present.

After escorting the King to the ChS,teau of Bellevue,
where the interview with Napoleon was to take place,
the Crown Prince devoted the remainder of the day to
an inspection of the battlefield. About 4 p.m. he
reached the gate of the fortress, then guarded by
Bavarian troops. A private soldier, whose gallantry
in action at Worth had been rewarded with the second
class of the Iron Cross, and at Sedan with the first

325

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

dasB (a rare distinction for a private), was presented to
the Crown Prince, who kissed him on both cheeks.

* The Crown Prince/ wrote a Bavarian officer, * is
by no means inclined to treat the South Grennans with
undue graciousness, as if he was anxious to ingratiate
himself with them. On the contrary, he has expected
the utmost from them, and has not spared their
commanders with his criticisms. But it is just this
calm demeanour and spirit of justice that won our
complete confidence ; that he always led us to victory
increased our feeling ; his hearty and honest friendli-
ness towards individuals did the remainder, and it is
to him above all others that we owe the brotherly
comradeship among the troops, and that the Bavarian
likes to walk arm-in-arm with the Prussian. . . .
Even the privates are devoted to him body and soul ;
he does not speak to them " condescendingly " or
" graciously,*' but with such obvious personal interest
and good-fellowship that the men's hearts leap within
them.'

The Prince had an interview with Bismarck ' either

immediately before or after Sedan,' as the Chancellor

informed Moritz Busch, *at Beaumont or Donchery,

and our conversation took place riding side by side in

a long avenue. We came into sharp conflict as to

what measures were possible and morally admissible,

and when the Crown Prince spoke of using force and

forcible means with respect to the Bavarians, I

reminded him of Margrave Gero and the thirty

Wendish Princes, and also of the Vespers of Sendling.

But as he adhered to his opinion, I told him, though

not so abruptly and plainly, that whilst a Prince

might attempt to do so, a gentleman would not. It

326

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

would have been a treacherous abuse and betrayal of
our allies, who had done their duty, quite apart from
the unwisdom of making the attempt whilst we still
required their assistance.'

A few days later, at Rheims, the Crown Prince
issued the following appeal on behalf of the invalided
soldiers and the dependents of those who had fallen in
the national cause :

'The great victories achieved by the army have
inspired the German nation with hopes for an honour-
able peace. On the battlefields of France the nation
became conscious and proud of her grandeur and unity,
which, hallowed by the blood of many thousands of
our warriors, will, we are confident, exert its power of
union for all ages. But a feeling of deep sadness is
joined to the enthusiastic exaltation of these days.
Many of the flower of our youth, many of the leaders
of our army, have fallen a sacrifice to victory. Still
greater is the number of those who by reason of their
wounds and almost superhuman exertions will be pre-
vented firom gaining a livelihood in future by their
own eflforts. The dependents of the dead and the
living victims of the war have a claim above all others
on the gratitude of the nation. Whosoever has shared
in the enthusiasm of this campaign, whosoever hopes
for the commencement of a new and happy era of
peace from this raising of our total national strength,
whosoever humbly honours the clear judgment of Gkxi
in our victory and in the defeat of our enemies, let
him now show his loyalty to the warriors of our
national army and to their dependents.

* The funds of the State alone, even if they can be

327

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

granted liberally in proportion, are insufficient to
maintain the great number of invalids and dependents.
These funds can only supply the barest necessaries.
They are unavoidably limited by general regulations,
which cannot go into individual requirements.

* Great eflforts on the part of voluntary aid will now
be necessary, since the losses of the war have been as
enormous as the successes.

' In the same way as this campaign has created one
uniform German army, in which scions of every race
have vied in the fraternal rivalry of valoiu:, so let the
care for the invalids and the helpless stranded by the
war become a matter in common for Germany, shared
equally by the North and South of our Fatherland.

'Former experience shows that more is required
than the warm-hearted contribution of money ; more
laborious and not less important are judicious distri-
bution, sympathetic inquiry into personal circum-
stances ; lastly, and most difficult, care lest assistance
weakens the still remaining powers of earning instead
of strengthening them, so that it may have a really
healthy influence on the life of the person thus aided.

'It is therefore desirable that local and district
societies should be formed everywhere to organize
collections in combination with and subordination to
a general committee, also to inquire after, examine
and tend the necessitous, and to continue that care
for them.

'Since the National Victoria Fund for Invalids,
founded in 1866 for a similar purpose with regard
to the greater part of Germany, fulfils the above
conditions, and has proved successfril with its arrange-
ments, I hereby entrust the executive committee of

328

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

that fund with the organization and management of
an invalid fund for Germany, and to appeal for sub-
scriptions as well as for the foundation of branch
societies.

' His Majesty the King, Commander-in-Chief of the
German Army, has empowered me, as in 1864 and
1866, to approve of such a patriotic undertaking. It
has now been my happy fate to command an army in
the field in which the Bavarian, the Wilrttemberger
and the Badenser fought side by side with the Prussian,
and I may now appeal to the heart of every German.
Let this labour of love be our common task for the
Fatherland, and the introduction of many combined
and beneficent works of peace.

•Frederick William,

* Crown Prince of Prussia.
' Hbadquabtbbs, Bheims,
' Septernbm' 6, 1870.'

It was during these days which preceded the invest-
ment of Paris that the French press sought to allay
the fears of the inhabitants by declaring that the
Crown Prince was opposed to continuing the campaign,
and had informed the King that he could not consent
to a bombardment of the capital. These hopes were
soon dashed to the gi-ound by the vigorous advance
of the Third Army, which reached the positions on
the south fi-ont of Paris assigned to it on Sep-
tember 18 and 19, after a victorious action at Petit-
Bic6tre by the 2nd Bavarian and 5th Prussian Corps,
who took an entrenchment and seven guns at Mont
la Tour.

The Crown Prince rode over to the battlefield on

September 20 in order to congratulate General Hart-

329

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

mann on the victory, and then entered YersailleB
in triumph, where his headquarters had been trans-
ferred to the Prefecture. An enormous crowd of
spectators lined the streets through which the pro-
cession passed

Field - Marshal von Blumenthal thus describes the
activity of the Crown Prince in the ensuing siege of
Paris :

* During the investment of Paris, which lasted
nearly half a year, an honourable and influential
position was allotted to the Crown Prince, and con-
sequently to me as Chief of his Staff. Yet it did not
correspond to the desire of the Crown Prince for inde-
pendent operations in the field. He had never had a
fancy for sieges, and now he foresaw he would have to
lie for months in front of a fortress, whilst for the
present he lacked all the essential means for bringing
the siege to a successful issue. However, he conquered
his aversion by the aid of his inborn devotion to duty,
and sought to gain information about every circum-
stance of any importance, whilst making the necessary
arrangements to invest the fortress completely. The
troops fortified the outpost positions allotted to them
with the greatest activity and energy, and in a few
days they were secure against surprise. Whilst the
communications of the garrison with the outer world
were thus cut off, the troops quartered in rear of the
outposts were able to enjoy comparative security and
refresh themselves after the exertions of the campaign.
The cavalry covered the army from an external attack.
Most of the positions thus fortified were inspected by
the Crown Prince himself, and he often seized an

opportunity of expressing his approval.

330

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

' A portion of the large rooms of the Palace of
Versailles was converted into a hospital under the
personal supervision of the Crown Prince. He often
visited the hospitals during the siege, inspecting even
the minutest details. His presence soothed the patients,
and many of them seemed quite content with their
lot, since it gave them an opportunity to be spoken to
and consoled by their beloved leader.

'The royal headquarters reached Versailles from
Ferri^res on October 5, and forthwith the position of
the Crown Prince as Commander-in-Chief on the
south front underwent material alteration, as their
proximity involved the disadvantage that direct
orders entered more into details than hitherto, thereby
unavoidably placing a drag on the independent
activity of the Crown Prince. He was no longer able
to act independently in accordance with his own
views, and in important undertakings had always to
obtain the royal approval beforehand.

'Moreover, the local conditions of Versailles were
of a peculiar nature, since, owing to the presence of
so many diplomats, superior oflBcers, and German
Princes with their aides-de-camp, even the most trivial
affairs were discussed everywhere, criticised, and often
misrepresented, until they were no longer to be
recognised.

'Though all this had no direct influence on the
decisions of His Majesty and the superior commanders,
the indirect effect of the views and moods thus created
must not be under-estimated. Various newspaper
reports and private letters added fuel to the fire,
which often became a very real influence. The Crown
Prince not infrequently heard of these reports, and

331

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

discussed them with the Princes and the superior officers,
though he did not allow himself to be actually
influenced by others. At times he certainly was
vexed by such conversations, and began to see matters
in a darker light ; but he controlled his feelings and
did not betray them to his subordinates. The cir-
cumstance that he had always to bear the responsi-
bility, even for such orders as he had to issue against
his own convictions, often contributed to render his
position unenviable, though it did not make him waver
in his duty or weaken his militaiy zeal.

'The presence of the royal headquarters* at Versailles
had also its good points, since the issue of oixlers was
facilitated and shortened, whilst it secured unanimity
in execution though opinions might differ.'

Several reports were received on October 6 about
the formation of a new hostile army on the line of the
Loire near Orleans, and General von der Tann with the
1st Bavarian Corps, 22nd Infantry and 3rd Cavalry
Divisions was despatched to oppose any attempt at
the relief of Pai'is. Even at this date the Qx)wn
Prince considered this force too small, and wished to
undertake the task with every available man that
could be spared from the investing army. The King,
however, considered it impossible to detach more
troops until after the arrival of large reinforcements.

In the meantime the fortifications of Paris had been
exhaustively reconnoitred, and on October 10 the
Crown Prince received a Cabinet Order to conduct the
siege operations against the south front. A formal

* The Grown Prince had vacated the Prefecture and moved
into comfortable quarters at the Villa les Ombrages, on the out-
skirts of Versailles.

332

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

attack on the forts of Issy and Vanves was to be
commenced as soon as the siege train an-ived from
Berlin. In giving the necessary orders to his Chief of
Staff, the Crown Prince observed that * he did not
agree with a formal siege, since if it really ended
successfully, contrary to expectation, it would entail
heavy losses out of all proportion. According to his
thinking, we ought to restrict ourselves to starving
out the city and energetically repelling every attempt
at relief. . . .

* Since the real causes of the delay in bombarding the
forts were not generally known at Versailles, much
discussion took place before long, culminating in the
erroneous conclusion that the Third Army was at
fault. Everyone knew that the Prince was opposed
to a formal attack, and from that inferred that his
staff dallied with the work as being really superfluous.
The Minister of War, Von Roon, in particular urged
His Majesty to hasten the bombardment, although
sufficient preparation had not yet been made. Two
balloons, sent to Versailles by the Ministry of War,
were out of order and remained unused ; a similar fate
befell two traction engines, one of which came to grief
in a ditch on the road from Lagny, whilst the other
proved on arrival to be so much out of repair that it
could not be used till towards the end of the siege. . . .
Not until December, after repeated urgings by the
Third Army, did the Ministry of War organize . a
waggon park in Berlin, and send it to Nanteuil, so that
it was really only from that time onwards that the
ammunition could be brought up with the aid of many
transport horses. . . .

' The Crown Prince adhered to his opinions, and had

333

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

the satisfBU^Ion of knowing that they ooincided with
thoBe of the King and General von Moltke» who ako
held it to be the correct course to starve out Paris.
Though later on the besieging army deviated fiom
this course, the chief reason is to be found in the &ct
that the politicians believed it necessary for them to
assume the direction of the war, since the operations had
apparently come to a standstill Count Bismarck . . .
said to me, amongst others, that he considered a
bombardment of Paris absolutely essential for political
reasons. He was evidently in league with the
Minister of War against the staff of the army ; and
when the newspapers, besides many private letters
and other voices in. the Fatherland, began to clamour
for a bombardment, a scapegoat had to be found,
and naturally was found in the staff of the Third
Army.'

In announcing the fall of Metz in the following
letter to the Prince, the King raised the. Commander of
the Third Army to the highest rank of the Prussian
army.

' YbBSAUiLBB,

< October 28, 1870.

* With the capitulation of Marshal Bazaine's army
and the fortress of Metz, whereby the two hostile
armies, which took the field in July this year in the
present bloody campaign — certainly not provoked by
us — against the united forces of Prussia and Germany,
have fallen into our hands as prisoners, so important a
period has been reached that I feel impelled to mark
the gravity of this event by a special act. You have
taken a most important share in encompassing the

334

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

successful issue of our weighty task by opening the
campaign with two victories in rapid succession ; by
covering the left flank of the main army by your
strategic advance, enabling it to conquer Bazaine's
army in security ; then you joined the main army with
your troops, in order to share in the operations against
Sedan, and assist in achieving great results there ; and
lastly, you have now completed the investment of
Paris after some fighting. All this is characteristic of
a great and fortunate commander. The highest place
in military rank is yours by right, and I hereby
promote you General-Field-MarshaL This is the first
occasion on which this distinction, which I have also
conferred on Prince Frederick Charles, has fallen to
Princes of our House. But the successes hitherto
achieved in this campaign attain a height and a
fulness of important consequences never before
equalled, and I am therefore justified in departing
from the custom of our House. No woixls are
necessary to tell you what my fatherly heart feels at
being able and compelled to express to you my
gratitude and that of the Fatherland.

' Your loving and grateful father,

' William.'

The divergence of opinion which existed between
the political and military members of the royal head-
quarters regarding the vexed question of a bombard-
ment culminated in a letter addressed to the King by
Ck)unt Bismarck and communicated to the Crown
Prince on November 30. The Federal Chancellor
plainly stated the danger of further delay, which might
lead the neutral Powers to under- estimate the strength

335

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

and endurance of Germany and cause unwelcome
intei'vention.

A few days later, December 10, the solidarity of
the now practically united German nation was demon-
strated by the ratification of the treaties concluded
with the South German States, after Louis 11. of
Bavaria, in the name of the German Sovereigns, had
asked the King of Prussia to assume the dignity of
German Emperor. The North German Reichstag at
once despatched a deputation to Versailles, headed by
their President, Dr. Simson, to present an address to
the King, praying him to accede to the heartfelt wishes
of the German nation.

Yet even this momentous undertaking did not
prevent the public demands for a so-called bombard-
ment from increasing day by day. ' Not only,' writes
Field-Marshal von Blumenthal, ' did the press lay hold
of the affair, spreading bloodthirsty articles broadcast,
but interpellations were prepared in the Keichstag,
which aimed at influencing the King's decision. Many
private letters were addressed to me anonymously,
invoking me to abandon my resistance, since otherwise
people might think that my obstinacy was strengthened
by ** high-placed English ladies." The Crown Prince
received similar letters, but did not allow himself to
be affected by them. However, in order to give way
in some respect. His Majesty the King ordered a
conference of the superior officers concerned on
December 17 to decide the bombardment question.
This conference, or, rather, council of war, took place in
His Majesty's study at the Prefecture. Every officer
was more or less against a bombardment, which was

championed only by the Minister of War. ... I

336

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

added that even the most necessary ammunition could
not be brought up before a fortnight. When General
von Moltke's turn came to express an opinion, he
briefly remarked : "I agree entirely with what
General von Blumenthal has just said." This ended
the conference, and, after a thrilling pause. His
Majesty said cahnly : " Well, there is no necessity for
us to decide to-day ; we can only do so when the
ammunition is actually here." '

At last, on January 5, the bombardment commenced
against the forts on the south front, and a few days
later the first shells were thrown into the city itself.
The forts were silenced for the time being, but the
heavy guns of the enceinte inflicted considerable losses
on the German batteries. On January 19 the long-
expected sortie took place from Mont Yalerien against
the positions held by the 5th Corps. Taking up his
position on a height near the Hospice Brezin, the
Crown Prince came under the fire of several French
batteries at the Montretout entrenchment. As the
French infantry fell back a heavy musketry fire was
opened on a battery close to the Prince, who reluctantly
retired from his dangerous position. It seemed as if
he was aware that he was witnessing the last battle of

his brilliant military career.

# # # # #

On December 24 the Christmas festivities began at
seven o'clock at the Crown Prince s quarters in the Villa
les Ombrages. A band of singers from the 2nd Land-
wehr Begiment of the Guards, chiefly Berliners, greeted
the Commander of the Third Army with Mendels-
sohn's StiUe Nacht. But the performance of one of
Taubert's gay and spirited Jugendlieder was more

337 ^

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

in aooordanoe with the occasion. The Crown Prinoe
had invited all the officers of his headquarters, about
fifty in number, as well as a few other guests. On a
little table near a large Christmas-tree lay the Crown
Princess's gifts, which were simple, as became the
gravity of the time, consisting of a small pocket pistol
and a housewife, while the Berlin Belief Society had
sent a carved wooden pipe, bearing the portrait of the
King in ivory. The Crown Prince s children sent their
good wishes, and wrote to say how they longed for
their beloved £a.ther's retmii.

After visiting the German Princes at the Hdtel dee
Beservoirs, the Crown Prince went to see the King at
the Prefecture, where several Princes, officers of high
rank, officials of the headquarters, and the royal
servants, were assembled for the Christmas festivities.

The Crown Prince presented his august &ther with
a large water-colour drawing, representing the
standard-bearer of the Kings Grenadiers, who ad-
vanced alone with the colours at the storming of
Weissenburg, after three of his comrades had ftUen
one after the other by the enemy's bullets.

Not only did the Prince interest himself in the
material welfare of the sick and wounded in the
military hospitals, but also in supplying them with
amusing and interesting reading. At his request,
Franz Duncker, the editor of the Volks-Zeitung^ sent
a thousand copies of his paper daily to the field-
hospitals, for distribution among the patients. How-
ever, the VolkS'Zeitung was not regarded with favour
at the ro3ral headquarters, and Yon Boon, the War
Minister, issued an order on December 27, 1870, pro-
hibiting the fiirther distribution of the paper.

338

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

New Years Day, 1871, began with a military cere-
mony at the Crown Prince s headquarters, where a
number of Iron Crosses of the First Class were
bestowed on various officers, non-commissioned officers,
and men of the Third Army. After the Church
service a levee took place in the Gal^rie des Glaces of
the palace, to which all the officers and civil authorities
then resident at Versailles were invited.

In the afternoon the King gave a state dinner, at
which he expressed his thanks to his princely allies.
In replying, the Grand-Duke of Baden hailed King
William as the head of the newly-restored German
Empire.

In reference to this speech, the Crown Prince re-
marked to Herr Abeken after dinner :

'We ought to have advanced farther than that.'
* Which means,' adds Abeken, ' we ought to have
proclaimed the Emperor to-day, or, if possible, crowned
him. He was annoyed that his father would not hear
of it. I replied that I thought we might be thankful
to have got so far. . . .

*The Crown Prince thinks a great deal of these
outward matters, such as titles, escutcheons and
colours, and he is anxious to have the Empire pro-
claimed with everything appertaining to it ; he has
the feeling that no one has given or could give it to
us, but that we have won it by our own efforts, and
that we can therefore now declare the fact before all
the world without delay. The King, however, shrinks
from all display with a certain repugnance, and
Bismarck looks upon it all as either trivial or pre-
mature. However, such arrangements must be made
some time or other, and as they will have a certain

339 « 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

outward influence, Bismarck really treats them some-
what too cavalierly.'

The Chambers of Baden, Hesse and Wurtt^nbeig
had in the meantime accepted the union with North
Germany by large majorities, and on December 31 tte
treaties with these States were published. The vote
of Bavaria still remained to be taken, for though tjie
Bavarian Upper House had accepted the Constitution
by thirty-seven to three votes, the Chambers had not
yet conmienced the final discussion. As, however, the
acceptance of the treaties by Bavaria was regarded as
a certainty, the ceremony of the proclamation of the
Empire was fixed for January 18, the one hundred
and seventieth anniversary of the foundation of the
Prussian monarchy.

Immediately after the first victories of 1870 the
Crown Prince began to reconsider the imperial idea.
The narrower Prussian tendency of the Crown Prince's
former views had developed into a Grerman nationalist
leaning under the influence of the great political
changes of 1866 and the victories of the present war.
The imperial dignity now appecu^ to him the in-
corporation of the national idea, and he. yearned for
its realization with all the idealistic enthusiasm so
characteristic of his nature. In contrast with Count
Bismarck, the great desire of the Crown Prince was
for an energetic embodiment of the imperial idea,
while the chief anxiety of the Chancellor was for the
South German allies to feel at home in the new
political combination. Bismarck's opinions thus agreed
more closely with those of King William, who simply
wished to be and to remain the first among his peers,
while at this time the Crown Prince was inclined to

340

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

regard the Emperor more in the light of the virtual
ruler over all Grermany.

The Crown Prince had been entrusted with superin-
tending the arrangements for the ceremony of pro-
claiming the Empire. By his orders each regiment of
infantry or cavalry in the selected corps or divisions
had to send a banner or standard to Versailles, escorted
by one oflSicer, one ensign-bearer and two non-com-
missioned officers. The colours were brought to
Versailles on the evening of January 17, and kept
during the night at the headquarters of the Crown
Prince.

At noon on January 18 King William drove to the
Palace of Versailles, and entered the Gal^rie des
Glaces to the strains of ' Praise the Lord of all the
World.* The Princes and nobles formed a semicircle,
while the Crown Prince placed himself on his father's
right hand. To the left, at the ftirthest point of the
semicircle surrounding the King, stood Count Bismarck.
Pale and with one hand on his sword, he fixed his gaze
on the Crown Prince, who stood resting both hands in
front of him on the hilt of his sword. He scarcely
once met the look of the Chancellor, but appeared to
be lost in a reverie.

The large hall was thronged by a crowd of many
hundreds of officers and deputations from the various
regiments of the army.

The assembly then sang a verse of the chorale Sei
Lob und Ehr followed by the usual military service,
and a sermon on the text of Psalm xxi. After
the hjnnn Nun danket Alle Gott and the bene-
diction had concluded the service, King William
walked through the ranks of the assembly to the dais

341

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

and read the following address standing before the
colours :

' niustrious Princes and Allies I — In company with
all the German Princes and the Free Cities, you have
joined in the request of His Majesty the King of
Bavaria that I should restore the German Empire,
and assume the German imperial dignity for myself
and my successors to the Crown of Prussia. I have
already expressed my thanks to you in writing for
this mark of confidence, and declared my resolve to
accede to your request. I have made this resolve in
the hope that, with Grod*s help, I shall succeed in
fulfilling the duties connected with the imperial
dignity to the blessing of Germany. I announce my
resolve to the German nation by a proclamation
issued by me to-day, and which I now call upon my
Chancellor to read.'

The Chancellor, Count Bismarck, then read the
proclamation of January 17. Thereupon the Grand-
Duke of Baden cried with a loud voice : * Long live
His Majesty Emperor William!' He was answered
by an outburst of cheering, which echoed through the
halls of the palace. The Emperor warmly embraced
his illustrious son-in-law, and all the Princes crowded
round him. The Crown Prince, profoimdly moved,
first took the right hand of his august father, sank
upon one knee and kissed it reverently. The Emperor,
however, quickly raised him and clasped him in his
arms.

The deputations of officers marched past the King,
who then passed along the lines of troops drawn up
in the hall. The bands had meanwhile assembled in

the Salle de la Paix, opening out of the Gal^rie des

342

iSyi] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

GlaceSy and greeted the Emperor with the Hohen-
friedberg March as he left the halL

On the same day the Emperor addressed the follow-
ing Order to his son :

* After having announced my resolution to accept
the German imperial dignity for myself and my
successors to the Crown of Prussia by my proclamation
of to-day to the German nation, I feel moved to confer
upon your Royal Highness a dignity in consonance
with the new condition of affairs, namely, the title
of Crown Prince of the German Empire, with the
appellation of Imperial Highness. These designa-
tions are to be followed by the titles of Crown Prince
of Prussia and Royal Highness, which are still to be
retained. At the same time, I decree that this dignity
and the title connected with it shall be borne by
every ftiture Heir- Apparent to the Prussian Crown.

* The announcement of the above dignity will be
made in due course.

* William.

* VBBSAniLES,

' January 18, 1871.'

The next day the last sortie from Paris took place.
In the Saxon field-hospital at Versailles the wounded
spent many anxious hours during the fighting. They
could distinctly hear the enemy's firing coming nearer
and nearer, and could see the people of Versailles
running through the streets in triumph. Great, there-
fore was their joy when the Crown Prince himself,
riding past the hospital after the victory, sent in word
to the patients that all danger was over.

343

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

In this battle St. Cloud was entirely burned down
by the Germans, after having been set on fire by the
French. One house, the large villa of the composer
Goimod, had been spared by order of the Crown Prinoa

A few days after the sortie of January 19 Jules
Favre arrived at the royal headquarters finom Paris,
to negotiate an armistice, and left Versailles in the
afternoon of the 24th. The actual negotiations began
upon the 26th. Anticipating that the commanders
of Paris would readily consent to the cessation of
hostilities as soon as M. Favre had made his report
to them, the batteries were ordered to discontinue the
bombardment at midnight.

On January 27 and 28 the discussion of the tetms
continued between Count Moltke and Coimt Bismarck
on the one part, and Jules Favre and Greneral Beaufort
on the other part. The Convention of Versailles was
signed on the evening of the 28th, in virtue of which
an armistice of twenty-one days (until February 19)
was agreed upon, and the forts of Paris, with their
munitions of war, were surrendered to the Qerman
Army.

During this armistice a National Assembly, elected
by universal suffrage, was to be convened, for the
purpose of deciding the question of peace or war.

On January 27 the Crown Prince received Herr
von Forckenbeck, the President of the Prussian Lower
Chamber, and Herr von Koeller, the first Vice-
President, who presented an address fi'om the
Chamber. In the evening both Presidents were invited
to dine with the Crown Prince on the occasion of his
eldest son's birthday. The Emperor and all the
German Princes were present.

344

1871] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

Forckenbeck again met the Crown Prince the
following evening. The conversation turned upon
the imperial dignity, the title of German Emperor or
Emperor of Germany, the proclamation of the Empire,
the House of Princes,* the Imperial Cabinet, and the
composition and work of the next Reichstag.

As the representatives of the French nation were
not all assembled at the opening of the new Parlia-
ment at Bordeaux (February 12), and business could
only begin on the 13th, a prolongation of the armistice
until February 24 became necessary. This interval
was employed by the Crown Prince in a journey to
Orleans, Blois and Tours, which was prompted by the
wish to return Prince Frederick Charles's visit to
Versailles, and to become acquainted with the region
of the Loire, especially Touraine, celebrated both for
its natural beauties and its historic memories.

The negotiations for peace began on February 21,
after the Commission appointed by the Assembly at
Bordeaux had repaired to Paris. Before the delibera-
tions commenced, Thiers had a long private audience
of the Emperor William on February 21. Immediately
afterwards Thiers called at the Villa les Ombrages to
pay a visit to the Crown Prince.

The term of the armistice was twice extended, while
Thiers wrestled alternately with his coimtrymen and
with Bismarck, in order to come to an agreement

* The Crown Prince wished the Constitution of the newly
restored Empire to be so arranged that there should be an Upper
House (Staatenhaus) and a Beichstag as Lower House. In the
Upper House the separate States were to be represented by their
rulers (Kings, Dukes, etc.), hence the name Staatenhaus.
Bismarck rejected this scheme, and created the Bundesrath in
addition to the Beichstag.

345

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1870-

respecting the terms of peace ; and for six long days
the French statesman endeavoured to reduce the
demands of the inexorable Chancellor point by point
He appealed from Bismarck to the Elmperor that Metz
at least should be spared to France. The Emperor
received him, and the Crown Prince condoled with
him, but they dismissed him with empty words, and
referred him to Bismarck's decision. It was not unt3
six o'clock on the evening of February 26 that the
Preliminaries of Peace were signed at Versailles. On
receiving this news, the Emperor sent for the Crown
Prince, and greeted him with deep emotion.

On February 28 Abeken writes :

' The Crown Prince was delighted on Sunday
evening, which I spent with him ; youth and the
future are naturally more manifest in him than in the
King. He said that he was perfectly well aware of
the immense responsibility that lay upon him worthily
to carry on the great work, so auspiciously inaugurated ;
it was three times as great as what he had borne as
Crown Prince of Prussia, but he did not shrink fix)m
this responsibility. God would give him the men he
needed, and had already given him a support and
help — which was a real blessing — in his wife, and so
he hoped to be able to accomplish the great task.'

March 1 was fixed for the entry of the German

troops into Paris. In the morning the Emperor

William held a review of the troops of the Third Army,

detailed to occupy Longchamps in the Bois de

Boulogne. After the march past the troops made

their way to the gates of Paris, while the Emperor

and his son drove back to Versailles without any

display. The following day the Crown Prince rode

346

iSyi] THE FRANCO-GERMAN WAR

through the Bois de Boulogne and the Arc de
Triomphe, accompanied by the Grand- Duke of Baden
and his personal aides-de-camp. Afterwards he pro-
ceeded through the Champs filys^es to the Place de la
Concorde as far as the gardens of the Tuileries, then
along the Seine past the Trocad^ro and Passy to the
Point du Jour.

After the ratification of the peace treaty, it only
remained for the German troops to see that its stipula-
tions were carried out. The task of the Conmiander
of the Third Army was completed, and preparations
for the journey home began. On the Sunday before
he left, the Crown Prince once more visited the little
church which he was in the habit of attending while
at Versailles. The text of the sermon was Isa. lii. 7 :
* How beautiftil upon the mountains are the feet
of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace . . . that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth I'

347

CHAPTER XV

AFTER THE GREAT WAB

1871—1874

The Emperor and the Crown Prince left Yersailles on
March 7. The headquarters were transferred to Nancy
on the 13th, and whilst there the Crown Prince took
leave of his army in the following Order :

* Soldiers op the Third Army!

'When I assumed command last July, I ex-
pressed the hope that the bravery and devotion of the
united German races would succeed in overcoming the
common enemy, who had challenged us so wantonly
to battle. You have splendidly justified this con-
fidence ; for the Third Army can boast of as many
victories as it has seen engagements in this hard-
fought campaign.

' After you had entered the enemy's territory at
Weissenburg, and so paved the way to a series of
victories, a powerful antagonist was defeated two days
afterwards at the sanguinary battle of Worth ; swiftly
pursuing the retreating foe, you played a glorious and
important part on the memorable day of Sedan. You
pushed forward untiringly into the heart of the
country, forced the flying enemy behind the walls of

348

1871] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

bis capital, and held him there closely surrounded for
nearly five months, while you braved all dangers and
the rigours of a severe winter with incomparable
endurance.

* While a part of you repulsed the enemy advancing
on all sides to relieve Paris, in a series of unequal and
bloody engagements, all sorties were energetically and
successfully driven back by the beleaguering troops^
so that at length our antagonists had no choice but to
lay down their arms and open the gates of their proud
capital, so often declared to be impregnable and in-
violable.

' Such deeds belong to history, and our country
looks upon her sons with pride. These great successes
could not be gained without great sacrifices, and we
are filled with sorrow by the thought of our many
fallen comrades, whose memory will be honoured for
all time.

* By command of His Majesty the Emperor, I now
leave you on the conclusion of a glorious and hard-
won peace, assuring you of my deepest gratitude and
thanks. I take leave of the Prussian and Bavarian
Corps, the soldiers of Wurttemberg and Baden, with
the confident hope that the brotherhood of arms and
the spirit of union cemented on the bloody field of
battle may never disappear, but increase in vitality
and strength to the honour, glory and blessing of our
common Fatherland.

' Frederick William,
' Commander-in-Chief of the Third Army,
Crown Prince of the German Empire
and of Prussia.
' Nancy, Ma/rch 14, 1871.'

349

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

A distinguished French journalist thus describes the
impression created by the Crown Prince in the enemy's
country :

* The Crown Prince has left the memory of countless
traits of kindness and humanity in the land that he
fought against, and among the inhabitants to whom
he brought war with all its misery and horror. When
he was present, no excess remained unpunished, and
no disorder was suffered. No human life was uselessly
or lightly sacrificed, and no oppression was permitted.
He and his subordinates showed esteem for the un-
fortunate defeated enemy, and paid a tribute of respect
to their bravery. Versailles owes to him in great
measure the order observed during the period of occu-
pation, and particularly the preservation of its public
monuments.'

On March 15 the Emperor and the Crown Prince
started together fi:om Nancy on their return journey,
which was indeed a triiunphal progress. At Saar-
briicken, Mayence, Frankfort-on-the-Main, Weimar
and Magdeburg, a splendid reception was prepared
for them. At the Wildpark station at Potsdam the
Empress, the Crown Princess, and the Grand-Duchess
Louise of Baden awaited their arrival

The Crown Prince arrived in Berlin in the afternoon
of March 17, and drove to his palace in an open
carriage, with his royal consort and his eldest son,
amidst the enthusiastic cheers of the populace. At
the threshold of his home their other children were
assembled to welcome their father.

The Crown Prince was present at the opening of
the first German Beichstag in the White Drawing-
room of the Royal Castle on March 21. On this

350

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

occasion Count Bismarck was elevated by the Emperor
to the dignity of Prince.

The troops made their triumphal entry into the
capital on June 16. Everywhere they were met by
waving flags, fluttering haiidkerchiefe. ringing cheers,
and showers of wreaths and flowers. Shortly after
noon the imposing procession pa^ed the Brandenburg
Gate ; the Emperor William was followed by the
Crown Prince and Prince Frederick Charles, both
bearing a Field-Marshal's baton, the symbol of their
newly-won dignity. At the Pariser Platz the Emperor
was received by the maidens of the city, one of whom
recited a poem in his honour. The procession then
continued its progress, amid the indescribable rejoicings
of the population.

In response to an invitation from Queen Victoria,
the Crown Prince and his family paid a visit to
London at the beginning of July, and took up their
abode at the German {Embassy. The population and
press of the British capital gave an enthusiastic
welcome to the royal guests. The Times referred to
the Crown Prince in the following very remarkable
article :

*The presence of the Prince would be the chief
social event of the London season, even if he had no
special claims on our respect in his personal character.
But there are few personages of the day even among
Koyal Families who hold so high a position and have
played so great a part. He is the heir to a Crown
which is at once the most ancient, the most modern,
and the most powerful on the Continent . . . Germany,
moreover, promises to be still greater in her future
than in her past. She offers the only solid hope for

351

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

Continental order and progreesive civilization amid
surging nationalities and restless dreams. The power
for good and evil which may some day rest in the
hands of the present Prince is immeasurable, and the
heir to the headship of the Germanic race enjoys a
combined honour and responsibility rarely equalled. . . .
Such a position, especially in these days, makes a great
demand on its possessor, and a man's qualities must
be high indeed to increase its lustre. Yet, in the
welcome accorded to the Prince, an appreciation of his
personal merits will have greater influence than the
claims of his position. He comes among us, the hero
of military exploits unsurpassed, if equalled, in the
world s history. . . . The Prince, moreover, has won
as much honour for his gentleness as for his prowess
in war. . . . His soldiers knew that his heart was
with each of them in their perils, and his opponents
have done frank homage to his generous and gentle
behaviour. If the Prussians have been occasionally
harsh, no one has ever charged the Prince with this
fault, and he has done all that was possible to deprive
war of its worst motives and characteristics.

* The Prince is known to have been the consistent
friend in Prussia of all mild and liberal administration,
so far as was consistent with the paramount objects
which his father had in view. He has gathered
around him by this tendency the general confidence of
his future subjects, and the fact that he is the heir to
the resuscitated throne is one of the most reassuring
circumstances in the prospects of the Empire. His
influence in any position has been exerted, and will,
we believe, be exerted, in behalf of a peaceful and un-
aggressive policy.'

352

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

The London visit was brought to an end, on July 13,
by the Crown Prince's journey to Munich, to attend
the triumphal return of the Bavarian troops. The
greatest enthusiasm was roused in Bavaria by the
simplicity of the Crown Prince's manners, the kindli-
ness with which he met women and children, and
the genuine sympathy with which he greeted his
brothers-in-arms, especially the wounded, at all the
,^ stations. The marks of honour bestowed by King
Louis, as well as the homage oflfered to the Crown
Prince by the inhabitants of the Bavarian capital,
were called forth as much by sincere esteem for the
person of the Prince as by enthusiasm for the newly
restored national union. On his part the Crown
Prince displayed fiill sympathy with the feelings
of the Bavarian people. He referred with gratitude
to the German spirit of Kmg Louis and Bavaria s
loyal brotherhood in arms, and laid stress upon the
mutual confidence of North and South Germany as
one of the conditions of the new Empire s existence.

On the morning after his arrival in Munich, King
Louis reviewed the Bavarian troops at the Ober-
wiesenfeld, where the Crown Prince invested Captain
von der Tann and five noncommissioned officers with
the Iron Cross in the name of the Emperor.

An eye-witness thus describes the appearance of the
Crown Prince on this occasion :

' A sudden silence fell upon the multitude, and all
eyes were turned towards a solitary cavalier advancing
with simple dignity, the baton of a Field-Marshal in
his hand, and upon his coxmtenance that expression of
earnest sincerity which ranks higher than any beauty ;
it is the Crown Prince of the German Empire. Like

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

the roar of a tempest burst forth the universJ
acclamation, a storm of joy that made the welkin
ring. Frederick William bowed low on every side,
but it seemed as though he were more deeply im-
pressed by the solemnity of the moment than by the
cheering. There was not a trace of consciousneflB in
his manner; he had undergone no change since
Germany placed the General s sword in his hands.
The chiefest characteristics of the German nature,
which are the stamp of our worth, seemed embodied in
his person ; he is not only a Prince, but the paragon
of the German nation.'

After the entry of the troops a military banquet
took place at the palace in the Hall of Victory. The
Crown Prince returned thanks for the King's toast to
the victorious army and their leader, and concluded
with proposing the health of the King of Bavaria.
At a State performance of Paul Heyse's festival plaj
Der Friede the King and the Crown Prince received a
perfect ovation. At an allusion in the prologue to the
hopes which the new German Empire placed in King
Louis and the Crown Prince Frederick William, the
King rose, and in sight of the public clasped the hand
of the Crown Prince amid the ringing cheers of lie
audience.

Not a house remained imilluminated that night
in the Bavarian capital. At half-past ten the King
drove through the streets of the town accompanied
by his illustrious guest, and was greeted with loud
cheers by the inhabitants.

In spite of the numerous festivities which claimed
his attention, the Crown Prince found time to viat
Gustav von Liebig among others. On entering the

354

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

celebrated chemist's cool laboratory, the Crown Prince
jestingly remarked : * Here one sees the wonders of
chemistry ! I believe you must prepare your own
atmosphere. How do you manage it in this heat V

From Munich the Crown Prince travelled by way of
Ems and Coblentz back to his family at Osborne in
the Isle of Wight.

A year had now passed since the glorious war had
commenced and the Third Army had fought its first
battles under the leadership of the Crown Prince.
Those days of victory were gratefully remembered in
the Fatherland, and many were the congratulations
which the Crown Prince received on this occasion.

In the enjoyment of the blessings of a hard-won
peace the Crown Prince celebrated his fortieth
birthday, on October 18, 1871, at Wilhelmshohe, near
Cassel. None of the great Sovereigns of Prussia had
gained such fame and laboured so success&lly for their
coxmtry before their accession to the throna By his
prowess in war and the power of his never-failing
kindness he had become the hero of the now united
German nation. All hearts were his in North and
South alike ; for everybody felt that the work of
unification owed a debt of deep gratitude to him. He
stood at the prime of life, and at the height of fame
and transcendent popularity.

The long period of p««e which aow e„«.ed .fford«)
the Crown Prince a special field for the exercise of his
energies in furthering the public welfare. Prevented
by circimistances from taking any active part in
political affairs, he devoted his time and influence
to social problems. In accordance with his idealistic
tendencies, he regarded the modification of class

355 2 A 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

distinctions, recognition of intellectual claims, per-
sonal rapprochement of employers and employed, and
kindly intercourse between man and man, as ihe
chief means of compensation for the inevitable hard-
ships of industrial life. Freedom from economical
distress would, he hoped, result from the spiritual
liberty and elevation of the nation.

It was not sufficient for the Crown Prince merely to
cherish benevolent feelings towards his fellow-men,
but he regarded it as a duty to make such benevolence
manifest by acts of charity. Owing to his successful
prosecution of schemes of this nature, he became in
course of time the centre and the initiator of all
charitable efforts in the country.*

The energy with which the Crown Prince entered
upon the duties of protector of the BoyaJ Museum,
recently conferred on him, and the devotion of all his
influence to important matters of art and science
outside this narrower sphere, were not the result of
mere royal dilettantism. All that he accomplished
in this direction was prompted by the wish to en-
courage and instruct the masses of the people by
means of these institutions. He was not only a
lover of art, but an earnest student, and thus a
new period began for the art collections of Prussia.
Owing to his zeal and energy, new frmds were raised
for the purpose of encouraging Prussian art, which had
hitherto been somewhat ungenerously treated. He
ordered that every report to the Minister of Education
regarding the Museum should first pass through' his

* A eonneoted aoeoant of the Grown Prince's laboora in
this direction will be found in the work Kaiser Friedrieh olf
Freund des Volkes^ by Dr. Victor Bdhmert. Leipsic, 1888.

356

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

hands, and that a copy of every order from the Ministry
of Education to the directors of the Museum should be
transmitted through him. Thanks to his initiative,
scientists of the first rank were now placed at the
head of the various departments of the Museum.

It happened in the autumn of 1871 that the post of
an art arbiter fell vacant, and the Crown Prince ex-
pressed his personal wish to Herr von Miihler, the
Minister, that this post should be offered either to
Professor Hettner, of Dresden, or Professor Springer,
of Bonn, whereupon the Minister promised that this
should be done. Scarcely had the Crown Prince left
Berlin, however, than Herr von Muhler proposed to
the Emperor William the appointment of a certain
Herr Wussoff, and the Emperor accordingly issued
the necessary Cabinet Order. The Crown Prince only
learned what had happened on his return home, and
at once communicated the facts of the case to the
Emperor, who wrote to the Minister of Education :
* Your conduct towards my house is wanting in
loyalty.' Herr von Miihler thereupon sent in his
resignation, which was accepted on January 21, 1872.

Still more fervently did the Crown Prince, aided
by his royal consort, labour for the improvement of
applied art (Kunstgewerbe) in Prussia, by giving
it every possible encouragement and assistance.
Prussia was almost the last of the Grerman countries
to come under the influence of the universal artistic
movement in industry. The first impulse to this was
given by the Crown Princess, who had attentively
followed the exertions and progress of her native
country in the improvement of its industry. In the
spring of 1865 she commissioned Dr. H. Schwabe to

357

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

draw up a memorandum setting forth the necessity of
founding a School of Applied Art, with a reference to
similar institutions in England. Independently of
this, efforts had been made by the Berlin Mechanical
Institute at the beginning of 1866, with the same
end in view. The movement thus inaugurated led
eventually to the foundation of the Museum of
Industrial Art at Berlin, which is connected with a
School of Applied Art. It is largely due to the en-
couragement given by the Crown Prince and Princess
to this movement that applied art found a home in
Prussia, and in the course of time reached so high a
standard of excellence that other countries were fain
to learn from Germany.

A great impulse was given to the fiirther develop-
ment of the Industrial Museum by the exhibition of
objets de vertu in the Royal Armoury at Berlin, which
owed not only its first suggestion, but its entire collec-
tion and arrangement, to the direct personal initiative
and support of the Crown Prince and Princess.

The anniversary of the storming of the Diippel
entrenchments was the occasion of the following letter
from the Crown Prince to his former comrade, Prince
Charles of Roumania :

' Potsdam,

• April 18, 1872.

* . . . My best thanks for the photographs ; your
child must have charming and interesting features;
she reminds one of both the families to which her
parents belong. The surroundings amused us, and we
greatly admired Elisabeth in the national costume.
In spite of photographs, however, I can hardly imagine

358

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

my old friend Charles as a married man and father,
with a child on his arm I It is an indescribable happi-
ness to be a father, and I can only too readily imagine
how you spend every free hour in the society of your
child, and that you found the little mite the only con-
solation for her mother's absence during your first
separation. . . .

* When I reflect upon the course of events in
Geimany, since the Diippel assault first attracted the
attention of the world to us Prussians, it always seems
to me as though I had listened with rapt attention to
a long history lesson ; that I was called to witness the
reality appears a marvel. May our people in future
preserve the same becoming earnestness and humility
which up to now they have not laid aside. In spite of
all their successes ! So long as that feeling is not
abandoned, we show ourselves worthy of the deeds we
have witnessed.

* You will remember that the thought of a recon-
stltutlon of the Empire as the finishing touch to the
work of Grerman unity has always occupied me, and
been among my sincerest wishes. I longed for the
peaceable and bloodless achievement of this object,
and perhaps it might have been attained without a
war. But these are idle questions, which can no longer
be considered ; we have rather to look to a systematic
and thorough consolidation of the Empire, the external
form of which is perhaps completed, but many a year
must pass before its Southern elements have quite
found their place in the new structure. The people,
especially those who took an active part in the war,
are far more favourable to the new situation than the
Cabinets ; I shall therefore not be at all surprised if

359

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

the next few years bring us some most disagreeable
di£ferences of opinion. The peculiarities of each separate
country forming the Empire wOl always be respected,
and interference with their internal affairs must be
avoided ; I therefore do not at all like the expression
" a uniform State." But it is for that very reason
that earnest pains must be taken that perfect unity
may be displayed in military, legal, and foreign political
affairs, and that these elements may become more and
more firmly welded together.

* To my joy, our neighbour States do not appear to
view our union with unfavourable eyes, and that is in
itself a great deal ; we shall certainly not be loved by
any of them. The revengeful feeling in France is only
natural and explicable, though much water will flow
between the banks of the Rhine before that feeling
will take the form of action.'

The month of April, 1872, brought a new happiness
to the Crown Prince and Princess, for on the 22nd a
daughter, Margaret, was bom to them.

Among the military duties of the Crown Prince
after the war, none gave him greater pleasure than
the annual inspection of the troops of the South
German States. Here the former leader of the Third
Army met his brave comrades on the manoeuvring-
grounds of the Rhine and Main, in the plain of the
Danube, and in the Alpine regions, and witnessed
the progress made in the training of the troops.

Every place which the Crown Prince visited on

these journeys of inspection received him with an

enthusiastic welcome. Even at Amberg, in the Upper

Palatinate, where the Catholic Congress under Wind-

360

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

horst had assembled, the Prince's reception was in-
describably hearty. The Crown Prince had a remark-
ably pleasant manner with the people. Seldom has
a Prince understood how to gain the hearts of the
humbler classes as he did. It frequently happened
while returning from the manoeuvres that the Crown
Prince drove his staff almost to despair by pausing at
every fresh group of people that he met and con-
versing with them.

At his arrival at Kempten, in Bavaria, on one
occasion, the local choral society assembled at the
entrance to the station and greeted him with a
song. This must have given him great pleasure,
for he walked up to the singers, borrowed a copy
of the music, and sang with them. Such incidents
wrought a close bond between Prince and people.

In the first week of September, 1872, the meeting
of the three Emperors took place in Berlin. In honour
of the Bussian and Austrian Sovereigns, the Crown
Prince and Princess gave a splendid fSte in the park
of the New Palace. The park itself was brilliantly
illuminated in the evening with many thousands of
lights.

In November, 1872, the Crown Prince visited
Dresden on the occasion of the golden wedding of the
Kling and Queen of Saxony. From there he intended
to join his consort and children in Switzerland, but on
the journey he feU seriously ill of an mtemal inflam-
mation. After a slow convalescence he went, about
the middle of December, to stay at Wiesbaden with
his family.

At the time of the Crown Prince's illness, the

Rheinische Kurier reported a significant remark of

361

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

the Crown Prince concerning Prince Bismarck : ' The
physicians say that my illness is dangerous/ said the
Crown Prince to his consort. * My father is old, and
Prince William is still a minor; it is therefore not
unlikely that you may be called upon to act as Regent
for a time. You must promise me to do nothing
without Prince Bismarck, whose counsels have raised
our House to undreamed-of power and greatness/

The Crown Prince returned from Wiesbaden to
Berlin in the month of March, 1873. By his express
desire, no official reception took place ; but the people
would not be denied giving him a hearty welconie at
the station and on the way to his palace, in spite of
the pouring rain.

About the end of April, the Crown Prince paid
a visit to Vienna, accompanied by the Princess, for
the purpose of attending the opening of the Inter-
national Exhibition on May 1. The royal guests
met with a splendid reception at the Austrian Imperial
Court, and during their stay in Vienna received many
marks of attention and regard. Here the Crown
Prince made the acquaintance of the painter Heinrich
von Angeli, who gives the following account of his
royal visitors :

' I was standing one day before the easel in my

studio, which was then in the Heugasse. There was

a knock at the door, and the Crown Prince Frederick

William and his consort entered the room. The

Crown Princess was wearing a simple costiune of a light

colour. I remember the circumstance in every detaiL

The Prince praised my pictures in the Exhibition,

and the Crown Princess invited me to come to

Potsdam. I accepted this proposal, and received a

362

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

commission to paint the portrait of the Crown Prince.
Since then I have been to Potsdam nearly every year
for the Crown Prince's birthday and upon other
occasions. His manner to me was that of an ordinary
private gentleman, *fiill of delightfiil simplicity and
charming affability. When one saw him at the side
of his consort, surrounded by his children, one was
filled with pleasure at the sight of this simple and
charming family picture. One might imagine one's
self in the house of a private citizen. The conversa-
tion always used to turn upon artistic and scientific
subjects ; the German and English classics were
diligently studied, and there was a great deal of
music. But political and military topics were never
touched upon. The Crown Princess, a lady endowed
with every adornment of heart and mind, formerly
worked at sculpture. Later on she devoted herself to
painting, and I am proud to be able to call myself her
teacher. The Crown Prince took a lively interest in
his consort's artistic progress, and used to express the
greatest delight at every successful sketch. FinaUy,
he himself began working in charcoal and colour. The
hand that wielded the sword so powerfully learned to
use the brush with surprising dexterity.

* During the sittings for his portrait, the Crown
Prince was always quiet and attentive. He is in
every respect a remarkably quiet character, never
speaking a word more than is absolutely necessary in
ordinary conversation. During my residence in the
Crown Prince's family, the conversation often turned
upon Vienna and the Viennese. *' Vienna is a
splendid city, and the Viennese are charming

people.'* So the Crown Prince and Princess always

363

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871.

expressed themselves. The Prince visited almost all
the art collections and institutions in Vienna, and
gave especial praise to the Austrian Museum, and the
endeavours of the Viennese industrial classes to ac-
complish great things in the field of applied art. He
often said to me that there ought to be an institution
in Berlin similar to the Austrian Museum. I was
interested to learn that the Crown Prince was in the
habit of drawing a parallel between Berlin and any
large town that he visited, and anything that he
admired or approved of in foreign countries he sought
to introduce into his native land. The immense
impetus that Berlin had received during the last few
years was a source of great pride to him, and at the
word " Germany " his eyes would begin to sparkle,
and a flash of joy would pass over his fine, manly
features.'

The Crown Prince and Princess left Vienna on
May 1 9 in order to travel by way of Venice and Milan
to the Italian lakes, and thence to return to Potsdam
to receive the Shah of Persia.

At the end of July the Crown Prince and his family
went to the watering-place of Wyk, on the island of
Fohr. On August 3 the Crown Prince laid the
foundation-stone of the new University buildings at
Kiel.

The same evening the Crown Prince went on board

the yacht Grille^ and sailed for Christiania for the

purpose of being present at the coronation of the

King and Queen of Sweden at Drontheim. The

Crown Prince undertook an excursion of several days'

duration to Telemarken, and after the return of their

Majesties of Norway and Sweden paid a visit to

364

i874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

Stockholm. King Oscar invested the Crown Prince
with the Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olaf, and on
his departure presented him with a life-size portrait of
Gustavus Adolphus II., a gift which was valued by
the recipient all the more as he had always been an
admirer of that kingly hero.

On the arrival of the Crown Prince at Malmoe on
August 17, whence he was to start upon his journey
home, he received an unexpected visit fix>m the Crown
Prince of Denmark, who had arrived shortly before
from Copenhagen on the frigate SjaUand^ bringing an
invitation to visit the Boyal Family of Denmark at
Fredensborg, before returning to the island of Fohr.
The journey had gratifying political results, as
henceforth a friendly intercourse began between the
two kingdoms, which in course of time led to an
alliance between the Boyal Houses of Sweden and
Prussia.

On the conclusion of his stay at Wyk, the Crown
Prince sent word to the poet Klaus Groth, whose
poem of Quickhorn^ by his own confession, had
moved him to tears, to come, if his health permitted,
to Neumiinster on the day of the Crown Prince's
departure. Groth appeared at the appointed day at
the Neimiunster station to await the arrival of the
Crown Prince. When the train arrived, Groth walked
towards the royal carriage. * I had not yet got to
it,* he relates, * when a glass door opened, a small iron
staircase fell down, and the Crown Prince came out of
the door on to the steps, held out both hands to me,
and drew me into the carriage. I am not easily im-
pressed by external signs of friendliness, but, on the
contrary, rather distrust them. But the manner of

365

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

my reception was so hearty, kind, and friendly that I
willingly gave myself up to its influence. I shall
never forget a single detail of that moment. I have
never in my life been so enchanted with the appear-
ance of any man as I was with that of the Crown
Prince. His splendid figure is remarkable for both
strength and beauty in an unusual degree, and kind-
ness of heart, stamped upon his manly face, sounded
immistakably in his voice, as he said : '' How glad I
am at last to see the man who has given us so many
pleasant hours ! Come in ! Here is my wife !" She
was standing, leaning against the small stove, and she
too, gave me a softly-spoken welcome. Her appear-
ance was nothing less than royal, and she looked
graceftil, but almost timid, beside her husband s tower-
ing form. When she then proceeded to thank me for
my ballads, the Crown Prince said to her in an
audible tone : " Why, you never told me about them !'*
^* You were not here, you know ; you were in Sweden,"
she replied. "And here are my children." I only
had a glance at them, but noticed that they looked
very tired. "And how are you feeling now?" etc.
After a few minutes' conversation, he dismissed me
with the words : " I must now say good-bye to my
family ; they are going to Hamburg. I will come out
again to you in a moment, and shall have plenty of
time, for I am going to Panker."

* When the Hamburg train had gone, the Crown
Prince came to me on the platform, where we walked
up and down together for quite a quarter of an hour.
Our conversation was, naturally, upon such an occa-
sion, of a light and cheerful nature. Among other

things, the Crown Prince asked : ** When are the

366

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

University buildings at Kiel likely to be finished ?"
I said I hoped in about two years. " Are we not
colleagues ?" he asked me half seriously, as he looked
at me. ** I was not aware of it," was my answer.
" Why, yes !*' he said ; ** surely you are an Honorary
Doctor of the Oxford University, as I am !" " No,
your Royal Highness ; but as you have made use of
the expression * colleague ' in reference to me, I may
be allowed to boast of being, like you, an Honorary
Doctor of the Bonn University." At this we smilingly
bowed to each other. During this time we were
strolling up and down the long Neumiinster platform.
In saying good-bye the Prince shook hands, with many
kind words, as his train was ready to start. He
waved his hand to me out of the window, and that was
the last I ever saw of him.'

On January 23, 1874, the marriage of the Grand-
Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia with Prince
Alfred of England, Duke of Edinburgh, took place at
St. Petersburg. The Crown Prince, who, with his
consort, was present at the wedding festivities, was
referred to by the Grashdanin newspaper as the hero
of the day, whose chivalry and charming manners
were the talk of all.

Many years before William I. had conferred upon
his son the office of Patron of the Masonic Lodges of
Prussia, as well as the presidency of the Grand Masters'
Union in Berlin. The Crown Prince gradually dis-
covered that various reforms were necessary in the
sphere of Freemasonry, but here he encountered much
opposition, and now resigned his position as Grand
Master.

367

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

The following letter from the Crown Prince to
Prince Charles of Boumania, written in March, 1874,
reveals the writer's views upon the Kulturkampf
which was just heginning.

*You will certainly have followed with Sjonpathy
the course of the lamentable religio-political struggle
between our Government and the Papal Curia, I am
sorry that it should have occurred ; but I foresaw it,
as the custom, established these thirty years, of giving
way to the demands of Bome, rather than maintaining
a firm position, could not possibly continue. I think,
perhaps, a diflTerent sequence might have been observed
in legislating ; but since the struggle has been under-
taken, we must carry it through. Austria, very
opportunely for us, is beginning to adopt a similar
attitude.

* I am sorry that there should be a report current
that the Government wishes to attack the Catholic
Church and its dogmas as such. Everyone who is
capable of calm deliberation must know that nothing
is further from our thoughts.*

A few weeks later the Prince and Princess of
Boumania suffered a great loss by the death of their
only child Princess Marie, at the age of three and half
years. The first letter of sympathy was received from
the Crown Prince, who wrote to Prince Charles as
follows :

* We have just received the unexpected and afflict-
ing news of the terrible misfortune that has befallen
you. May G<xi s grace be with you and grant you
strength to bear the desperate sorrow, the burden of
which we know fix)m our own experience ! In thought

I put myself in your frame of mind, and realize that

368

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

you must both be numbed with grief at seeing your
sweet child lifeless before you, and at knowing that
you can never again see a light in her dear eyes, never
again a smile on her face !

' These are hours in which, in spite of all Christian
principles, one still asks : Why need it have been ?
And certainly it is hard to say : " Thy will be done I"

' I wrote this text on the tomb of my son Sigismund,
your godchild, because I know of no other consolation ;
and yet I cannot conquer that pain to-day, though
many years have already passed, and though God has
given me a large family. Time does certainly blunt
the keenest edge of a parent's anguish, but it does not
remove the burden, which remains one's companion
through life. . . •

' Your grief is also ours, and you are both the object
of our anxiety and our prayers ; for that my wife is
at one with me in these thoughts of sympathy you
know as well as that these lines are for poor Elisabeth
no less than for you. God be with you, and be
merciful to you 1'

On June 19 and 20 the Crown Prince visited the

International Agricultural Exhibition at Bremen.

The agricultural societies of Alsace-Lorraine had sent

representatives to this Exhibition, who were presented

to the Crown Prince at a soir^ given by Consul

H. H. Meier, the Chairman of the North Grerman

Lloyd. One of these delegates addressed a few words

to the Crown Prince in French. He begged His

Imperial Highness not to be displeased because his

fellow-countrymen mourned over the loss of their

former Fatherland and its misfortunes. They hoped

for indulgence and justice on his part.

369 3 B

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1871-

The Crown Prince replied in the French language :

* I thank you for your loyalty and fi^ankness. I
perfectly understand that one cannot part finom a great
nation ^thout regret ; but you may rest assured that
time will bring consolation to you. Later on you
will see that you have lost nothing, and that you
belong to-day to a very great nation, ^which is in a
position to guarantee peace and quiet to you. Tell
your fellow-countrymen that my endeavours for
the prosperity of yoiur country will never be
wanting.'

At the beginning of June the Crown Prince and
Princess with their younger children set out for the
Isle of Wight. The royal party embarked at Bremers-
haven on the Hohenzollem and was escorted by a naval
squadron.

About this time the Royal Academy of Arts
at Berlin elected the Crown Prince an honorary
member, and begged him to accept this office. The
Crown Prince accepted the honour in a gracious letter,
written from Sandown in the Isle of Wight, in which
he declared that his constant and earnest endeavour
was to manifest his warm interest in the art of the
nation in a practical and successfiil manner.

Early in September the Crown Prince visited Cassel,
where he rejoined his consort and his two eldest
sons, who were to attend the Gymnasium (Classical
College) in that town. On the day following their
arrival, the Crown Prince and Princess paid a visit
to the Headmaster, Dr. Haussner, to arrange with him
about the entrance of Prince William into the Second
aass.*

* Corresponding to the Fifth Form in Engliah Bchools.

370

1874] AFTER THE GREAT WAR

At the end of November the Crown Prince repeated
his visit to Cassel, to satisfy himself with regard to
the health and progress of his sons. On this occasion
he was also present at the lessons given in the
Gymnasium.

371 2 B 2

CHAPTER XVI

HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC R£SSABCHES

1875—1878

The Crown Prince and Princess spent April and May

in Italy. After a short stay at Florence, the Crown

Prince paid a visit to the King of Italy at Naples

(April 25). Upon his return the Crown Prince and

Princess of Italy came to Florence to meet their

Grerman guests. While staying at Grenoa the Crown

Prince travelled twice to Berlin, on May 13, to

welcome the Czar to the capital, and afterwards, on

May 28, to receive the King and Queen of Sweden.

The Crown Prince and Princess also spent some time

at Venice, where they saw much of the artists' colony.

Anton von Werner, the historical painter, wrote as

foUows :

*In May, 1875, I had the privilege of spending

some delightful days in Venice with the Crown Prince

and Princess. The Crown Princess enjoyed the

artistic treasures of Venice, and studied, drew, and

painted indefatigably, either from the works of the

time when Venice was glorious, or from Nature in the

Square of St. Mark and in the canals, often quite

alone and incognito, or else she painted studies of

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i875] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

heads in Passini's studio with the rest of us. . . •
At that time I had aknost daily opportunity of seeing
the Princess's sketch-books, and was surprised at her
unerring taste, which always fixed upon what was
artistic and worth painting, and the ease and accuracy
with which the object was represented, no matter in
what medium. And still higher than her technical
powers did I value the artistic comprehension and
feeling of the Princess as it appeared upon all
occasions, both with regard to works of art and
impressions of Nature.

* The Crown Princess felt all the delight and poetry
of that golden May time in Venice as only an artist
can feel it in the joy of artistic creation ; and it was
as though Art herself were desirous of giving the
artist Princess an ever-memorable picture on the
evening of their departure from Venice, when the
crowd of torchlit gondolas filled the Grand Canal,
and the full splendour of the moon shed her light
over the proud illuminated palaces and the Bialto. . . .
It was a picture worthy of Oswald Achenbach ! Since
that time the Crown Princess, notwithstanding the
manifold duties of her exalted position, has persevered
in all branches of her artistic studies, with a mind
ever open to the revelations of Nature and the creations
of ancient and modern art. Without being directly
under a master, the Princess has derived profit from
studying the work of prominent artists, such as
Professor von Angeli for portraits, the late C. Wilberg
and Ascan Lutteroth for landscapes, and Professor
Albert Hertel for still-life studies. Excellent portrait
studies, e.g.f the life-size portrait of Prince William
and of the Hereditary Princess of Meiningen in Benais-

373

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875^

Bance costume, show Angeli's influence ; while the in-
numerable sketches in pencil or water-colours, astoiuBh-
ingly light and firm in line, show by their technique
that it was not in vain that Wilberg* and Lutteroth
enjoyed the privilege of staying at the New Palace at
Potsdam, or in Italy or Switzerland, in company with
the artistic Princess,'

On July 5 the Crown Prince visited Vienna to
attend the funeral of the Emperor Ferdinand, who in
1848 abdicated in favour of his nephew, Francis
Joseph.

Between Linz and Munich, on the return journey,
the train in which the Crown Prince was travelling
collided with a goods-train ; no one, however, was
seriously hurt, and the Crown Prince was uninjured

At Cologne an International Horticultural Exhi-
bition took place in August, at the suggestion of the
Empress Augusta. The Crown Prince, as patron of
the Exhibition, performed the opening ceremony upon
August 25.

The festivities in honour of the presence of the
Crown Prince lasted for two days. On the second
day the French Consul at Dusseldorf, Vicomte de
Fontenay, proposed the health of the Crown Prince in
the German language, having previously received
authorization from the French Minister Decasses. On
the Crown Princes departure, he was enabled to
carry away the conviction that the Rhine district
was devoted heart and soul to the House of Hohen-
zoUem.

The following letter from the Crown Prince to Prince
Charles of Boumania, written in October, 1875, gives
an interesting sketch of contemporary events :

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

* It is not without anxiety that I turn towards you
in the South-east of Europe, where Herzegovina is
keeping us in suspense; but the circumstance that
your country remains quiet and your name is never
mentioned assures me of the discretion and composure
with which you manage to avoid the rocks. It is
greatly in favour of the peace of Europe that nobody
seems inclined to quarrel with the Turks, and that
everyone appears to have an aversion to the mere
possibility of the reopening of the so-called Eastern
Question. One reason is that the Great Powers have
plenty of occupation at home, which will keep them
employed for years to come, and leaves them no time
for troubling about more general matters. . . .

'Matters are progressing slowly but surely in the
Empire. The Grerman nation adheres to the Emperor
and the Empire, whilst many Cabinets only yield to
force of circumstances. In South Germany the Wiirt-
temberg Army Corps has been able to assimilate our
principles so thoroughly that it has almost reached
the standard of a Prussian corps. The Bavarians,
too, are very industrious, and take great pains to
bring their army organization up to our standard, in
spite of certain hostile elements whose aim it is to
frustrate this object, and who have succeeded in
preventing Prussian instructors from being sent there,
or Bavarian soldiers from coming to us to learn their
work, which Wiirttemberg has done for the last eight
years. . . .

' I am enjoying these warm autumn days in peace
and quiet, after having drained the cup of inspections
to the dregs. I am always willing to fulfil my duties,
but there are limits, especially when one is no longer

375

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875-

as young as one was. I had to attend manoeuvree in
Wiirttemberg, Bavaria, Silesia and Mecklenburg, and,
as these countries do not exactly lie close together, I
dashed from one to the other by rail, like a State
messenger. Victoria and I spent six enjoyable weeks
in the spring in gorgeous Italy, just in time to reassure
the apprehensive political amateurs who were excited
by absurd rumours of war.

' William is in the first form at the Gassel Gym-
nasium. We think that the next two years, while he
is growing up, will be beneficial to his development ;
he likes being there. Henry really seems to be taken
with the idea of a sailor's life ; we shall therefore soon
have to prepare him for this career.

'Victoria sends you both her heartiest greetings;
she is more diligent and successful than ever in drawing
and painting, and does wonders in the way of portraits.
The other day, in Silesia, she led her Hussar r^^iment
past the King, which created a great impression, as
she really accomplished her task splendidly, and looked
exceedingly well in the simple and becoming uniform.'

Among all branches of science, the Crown Prince
had a particular preference for history. He was, how-
ever, not content with merely studjring the writings
of others, but personally undertook a remarkable piece
of work. Professor Hans Delbriick gives the following
account of it :*

* I do not know who originated the idea of supple-
menting the Berlin Cathedral by the construction of
a mausoleum for the Eoyal Family. The Crown
Prince had adopted this scheme, and was full of it.

* < Personal Beminisoences of the Emperor Frederiok and his
House/ Berlin, 1888.

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

The Hohenzollem Vault was to be a Memorial Hall
of Prussian history. The soldiers serving at Berlin,
and every Prussian coming to Berlin and visiting the
graves of his Sovereigns, were to be offered a kind of
panoramic view of the wonderful history of this race,
so intimately connected with that of the State. For
this reason the Crown Prince conceived the idea of
setting up statues of all the electoral Princes and
Kings of Prussia, with a description of their character
and government engraved upon the pedestal of each
statue, while another side bore an account of the most
remarkable events of their time, and a list of the terri-
tories that each had acquired for the State. He him-
self drew up these accoimts. From old Pauli down to
Droysen and Banke and the innumerable existing
monographs, he worked through the entire literature of
the history of Prussia and of his House. When the first
draft was ready, he would send it to historians, such
as Ranke, Duncker, Droysen and others, and beg for
their criticisms, and suggestions. On the receipt of
these, which sometimes amounte.J to considerable
length, began the business of rewriting, every word
and phrase being chosen and pondered with the most
delicate care, and again examined after being put aside
for a time. . . .

* The work was interrupted by the Begency in 1878,
and was not at once resumed when the duties of this
office ceased, as the Crown Prince then devoted himself
to the composition of memoirs of the period, which
was, as he said, a more difficult task than might be
supposed.

* Great stress was everywhere laid upon Protestantism
in the character sketches of the Sovereigns, and the

377

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875^

review of the most important events of each Govern-
ment. I once ventured a qaery as to how fiur this
were suitable in a memorial intended for all oon&BBiODS
of the nation. The Crown Prince, however, merely
replied : " Well, surely we may be allowed to mentm
that we are Protestants."

'I am not aware how many of these character
sketches were ever completed. I received the outline
of that of Frederick William IIL from San Kemo, and
sent back my remarks upon it with most melancholy
feelings.

' As regards the contents and form of the sketches,
it is sufficient to say that they resemble the splendid
memorial dedicated by the Emperor Frederick to his
father.

' Among the historians studied by the Crown Prince
for the purposes of this undertaking, he grew to value
Kanke the more he read him, althoug'h at first, I
believe, he disliked him. He used to say, '' Banke
has always the best way of expressing himself "

' His estimate of his ancestors was absolutely un-
biassed. He naturally knew that there are times and
occasions when everything can be said fireely, and
others when this is not advisable ; but he was quite
free from that pseudo-patriotism which has so little
self-confidence that it only manages to exist upon the
basis of a false idealization of the past. He desired
no floweriness and no concealment, but the simple
historical truth. It is true that he once expressed
his satisfaction that modem research upon King
Frederick I. had brought many favourable points to
light, as in his youth he had been taught to regard
him as a man whose name could scarcely be mentioned

378

1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

with propriety. Upon the other hand, however, he
resolutely opposed the modern favourable view of
Frederick William III. This King has had a curious
fate in history. The traditional opinion was that the
King's policy, both before and after 1806, was largely
the result of irresolution and want of political energy,
and had only turned to Prussia's advantage by the
help of a propitious fate. Researches in the public
records, by Duncker among others, brought about a
reaction ; and the vacillating attitude of the King,
especially from 1809 to 1813, was now regarded as
the fruit of supreme, or, at the least, praiseworthy,
statesmanship. When I visited the Crown Prince the
results of Duncker *s researches had recently appeared,
and I had adopted his views. The Crown Prince
rejected them, however, with such decision that I was
led to study Dimcker's investigations veiy minutely
while completing the biography of Gneisenau, and
managed to refute a considerable portion of them.'

The Crown Prince conceived this idea of a memorial
to his ancestors from an account of the museimi at
Castle Rosenborg, which he had visited while staying
at Copenhagen in 1856. This museum contains por-
traits, weapons, furniture, clothes, and other souvenirs,
of the various rulers and their chief contemporaries,
each contained in separate rooms and arranged in
chronological order. The Crown Prince was inde-
fatigable in improving and adding to the Hohenzollem
Museum. He devoted to this purpose anything that
he found in the royal palaces which was in any way
connected with the history of his House and the
memory of his ancestors, and many of the objects lent
or presented by him are accompsmied by his own

379

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875.

superscriptions or explanations. The Museum was
opened on March 22, 1877.

The Crown Prince's predilection for history led to
his acceptance of the patronage of the Berlin Historical
Society.

The services of the Crown Prince with regard to
the history of ancient art will never be forgotten.
The excavations at Olympia, in Greece, and Pergamon,
in Asia Minor, were mainly owing to his exertions.
He was an enthusiastic and powerful supporter of this
marvellously successful undertaking, the fruits of which
have enriched the entire civilized world. He was also
successful in persuading hoth the Imperial Grovemment
and the Prussian Ministry to supply the necessary
funds for the work.

The Crown Prince also used his powerful influence
in favour of the Grerman Anthropological Society, the
patronage of which he assumed at the request of its
president, Professor Virchow, soon after its foundation
in the early seventies. As the society urgently
required the enlargement of their collections for the
purposes of comparative investigation, the Crown
Prince prevailed upon the Government to invite the
various German Embassies and Consulates abroad to
take an active and systematic part in the enlargement
of the collections.

In order to provide more accommodation for the
collections, which increased considerably in ooiuise of
time, the Ethnographical Museum was built at Berlin
at the instigation of the Crown Prince (1880 — 1886).

In February, 1876, the Crown Prince and Princess

spent a few days with the Royal Court of Saxony at

Dresden, when the King conferred upon the Crown

380

1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

Prince the oolonelcy-in-chief of the 2nd Saxon Hussar
Regiment.

The following letter from the Crown Prince to
Prince Charles of Roumania was penned in May,
1876 :

* Ever since your last letter reached my hands, the
rapt attention of Europe has been fixed on Stamboul
and the seething Turkish provinces. This state of
afiairs reminds me of the time before 1864, when
every conversation about the solution of the Schleswig-
Holstein question ended thus : ** Let us wish the
Danish King long life, that the conflict may be delayed
as long as possible." But Frederick VIL died suddenly,
and misfortune was at the door. The situation to-day
is the more favourable, since none of the Great Powers
have any longing to fight, because, God knows, enough
blood has been shed these last few years. So far as
we Germans are concerned, the Eastern Question
possesses no immediate interest for us ; our only care
is the protection of our countrymen, on whose account
our ironclad squadron is now cruising.

* The conference of the three Chancellors was a fresh
proof to the world of the firm intention of the three
Emperors to hold together, and, furthermore, that
Austria's German subjects cling to the German Empire,
and hence compel the other provinces to follow their
example. It remains to be seen how far the Porte
will acquiesce in the arrangements. In any case, I
regard it as a good sign that the States under Turkish
suzerainty are making every efibrt to prevent in-
surrections and maintain peace. The financial diffi-
culties of Turkey seem to point to her downfall, and

Egypt is in the same plight. If England gains a firm

381

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875.

footing there, which I should be very pleased to leanu
then much can be done without bloodshed; and I
cherish the perhaps illusory hope that some day the
Balkan peninsula will be governed by a Congress.

' These thoughts of mine are the outcome of the
situation, which seems less acute just at present, as the
words of five great Powers, among ivhom EIngland
certainly does not appear as the friend of Turkey,
naturally afford material for reflection.

' Here the Imperial Government is passing a great

many new laws ; Prussia, too, is not idle in this respect,

so the lawyers are beside themselves with work. But

it is not to be wondered at that many thorough-going

reforms have become necessary since the events of

1870 to 1871. The Empire is being welded together

more firmly every year, almost without the assistance

of the German Cabinets, some of whom are not

particularly pleased by the speed with which the

newly restored Empire has established itself. Those

who assert that the Empire is aiming at a " Uniform

State *' to the detriment of the reigning Houses are

mistaken. It is my opinion that the Federal form of

government is consistent with the power and unity of

the Elmpire ; but the Sovereigns must recognise that

we cannot permanently have in the army any small

independent forces, exclusively dependent upon their

own rulers in the matter of promotion, administration,

etc. The much-debated acquisition of the railways

by the State throughout the Empire is merely a

question of time ; it is inevitable, but must be well

considered and gradually brought about, with due

regard to all the privileges of the various Federal

States. Those who clamour against the scheme at

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

present will then recognise the necessity of it, and will
be able to judge it impartially.

* I have good news to give you of my home circle.
William got to the top of the first class at Easter,
and early next year will pass his matriculation
examination, and enter the service in the summer of
1877, afterwards probably attending the University.
How time flies I Henry keeps to his wish of entering
the navy. Charlotte has just returned from England
in good health and spirits ; she was there to see my
brother-in-law, the Prince of Wales, arrive home fi:om
his enviable trip to India. How I should like to go
there 1'

The Crown Prince and Princess spent the July of
1876 at Scheveningen, from whence they made many
inland excursions to the various cities of the Nether-
lands, rich in works of art and no less remarkable firom
a historical point of view. They also paid a visit to
the Health Exhibition at Amsterdam.

The sixtieth anniversary of the octogenarian Prince
Frederick of the Netherlands as Grand Master of the
Freemasons was celebrated at the Hague on July 27.
The Crown Prince was present, as well as many
deputations from Dutch and foreign Lodges. The
festival speech was made by Brother Lenting, a
member of the Lower Chamber, who sketched in
eloquent terms the history of Dutch Freemasonry
during the last sixty years. He laid stress upon
the fact that Prince Frederick gave the lie to the
calumnies of the Ultramontane press by retaining his
office of Grand Master, notwithstanding their advice
to the contrary effect. He held this up as an example
to Freemasons, for a new struggle was approaching.

383

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875

While Freemasonry sought to encourage the enlighten-
ment of the nation, Ultramontanism was on the side of
darkness. Freemasonry did not attack the Catholic
Church, but only Ultramontanism, -which endeavoured
to render the State subservient to the Church, and to
impede free intellectual development.

The speech was received with enthusiastic applaiua
After Prince Frederick had returned thanks, promisiDg
to be true to the Order while he lived, the German
Crown Prince rose. After congratulating Prince
Frederick, he continued as follows :

* The differences of nationalities have created divi-
sions in life. Freemasonry aims at love, tolerance and
freedom without regard to these divisions. On this
memorable day I am glad to have the opportunity of
declaring my adherence to the principles of the Order,
and of expressing the hope that it may be at length
victorious in the struggle for popular enlightenment
and intellectual liberty.'

In September the Crown Prince accompanied his
father on his first visit to Alsace. It was observed
with great approval that the Crown Prince placed
himself quite in the background, and, as it were,
constantly retired in favour of his father, to whom
alone he desired all homage to be offered.

The congratulations of the Berlin magistracy on the
occasion of his birthday were acknowledged by the
Crown Prince with an allusion to the injury caused to
industrial life by the system of company-promoting and
by emphasizing the necessity of a return to sound
economical principles.

When Landrath von Diest began his crusade

against company - promoting at Berlin with the

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

pamphlet * The Moral Basis in the Life of the State,'
he received a letter of thanks on October 24 from
the Crown Prince as ' Governor of Pomerania/ and
on December 2 these thanks were repeated in the
name of the Crown Prince, with the words that in
the struggle against the moral and material injury
notoriously caused to the nation by the system of
company-promoting there could be no doubt as to his
sympathies, though he was compelled to remain aloof
from the conflict.

Another letter from the Crown Prince to the
Roumanian ruler, on November 8, 1876, ran as
follows :

* Our eyes are turned in suspense towards the
south-eastern comer of Europe, and we are greatly
relieved at the prospects of an armistice. May Heaven
soon grant peace, and preserve us from the incalculable
consequences of the Eastern Question. . . .

' My letter was already closed, when I received the
foUowing from Prince Bismarck, to whom I had given
an account of your letter. I transcribe it here literally,
as it is sure to interest you :

' " The situation of the Prince is serious, although I
am not convinced that Russia will proceed to war if
nobody endeavours to restrain her from doing so. . . .

* " In the event of war, I do not think Prince
Charles ought either to resist the Russian proposals
too seriously or throw himself into their arms. It
would be best if he shielded himself behind his duty
towards the Porte, and then yielded to force, which
will {»x>bably be applied from the North long before
Turkey assmnes the offensive.

' '' He must not allow himself to be led away by

385 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875

ambition, but must adhere to the treatioB ; his resource

are not sufficient in the face of t^^o such armies t

secure him the respect of the victor, if he employ

his forces. So long as he adheres to the treaties, b

can always appeal to Europe. That ^11 always b

a claim, though not perhaps an indisputable one

still, it will carry great weight should the Russia

campaign prove unfortunate eventually. I offer m

opinion here as if I were a Roumanian and not

(rerman Minister, solely on account of my persrai

interest for his Highness." '

January 1, 1877, was the seventieth anniversary <

the Emperor William's entry into the Prussian Arm;

The Crown Prince performed the task of congratulatii]

the Emperor in the name of the German Army in tl

Knights' Hall of the Berlin palace, in the presence \

many German Princes, Field-Marshals, and Generals <

the army. In an eloquent and enthusiastic speec

the Crown Prince referred to his august father as ' tl

model of all glorious virtues, and the creator of tlu

new order of things which has helped to add 1

Prussia's fame, and to firmly establish Germany

greatness once more.'

Prince William, the eldest son of the Crown Princ

passed his matriculation examination in January i

Cassel, and on February 9 he received his conunissic

in the Ist Foot Guards. Upon this occasion tl

Crown Prince addressed the following words to tl

officers of the regiment :

* Having undergone the training of your regimen

I am well acquainted with the admirable spirit thi

prevails in it, and I trust that this will be maintains

I congratulate my son upon joining your ranks. E

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

knows of the glorious deeds of two wars in which the
regiment acted worthily of its old renown. I can
therefore say that my son may well be proud to wear
the uniform, which I wore during my service, and I
hereby place him in your hands.'

In conclusion the Crown Prince advised his son to
bear in mind the words which he had heard that
morning from the lips of the Emperor.

The Crown Prince next advanced with his son to
the 6th Company, saluted the men, and said : ' It is a
great pleasure to me that my son is called upon to
serve in the same company which I had the honour to
command for a year and a half, a period connected
with the pleasantest recollections of my early military
career. '

There soon followed more happy days in the family
of the Crown Prince. At the end of March, 1877,
Prince Henry and Princess Charlotte were confirmed,
and on April 1 the Emperor William announced
at the family dinner-table the betrothal of Princess
Charlotte with the Hereditary Prince Bernhard of
Saxe-Meiningen.

In April the Crown Prince and Princess and Prince
WiUiam visited Kiel for the purpose of being present
at the entry of Prince Henry into the navy.

The ceremony took place upon April 21 on board
the training-ship Niobe. In reply to a speech by Von
Stosch, the chief of the Admiralty Department, the
Crown Prince said that he entrusted his son to the
yoimg navy with the confident hope that he would
prove an assistance to its development and would help
to gain for the navy, when called upon, that fame
which the army had already won.

387 2 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [i8

During a tour of the provinces 'with his illuBtrio
father, the University students at Strasburg gave t
Crown Prince a hearty welcome, and he was w
received by the inhabitants everywhere. His pleasa
manners won the hearts of alL On one occasion \
Crown Prince happened to notice a little girl cryi
because she could not see what was going on ;
lifted her up and held her several minutes in his ar
to show her the Emperor and the other celebrities.

When the Emperor and his son revisited the batt
fields round Metz, they were struck with the lai
nimiber of victims which the war had claimed. Evei
where in the gardens and fields and along the ros
whitewashed crosses of wood were planted on \
separate graves, and were visible from a consideral
distance. After visiting the neighboiulioody t
Crown Prince remarked that he felt as if he had be
walking for hours in an endless cemetery. He spo
with abhorrence of the terrible butchery which h
marked the engagements.

In December, 1877, the Crown Prince wrote t
following long letter to Prince Charles of Rounoania

' I postponed sending you my best thanks for yo
letter, because I should have liked to add congratuJ
tions for a great success, as the fall of Plevna was sa
to be on the point of taking place. But as it has n
yet happened, I have at last set to work to write
you, and begin by telling you that I think of y<
every day, and am glad to picture you fighting
honourably and successfully at the head of the am
you yourself created.

* The motives of the war have nothing to do wi

it, for I am only speaking of yourself, my dear c

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

friend, and so will only add that I hope that great
benefits may arise for you &om this fearftil sacrifice
of human life. How it will come about, nobody
knows, and the Danube will carry a great deal of
water to the sea before any tangible result of peace
takes place I

' Weeks ago, before I received your letter, I saw
from your dispositions for the storming of Plevna what
good use you were making of the experience gained in
1864. From your accoimt of events I see my opinions
confirmed, and am rejoiced that one of our race should
have managed to gain such speedy recognition and
confidence during the critical period of complications
at the seat of war. The Emperor read your letter
with the greatest interest, and entirely shares my
views ; as we get but scanty reports, the contents of
which are naturally conceived with a due regard to the
niunber of eyes that read them before they pass the
Danube, a private letter like yours brings the most
welcome enlightenment upon many points.

' Although the superior numbers of the Russian
troops will certainly gain many advantages in course
of time, the important fact remains that your help had
to be requested. The truth of the old saying has
again been proved, that when fighting one should not
undervalue one's antagonist. The Turks, whose
bravery behind entrenchments has passed into a
proverb, were probably more astonished at their
victories than anyone else ; they would assuredly do
much more if palace intrigues at Constantinople did
not interfere and cause changes of personnel. . . .

' I had got so far in spite of nmnerous interruptions,

when the news arrived of the £all of Plevna, which is

389

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875^

greatly to the honour of your soldiers and yoaneU
Receive my heartiest oongratulations npon this nei
achievement I What a satififaction, after the Iodj
and weary time of waiting, to help in gaining Bod
a victory and overcoming such a brave and skilfa
enemy !

' We as yet have only short telegraphic reports, bal
they state that there was some sharp fighting hefon
Osman surrendered, and that you seem to be the one
to whom he was referred with regard to the capitula-
tion.

' I can imagine your state of mind : joy at tiic
victory, grief for the many victims, hope of a new en
for Roumania, and yet great uncertainty as r^^ardh
the immediate ftiture. May everything* turn out foi
the best for you, and strengthen your position when
peace is made at last.

' I am with you in thought continually, and can
fancy your satisfaction at having now taken a
prominent part in a great war, after you had been
obliged to remain aloof fix)m your native land in 1866
and 1870-71. I think, too, of Elisabeth's joy, and the
feeling of pride that must inspire her at having been
at your side through such events as these. We are
always hearing with much pleasure of her devoted
labours in sick -nursing, for nothing can raise her more
in the general estimation than the fact of her giving
such an example while you were fighting. Please tell
her all this from me. . . .

* We are still waiting impatiently for news of the

effect of the fall of Plevna upon the further course of

the war. Most people think that Turkey will resist

to the last before parting with any portion of her

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

territory, although the losses in men, money, and
artUlery must be immense.

* The situation at Lorn is very strange, with the two
armies standing face to face watching each other, and
the Grand-Duke still not having succeeded in striking
a decisive blow.

* But enough of this. I am now going to send off
this antiquated epistle, or you will think I have
forgotten you.

* In strictest confidence I add the remark that, for
political reasons, the Emperor thinks it wiser to reply
to your kind offer of the Order after peace has been
made. You will comprehend the motives which compel
us to preserve the stattts quo until, by the help of
your military achievements, a new order of things is
inaugurated in accordance with political justice.

* Only these stringent reasons could induce us to
reply for the moment in this manner to a beloved
relative like yourself — that you will understand.'

The New Year brought mourning to the whole of
Italy. King Victor Emmanuel passed away upon
January 9, 1878. The Crown Prince travelled to
Rome with his suite for the purpose of representing
the Emperor at the funeral ceremony and saluting the
Crown Prince Humbert as King. On reaching the
Italian frontier, he addressed the following telegram
to the new Sovereign :

'Before crossing the fix)ntier, I wish all happiness
to you, to Margherita, and to Italy. I pray that
Providence may direct your government. Receive the
embrace of your brother Frederick William.'

On the arrival of the Crown Prince, the streets of

Rome were thronged by an enthusiastic multitude,

391

•

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK

whose cries of ' Long live the Prince of Prussia !'
forth again and again as the Prince's carriage a
progressed through the throng of people. It
evident that the cordial and friendly relations bet
Germany and Italy had received new vigour
the presence of the Crown Prince. After the cerei
of taking the oath on January 19, Kin^ Humber
his consort returned to the Quirinal, w^here a
and enthusiastic crowd assembled. The King
Queen showed themselves upon the balcony, and
received with acclamations, which continued
Their Majesties again appeared with their son,
young Prince of Naples, hand-in-hand with the C
Prince, who lifted him up and showed him tc
people. At this the cheering broke out again :
loudly than before.

Again the Crown Prince wrote to Prince Ch
of Roimiania, on January 29 :

'Everyone is in suspense at present at the d
in the conclusion of an armistice ; this dilatori
almost gives one the impression that time is
posely being allowed to elapse in order to facili
the march of the Russians to StambouL I only ]
that no false peace will be made, for it will only
badly. But with anything that Ignatiev has a 1:
in one must be prepared for surprises. . . .

' I was delighted when the Emperor told me

he had conferred the "Pour le M^rite" upon

for you have really thoroughly deserved it. I

always saying here how proud I am that one of

race was urgently implored for help by the Ilu8si

and that it is necessary to speak of the Ru

Roumanian army in reference to the victory at Pie

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1878] HISTORICAL AND ARTISTIC RESEARCHES

I said this lately at Court to your old corps, which
Fritz now commands, as you know. . . .

' My hasty visit to Rome for the funeral of King
Victor Emmanuel showed me that a united nation
feels itself one also in grief, and is resolved to
follow the path of national progress undismayed.
Umberto has all the qualities requisite for making a
good ruler, but is as yet little known in the country ;
that will not injure him, however, if recognition follows
later.'

After the marriage of Princess Charlotte, the eldest
daughter of the Crown Prince, with the Hereditary
Prince Bemhard of Saxe-Meiningen, on February 18,
1878, the Crown Prince came to England in the middle
of May. While in London, he received a deputation
of German artisans at the German Embassy, who pre-
sented an address of congratulation at the escape of
the Emperor William (May 11).

The Crown Prince, after thanking the deputation,
conversed for some time with the men, and inquired
their various trades. He shook bands with a car-
penter, saying, * I am a carpenter too.' ' I know/
answered the man ; * the Hohenzollems all learn a
trade in their youth — in honour of labour.' The
Crown Prince rejoined in the words of the poet :
' The King's honour lies in his royal office, but ours in
the labour of our hands/

In February, 1878, Herr August Schneegans, with
several other Alsatian members of the Reichstag, had
an audience with Prince Bismarck about the question
of establishing a separate Government for Alsace-
Lorraine. The Prince was of opinion that the best
solution of the question would be for the Crown Prince

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LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1875 78

of the German Empire to exercise the sovereignty in
the name of the Emperor. Herr Bergmann, the
member for Strasburg, was the first to reply to the
Chancellor by stating that the * Crown Prince ' plan
was very favourably received, but there was some
uncertainty as to the way in which it was to be
carried out. Prince Bismarck answered as follows :

* I have not solicited the Emperor s opinion upon the
question. As you know, the question of the nomina-
tion of the Crown Prince as ruler of Alsace-Lorraine
has been raised several times by the press. These
articles are, however, inaccurate in one respect, for
they talked of a vicegerency of the Crown Prince as
representative of the Emperor, but this vicegerency is
not proposed. The Crown Prince is to be your ruler ;
he is to act in every way like the Elmperor, but to live
in the province. The objection has been raised that
the Crown Prince cannot reside in Alsace-Lorraine, as
he is also Crown Prince of Prussia ; still he need not
live there permanently, but only for part of the year.
You will make no progress with the idea of Lnperial
administration as a Crownland ; what you require is
the government of the country by the country itself.'

At the beginning of May, 1878, Herr Schneegans
was informed by Herr Staufienberg that * the Crown
Prince's country was ready,' when suddenly the attempt
upon the Emperor's life produced an unexpected turn
of events : the Crown Prince was entrusted with the
management of affairs and the office of Regent. The
Alsatian ' Crown Prince ' project was pushed into the
background, and another solution was proposed by the
nomination of an Imperial Governor.

394

CHAPTER XVII

THE CROWN PRINCE AS REOENT

1878

It has already been mentioned that the Crown Prince
considered it wiser to abstain from taking any active
part in the affairs of the Grovemment. He adhered to
this principle even when he happened to be present at
a Cabinet Council. At one of these meetings, shortly
before Hodel's attempt upon the Emperor's life, the
monarch inquired what the Crown Prince thought
about a certain matter, with the words : * And what
is your opinion, Fritz ?' The Prince rose and replied :
* I beg to be excused from expressing any opinion. '

The passivity of his attitude did not, however, cause
him to refrain from following the course of home and
foreign politics with the greatest eagerness. The ad-
vanced age of his august father, and the consequent
probability of his own accession to the throne before
very long, possibly induced him to give his undivided
attention to these matters ; but his own strong pre-
dilection for politics was the chief cause of this keen
interest in internal and international affairs. The
Crown Prince was a politician by nature. His diary
of the war of 1870-71, and many of his letters to

395

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

Prince Charles of Roumania, show unmistakably
with what intense interest he watched the course of
events. For many years he had been gradually evolving
a definite political programme, which he kept continu-
ally in view. It might be summed up in the words :
*A powerful German Empire imder the enlightened
government of the Hohenzollers.* Any person ready
to help him in this work waa the right man for the
Crown Prince, be his name Forckenbeck, Sog^genbach,
Stosch or Bismarck.

His sympathy with the tenets of Freemasonry, and
the steadfast sincerity of his nature, caused him to
feel an instinctive repulsion for all movements, political
or otherwise, of a reactionary or intolerant nature.
All narrow-minded adherence to party doctrines or to
selfish class interests was thoroughly distasteful to
him, for he regarded it as his first duty to devote
himself to the general weal and woe. He stood upon
a level of ethical development which impelled him to
think and act morally in great as well as in small
matters, in private as well as in public life, and not
least in the sphere of politics.

Professor Delbriick, who, as tutor to Prince Wal-
demar, lived for five years in the family of the Crown
Prince, and had therefore exceptional opportimities for
acquiring a thorough knowledge of his ideas upon the
subject of class differences, writes :

*The Crown Prince was thoroughly national in

sentiment, but stood far above all party feeling. It is

even impossible to say that he was a Liberal, as far as

the word represents a party bias. It would be better

to say that he had a freer and more tolerant view of

existing affairs than the classes which usually surround

396

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

royalty. He always felt as a Prussian soldier, and
with him, as with his father, the ruling idea was that
of being an officer, and afterwards a commander of the
Prusso-German Army. He lamented the fact that his
father 8 monarchical jealousy (the expression is strong,
but represents the fact) held him aloof from the army
after the wars. It was, however, his principle (and
upon this point he has been invariably misunderstood)
that this consciousness of a special position should not
prevent his entering into free and unconstrained rela-
tions with every class and with every honest man of
other views. This, combined with his adoption of the
German national idea, brought him early into conflict
with the old Prussian reactionary party. The members
of this party were Particularists, not Nationalists, in
their views, and they held that the King of Prussia
should surround himself exclusively with personages of
their own station and opinions. The Prince, however,
even before he became Crown Prince, at the end of
the fifties, rebelled against these narrow views. By
intercourse, or at least contact, with Bunsen, Usedom,
the two Vinckes, Saucken-Julienfelde, later on with
Twesten and Hovenbeck, and through the influence of
his father-in-law about the time of his marriage, he
drew what is usually termed his middle-class Liberalism,
but which, I repeat, is not properly understood, if it
is regarded as a party matter. Its chief characteristic
consists in tolerance towards all parties, and general
personal intercourse without regard to party position.
The question may, indeed, be raised as to how far a
constitutional Sovereign is in a position to maintain a
relationship which may be possible to a Crown Prince.
• . . The Emperor Frederick's reign was too short for

397

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

the feasibility of his ideas to be actually tested. This
tolerant leaning, however, really forms the key to the
comprehension of his ideas. The Crown Prince was
divided from the German Liberal party by views which
I have heard from his own lips, not once, but on many
occasions, in the words : ^^ The army must never be a
Parliamentary force ; it is royal, and must remain so;"
another time in the following form : ** It would just
suit them to make the army a Parliamentary
force 1" '

Supported by his consort, the Crown Prince took
the keenest interest in all efforts which aimed at
bringing well-being and culture to wider circles of the
community.

Herr Schrader, himself a prominent helper in this
good work, writes as follows on this subject :

'In Germany as well as in other countries, no
important progress could be made in social or
educational matters without its coming to the
knowledge of the Crown Prince or Princess. Thus,
the royal couple have given a real moral, not merely
material, encouragement to technical training and
higher education, the industrial training of women,
and many other similar undertakings.

'The Frederick William and Victoria Fund is
intended for these objects, and will continue to assist
them in the future. But although much had already
been achieved by the Crown Prince and Princess,
greater things were still in store for the fiitiu^.

'It was only natural that the Crown Princess in
particular should occupy herself with ideas directly
or indirectly affecting education and development ;

but the interest of the Crown Prince was always at

398

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

hand for her wise and kindly labours, and as often as
his time allowed he would publicly declare how much
he was in favour of education and instruction. How
often has he visited the schools, sometimes alone and
sometimes accompanied by the Crown Princess, and
taJ.en part in the examinations 1 Many a man cherishes
the recollection of having been examined by his
Emperor. At the Apprentices' Exhibitions he was a
regular visitor, often appearing as a competent critic,
but always as a warm friend.*

Among the undertakings of a philanthropic character
which occupied the Crown Prince may be mentioned
his exertions in favour of the material, intellectual, and
moral advancement of women and of their industrial
employment. In 1872 he supported a petition to the
Reichstag for the admission of women into the
railway, postal, and telegraphic service.

The Crown Prince was well aware of the power of
the press, and always treated journalists with great
cordiality. It created some sensation when he first
received journalists and editors of the leading news-
papers at Potsdam. At official ceremonies in Berlin he
was often to be seen chatting with a group of journalists.
Once at some great public function he asked the
representatives of the press whether they were
satisfied with the places assigned to them. Upon
receiving a reply in the negative, he administered a
severe reprimand to those responsible for the arrange-
ments, concluding with the words : * These gentlemen
are more important than you are, for if they did not
write about it, the world would know nothing of what
is going on here to-day !'

The Crown Prince read the Kadical Volks-Ztitung

399

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [187S

by preference. When one of the higher Court officiak,
who had recently entered upon his duties, wished to
get rid of the paper and replace it by one of a more
moderate tendency, the Crown Prince ordered that no
change should be made. To the olxjection, 'But,
your Royal Highness, it is a regular revolutionary
paper !' the Prince answered dryly : * Never mind, my
friend. I know full well what the Government
thinks; I wish to know what other people think
as well.'

While the Crown Prince and Princess were still in
England, another attempt was made upon the life of
the venerable Emperor, who was severely wounded
by two shots while driving in the Unter den Linden.
When the eminent surgeon, Herr von Langenbeck,
arrived at the palace, he found the Emperor insensible
through loss of blood. The Emperor s first words on
recovering consciousness were :

'Telegraph to my son to come at once and take
charge of affairs.'

Upon receiving the sad news, the Crown Prince and
Princess left London at once, and arrived at Berlin the
following day. The Emperor's condition was such as
to prevent him from performing his royal duties for
some time to come, and he therefore commissioned
his son to assume control of the Grovemment until
he was restored to his health. This took place
oflScially in the evening of June 4 in the presence of
Prince Bismarck and the heads of the military and
civil Cabinets.

* There is one duty which tells us to persevere, and

a higher one which orders us to yield/ said the

Emperor. As the Crown Prince kissed his hand, he

400

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

looked up at him, and said : * I know that everything
is in good hands, and I can rest easy.'

The Elmperor desired that the Grovemment should
be carried on in accordance with his own views, and
that nothing should be altered. The Crown Prince
at first felt some hesitation with regard to the
arrangements for his temporary representation of his
father, but the diflSculty was soon overcome by Prince
Bismarck.

The Crown Prince immediately held a Council
meeting, in which the special measures called for by
the unusual situation were discussed. It was decided
to propose the dissolution of the Reichstag to the
Federal Council. In consequence of Hodels attempt,
the draft of a law against Social-Democratic ex-
cesses was laid before the Reichstag, to empower
the Federal Council to prohibit societies and their
meetings for the space of three years, as well as to
confiscate all printed matter of Social-Democratic
tendencies.

These powers were of a very vague description,
and the various Grovemments might be enabled to
suppress any kind of public action objectionable to
them. The National Liberals unanimously resolved
to reject the Socialist Bill in this form, though ready
to support the Government in a future scheme having
more regard to the general freedom of the people.
The Bill was rejected by 251 votes to 34.

Half or more of the Ministers — at any rate, the

majority of the Ministry and Council together — ^voted

adversely to Bismarck against dissolution, on the

ground that the present Parliament, now that Nobiling's

attempt had followed on Hodel's, would be prepared

401 2 D

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

to reverse its recent vote and meet the views of the
Government.

The Crown Prince was by no means desirous that
Bismarck should give up the reins of government.

' I was certain,' remarks Bismarck in his ' BeflecticHtt
and Reminiscences ' (voL iL, p. 202), ' that the Crown
Prince would accept my view, even if all my colleagoeB
had been of a different opinion. ... I intended to
remain at my post, because, if the £mperor were to
recover from his severe wound, which was by no means
certain in the case of so old a man after his serious
loss of blood, I would not forsake him against his will
I also regarded it as my duty, if he should die, not
to refuse to his successor, unless he wished it, those
services which the confidence and experience I had
acquired enabled me to render him.'

Bismarck goes on to assert that at that time a plan
actually existed for replacing him by a CSabinet d la
Gladstone, whose mission is indicated by the names of
Stosch, Eulenburg, Friedenthal, Camphausen, Bickert,
etc. But, at the same time, he remarks that this
combination was imsuccessful, because they fisdled to
win over either the King or the Crown Prince. * As
to the latter s relations with me, my place-hunting
opponents were always misinformed at that time, and
afterwards again in 1888. To the end of his life
he maintained the same confidence in me as his
father.'

At that time Bismarck was desirous of proclaiming
a state of siege in Berlin, but failed to gain the
consent of the Crown Prince to this measure. The
Crown Prince gave a short report upon affidrs of State

to his father every day, naturally touching upon such

402

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

matters only as the monarch could learn without harm

in his state of health.

At the beginning of February, 1878, Pope Pius IX,

had passed away ; and his successor, Pope Leo XIII.,

in announcing his elevation to the Holy See, expressed

his regret that the firiendly relations which had formerly

existed between Prussia and the Papacy no longer

obtained. The Emperor William replied to the Pope

by a conciliatory letter. The Pope wrote again,

expressing a hope that the former good understanding

might be renewed, and suggesting as a means to this

end the alteration of various constitutional and legal

regulations. The Crown Prince, as representative of

the Emperor, addressed the following letter to His

Holiness :

'Bbbun,

• June 10, 1878.

* My father, the Emperor, is unfortunately still
unable to thank your Holiness personally for your
condolence upon the attempt of the 2nd instant ; I
therefore gladly embrace it as one of my first obliga-
tions to thank you sincerely in his stead for the
expression of your friendly sentiments.

* The Emperor postponed replying to your Holiness*s
letter of April 17 in the hope that in the meantime
confidential explanations might render it possible to
refirain from the written expression of diflferences of
principle, which is unavoidable in a continuance of the
correspondence in reference to your Holiness's letter
of April 17. By the contents of the latter I am un-
fortunately compelled to understand that your Holiness
feels unable to fulfil the hope expressed in my father's
letter of March 24, that your Holiness would recom-

403 2 D 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

mend the servants of your Church to sulmit to the
laws and authorities of the country.

' No Prussian Sovereign can comply with the deoxe,
expressed in your letter of April 17, of bringing the
Laws and Constitution of Prussia into accordance with
the statutes of the Roman Catholic Church The
independence of the monarchy, the maintenance of
which I am bound to respect as my fiither's heir and
as a duty to my nation, would suffer diminution if the
free action of its Legislature were rendered subject to
any external Power.

•Although it is, therefore, not in my power, and
perhaps not in that of your Holiness, to adjust a
difference of principle which has been more perceptiUe
in the history of Germany than in that of oUmt
countries for a thousand years, I am still ready to
treat the difiSculties arising on both sides fiom U)6
conflicts handed down to us by our forefathers in the
spirit of peace and conciliation, which is the result of
my Christian convictions.

' Presiuning that your Holiness will meet me in
this wish, I shall not ab€Uidon the hope that where an
accordance of principle is impossible, yet conciliatory
feelings on both sides may open for Prussia the way
to peace which was never closed to other Statea

' I beg your Holiness to accept the expression cS
my personal devotion and veneration.

' Frederick William,

* VoN Bismarck. ^^^^ ^^^

< To His Holiness Pope Leo XIII'

The result of this letter was the conunencement of

404

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

negotiations between the German Government and
the Papal Court, which formed the starting-point
of an improvement in the mutual relations of both
parties, and opened a prospect of agreement on the
debated question.

A deputation of the Berlin municipal authorities
presented an address through their Burgomaster, Herr
Duncker, expressing their sorrow at the criminal
attempts upon the life of the venerable Emperor. The
Crown Prince said in reply :

' You may rest assured, gentlemen, that I am fully
conscious of the gravity of the situation, and also of
the magnitude of my responsibility to the country.
But you may also rest assured that my confidence in
the nation is unshaken and can never be removed. I
know that the overwhelming majority of the Prussian
nation is loyal to its King, just as those beyond the
boundaries of the narrower Fatherland, to the furthest
limits of the Empire, are loyal to their Eknperor, and
from my firm belief in the attachment of the people I
shall derive strength and courage for the performance
of the duties laid upon me.'

The Crown Prince issued the order for the dissolu-
tion of the Beichstag on June 9, which he based on
the resolution passed by the Federal Council. He
also received the representatives of foreign States at
that time at Berlin for the purpose of attending the
Congress, which was to decide the conditions of peace
between Bussia and Turkey.

The Berlin Congress was opened by Prince Bismarck
in the Chancellor's Palace on June 13. In the evening
the delegates of the Congress, as well as the
Ambassadors at Berlin and their suites, were invited

405

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREI>ERICK [iS;!

to a gala dinner in the White Hall of the Boyd
Palace. The Crown Prince made the following speedi :

* Le Congres reuni k Berlin a bien voolu ioaogURr
see travaux en exprimant des voeux pour le r^taUisB^
meut de Sa Majeat^ TElmpereur, mon aoguste pte
Je remercie les repr^ntants dea Puiaaanoes de oette
marque de sympathie. Au nom de mon auguste pert
j exprime le desir de voir leurs effbrta oouronn^ pv
une entente qui sera le meiUeur gage de la palx
universelle. Au nom de Sa Majeat^ Je bois am
Souverains et aux gouvemementa dont les repr^
sentants se sont r^unis \ Berlin.'

The Ck)ngrea3 completed its laboura in a month. ^
its negotiations the peace of Europe, eapecially between
Russia and Turkey, was established upon a new and
firm basis, through the alteration of the stipulatioDS
contained in the treaty of San Stefano.

At the time of the wreck of the ironclad Grosser
Kurfiirst in the Channel, British sailora and the local
authorities had taken a prominent part in the rescue
and support of the shipwrecked crew. Thia incident
was the occasion of the following official letter fix>m the
Crown Prince to Queen Victoria :

• July 13, 1878.

* The grievous loss recently sustained by the

German Navy and the entire German nation by

the wreck of the ironclad Grosser Kur/urst with

several hundred brave sailors near the English coast,

whereby your Royal and Imperial Majesty's officials

and subjects have given such active expression to

their sympathy with this misfortune and with the

victims of it, fi'om the first moment until the present

406

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

day, made it my duty to acquaint His Majesty the
Emperor and King, my father, with the facts of the
case, as soon as his state of health permitted of a
/reference to this melancholy subject. In the Emperor s
deep grief at the sad loss of so many human lives and
the accident to one of his ironclads, nothing could be
of greater consolation to His Majesty than to learn
the devotion with which the English population assisted
in the rescue of the survivors and the burial of the
drowned Grerman oflScers and men, as well as the
care for the support of their relatives, and how
promptly your Majesty's naval authorities gave all
possible and desirable assistance to the commanders
of the Grerman Squadron. In the hope that the spirit
of friendship displayed so unmistakably upon this
melancholy occasion may ever inspire and direct the
relations between the two nations. His Majesty has
commissioned me to communicate to your Royal and
Imperial Majesty's Government the expression of his
sentiments, which are shared by all classes of the
German people in grateful recognition. As I myself
had the opportunity of witnessing the splendid zeal
with which first help was given to the victims
immediately after the catastrophe, it is my desire and
satisfaction to express to your Majesty my father's
sentiments, which I share, and to ofier on this
occasion the renewed assurance of my highest esteem
and most sincere attachment, with which I remain,
* Your Royal and Imperial Majesty's most

devoted, etc.,
* Frederick William, Crown Prince.

' To the Qaeen of the United Kingdom

of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India.'

407

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

In August the Crown Prince spent a few weeks at
Homburg with his family. While there the verdict
of the Chamber of Justice, condemning Hodel to death,
was laid before him, and he decided to let justice take
its course. The report of the Ministry of State had
been in favour of the death sentence.

After the second attempt upon the life of the Em-
peror, a committee, headed by General Field-Marshal
Count von Moltke, started the suggestion of a penny
collection from rich and poor throughout the Empire,
the results of which were to be given to the Crown
Prince under the name of Wilhdmsspendey for some
charitable object. On September 15, in the presence
of the committee, Count von Moltke was able to hand
over to the Crown Prince the sum of 1,739,418 marks
45 pfennigs, subscribed by nearly twelve millions of
people.

Under the skilful treatment of his physicians, the
improvement in the condition of the Emperor William
made such rapid progress in September that the
monarch was able to attend the Cassel manoeuvres
with his son, and also the ceremony of unveiling the
monument to King Frederick William III. at Cologne.

The dissolution of the Reichstag in June gave rise
to a movement which profoundly stirred the German
nation. Elections were carried on with ardour, and
on September 9 the new Reichstag assembled to dis-
cuss the draft of an an ti- Socialist law, proposed by
the Government. This draft had been modified
in several points by the demands of the National
Liberals three months previously, but in other respects
was unacceptable to this faction, as it not only out-
lawed Social Democracy in the abstract, but every

408

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

Social Democrat in particular. Prince Bismarck was
at first disinclined to accept fresh conditions. In
the event of the Bill being rejected, he proposed
a second dissolution and fresh elections. On the
very day before the definite agreement between the
Grovernment and the Reichstag upon the subject of
the Socialist Bill, the Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung
characterized one of the most important conditions of
the Liberals as unacceptable. If the Government had
adopted this view, the rejection of the Bill would have
been certain, and a conflict inevitable. But a few
hours after this declaration on the part of the Nord-
deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung the news spread of the
agreement of all parties. The cause of this happy
turn of events was not examined into further by the
press at the moment. But later on it transpired
that the Crown Prince insisted upon an agreement
with the undoubtedly loyal majority of the Parlia-
ment, and definitely rejected all representations in
favoiu* of a second dissolution of the Reichstag. Thus
the Bill, somewhat toned down and limited to a term
of two years and a half, was passed, and the Reichstag
was closed on October 19.

Among the Liberal members it was well known that
at that time the Crown Prince had frequent conversa-
tions with Forckenbeck upon the subject of political
matters. In the presence of Staufienberg and others
he said to the Chief Burgomaster : * I rely principally
upon you in these times of trouble.*

An interesting letter from the Crown Prince to

Prince Charles of Roumania is dated October 19, 1878.

The father of the Roumanian ruler, Prince Charles

Anthony of Hohenzollem, had written :

409

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

'The Crown Prince has an ahnost impossible task
before him ; he is obliged to carry on the Government
in accordance with his fisither's ideas, and very often
has to act against his most cherished convictions/

The Crown Prince wrote to the same effect :

* • • • My best thanks, though late, for your welcome
and sympathetic letter in June. You felt, with us,
what a heavy blow had fallen on us all, and rejoiced
with us over the recovery of the dear Emperor, whom
I found wonderfully well at Cassel and Baden. His
freshness and mobility, his memory and spirits, are
completely restored. Yet those who see him daily say
that mental exertion still tires him easily, and that
he is therefore very willing to avoid it. His resump-
tion of official duties is thus postponed still further,
so that I shall probably not be free from this burden
imtil December, on his return from Wiesbaden to
Berlin.

'You know that you were much in my thoughts
during the Congress, and afterwards, in the midst of
that truly difficult period of negotiations about the
cession of Bessarabia. But I purposely refrained frx>m
writing to you, because I did not know how I was to
express myself in view of such events.

' I was convinced that you would estimate the cir-
cimistances correctly, and be able to take matters as
they are. The exchange of territory, however, hit you
doubly hard, since only too many were anxious to
throw suspicion on you for being an irmnigrant want-
ing in "patriotic feeling." Thank Heaven ! the repre-
sentatives of your country appear to have submitted
with the necessary resignation, so that you have been

relieved of a real trouble. May Roumania now speedily

410

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

realize all the advantages which may still be drawn
from the Dobrudscha, though it offers but little, and
may the construction of bridges, canals, and ports
mark a new era in your rule ! If such undertakings
succeed, a true substitute will have been found for all
you have given up, and one day the advantage may
perhaps be on your side. This is my heart s desire.

' Russia's conduct, after the manful service you did
for that colossal Empire, meets with censure on all
sides. I do not understand the importance which
they attach to that piece of land.

' But they have scarcely got their way, when Russia
begins to stir up a question about Afghanistan, which
again threatens the peace, though for the present only
in Asia. As if enough blood had not been shed
alresrdy I It is to be hoped that the good Ameer will
listen to reason, but the general tension is nevertheless
very great.

* A few days ago we bade farewell to Henry for two
years. Seldom has a separation fallen so heavily on
my heart as this. He proceeds round Cape Horn vi4
Bio, and will then join his station in Japan.

' William has just returned from England and Scot-
land. He met Charlotte and Bemhard in Paris, where
they amused themselves immensely in the strictest
incognito.

* The girls are growing up, and are all likely to out-
grow Charlotte, who is not very tall. She is living in
the villa of the late Princess Liegnitz at Potsdam, so
we see her every day.

* My wife and I are tolerably well, in spite of these

troublous times, which in less than half a year have

brought me a Peace Congress, marriages, special legis-

411

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

lation, dissolution of the Beichstag, elections, and the
execution of a death-sentence.

' In all these events I see God's will that I should
taste of everything that still is set before ma But it
is not easy to exercise the rights and bear all the
biirdens of a monarch to the best of one s ability and
conscience without taking the sole responsibility. To-
morrow the Beichstag concludes its deliberations ; let
us hope that the law against Social Democracy marks
the commencement of a radical cure, by means of
which this evil may be overcome. It will, however,
cost us much pains before we can rid ourselves of this
abortion, which has increased with such incredible
rapidity, since the teachings of this unhealthy society
find a ready market ; and the attempted assassinations,
which will now multiply still more, show the direction
taken by a misunderstood application.'

The Begency terminated in December, when the
Emperor William returned to the capital in perfect
health and vigour,. and communicated to the Crown
Prince his desire to resume the control of affairs of
State.

In the following autograph letter the Emperor
thanked his son for his late exertions :

' My deab Son,

* When in the course of this year the criminal

deed of a misguided being compelled me to abandon

temporarily the duties of my royal calling, I entrusted

to your Imperial and Boyal Highness the control of

State affairs in my stead, well knowing your invariable

readiness to be of service to the Fatherland. I feel

moved to express my warmest thanks to you for the

412

1878] THE CROWN PRINCE AS REGENT

unfailing devotion and careful attention to my prin-
ciples with which you have performed your duties. I
was not deceived in my conviction that the difficult
tasks of the Government in these troublous times
would be accomplished under your Boyal Highness's
firm guidance for the national welfare ; for I was
enabled to watch the course of State afiairs during
this time with increasing satisfaction. The feelings of
ease and confidence which I derived from my observa-
tions were chiefly instrumental in contributing to my
speedy recovery. In humble gratitude to Divine
Providence, by whose grace it has been granted me
again to assume the duties of my royal calling, I
hereby repeat my paternal thanks to you, together
with my full recognition as Emperor and King of your
loyal exertions. I feel assured that the German and
Prussian people are moved by a like sentiment of
gratitude towards you.

' Your Imperial and Boyal Highness's

affectionate father,

* William.

* Berlin,

* December 5, 1878/

As the Crown Prince had only been called upon to
represent the monarch, that firm basis of action was
naturally lacking in his case which a monarchical
government possesses in the individual views and
opinions and decisions of its head. These could not
be unconditionally executed by the representative of
a Government in which the presumptive will of the
Sovereign and the existing system of government had
to be taken into consideration. The diflSculty of this

413

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1878

task was universally acknowledged, but firom the first
moment of the Regency until the last the Crown
Prince rose to the requirements of his position.
Never have important duties in a critical time been
performed with greater conscientiousness. PubUc
opinion was not chary in its praise of the Crown
Prince's regime.

The year 1878 closed with a sad blow to the Crown
Prince and Princess by the death of the Grand-
Duchess Alice of Hesse, the sister of the Crown
Princess. After losing her little daughter &om diph-
theria, and nursing three other children and her husband
through the same complaint, she succumbed to it herself
on December 1 4 after a short illnes&

414

CHAPTER XVIII

MARRIAQB OF PRINCE WILLIAM, AND OTHER EVENTS

1879—1883

Early in the year 1879 a great affliction befell the

Crown Prince and Princess by the death of their third

son, Waldemar, who died on March 27 in his eleventh

year. The young Prince, a bright boy of much

promise, had been a great favourite with all the Royal

Family, and his death was a source of great sorrow to

them. Shortly after the funeral the Crown Prince and

Princess left Berlin for Wiesbaden, accompanied by

their children, to spend a few weeks in quiet retire-
ment.

While mourning for her lost child, the Crown
Princess longed intensely for her second son. Prince
Henry, who was then abroad. Exposed as he was to
many dangers on his voyage round the world, his
mother felt the greatest anxiety, and implored the
Emperor to allow her son to return home. He
listened to her with feeling, but replied : * Before
he started I did not conceal from you the possible
dangers that might befall the Prince. It was my
duty to prepare you, his mother, for a long separa-
tion. But you persisted in your resolution that your

415

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1879.

son should embark upon the voyage, and now, as I
warned you beforehand, I cannot grant your wish by
permitting him to return. He is in the service, and
has been ordered to go upon this voyage ; therefore
it must be completed. As the Prince s grand&ther, I
am deeply grieved that, a£ Emperor, I am obliged to
refuse your request.*

Whilst at Kissingen the Crown Prince was cheered
by the news of the birth of his first grandchild, the
Hereditary Princess of Saxe-Meiningen giving birth to
a daughter.

The Prince and Princess of Koumania had expressed
their sympathy upon the death of Prince Waldemar,
and the Crown Prince expressed his gratitude in the
following letter :

' Your kind and sympathetic letter, no less than
Elisabeth's deeply touching verses, were very welcome
to my poor wife and myBelf. You both feel with and
for us, for God decreed a like trouble for you, and even
though your fate was much harder, still, we all have to
bear the heavy destiny of surviving our children.

' We endeavour to bear Grod's decree with resigna-
tion, but we cannot even now become reconciled to the
loss of another son from the happy circle of our family,
a son, too, who justified our highest hopes, and already
displayed character at an early age. It is so difficult
to accustom ourselves to everyday life without our
most dearly loved child, for every step reminds us
that he will never appear again, and that we must
learn to live without our companion. . . .

'Our life, which, moreover, has never been a

tranquil one, had already become gloomy by the

moving incidents of last year ; with this sorrow it has

416

1883] MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILLIAM

lost what remaining joy it still had to offer us, and we
can only gather satisfaction from the execution of our
tasks and duties.

* You very rightly lay stress upon the fact that such
grief causes us more than ever to sympathize with
others in their sorrow and to seek their society.
Many other things are first apparent to us in our time
of mourning, and it is certainly through the medium
of this chastening that we are to be prepared for a
higher calling, which appears dark and mysterious to
dwellers on earth. It is not for us to inquire " Why ?"
and yet we do so ; we are but human beings, to whom
the work of Divine justice is hidden here, but will be
made clear to us there'

Although the Crown Prince was in favour of pageant
and ceremony taking their due share in worldly
fimctions, his love for simplicity in spiritual matters
is well authenticated. It is the custom in the Boyal
Chapels for the minister, upon entering the pulpit, to
bow to any members of the Royal Family who may be
present. The Crown Prince never permitted this form
of personal homage in a sacred edifice, and every
preacher who entered the pulpit at Bornstedt or Eiche
had to be particularly cautioned upon this point. In
answer to an inquiry upon the subject, the Crown
Prince once said to his village pastor : * What I told
you once at Berchtesgaden holds good here as well ; I
do not like any special honour to be paid to me in the
presence of the Altar. Although we men are divided
by rank and condition in everyday life, here in church
we are all equal, all miserable sinners, and all children
of God.'

In the autumn of the same year the conclusion of a

417 2 E

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1879-

defensive alliance with Austria took place. It is well
known that Bismarck had great difficulty in gaining
the Emperor William's consent to this alliance. The
Chancellor was compelled to bring the Cabinet into
play, a method of procedure very much against his
grain. Though Bismarck succeeded in gaining the
support of his colleagues, he was so worn out by the
labours of the negotiations and the interruption of
his Gastein ciu*e as to be unfit to travel to Baden-
Baden, where the Emperor William was staying.
Count Stolberg went thither in his stead, and brought
the negotiations to a successful issue, notwithstanding
His Majesty's resistance. The Emperor was not to
be convinced by arguments, but gave his promise to
ratify the treaty only because he was averse to
Ministerial changes. The Crown Prince was fix>m the
outset a strong advocate of the Austrian alliance, but
in this matter had no influence upon his father.*

The personal sentiments of the Crown Prince in this
important political matter are reflected in the following
passage from a letter written at the time (April 1 1 ,
1880), to Prince Charles of Boiunania :

* Our rapprochement and understanding with Austria
last autumn was, no doubt, under the circumstances, a
correct step, and has given the Czar's Empire some-
thing to think about. If we could only succeed in
preventing France from forming the ardently desired
alliance with Russia — which has probably been post-
poned for some time — we might then see favourable
guarantees for peace everywhere.

' No one wants war, because all have much to do at
home, and have enough to think over in the con-

^ Bismarck's ' Befleotions and Beminisoences/ voL ii., p. 268.

418

1883] MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILLIAM

sequences of the last bloody war. Above all things,
we Germans do not wish for war, since we gained far
more by the last than we ever dared to hope for, and
we anticipate no advantage from any extension.'

The betrothal of his son William, the present
German Emperor, was announced in the same letter :

* Permit me to inform you and dear Elisabeth that
the premature hints of the press regarding the
betrothal of my eldest son, William, to Victoria of
Schleswig-Holstein, eldest daughter of the late Fritz
of Schleswig-Holstein -Augustenburg, are based on
fact. Mutual and deep-seated inclination has brought
the two together, and this fiilfils the sincere wish
of my wife and myself, to greet as our daughter-
in-law a Princess so distinguished by gifts of mind,
heart, and temperament, as well as by dignified grace.
God grant that this union of hearts may one day be a
blessing to the Empire.'

The official betrothal of Prince William and Princess
Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein took place on
June 2, 1880, at Schloss Babelsberg in the presence of
the members of the Prussian Royal Family and the
House of Augustenburg. The bride s father, Duke
Frederick, had passed away in January at Wiesbaden.
The last letter which he received from the Crown
Prince gave him great pleasure, and only a few days
before his death he spoke in the warmest terms of the
Crown Prince 8 conduct towards himself

Two years had now elapsed since Prince Henry

embarked upon the corvette Prinz Adalbert for a

voyage round the world. His safe return home at the

end of September, 1880, was an occasion for great

rejoicing in the Boyal Family. * It is like a dream to

419 2 E 2

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1879.

have the dear boy back again !' the fond father
exclaimed when his son was once more by his side.

On October 15 and 16, a ceremony took place
which had been long looked forward to with romantic
interest by the whole German nation. After more
than seven centuries had elapsed since its foundation
was laid, the Cologne Cathedral had at last reached
completion. The event was celebrated in the presence
of the Emperor and Empress, the Crown Prince and
Princess, the King of Saxony, and many other royal
guests. After the Te Deum the last stone was
placed in the building amid a salute of cannon and
the ringing of all the city bells. The following day a
historical procession, arranged by eminent artists, took
place in honour of the royal guests. At the banquet in
the afternoon, the Crown Prince made a striking speech.

* The building of the cathedral,* said the Prince,
* was commenced at a brilliant period of our national
history ; the people of Germany have experienced
many vicissitudes of fortune in those long centuries
during which it has been in process of comple-
tion. To our own generation it has at length been
granted to see the work perfected. May it encourage
us all to hold fast by our highest national possessions,
our German character and modes of thought, our
German Grod- fearing piety, our German earnestness in
work and in the pursuit of art and science ! And
may it be ever a symbol of our German loyalty and
unity ! As the whole nation has combined to produce
this building, so may it endure for many generations,
a German work reared for the delight of a great, a
happy, and a peace-loving people 1 . . .'

The marriage of Prince William with Princess

420

1883] MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILLIAM

Augusta Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein took place on
February 27, 1881. The occasion was celebrated
by magnificent festivities, for this union excited the
greatest interest throughout the German Empire, and
was joyously heralded as an alliance of auspicious
import. Nor did it escape popular notice that by
this marriage the House of Augustenburg would,
after all, find some sentimental compensation for the
loss of the Elbe Duchies in the brilliant future which
awaited the Princess on the throne of the Grerman
Empire. Prince William had not only made a love
match like his father, but he had found his bride in
Germany. During a visit to Primkenau, the family
seat of the Augustenburg family in Silesia, he openly
expressed his pride at his alliance with a Princess of
so illustrious a German stock.

On March 13 the Czar Alexander II. of Russia
fell a victim to a dastardly Nihilist conspiracy. The
Crown Prince was commissioned by the Emperor to
represent him at the funeral ceremony in St. Petens.
burg. By the express desire of the Russian Court the
Crown Prince proceeded at once to St. Petersburg,
where a splendid reception awaited him. The letters
and telegrams exchanged at this time between the
Courts of St. Petersburg and Berlin were marked by
particular cordiality.

The Crown Prince spent the months of July and

August of 1881 with his family at the English Court.

In response to an invitation from the Prince of Wales,

he was present at the inaugural meeting of the

International Medical Congress at London, and later

at the banquet at Willis's Rooms. Upon this occasion

the health of the Crown Prince was drunk, for which

421

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1879.

he returned thanks in English in the following
words :

* In rising to reply to this gratifying expression of
feeling, I cannot refrain from saying what pleasure it
gives me to find myself in the company of so many
distinguished men of different countries assembled in
the cause of science and himianity.

* None more than myself knows how great is the
debt of gratitude due to those who have taken up the
trying, arduous, and responsible duties so wholly
absorbing all the faculties of heart and brain which a
man can possess.

'The studies involved in this pursuit are most
serious and overwhelming ; but the good that has
been done by the untiring zeal of the profession is
the bright and cheering side of this work ; and the
astonishing progress of medical science is the earnest
of brilliant success for the future/

In the autumn of 1881 the Crown Prince had
several lengthy interviews with Prince Bismarck.
One of the most momentous departures in the history
of modern Germany was in the air : the Chancellor s
vast project of social legislation. It was impossible to
predict whether the great scheme for the insurance of
working men would be completed during the reign of
the Emperor William, who was now in his eighty-fifth
year, and great importance was therefore attached to
the assent of the Heir-Apparent to the projected
arrangements. The memorable message of Novem-
ber 17, 1881, in which the Emperor once more* urged
upon the Beichstag the active promotion of the pros-

* This had already been done in the Speech from the Throne
of February, 1881.

422

1883] MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILUAM

perity of the labouring classes as a remedy for socialistic
evils, and which was intended to show that the Emperor
supported the Chancellor's policy with the whole weight
of his authority, was the result of deliberations with
the Crown Prince as well as with the Emperor.

This was the beginning of a far-reaching change,
destined to exert great influence in the shaping of
German domestic affairs in the future. About the
same time another matter of weighty import came
to the fore. A general desire for peace with the
Roman Catholic Church had become more marked
from year to year, and conciliatory sentiments pre-
vailed at Rome towards Prussia and Germany. Thus
a peaceful issue of long-pending differences was at last
in view. The Crown Prince and the Chancellor also
came to an understanding upon this point.

A joyful event took place on the 6th of May,
1882, when a son was bom to Prince and Princess
William. The imperial great-grandfather telegraphed
as follows to the Crown Prince :

' God be praised and thanked ! Four generations
of Kings living ! What a rare occurrence ! God
protect the mother and child ! — William.'

The Crown Prince's old nurse, Dorothea Wagner,
who was still living at Berlin, was present at the
baptism of his grandson upon June 11.

A Universal Health Exhibition for Germany was
planned for the year 1882 at Berlin, with the Crown
Prince as president. The aim of the Exhibition was
to display collections of all kinds of remedies and in-
ventions having reference to the preservation of health,

423

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1879.

the prevention of accidents, and the saving of life. A
few days before the opening of the Exhibition a fire
broke out in the building, and destroyed the greater
portion of the exhibits. The committee of the Ex-
hibition were at first inclined to abandon the enter-
prise, but the energetic opposition of the Crown Prince
and his encouraging words had the eflfect of carrying
on the work. The Exhibition was opened in May,
1883, and proved a great success.

January 25, 1883, was the twenty-fifth anniversary
of the marriage of the Crown Prince and Princess.
Far beyond the wide circle, which could boast of
personal relations with the royal pair, loyal hearts
were gladdened by the thought that the Crown Prince
and Princess were about to celebrate their silver
wedding in the happy enjoyment of all the blessings of
home life. Preparations had been made throughout
the country to present the royal couple with countless
offerings upon the auspicious occasion.

A year previously, when the first news appeared of
the gifts which various associations and corporations
were preparing for the silver wedding of the Crown
Prince and Princess, an intimation was given to the
effect that the royal pair wished that all offerings
destined for this purpose should be devoted to the
poor and needy throughout the country.

The unexpected decease of the Emperor's brother.

Prince Charles of Prussia, unfortunately threw a gloom

over the anniversary. In consequence of the Court

going into mourning, the festivities were confined to a

congratulatory reception. Berlin, however, was gaily

decorated with flags, and magnificently illuminated

at night, while large crowds filled the streets and

424

1883] MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILLIAM

thronged the space in front of the Crown Prince's
palace.

Some months previously a committee had been
formed with the object of collecting a sum of money
throughout the Empire, to be offered to the Crown
Prince and Princess on their silver- wedding day, with
the request that it might be employed for charitable
purposes at their own discretion. The sum thus
gathered amounted to 830,000 marks. A deputation
of the committee presented the announcement of the
collection upon February 16, 1883. The city of Berlin
had collected the sum of 200,000 marks in honour of
the silver wedding, of which 118,000 marks were
destined to the erection of a Nursing Institute.

The last week of February witnessed the festivities
which had been prepared in honour of the silver
wedding, but which had been postponed on account of
the death of Prince Charles. The desire for an out-
ward manifestation of the joy in which the whole
nation shared, which had been repressed for a time,
now asserted itself with double force. A large number
of royal guests arrived at Berlin for the occasion, in-
cluding the King of Saxony, the Prince of Wales, and
the Crown Prince of Austria.

On the evening of February 24 the Crown Prince
and Princess held a reception at the Royal Palace to
receive the congratulations of the representatives of
foreign Sovereigns, Generals, Ministers, Court officials,
the clergy, representatives of Parliament, of the City
and University, and deputations of officers.

The chief festivity took place upon February 28 in
the royal palace ; a splendid procession in medieval
costumes, arranged by the artists of Berlin, took place,

425

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1879-

followed by supper and a ball. The royal procession
entered the White Saloon headed by the Crown
Prmce and Princess; the Crown Prince wore the
uniform of the Queen's Cuirassiers, and the Crown
Princess was in white satin, the train of which was
trinuned with silver lace. The Queen of Saxony was
escorted by His Majesty the Emperor in the red
uniform of the Gardes du Corps. Scenes from the
days of the troubadours at the Court of Charles the
Bold of Burgundy were enacted, followed by an Elnglish
procession in costumes of the time of Queen Elizabeth ;
finally a long procession of German, Italian, and Dutch
painters of the time of the Benaissance appeared, to
offer homage to the royal pair as patrons of the arts.

On the occasion of the four hundredth anniversary
of the birth of Msurtin Luther in September, a com-
memorative festival was held at Wittenberg by the
Protestant clergy of Germany. The Crown Prince,
accompanied by Prince Albert of Prussia, arrived at
Wittenberg on September 13. After attending the
festival service in the Stadtkirche, he visited the
Schlosskirche to lay a laurel wreath upon the grave
of the Reformer, and afterwards went to the Town
Hall, where a number of interesting relics of Luther
were exhibited.

After the manoeuvres of the 4th Army Corps near
Merseburg, the Crown Prince followed his father to
Homburg, where the manoeuvres of the 11th Army
Corps were to take place. While the Emperor was
staying at Homburg King Alfonso XII. of Spain paid
him a visit, and in return was invited to be present
at the manoeuvres. Upon leaving, the Emperor con-
ferred upon him the colonelcy of the Schleswig-Hol-

426

i883] MARRIAGE OF PRINCE WILLIAM

stein Uhlan Regiment (No. 15), quartered at Strasburg.
In Paris these events recalled to mind the Hohen-
zoUern candidature for the throne of Spain in 1870,
and caused extreme agitation, which led to offensive
attacks upon Germany and Spain in the press.
Menaces were employed against King Alfonso, and
on passing through Paris on his homeward journey
he was the subject of deplorable insults. The agita-
tion was somewhat cooled by a newspaper report
that the Crown Prince was about to return the visit
of the King of Spain. The official announcement soon
followed that Lieutenant-Greneral von Loe had left for
Spain, in order to announce the visit of the Crown
Prince to the Court of Madrid.

Early in October the Crown Prince and Princess
started upon a tour in Switzerland and Northern Italy,
visiting the King and Queen of Italy at Monza, and
the Prince of Hohenzollem at his residence near Lake
Constance, where the Crown Prince spent his birth-
day before returning to Berlin at the beginning of
November. On the 17th the Crown Prince and his
suite left for Spain to pay the promised visit to King
Alfonso.

427

CHAPTER XIX

THB CROWN prince's ILLNESS

1883—1888

Accompanied by General Count Blumentbal and other
officers, the Crown Prince quitted Beriin on Novem-
ber 17, 1883, and travelled vi& Frankfort, B&sle and
Milan to G^noa, where the royal palace had been
placed at his disposal. The next day he embarked on
board H.I.M.S. Prim Adalbert^ and sailed for Valencia,
where he was met by the German Ambassador, Count
Solms, and Generals von Loe, Blanco and Salamanca.
After attending a banquet given by the Captain-
General of Valencia, the Prince resumed his journey,
and reached Madrid about mid-day on November 23.
King Alfonso met his royal guest at the station, and
drove with him to the palace, amid the enthusiastic
cheers of the crowd thronging the streets.

After a very pleasant fortnight, the Crown Prince
took leave of the King and Queen, and set out for
a short tour through Andalusia to Seville, Granada,
Cordova and Tarragona. A week later the Prince
embarked at Barcelona on the Punz Adalbert ^ and

returned to Genoa.

428

1883] THE CROWN PRINCES ILLNESS

The cordial welcome extended to the Prince in
Northern Italy was more than equalled at Rome,
where the multitude could hardly be kept back by the
troops lining the streets ; though the distance from the
station to the palace amounts to barely six furlongs,
King Humbert and his guest took three-quarters of
an hour to drive to their destination. After dinner
the royalties were entertained at a fete given by the
municipality at the Capitol, while the ruined Forum
was brilliantly illuminated.

A visit was paid next day to the Vatican, where
the Pope welcomed the Prince on the threshold of the
antechamber, and invited him to enter his room. The
interview, which lasted about three-quarters of an hour,
turned chiefly on Spain, as the Crown Prince declined
to discuss recent clerical appointments in Germany.
The Grerman Foreign Office had promised to send
instructions regarding the attitude to be observed with
reference to the Vatican ; but as these did not arrive,
the Crown Prince conducted the interview according
to his own judgment. When Prince Bismarck read
the Prince's report on his interview with the Pope, he
remarked : ' His Royal Highness possesses every quali-
fication of an Ambassador.'

The Crown Prince's visit to the Italian Court came
to an end on December 20, and he returned to Berlin
on the 23rd, after an absence of over a month.

The feelings evoked in Italy by the Prince's visit
are well described by Count Cadoma, the President of
the Italian Council, in a letter to the editor of the
Deutsche Revue :

'The Italians admire his military talents and his

noble spirit ; they love him because they know him to

429

UFE OF THE EMPEROR FRRDEJ^ICK [i

be a friend of our Boyal House and a well-wishe
Italy herself.

* Since the day on which he held our young Cn

}[ Prince in his arms on the balcony of the Qiiirinal,

nation regards him as something more than a fore
Prince, and cherishes the same sympathy for him
for our own Koyal Family. Italy has not fallen i
the error of considering the visit of His Hoyal c
Imperial Highness more than an act of courtesy £
sympathy towards our King on the part of \
Emperor. But though nobody thinks that this vi
has a political object, either in regard to Italy or \

I Vatican, the general opinion is that the politii

! character and consequences, so intimately boiuid

with such acts of courtesy, cannot be separated £:<
this visit under the prevailing circumstances.'

In April, 1884, King William, acting on the advi
of Prince Bismarck, revived the Prussian State Counc
founded in 1817, with the Crown Prince as Preside]
This Council was designed not merely to influence t
legislative measures to be laid before the Prussi
Landtag, but also to enable the Prince to participa
more closely in the policy of the Empire by means
the Prussian vote in the Federal Council. A form
project of appointing the Prince to preside over tl
Prussian Ministry had to be abandoned, as it w
impossible for a Prince of the Blood to assume tl

.. Parliamentary responsibilities connected with th;

post.

The State Coimcil was opened on October 25, in tl

presence of some 100 members, by the Crown Princ

whose speech dealt solely with the duties devolving c

the Council, and the discussion of the measures to I

430

i888] THE CROWN PRINCES ILLNESS

laid before them. During the years 188 4, 1885 and
1886 the Crown Prince attended the meetings regu-
larly, and in connection therewith had frequent con-
sultations with Prince Bismarck, who expressed his
great appreciation of the manner in which the business
of the Council was conducted.

Early in March, 1884, the mournful tidings of the
Duke of Albany's sudden death summoned the Crown
Prince to England to pay the last honours to his
brother-in-law. The summer was spent in England,
and after a tour of military inspections the Crown
Prince and Princess visited the Tjrrol in the autumn,
before returning to Berlin.

On New Year's Day, 1885, the Crown Prince, with
his two sons, paid a visit to the Imperial Chancellor
and Princess Bismarck at his official residence in
Berlin, and repeated the visit on April 1 to congratu-
late the great statesman on attaining his seventieth
birthday. Owing to the continued ill-health of the
Emperor and the approax^hing prospect of the succes-
sion, the Crown Prince one day asked the Chancellor
whether he would continue in office under him. Prince
Bismarck replied in the affirmative, but stipulated for
two conditions : no government by Parliament, and no
foreign influence in the policy of the Empire. With
an expressive gesture of assent, the Crown Prince
replied : * Not to be thought of

Two heavy losses now fell in quick succession on the
Crown Prince ; for only a few days after he had
attended the fiineral of one of his closest friends.
Prince Charles Antony of HohenzoUem, at Sigmar-
ingen. Prince Frederick Charles of Prussia breathed his
last. In the Prince of HohenzoUem the Fatherland

431

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1883-

mourned a true patriot, and in Prince Frederick Charles
a leader whose military talents had been crowned with
victory on many a hard-fought battlefield. Before the
year closed, another friend of the Crown Prince — King
Alfonso of Spain — passed away, a victim to consump-
tion.

Amid the enthusiastic joy of his devoted subjects
the Emperor William celebrated the twenty - fifth
anniversary of his accession to the throne of Prussia
on January 2, 1886. A few days later, on the 27th,
the Crown Prince, in his turn, completed his twenty-
fifth year of service as Statthalter of Pomerania.

In February the Crown Prince granted an audience
to Pastors von Bodelschwingh and Cronenmeyer, who
were engaged in promoting labour colonies in the
vicinity of Bremerhaven, a matter in which the Prince
took a deep interest. After Bodelschwingh had ex-
plained the details of the proposed colony, the Prince
inquired how their finances stood. The pastors regret-
fully replied that 60,000 marks were wanted, and
implored the Prince s support in placing their claims
before the Minister of Agriculture. * Oh, he has far
more money than I have,' said the Prince ; * and
though I am willing to put in a good word for you, I
am rather inclined to think that you can make a
beginning with a smaller sum/ The interview then
closed with the parting remark from the Crown Prince
that the accounts of the colony must be kept to a
penny if the w^ork was to be successful.

After an attack of measles in April, the Prince
spent a few weeks at Homburg, and was sufiBiciently
restored to health by May 23 to attend the opening of
the Jubilee Art Exhibition in Berlin. A few weeks

432

1 888] THE CROWN PRINCES ILLNESS

later the Crown Prince represented the Emperor at
the funeral of the ill-fated King of Bavaria, Louis 11.

In September the Prince was present at the man-
oeuvres near Strasburg before joining his family at
Portofino, close to Genoa. The idyllic situation of
this peaceful little village so charmed the Prince that
he decided to return again the following year. In the
meantime the political crisis in Berlin, where the ques-
tion of increajsing the peace establishment of the army
and fixing the military budget for a period of seven
years was hotly contested in the Reichstag, claimed
his presence, and he accordingly returned to the
Prussian capital in November.

New Year's Day, 1887, witnessed the unique jubilee
of the Emperor's eightieth year of service in the
Prussian Army. As the senior Field-Marshal, the
Crown Prince headed the Prussian Generals in pre-
senting the congratulations of the army. In his
address the Prince emphasized the stability of the
national development insured by the Prussian suc-
cesses in war. * The Prussian principle,' he continued,
' of making no discrimination between the people and
the army, because they both are ready to defend the
Fatherland at all times, has now become the common
property of the nation, thanks to your Majesty's care.
The weightiest pledge for the preservation of our peace
lies in this readiness of our whole nation.'

In his reply the Emperor thanked the army for the
expression of their devotion, and hoped to meet the
commanders again in a year's time. But by that time
the Crown Prince's health had given rise to the pro-
foundest anxiety. During a drive with the King and
Queen of Italy on the Biviera in the autxmin of 1886

433 2 F

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1883-

the Prince contracted a severe cold, and, as he himself
remarked, his throat never recovered from the ex-
posure.

In January, 1887, the hoarseness hecame intensified,
and Surgeon-Greneral Wagener was called in to treat
the malady. The spirits of the royal patient suffered
gi*eatly &om depression, and on one occasion he re-
marked to Greneral von Schweinitz, who begged him
not to give way to melancholy — the whole future
belonged to him : * The future ? No — that belongs
to my son ; my time has passed away.' On another
occasion he said to Pastor Cronenmeyer : ' I am an
old man ; I stand with one foot in the grave.'

As the sufferings of the Crown Prince did not yield
to treatment. Professor Grerhardt was called in, and
found a suspicious thickening of the vocal ligament,
for which he prescribed the repeated use of galvanic
cautery. But since this remedy was also ineffectual,
and even caused the growth to spread further over the
larynx, the Crown Prince was advised to spend a few
weeks quietly at Ems. Accompanied by his family, he
set out for Ems on April 14 ; but his condition did
not improve by the change of air, and the royal patient
returned to Berlin after a month s absence in worse
health, if anything, than when he left. A consultation
took place on May 18 between Doctors von Sauer,
Tobold, Wagener, Schrader, Bergmann, and Gerhardt,
and resulted in the recognition of the growth as im-
doubtedly malignant. It was further decided to per-
form an operation in order to examine the affected
region of the throat before removing the growth. At
that time, although so recent, the tech/mque of such
operations on the larynx had by no means reached

434

1 888] THE CROWN PRINCES ILLNESS

such a degree of perfection as it has to-day, and it was
only natural that Professor Bergmann, before finally
deciding to operate, should beg the Crown Princess to
obtain the opinion of yet another eminent specialist on
diseases of the throat. Amongst the names then sub-
mitted was that of the well-known English surgeon
Morell Mackenzie, who was eventually requested to
give an opinion.

Without rejecting the final diagnosis of the German
doctors, Mackenzie proposed that the nature of the
growth should be microscopically examined before the
operation took place. A small portion of the growth
was accordingly removed, and forwarded at once to
Professor Virchow for examination.

Virchow reported that he was compelled to regard
the growth as a mere thickening of the membrane
(pachydermia), though the possibility existed that the
deeper situated portions might be malignant. On the
whole, the report was so favourable that the idea of
an immediate operation was set aside, and Morell
Mackenzie assumed the further treatment of the case,
though it was arranged that another consultation with
the German surgeons should take place shortly.

The report which emanated from England, that the
Crown Prince on returning from Ems had renounced his
right of succession to the Throne in favour of his son,
is characterized as absolutely £eJse by Prince Bismarck
in his ' Reminiscences.' The fable that an incurable
disease was a bar to succession, he declared, had not
the slightest foundation either in the statutes of the
House of Hohenzollem or in the Prussian Constitu-
tion.

Partly in order to conquer the feeling of depression

435 « ' «

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1883-

which at times came over him, the Crown Prince,
acting on the advice of Dr. Mackenzie, left Berlin for
England with his family on June 13, and settled for a
short time in Upper Norwood. The Prince emerged
from his seclusion to take part in the Jubilee Proces-
sion which escorted Queen Victoria from Buckingham
Palace to Westminster Abbey. It will be still in the
memory of many how his manly figure, clad in the
white uniform of the Pomeranian Cuirassiers, seen
among the cavalcade of Princes which preceded the
royal carriage, evoked more than mere enthusiasm
from the crowds thronging every yard of the route
taken by the procession.

After spending a fortnight at Norris Castle in the
Isle of Wight, the Crown Prince proceeded to Braemar.
But though the bulletins at times announced an
improvement in his health, the British climate
proved unsuitable, and he returned to Germany on
September 14. On his way to Toblach, in the Puster
Valley, he met Professor Virchow at Munich and
repeated his thanks for the hopes inspired by the
microscopical reports. The appointed consultation
with the Grerman surgeons did not take place, as, in
view of the latest very favoiurable reports by Virchow,
it was deemed unnecessary. To avoid the rigour of
the German autumn, the Prince proceeded to Venice
on September 28, from whence he wrote as follows to
his old tutor. Professor Schellbach :

* My convalescence, though very slow, is in full swing,

but as it can only be ftirthered by a milder autunm

than that of Germany, the date of my retimi is still

undecided. My English specialist is convinced that

the real trouble is now overcome ; it is only necessary

436

i8S8] THE CROWN PRINCES ILLNESS

to strengthen my health by avoiding speaking and
catching cold, so that I may be able to return to my
duties at home by the beginning of the winter.*

The Prince moved to Bavano on the Lago Maggiore
on October 7, prior to taking up his winter-quarters
on the Riviera. About this time a certain Frenchman,
Ballardin by name, died leaving the whole of his
fortune, valued at several million francs, to the Crown
Prince. M. Ballardin appeared to have been so em-
bittered by disputes with the French authorities that
he determined to show his hatred and contempt for
his native country by the novel means of bequeathing
his property to the German Crown Prince, who,
needless to say, declined to accept the legacy under
such circumstances.

The alarming news that the growth was spreading
was confirmed on November 6 by a consultation held
at San Remo* between Professor von Schroetter of
Vienna, Dr. Moritz Schmidt of Frankfort, and
Dr. Krausse of Berlin. Again the unanimous opinion
was that the growth was undoubtedly malignant.
The impression, however, created by the Crown Prince
wa. b/no mea™ that of a hea^-rtricken man, for
beyond his marked hoarseness his outward appearance
and demeanour had undergone no change.

The seriousness of his condition, however, was all
the more acutely realized on the Prince asking
Professor von Schroetter, ' Is it really cancer V With
the deepest emotion the surgeon replied to the effect
that the Prince's days were numbered. Apart from
the fact that the Crown Prince had repeatedly declared

"^ The Crown Prince moved into the Villa Zirio at San Bemo
on November 4.

437

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDEJ^ICK [1883-

that he would not consent to an operation, the time
had passed when favourable results mig'ht have been
achieved by the aid of the surgeon's art. Such, at
least, was the opinion of the medical authorities of
the day.

A short pause, never forgotten by those who were
present, followed this momentous reply before the
Crown Prince turned to each of the doctors and con-
versed about personal matters. All his life long he
had practised the strictest self-control, and now that
he learnt the fatal character of his malady he was not
found wanting in manly dignity and silent resignation
to the iron laws of life and death. On the battlefields
of Denmark, Austria, and France, in the death-
chamber of the beloved children he had lost, the
grave had lost its terrors, and he viewed his approach-
ing end with Christian fortitude and obedience to the
decrees of Providence.

It was decided that he should remain in the mild
climate of the Riviera, and that no recourse should be
had to the surgeon's knife until he felt a difficulty in
breathing. As hitherto, the Prince remained under
the care of Dr. MoreU Mackenzie, assisted by
Drs. Howell, Krausse, and Schrader.

No sooner had the news of the result of this con-
sultation spread abroad than San Remo became the
goal of thousands of pilgrims, who at times en-
deavoured to express their sympathy and devotion in
the most extraordinary manner. Innumerable letters
were received endeavouring to prove the diagnosis to
be wrong and submitting some method or the other
which could not fail to restore the Prince to health.

Every nation of the civilized world was represented in

438

1 888] THE CROWN PRINCES ILLNESS

the demonstrations of aflTectionate sympathy which
poured into San Remo to cheer the illustrious patient.
To all outward appearances the condition of the
Crown Prince had benefited immensely by his stay on
the Riviera, as he regained his voice to a certain
extent, besides being able to undertake long walks,
whilst his appetite left little to be desired. In reply
to a telegraphic address of sympathy from the
Reichstag on November 24, he wrote :

* I sincerely thank the Reichstag for the expression
of their sympathy with me in my illness. It has greatly
rejoiced my heart, like so many other manifestations
of true devotion from every class of the nation and
from every part of the Empire. With God's help, I
hope that I shall be permitted, by the improvement in
my condition already noticeable, due to the stay in
this Southern air, to resume my duties to the Father-
land to the fullest extent.

' Frederick William, Crown Prince.'

The health of the aged Emperor, already ninety-one
years old, now called for the appointment of Prince
William as his grandfather's assistant in the current
business of the Military and Civil Cabinet. But when
Prince Bismarck wished to go a step further, and
proposed that the young Prince should be more deeply
initiated into the affairs of the State, the Emperor
declined the proposal, as he feared that such a step
might cause pain to the Crown Prince.

Meanwhile the time passed uneventfully at San
Remo. Following the course of Germany's domestic
and foreign policy with the deepest interest, the

439

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDBRICK [1883-

Prince closely scrutinized every action of the Govern-
ment, and devoted the same amount of time to work
as he had been accustomed to do at Potsdam.

A letter written about this period by the Crown
Princess contains the following passage :

* We are undergoing a time of heavy trial, but the
feeling that the nation has not forgotten us, that it
hopes and feels with us, is an everlasting* source of
comfort and joy. If God so wills it, this confidence
will remain the Crown Prince s most treasured posses-
sion in the futiu^e, and be his greatest aid in the
attainment of pure ideala

* Who can tell how many days may still be granted
to him ? But when one sees him so fresh and vigorous,
one can only trust to his strength and good constitu-
tion in the belief that his health will not fail him in
the execution of his duties, though even under the
most favourable circumstances he will have to spare
himself, and use his voice as little as possible/

Owing to the sad news of the Crown Princes
health, nearly all the winter festivities in Berlin were
cancelled. As soon as the Prince heard of this, he
expressed the hope that the people of Berlin would
not abandon their customary menymaking owing to
his illness, which threatened to be protracted. But
the Berliners had no heart for festivals and dancing
when their Prince was vainly seeking health in a
foreign country.

Christmas had come at last, and the Prince's house-
hold celebrated the festival as usual with a Christmas-
tree, or rather two, as a number of German farmers
had sent a second tree from the Black Forest, * to give

the Crown Prince a breath of (jerman air.'

440

1 888] THE CROWN PRINCE'S ILLNESS

At eight o'clock on Christmas Eve the members of
the household assembled in the large room which opens
on to the balcony of the Villa Zirio, and were joined
by Lady Ponsonby and her daughters, as well as Count
Launay, the Italian Ambassador at Berlin, who had
brought a magnificent silver centrepiece and some
beautiful jewels for the Crown Princess as presents
from the King and Queen of Italy. Shortly after
the Prince and his family had appeared to greet their
guests, the folding-doors opened and an ocean of light
flooded the room. Two tall fir-trees, studded with
tapers, glistened with decorations, while the room itself
had been converted into a garden of flowers : roses of
every hue, cornucopias of camellias, violets, geraniums,
and lilies of the valley transformed the room into a
fairy bower.

The Christmas gifts had been heaped up on tables
in the centre of the room, and with touching kindness
the Crown Prince led his guests to the places where
their presents had been piled up. Again and again
he expressed his gratitude and deep appreciation of
the loving sympathy of those who had sought to cheer
him in his hour of trouble.

Towards the end of January the Prince felt a

difficulty in breathing, which increased so rapidly that

an operation to facilitate the passage of air had to be

undertaken by Dr. Bramann at almost a moment's

notice. Though the operation was entirely successful,

the wound did not heal as quickly as might have been

expected from the Prince s magnificent constitution.

For some time all speaking was out of the question,

and considerable difficidty was encountered in the

matter of nourishment. The confinement to his room,

441

UFE OF THE EMPEROR J^REJDERICK [1883

moreover, told greatly on the spirits of the Crown
Prince.

It was then that the Prince penned the following
lines to Pastor Persius in Potsdam :

' You are right in speaking of patience and resigna-
tion, for without thus resigning one's self to Divine
dispensations, it would not be easy to lead the life that
is now imposed on me. I am, it is true, supported by
the most loving care of my wife and surrounded by my
children ; but to remain away from home for so long,
having regard to the advanced age of the Emperor
and all the dangers that winter may bring- him, is no
small burden, especially since I am constantly reminded
that this or that must not be done out of consideration
for my health. I often look into that book [Thomas
^ Kempis' " Imitation of Christ "] which contains
sentences that seem to have been written for such
cases as mine, and which offer rare consolation and
support/

The news of his son's relapse had a terrible effect on
the aged Emperor, whose days were now drawing to
an end. A chill, which settled on the kidneys, con-
fined him to his bed towards the end of February, and
on March 9, 1888, the first Grerman Emperor passed
peacefully away amidst the mourning of the whole
nation. As the imperial standard sank slowly to half-
mast high over the royal palace, the church bells of
the capital tolled a parting knell to the passing away
of the founder of United Germany.

On the morning of that fatal March day, the Crown
Prince was walking in the garden of the Villa Zirio,
when a telegram was brought to him on a salver.

Mechanically, and without a suspicion of the contents,

442

1 888] THE CROWN PRINCE'S ILLNESS

the Crown Prince took up the message and read the
address : * To His Majesty the Grerman Emperor
Frederick William.' Laying the telegram back on
the salver unopened, he burst into tears, and with
difficulty forced himself to composure before reading
the news of his father's death.

The question then arose as to whether the Emperor
Frederick would be sufficiently strong to return to
Germany, and, if so, how the long and fatiguing
journey was to be carried out. The matter was, how-
ever, quickly settled by the Emperor's decision to
return home at once and assume his new duties with-
out delay.

443

CHAPTER XX

THE emperor's LAST DATS

1888

Rarely if ever has the accession of a monarch to a
throne taken place under such tragic circumstances as
when Frederick III. was called upon to wield supreme
power during the last months of his life. The long-
hoped-for opportunity for carrying out his cherished
plans for the good of the Fatherland, as well as the
carefully elaborated social schemes which had engrossed
the whole life of the new Emperor, were fated to fiJl
as a magnificent inheritance into the hands of his son.
The experiences, knowledge, and labour of so many
years were doomed to vanish into the silence of the
grave before the brief space of time still remaining
could be utilized to its fiiU extent.

Early in the morning of March 10, the Emperor,
accompanied by his family, set out for Berlin, and waa
met the following day at Leipzic by the Ministry.
Prince Bismarck was the first to greet his new master,
who embraced him with warmth and kissed him on
the cheek. At Berlin, where a ceremonial reception
had been forbidden, the Imperial couple were met by

444

1 888] THE EMPEROR'S LAST DAYS

Crown Prince William and driven in a closed carriage
to Charlottenburg.

On the evening of the 12th the Reichsanzeiger
published an Imperial proclamation to the nation,
and the following rescript to the Chancellor :

*My dear Prince,

' On my accession to the Throne, I feel obliged
to turn to you, the first servant, so well proven by
many years, of my father now resting with Grod. You
are the loyal and courageous adviser who gave form to
the objects of his policy and secured their successful
execution,

* I am, and my House remains, pledged to you in
warm gratitude.

* You therefore, before all, have a right to know the
maxims which are to regulate the conduct of my
government.

'The constitutional and legal ordinances of the
Empire and Prussia must, above all, be foimded on the
reverence and customs of the nation. So far as
possible the changes must be avoided which are
caused by alterations in the institutions of State and
in legislation.

* In promoting the tasks of the Imperial Govern-
ment, the firm foundations, on which the Prussian State
has hitherto rested securely, must be left untouched.

* In the Empire the constitutional rights of all the
Federal Governments must be as conscientiously
respected as those of the Reichstag ; but from both a
similar respect for the rights of the Emperor must be
expected. Herein the aim must be kept in view that
these mutual rights only serve to promote the public

445

UFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [i8S

weal, which remains the supreme law, and that new
xmdoubtedly national requirements must always h
complied with to the fullest extent.

' For the necessary and most secure pledge of th<
undisturbed development of these tasks, I look to tb(
undiminished maintenance of the defensive strength
of the country, my proven army and the floiuishic^
navy, on whom grave duties have fallen by the
acquisition of foreign possessions. Both must at al
times be maintained at the height of training and at
the perfection of organization on which their fame is
based, and which insures their future powers of actioa

* I am resolved to carry on the government of the
Empire and Prussia with a scrupulous regard to the
constitutional principles of the Empire and the
country. My predecessors on the Throne, wiselj
recognising the inevitable requirements and the diffi*
cult tasks of social and political life, formulated these
principles, which must everywhere be respected in ordei
that their virtue and beneficent effect may be realized

* I desire that the principle of religious toleration
observed by my House for centuries, shall continue t^
protect all my subjects, no matter what community a
creed they belong to. Each one of them is equall;
near to my heart; they all showed their complet
loyalty to the same degree in the days of danger.

* In agreement with the views of my Imperial fathei

I shall warmly support all efforts which aim a

improving the economic welfare of the various classe

of society, mediating between conflicting interests, an<

alleviating as far as possible unavoidable hardship

yet without evoking the expectation that it is possibl

to end all social evils by the action of the State.

446

i888] THE EMPERORS LAST DA YS

' I regard the care devoted to the education of youth
as intimately connected with all social problems. If,
on the one hand, higher education must be made avail-
able to ever-increasing circles, on the other hand, the
serious dangers created by incomplete education, the
awakening of desires in life which the economic
resources of the nation cannot satisfy, and the neglect
of educational tasks by the one-sided striving after
increased knowledge, must be avoided.

' Only the race that grows up in the healthy
atmosphere of the fear of Grod and of simple customs
can possess sufficient powers of resistance to conquer
the dangers which, in times of rapid economic develop-
ment, are placed in the way of the community by the
example of the luxurious life led by individuals. It is
my desire that no opportunity be missed of opposing
in the public service the temptation to disproportionate
expenditure.

*My impartial consideration is assured to every
proposed financial reform, provided that the old proven
thriftiness of Prussia is unable to prevent the imposi-
tion of fresh burdens and to lead to a diminution of
the demands hitherto made.

* I consider the self-government conferred on the
larger and smaller commimities in the State to be
beneficial. Yet I draw attention as to whether the
right, bestowed on these communities, of imposing
taxation, which they use without sufficient heed being
paid to simultaneous taxation by the Empire and the
State, may not beax too heavily on individuals.

' In the same way, it must be considered whether
a simplification in the official hierarchy may not be

447

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [i8«

advisable, by which a diminution in the number o:
officials would permit their salaries to be raised.

' If success is achieved in firmly maintaining tb
foundations of State and social life, it will give m<
especial pleasure to fully develop the vigour whicl
German art and science so richly shows.

' In effecting these my aims I reckon on you:
devotion, so often proved, and on the support of you
wide experience.

' May it be granted to me to lead Grermany anc
Prussia to fresh honours in peaceful development
aided by the harmonious co-operation of the officers o
the Empire, the devotion of the national representa
tives as well as officials, and by the trusting support o
all classes of the population.

* Untouched by the brilliance of deeds of glory,
shaU be content if in times to come it can be said o
my government that it was of benefit to my nation, o
service to my country, and a blessing to the Empire.

'Frederick III.

' Berlin,

< Uarch 12, 188a'

This rescript was handed to Prince Bismarck during

the railway journey from Leipzic, and was published u

exact accordance with the Emperor's draft save in om

point : the Emperor had originally written, * the firs

fellow-workman of my father,* but the Chancellor begg»

that the word * servant * might be substituted. Anothe

point of interest is the signature attached to the re

script — * Frederick III.' — since the addition of th

numeral is not in accordance with monarchical traditioi

It appears that the initials * I ' and * R,' as written b

448

i888] THE EMPERORS LAST DAYS

the Emperor, were mistaken by the printers for the
Boman numeral ' III/

The publication of the rescript was in many ways a
severe blow to those who had hoped for the establish-
ment of Parliamentarian party government in Germany
and Prussia. Force of circumstances prevented the
Emperor from realizing the programme he had marked
out in the rescript, which hence rather resembled a
political testament — the expression of his most earnest
thoughts and aims.

On the removal of the mortal remains of William I.
from the Berlin Cathedral to the mausoleum at Char-
lottenburg, the Emperor wrote to Count Moltke :

' Remain to me what you were to my father — a
friend, a confidant, a heroic adviser in all that con-
cerned the welfare of the army.

* I heartily implore you to restrict your participation
in to-morrow's mournful ceremony to being present in
the Cathedral. Should you not be content with this,
I command you to do so ; you will not bear so old and
loyal a friend a grudge.'

To Count von Blumenthal he wrote as follows :

* In hereby promoting you General Field-Marshal,
my desire is that the world should recognise that the
first bestowal by me of the highest rank in our army
is to the man who was my adviser during the decisive
and great campaigns of the last decade.'

At the same time the Emperor sent him his own
haton to use imtil a new one could be made.

It was with the greatest difficulty that the Empress,
aided by the urgent advice of the physicians, induced
her husband to abstain from following his father s body
to the last resting-place on March 16. In the evening

449 a G

LIFE OF THE EMPEROR FRBDERICK [i8S8

hiB mother, despite her failing health, came to Char-
lottenhurg to see her dearly-loved son onoe more.
Their meeting was most affecting ; the Emperor knelt
at his mother's knee, laid his weary head in her lap,
and wept with her for the heavy loss they had sus-
tained.

Now that he was again hard at work, the Emperor's
health seemed to improve; he regained his appetite,
and at times even ventured to speak in a whisper.
Unfortunately, the bitterly cold weather and frequent
falls of snow confined him to the palace.

Prince Bismarck thus describes his relations with
Frederick III. :

' At the time of his government I was always on
the best of terms with the Emperor Frederick and his
consort, the Empress Victoria. Any differences of
opinion between us were discussed with Their Majesties
in the most fiiendly way. The Empress Victoria is,
moreover, very clever and decided. When I appeared
with some business for her imperial consort, she
frequently entered the sick-room before me to prepare
him and gain him over for my project.

' In the Battenberg affair the Emperor Frederick
was completely on my side fix>m the very beginning,
as well by political as by personal — I might say
majestical — reasons. Since Frederick the Great, no
HohenzoUer has ever been animated and inspired by
so '* Olympic " a fiseling of majesty as he was. And if
he had ruled longer, the Extreme Liberals would have
been greatly surprised and disillusioned by the energy
and indignation with which the Emperor and King
would have met their plan of a " truly constitutional
government,'' t.e., the diminution of his prerogative

450

i838] THE EMPERORS LAST DA YS

rights and the conduct of his government under the
tutelage of Liberalism. His exalted feeling of dignity
and majesty was opposed to the marriage of a Princess
of his House with a scion of a mere branch of a Grerman
princely fiunily, such as the Battenberger was. It
seemed an absolutely impossible misalliance to the
Elmperor Frederick, and he therefore opposed the
project. For this purpose he demanded fix)m me that
I should embody the political objections to the
marriage in a memorial

' In compliance with this order, I adduced the
following facts in that memorial : The Bulgarians
would at once remove their present Prince, Ferdinand
of Coburg, and recall Prince Alexander of Battenberg,
as soon as he had married a daughter of the Grerman
Emperor. But that would bring about a complete
change in the existing policy of Grermany towards
Bulgaria. Hitherto Grermany, so long as it was only
a question of Bulgaria — as I had already explained in
my speech in the Reichstag on February 6, 1888 —
was completely neutral and iminterested, and this
uninterestedness alone offered Germany a handle, and
enabled her to preserve the ftdl confidence of the
two most interested Grovernments, opposed to each
other in the Bulgarian question, Russia and Austria-
Hungary.

* With one blow this confidence woidd be destroyed

for years, if not for ever, if the Battenberger, the

Czar's most hated opponent, become the son-in-law of

the Grerman Elmperor. Grermany would thenceforth

be obliged to take a share in the Bulgarian affair if

a Princess of the Grerman Imperial House became

Princess of Bulgaria. It would be just as if one were

451 2 G 2

UFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [i»88

to throw a Field-Marshal's haion over the wall of a
hostile fortress ; it would have to be fetched out under
any circumstances and at all costs.

* Owing to these and his own " Olympic " considera-
tions, the Elmperor finally decided to abandon the
project,'

In another conversation Prince Bismarck again
alluded to the Emperor :

* The Elmperor Frederick was indeed a very re-
markable and estimable man, extremely amiable and
firiendly, yet none the less far-sighted, intelligent and
decided. He knew himself thoroughly, and a resolve
once taken remained unalterabla Had he lived longer
as German Emperor, he woidd have astonished the
world by his energy and personal action in the govern-
ment. His views about his duty towards his subjects
and the duty of his subjects towards their ruler were
sharply defined and unalterable. He was a genuine
Hohenzoller of the best kind and most brilliant
capacity. His courage was indeed something heroic.
He resembled his noble father in his kind politeness
and gentle consideration for his servants. Let me
give you a touching example of this amiable trait of
character.

' During the last dajrs of his illness, whilst he was
still able to receive me sitting ftilly dressed on the sofa,
he never omitted accompanying me to the door of his
room, and opening it himself to let me out on taking
my departure. One day, as he was walking with me
through the room, I noticed that he was shaking with
pain and weakness, and had already stretched out my
arm, as I thought he was about to £all, when he
managed to seize the door-knob and steadied himself

452

i883] THE EMPERORS LAST DA YS

Tet he uttered no complaint and bore his pains in
manly silence. To the very last he displayed a noble
appreciation of imperial dignity and composure of soid.
Nothing could shake his self-control or make him
lose spirit ; to his last breath he was every inch an
Emperor.'

Towards the end of April the Ministry received an
order from the Emperor to submit a proposal for the
Crown Prince to take an even greater share in the
Government than that originally granted him on
March 21. On the proposal being placed before the
Emperor for signature, he caused the powers entrusted
to his son to be still further increased.

A brief visit from the Queen of England at this
period to the Imperial Court deeply affected the
Emperor and his sorely tried consort.

The health of the illustrious patient had improved
so much that he was now able to drive out in a
pony-carriage through the Charlottenburg Park, and
on May 23 he ventured to drive to Berlin and
visit his mother. On the following day he attended
the marriage of his second son, Prince Henry, with
Princess Irene of Hesse.

On May 29, for the last time, the Emperor attended
a military parade at Charlottenburg and watched the
Crown Prince manoeuvring his brigade.

The beautiful mild spring weather now turned the
Emperor's thoughts to his much-loved Potsdam
residence, which he had renamed Friedrichskron, and
after a last visit to the mausoleum he proceeded to
Potsdam on board the yacht Alexandra.

In the meantime a political event of great impor-
tance had taken place by the dismissal of Herr von

453

UFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1888

Puttkamer, the Minister of the Interior. In passing
a vote of oensiure on the Minister on May 2, the
Chamber demanded that the Government should
observe the provisions of the law forbidding any
pressure from being brought to bear on the elections.
To this Herr von Puttkamer replied by asserting that
the Prussian administration was subject to no control,
and thus appealed, as it were, to the Ejnperor, who
at that time was about to give his assent to a Bill
prolonging the l^^ative period to five years. He
returned the Bill with his signature to Puttkamer on
the 27th, and at the same time demanded that ' the
liberty of future elections should not be restricted by
official pressing.' Bismarck was most anxious that a
rupture should not take place between the Emperor
and his friend Puttkamer, and eventually succeeded
in effecting this object. But in the meantime the
Minister of the Interior had managed again to excite
the wrath of the Emperor, by forbidding the students
to perform a Lutheran play, on the groimd that it
endangered ' religious peace.' In obedience to a direct
order from the Emperor, Herr von Puttkamer had to
withdraw the prohibition after the objectionable
passages had been struck out. In an autograph letter
to the Minister, the Emperor repeated his high dis-
approval of many incidents of former elections, where-
upon Herr von Puttkamer at once handed in his
resignation. The energy which the Emperor dis-
played in this matter again clearly indicated the active
share he would have taken in the Government had his
health permitted it.

The sufferings of the JSmperor increased greatly

454

i888] THE EMPERORS LAST DA YS

during the last weeks ; his temperature often rose to
fever heat, and want of breath forced him to pass
several nights in an easy-chair. Even the strongest
constitution was no armour against the insidious and
constant progress of his disease. On the night of
June 7 the doctor on duty observed Sjonptoms which
pointed to the growth breaking in the throat. Yet
with heroic fortitude the moribund Emperor insisted
on greeting the King of Sweden on the garden terrace.
A few days later his condition became most serious,
and his bodily strength was fast ebbing away. As
his daughter Sophie came to his bedside on the 13th
to receive his congratulations on her birthday, he
wrote on a piece of paper the following touching
message : ' Continue to be pious and good, as you
have been till now ; this is the last wish of your dying
father.*

In the afternoon the Emperor took leave of Prince
Bismarck. Seizing the great statesman by both hands,
he gazed earnestiy into his eyes, and then placed the
hand of the Empress in the Chancellor's right hand,
silently entrusting her fiiture to him.

At one o'clock the next morning he asked Dr. Hovell :
* How is my pulse ? are you satisfied with it V As
dawn broke the Emperor's condition became worse,
and every breath had to be fought for, yet to the last
he remained conscious and clasped the hand of his
devoted wife.

Shortly after eleven the Emperor passed peacefully
away.

The first message written by the widowed Empress
after she had regained the mastery of her grief

455

UFE OF THE EMPEROR FREDERICK [1888

announced the mournful tidings to the Empress
Augusta :

' She who was so proud and happy to be the wife of
your only son mourns with you, poor mother. No
mother ever had such a son. Be strong and proud
in your grief. Even this morning he sent you a
greeting.

* Victoria.'

The mortal remains of Frederick IIL were laid to
rest in the Friedenskirche at Potsdam, on June 18,
amid the heartfelt grief of the German nation. As
the mournful procession returned, a last greeting was
borne out into the air through the deathlike silence
of the church : ^ Behold, blessed are they who have
suffered.'

456

INDEX

Albamt, Duke of, 481

Albert, Prinoe ConBort, 24, 87, 54, 66, 88, 106, 100, 118, 128

Alexander 11., Czar, 72^421 p ?C '

Alfonso XU. of Spain, 426, 428, 482

Alioe, Prineees, letters from, 60, 61, 60, 810, 414

Angeli, Heinrieh von, 862

Angosta, Emprees, 1, 180, 176, 456

AngOBtenlrarg, Prinoe Frederiek of, 85, 171, 177, 185, 102, 210, 280, 410

Austria, 46, 165, 218, 228, 280, 811, 862, 418

Babelsberg, 6, 118, 110
Balmoral, 54, 160

Battenberg, Prinoe Alexander of, 450
Berlin, 105, 111, 160, 850, 851

Congreie, 405
Bemhardi, Theodor von, 54, 62, 120, 174, 288, 248, 245, 287
Bethusy-Hoe, Oonnt, 208
Bismarck, Prinoe, 88, 88, 120, 145, 155, 175, 106, 242, 276, 270, 800,

826, 885, 445, 455
Blmnenthal, Field-Marshal, 108, 248, 817, 440
Bltintsohli, Pft>f eesor, 201, 206
Bonn, 24

Charles I. of Bomnania, 180, 201, 800, 858, 866, 410, 416, 418

Christian IX. of Denmark, 171

Clarendon, Lord, 70, 00, 108

Coblents, 85, 50

Cologne, 108, 420

Conflict, Parliamentary, 182, 186

Conservatives, 180, 205

Curtius, Plrofessor, 0, 25

457

INDEX

Delbrttok, Professor, 181, 188, 280, 876, 896

Dsnxnark, 170, 199, 865

Diinoker, Mm, 132, 148, 160, 226, 266

Englmnd, 87, 64, 78, 81, 89, 118» 217, 861, 866, 400, 421, 486
Ernest II. of Gobnrg, 67, 166j.280
Eugenie, Empress, 79 '^

Fischer, Colonel, 26, 41

Forekenbeok, Max von, 166, 844

France, 87, 79, 296

Francis Joseph II., Emperor, 811

Frederick VII. of Denmark, 170

Frederick Charles, Prince, 7, 18, 260, 884-481

Frederick William HI., 9, 16, 209, 879

Frederick William IV., 69, 114, 121

Freemasonry, 46, 112, 816, 867, 888

Freytag, Gnstav, 160, 821

Geibel, 20, 207
Gk>ethe, 1, 8

Henry, Prince, 180, 207, 887, 416, 419, 468

Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, Prince Eraft zn, 270

Hohenlohe, Prince, 806

HohenzoUem, Prince Charles Antony of, 116, 128, 409, 481

Humbert I. of Italy, 299, 891, 429

Humboldt, Alexander von, 60

Italy, 87, 46, 184, 299, 806, 864, 872, 427, 429, 486

Jerusalem, 812

Edniggr&tz, 268

La Marmora, General, 800

Leo Xin., 408, 429

Letters to Bismarck, 141, 147, 167, 188, 445

to Blumenthal, 449

to Charles I. of Boumania, 292, 809, 868, 868^ 874, 881, 885, 888, 892,
410, 416, 418

to Duke of Coburg, 167, 240

to Duncker, 161, 174, 100, 227, 265

to Mdtke, 86, 449

to Pastor Persius, 442

458

INDEX

Leiton to Prince of Aogastenbarg, 328

to Profeseor Sehellbaoh, 486

to Qae«ii T^etoria, 406

to William I., 194, 189, 144
LiberalB, 152, 296
London, 88, 78, 82, 97

GonforenM, 198, 861
Louis II. of Bavaria, 886, 858
Luxemburg, 290, 296

Mackenzie, Sir Morell, 485

Madrid, 428

ManteufEal, Gomii, 67, 118

Margaret, Prinoess, 241, 860

Margherita, Queen, 800, 808

Moltke, Field-Marshal von, 58, 79, 85, 97, 257, 261, 280, 828, 887, 449

Munich, 804, 858

Naohod, Battle of, 254, 272
Napoleon m., 71, 79, 88

Palmerston, Viscount, 92
Paris, 79, 829
Pius IX., 47, 408
Poeen, 161
Potsdam, 119, 456
Progressives, 189, 151, 168, 169
Putlitz, Ghistav zu, 200
Puttkamer, Minister von, 454

Borne, 47, 185

Boon, Minister von, 244, 888, 888

Bussia, 40, 72, 187, 290

Samwer, 158, 177 ^S6

San Bemo, 487

ScheUbach, Professor, 5, 50, 111, 486

SchleswigHolstein, 170, 218, 228, 285

Sedan, 828

Sigismund, Prince, 211, 258

Sophie, Princess, 817

Steinmetz, General von, 270-278

Unruh, Colonel von, 7, 15, 21
Usedom, Count, 299

459

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