CHAPTER VIII.
DEPARTURE FROM LOUISBURG—PARIS—CORONATION OF CHARLES X.—LONDON—THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE’S MONUMENT—ANECDOTES OF CHARLES X.—RETURN TO GERMANY.
April1st.—Good Friday. On the 2nd I was invited to breakfast in Baron G.’s apartment, where I met all the Queen’s ladies and gentlemen. We had a little music, and painted eggs were placed on the floor, between which the young ladies danced blindfolded. The two young Princes, Frederick and Augustus, came to dinner, and are to stay till Wednesday. In the evening there was an Italian from Brescia with canary-birds, that played tricks. At tea the Queen-Dowager gave eggs, and little presents of purses, bracelets, crosses, seals, or something of that sort, to all the ladies. She gave to myself a seal, a watch-key, a cross in bronze, a steel buckle in the shape of a lyre. A few days previouslyshe had presented me with a writing-box of her own painting, an amethyst ornament, and some German books.
April 21st.—I left Louisburg with great regret, and slept that night at Carlsruhe.
[On the 28th, Miss Knight reached Paris, having travelled by way of Rheims, where great preparations were making for the approaching coronation of Charles X. Lord Grenville had succeeded Sir Charles Stuart as British Ambassador at the French Court. The Duke of Northumberland was also in Paris on a special mission, to represent the King of England at the coronation. His Grace’s suite was very brilliant, his liveries in the old-fashioned style magnificent, and his carriages and horses the admiration of the Parisians. On the 7th of June the Duke, assisted by Lord Grenville and Sir George Nayler, Garter King of Arms, invested the King of France with the insignia of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.]
June 15th.—Went with Lady Downshire and Lady Mary Hill to the great ball at the Duke of Northumberland’s. The Dauphin, Dauphiness, Duchess de Berri, and the Orleans family were there; as also the young King and Queen of Würtemberg, who are here under the title of Count and Countess Teck. There were fireworks, splendid illuminations, white and gold banners intermixed with flowers, and the Duchess of Northumberlandhad a dress trimmed with lilies for the occasion. There were about fifteen hundred people, but the apartments are large, and there is a very long gallery, so that the crowd did not appear so great. All the young noblemen[101]belonging to the embassy had lilies in their button-holes, and stood on the stairs to present a bouquet to each lady as she came up.
[Towards the end of June, Miss Knight returned to London.]
July 13th.—Dined with Princess Augusta, and afterwards went with her to the Duke of Sussex’s, at Kensington Palace. He gave a dinner to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and a few people were invited for the evening. All the Royal Family were there, for besides Princess Augusta, there were present the Duchess of Kent, the Duchess of Gloucester, and Princess Sophia, Princess Sophia Matilda (the Duke is gone to Cheltenham), Prince Leopold, and the Duke of Brunswick and his brother. The Duchesses of Bedford and Hamilton, Lady Jersey, and several gentlemen, were also there. Mathews, the comedian, gave two acts of his Imitations, which were very laughable. We came away before one.
September 10th.—Went to Claremont on a visit to Prince Leopold and the Duchess of Kent. Hismother, the Duchess of Coburg, is also staying with him. The little Princess Victoria is very like our Royal Family, and very handsome. I was much overpowered at coming to this place. The poor old servants so glad to see me! I walked in the Park with the Baroness de Spinetti, the Duchess of Kent’s lady, and wished to see the cottage begun by Princess Charlotte, and which has been converted into a monument to her memory, but the good lady thought it would afflict me.
11th.—Sunday. Went to church at Esher with Prince Leopold, attended by Sir Robert Gardiner and the Duchess of Kent. After service the Baroness de Spinetti and I called upon Lady Gardiner, and saw some fine sketches, taken by Sir Robert in Spain and Sicily. In the evening we looked over prints, and the Prince, the Duchess of Kent, and Princess Feodore, sang. The Duchess of Coburg has two young ladies with her as maids of honour.
12th.—Left Claremont after breakfast, and went to Thomas’s Hotel, Berkeley-square, where I found Lady Downshire, Lady Mary Hill, and Lord Augustus.
22nd.—Arrived at Windsor, and stayed there till the 1st of October. On the 25th, I went to see the monument erected by subscription to the late Princess Charlotte. Matthew Wyatt was charged with the execution of it, though he was brought upto painting, not to sculpture. Mr. O’Reilly, the surgeon and apothecary, has the key, as his Majesty is not on good terms with the canons. It is not to be open to the public until the King has seen it. The chapel in which it is placed is the first to the left of the end door which fronts the choir. It has painted glass, representing, I think, St. Peter and St. Paul, and the light which falls on the monument from the left is of a gold colour, and that from the right purple, or rather lilac. The figure of the Princess, covered with a sheet, is represented as on her death-bed, but appears convulsive. Four veiled mourners are at the corners. Above the lid is another figure of the Princess, as rising to heaven and drawing aside a curtain. It is certainly a resemblance, but too large. There is an angel on each side, one of whom holds the child.
[On the 14th December, Miss Knight was once more in Paris. She herself says that Monsieur—at this time Charles X.—once observed to her: “Vous aimez maintenant vivre en France; mais je me rappelle que vous m’aviez dit en Angleterre que vous n’aimeriez pas d’y aller.” “Naturellement, Monseigneur,” she replied; “la France n’était pas alors chez elle.” He smiled, and said, “Mais l’Angleterre a été toujours chez elle, et toujours les livres ouverts pour vous.” Though not very appropriate, another anecdote of Monsieur related by Miss Knight may be here introduced. “I recollect,” she says, “being one evening at the Tuileries (Ibelieve it was the first time I went to Monsieur’s; it was in 1816), and while we were standing round in the usual circle, a lady, rather advanced in years, seemed anxiously looking for the moment when her turn should come to be spoken to by Monsieur. She caught his eye while there were still one or two between them, and he bowed and smiled. When he came up to her he spoke kindly, and addressed her by her name. “Ah, Monseigneur!” she cried, apparently much agitated, “il y a si longtemps que je n’ai pas eu l’honneur de voir votre Altesse Royale, et pourtant elle se souvient de moi! Les années changent tout——” Monsieur interrupted her, and said, “Les années! Quant aux dernières vingt-cinq il ne faut plus les compter.”]
January 11th.—Went with Mrs. Lutwyche to the “reception” at the Palais Royal. All Paris there in full dress, and the room very hot. The young Duke de Chartres, who is little more than fifteen, appeared in full uniform of Hussars, and went round with his father, mother, and aunt. He looked remarkably handsome and elegant. It is said that Duke Mathieu de Montmorency is appointed governor to the Duke de Bordeaux. There have been riots[102]at St. Petersburg, on account ofthe refusal of the Grand-Duke Constantine to ascend the throne.
26th.—In the evening to the Duchess of Orleans’, where a small party had been invited to meet the Dauphin, who dined there. Cards, backgammon, books of prints, &c.
February 1st.—At the Duchess de Narbonne’s, where there was a large party to hear Mdlle. Delphine Gay[103]recite verses of her own composition. Her mother was with her, and I understand they are rather rich people in the class of employés. They were much dressed. The poetess is pretty, and when she recites has expression in her eyes and tone, but her voice is harsh. She recited a passage from a poem of her own on the restoration to life of the widow’s son, and afterwards another fragment on the triumphant entry of King Alfred. It seems she has recited some of her verses before the French Academy.
27th.—At the Duchess de Narbonne’s, where many ladies and gentlemen were assembled to hear M. de St. Priest,[104]a very young man, read a tragedyhe has written, entitled “Clotilde.” Clotaire and Sigebert, the two sons of Clovis, are at variance, and their mother, Clotilde, endeavours to reconcile them, but, according to history, it finishes most horribly. There are many fine lines in the play, and also interesting situations.
March 19th.—At the Ambassador’s Chapel. Bishop Luscombe preached. He was consecrated by the Bishops of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, and is on the Continent to exercise his functions as a prelate without any particular diocese: watching over the flock of travelling English. He is said to be a very respectable man, and his sermon was good.
April 12th.—Celebration of the anniversary of the King’s entrance into Paris in 1814. There was a review in the Champ de Mars, but the wind and rain were unfavourable to it. I dined with Madame de Labédoyère, and in the evening accompanied Lady Mary Hill to the Duchess of Hamilton’s. The Duchess sang delightfully, as also did the Countess Apponyi, the wife of the Austrian Minister. The Countess is an excellent musician, and sings with great taste.
30th.—At the Ambassador’s Chapel. Mr. Sidney Smith preached on the immortality of the soul, as announced by the dissatisfaction felt here, the desire to be remembered after death, &c. &c.
May 3rd.—To-day the King and Queen go in procession to several churches, for the Jubilee, andthey lay the first stone of the monument to be erected to Louis XVI., on the spot where he was executed. The gendarmes would not allow carriages to pass, so I was obliged, after making an attempt, to come home again. I heard in the evening that the ceremony was very fine and imposing. The Nuncio says that it was more so than the coronation at Rheims. After the performance of an expiatory service, the first stone of the monument was laid by the King himself, in the presence of all the Royal Family—except the Dauphiness—a deputation of Peers and Deputies, the Great Officers of State, Courts of Justice, Ambassadors, &c. &c. The Place Louis Quinze is now to be called Place Louis Seize.
7th.—Went to chapel. In the evening to the Tuileries, with the Marquise de Vaudreuil. There were many ladies present, as all the Royal personages received, and they are soon going into the country. The King looked remarkably well, and appeared very cheerful. Amongst other things, speaking to me of activity, &c., he said (what is very true, and exemplified in himself), “Il ne faut pas se laisser aller.” It is a long way through the subterranean, the court, the theatre, and the gallery of the chapel, to the Duchess de Berri’s apartments. She had a hat on.
June 11th.—Called upon Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. Went afterwards to the Bois de Boulogneby a new road, called the “Champs Elysées,” in compliment to the King. Young trees are planted on each side, and it will be very pretty when they are grown larger; in the mean while, it shortens the distance.
August 4th.—Dined at Bishop Luscombe’s. Sir Sidney Smith there. After a residence of many years in France since the peace, he seems to think of going to England, having taken leave of the King at St. Cloud. Lord Guilford has lent him a house near Walmer Castle, but he is going first to Dieppe.
15th.—This is Assumption Day, as it is traditionally called in Roman Catholic countries, from a belief that on this day the Virgin Mary was taken up to heaven. A great procession of the King and his family takes place, in observance of a vow made by Louis XIII., by which he placed himself, his family, and kingdom, under the protection of the Virgin. To-day also closes the Jubilee, and the King has given a silver statue of the Virgin and infant Saviour to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.
September 23rd.—Arrived at Mayence. The melancholy appearance of that once flourishing city is really painful to behold. The inhabitants say that they would be totally ruined were it not for the money spent by the military. But the taxes they have to pay to their present master, the Grand-Duke of Hesse Darmstadt, and the impediments tocommerce and manufacture, with the departure of so many noble families resident there during the time of their Electors, reduce them to a state of great misery. So much for the benefits arising from revolutionary changes and extinction of ecclesiastical power! They say they were better off under the French than under the Grand-Duke, but nothing to be compared to their ancient Electoral government, and as the French were the cause of that being overthrown, they naturally date their misfortunes from that period. The military had given some fêtes during the summer, and there was to be music and illuminations on the following day, Sunday, the 24th. That morning I left Mayence, to see the lovely banks of the Rhine, which we followed as far as Coblentz, by an excellent road. The old castles and ruined monasteries, the beautiful trees and rocks, render the journey very interesting. At Bingen, about fifteen miles from Mayence, we entered the Prussian territory. The postmasters give a receipt at every stage. A printed paper was also given to me for my baggage, and all seemed to be done with civility and regularity. Under Bingen, on a rock in the Rhine, are the ruins of the Mice Tower, so called from the story of Hatto, the Bishop of Mayence, who was said to have been eaten up by those animals. There is a legend belonging to each of the old ruined castles and monasteries. The banks of the river are covered withvines, raised in rows one above the other. At St. Goar there was formerly a very large monastery. The place appears more comfortable than many others, and the situation is picturesque. I paid thirteen posts to Coblentz, but the distance is not so much, as I went in ten hours. At one place, where the road passed under high rocks very near the river, and had others of a similar description in view on the opposite side, the postilion stopped and blew his horn for some minutes in a very agreeable manner, which was perfectly answered by the echo.
25th.—In the morning oppressively hot. Walked down to the banks of the Rhine, where I witnessed the departure of the “coche d’eau” for Mayence: two horses, with very long ropes, were to drag it up the river. In the afternoon I went in a calèche, with a very intelligent driver, to see the fortress on the other side of the Rhine, which the King of Prussia is building on the ruins of Ehrenbreitstein. The works are very fine. They were begun in 1816, and will require four years more to finish them. The rock appears almost perpendicular, yet I went up in the carriage with great ease and safety, as it is remarkably well made and a perfect zig-zag. I saw the cannons, barracks, magazines, &c. Eight thousand men, with provisions and ammunition, are to be provided here, and the fortress is to be called Frederick William, after its founder. The view is very extensive from the platform at the top. TheMoselle, throwing itself into the Rhine, the town of Coblentz, the bridge of boats, and the circumjacent country, were at my feet, and the four forts opposite were pointed out by my conductor, named Francis, Alexander, Constantine, and Wellington. The town, however, appeared enveloped in a pitchy cloud. A heavy thunderstorm was coming on, and I foolishly hoped to get back before it should break over our heads. I therefore hurried away, and, though the hood and apron of the calèche were put up, my maid and I were wet to the skin by the time we reached the hotel—the wind blowing torrents of rain into the carriage.
26th.—Returned to Mayence. The prospects appeared, if possible, more beautiful than before. It is not the lovely, enchanting style of beauty which Italian scenery presents, but it is wild and romantic. It is the theatre of the mythology of the middle ages.
30th.—Went to Homburg, and found the Landgrave in the court—he had seen me drive in. He took me to the Landgravine, and nothing could be more kind and cordial than their reception of me.
October 21st.—We dined early, that we might go at half-past one to the Feldberg, the highest mountain in this part of the country—in ancient times the Taunus. The weather was beautiful. The Landgrave and his aide-de-camp, M. Herman, were the vanguard; next came the Landgravine andPrincess Augusta of Solms; then Miss Cooper and myself; and lastly, the two maids of honour, Mdlles. de Stein and de Haller: all in droskies with four horses, which ran up the mountain like greyhounds. The road passed through woods till very near the summit, which is covered with luxuriant grass and fragments of rock. The Landgrave had sent thirty men the day before to repair the road. There is a mass of rock with grottoes in it, which is called the Rock of Brunehilda. The view from the summit is very extensive, embracing the Rhine and the Maine, with the towns, cities, and villages on their banks, Falkenstein, Konigstein, and other mountains, with the ruins of castles and fortifications on other parts of the Taunus, inferior in height to the Feldberg, which is two thousand six hundred and six feet above the surface of the sea. The air felt sharp and pure. We partook of coffee and cakes here. Warm punch was also served; for the grottoes in Brunehilda’s rock served as a kitchen, as well as for stables for the horses—a table, chairs, &c., having been previously sent up. We returned home with a fine sunset.
November 11th.—Arrived at the Castle of Louisburg about six in the evening. Found the Queen-Dowager and all her society most kind and friendly.
19th.—Went to Stuttgard, in consequence of an invitation to dine with the King and Queen. Dressed at the Hôtel du Roi d’Angleterre. At aquarter-past four Baroness Seckendorff, the young Queen’s first lady, came for me, and took me to the palace. She introduced me to the Queen in her Majesty’s private apartments, which are very elegant. The Queen seated me on a sofa by her side, and the King soon afterwards came in and sat down. They were both very gracious and conversible. At five they withdrew, and we went down to the apartments below, where we found the gentlemen and ladies of the Court, and the Prince and Princess of Hohenlohe œhringen, which last is a first cousin of his Majesty. Soon afterwards the King and Queen came in, and we went to dinner. The King placed the Princess of œhringen on his right hand, and made me sit beside him on his left. He talked to me all dinner-time, chiefly about the domestic events of our Royal Family in 1814, when I was with the late Princess Charlotte. After dinner we returned to the drawing-room, where coffee was served; and the King and Queen, after a very gracious leave-taking, quitted the room and went to the theatre. Madame de Seckendorff and the Queen’s Chamberlain took me through the palace to the Queen-Dowager’s box, and five minutes later the King and Queen entered their private box; the rest of the Royal Family occupying the great box in the centre of the house. Between the opera and the ballet the King and Queen joined the Royal Family, and also spoke to Lady Erskine in the adjoiningbox. I returned to Louisburg after the ballet, arriving there a little past eleven.
December 1st.—This day the Constituent Assembly, or States of Würtemberg, meet. It is held every third year. The King opens the meeting, and the Prince of Hohenlohe œhringen is the President. No ladies are admitted as spectators.
15th.—At dinner the Prince of Wallerstein; descended by the female side from the Würtemberg family. This young man is Regent of the little States belonging to his family, his eldest brother having renounced his rights on marrying a gardener’s daughter, with whom he retired to a castle to enjoy rural felicity. The second brother, who is now Prince, is in the Austrian service, and on garrison duty in Bohemia, and has entrusted the Regency to this Prince, who is the third son.
20th.—After dinner I went up-stairs to see a fine suite of apartments above those of the late King, called the Crown Prince’s. This castle is an immense building. Were it inhabited at all in proportion to its size, it would be very cheerful, for all the apartments are light and spacious. The hangings and furniture of those of the Crown Prince are of damask, and there is much gilding. The pictures are not good, but in some of the rooms very numerous.
24th.—In the evening the Queen made her Christmas presents to her ladies and gentlemen. Therewas a table also for me, covered with pretty things, including a gold chain, a cross, and earrings, a silver cup and saucer, a silver tower for heating water, three gowns,[105]&c.
31st.—The year was finished very cordially in the castle, and very noisily out of doors; for notwithstanding all the edicts against it, gunpowder announces the termination of the old year and the commencement of the new one, to the great annoyance of the peaceable inhabitants. In the town there was a ball, and in the castle “pictures” were represented by the principal dancers at the theatre.