Chapter VI (1)

1848

_Sagan, January 4, 1848._--I am quite overwhelmed by the death of Madame Adélaïde.[122] It is a misfortune for the King, for the poor and for my children. In her I lose a friend who regretted daily the loss of M. de Talleyrand, whose death I have also every reason to deplore. And thus the sad year of 1847 has come to an end with this sudden blow, and I can quite understand that the King's private friends begin the year 1848 under gloomy auspices. The political horizon seems very dark. I do not maintain that the turn of the north will never come, but at the present moment the south is in a very feverish condition.

[122] Madame Adélaïde died rather suddenly on December 31, 1847.

_Sagan, January 6, 1848._--There is some truth in Madame de Lieven's remarks concerning Humboldt: I do not assert that he is absolutely radical, but his liberalism is of a very advanced type and at Berlin he is thought to be urging the Princess of Prussia along the path which she does not always follow with sufficient prudence. However, Humboldt is too clever to compromise himself and though he may make himself conspicuous to some extent, he is at bottom a remnant of the few disappearing elements of the eighteenth century.

I know enough of King Louise Philippe to be convinced of his courage and his presence of mind: when therefore I saw the submission of Abd-el-Kader in the newspaper, I at once considered that the King would regard this event as counterbalancing his grief in some degree.[123] The ties of affection which united him to his sister were so strong that he probably will not feel his loss most deeply at the first moment, but as life resumes its usual course, when he finds that she is not present to listen to him and to share his thoughts at the time when he used to visit her and give her his confidence, his isolation will be felt and sadness will begin. The Queen is undoubtedly no less devoted and loyal to him, but she is to some extent preoccupied by family cares and her mind does not run in the same direction; she is not always in the King's room awaiting the royal pleasure at every moment, while her religious tendencies are in advance of those of the King. In short she may be much but she cannot be everything. However, it is much better that the King should survive his sister than that he should have died before her, for such a shock would have killed Madame forthwith, I am perfectly certain.

[123] Notwithstanding the victory of General Bugeaud at Isly,
Abd-el-Kader, an energetic character, had contrived to continue
the struggle in Algeria. In a final engagement, however, his most
devoted adherents fell, and in 1847 he was obliged to surrender
to General Lamoricière. Abd-el-Kader was kept a prisoner in
France until the proclamation of the Empire. After Napoleon III.
had set him at liberty he lived in Syria as a faithful and
devoted friend of France.

_Sagan, January 10, 1848._--Though I am not free from care when I am in good health, it must not be imagined that I have a terror of sudden death, the occasion of which I cannot foresee, though of its certainty I have no doubt. I have no wish to die, but I have no pleasure in life. My life's work has certainly been done and all my tasks are accomplished. What remains affects me but little. It is but a matter of filling up the time and it is hardly worth the little daily efforts which it costs. However, I refuse to be overcome by depression. I have made up my accounts and settled my affairs, and have therefore no reason for sadness, and as long as I am alive my energy will continue; but I can never grow resigned to the idea of finding myself useless, and I trust that God will be so gracious as to leave me the power of sympathy with the wants of those about me until the last moment. If I did not love the poor I should think myself more miserable than they. Fortunately I feel more drawn towards them every day and they compensate for many losses.

_Sagan, January 12, 1848._--I have been invited to the funeral ceremonies of Madame Adélaïde at Dreux. The King is greatly depressed and feels very lonely. I am very anxious as to what this year 1848 may have in store for me.

It seems that the Duc de Montpensier has been commissioned to arrange his aunt's private papers.

_Sagan, January 18, 1848._--I am carefully reading the debates in the French Chambers and have been delighted by the noble answers of the Chancellor[124] and the clever replies of M. de Barante to this M. d'Alton Shée who carries his tactlessness too far.[125] The general prospect seems dark and there is no point upon the horizon to which I can look with satisfaction.

[124] The Duc Pasquier.

[125] In the session of January 10, at the Chamber of Peers, M.
de Barante, reporter to the committee, had read the proposed
Address in reply to the speech from the throne. The proposal was
vigorously attacked by the Comte d'Alton Shée who spoke for the
dynastic party and had suddenly joined the opposition from the
outset of the agitation for reform which preceded the revolution
of February 1848. The Comte d'Alton Shée did not hesitate to
express opinions entirely revolutionary, even while speaking in
the Chamber and in this session he fulminated with all his
eloquence against the foreign policy of M. Guizot, piling up
accusations haphazard with reference to Portuguese, Swiss, and
Italian affairs.

_Sagan, January 20, 1848._--I have been attentively reading the speech upon the Address in the Chamber of Peers, and was charmed by the clear and noble speech of the Duc de Broglie, while I was reduced to tears by the brilliant oration of M. de Montalembert on the affairs of Switzerland, as he spoke with such sincere emotion, with such cleverness and resource, and exposed so entirely the intrigues of the abominable Lord Palmerston.[126] I really do not know why every one should be so ready to consider that intermediary who is the curse of the age: it seems quite obvious to me that M. Guizot has been duped by him in the matter of Switzerland; in his place I should have been better inspired, and I cannot imagine how any one can cease to distrust him after the many experiences of his bad faith.[127]

[126] In the session of January 14, the Chamber of Peers resumed
discussion of the seventh paragraph of the Address referring to
Switzerland, and M. de Montalembert obtained one of his finest
oratorical triumphs when he stigmatised in the loftiest terms the
iniquitous and barbarous abuses of the revolutionary tyranny of
which Switzerland was providing sad and grievous instances.

[127] The policy of Lord Palmerston who had returned to the
Foreign Office in 1846, had once more resumed a revolutionary
character; particularly in the affair of the Sonderbund he was
seen to be supporting Ochsenbein and Dufour against the Catholic
Powers. He tricked M. Guizot who was negotiating to secure armed
intervention with the help of Prussia and Austria and to oppose
the English policy at a time when the submission of the seven
cantons was already accomplished.

_Sagan, January 26, 1848._--So you are leaving Paris to-day to begin a new phase of your existence.[128] I could wish that your latest news from Turin might be satisfactory, but I doubt if this will be the case. The most important point is that the health of the King of Sardinia should be restored and fortified; he seems to be a clever and enlightened Prince, quite aware of the necessities of the age, though disinclined to make unnecessary concessions to them. I trust that he, yourself, and Italy in general may have a long and glorious existence.

[128] Extract from a letter addressed to M. de Bacourt who had
just been appointed French Minister at Turin.

I have a long letter from my daughter Pauline full of regret at your approaching departure, which she regards as another severe trial.

The news of the death of the King of Denmark has just reached us; this will further complicate the state of affairs in the North, and apparently Europe[129] will not escape any resulting difficulty. The King of Denmark was a learned and enlightened monarch and enjoyed an excellent reputation; I had the honour of seeing him and of knowing the Queen fairly well, a most saintly person;[130] her mother and mine were intimate friends, and among my mother's papers I have found letters from the Duchess of Augustenburg.

[129] King Christian VIII. of Denmark was suddenly taken ill on
January 6, 1848, and died on the 20th of the same month.
Frederick VII., his son by his first marriage, succeeded him.

[130] By birth Princess of Schleswig-Holstein.

_Sagan, January 29, 1848._--Yesterday we saw a remarkable meteor: for twenty minutes a column of fire seemed to connect heaven and earth; the sun appeared to be about a third of the way up the sky, and from the lower part of its disc depended this luminous column which seemed to be supported by the horizon of the earth.[131] It was a beautiful and imposing spectacle. Some centuries ago astrologers would have drawn many horoscopes based upon this event. I draw my prognostications from newspapers, and I dare not hope that this phenomenon portends any good.

[131] The same meteor was seen in France a few days previously
above Doullens: a sheaf of luminous rays extended horizontally
from north to south, giving off light denotations comparable to
those produced by a rocket.

_Sagan, February 10, 1848._--On the 5th of the month I was very agreeably surprised by the arrival of the Prince Bishop of Breslau.[132] In spite of the unpleasant weather and his bad health he was anxious to wish me many happy returns of the day and to say mass here in person on St. Dorothea's Day. He was accompanied by several ecclesiastics and the chief Catholic lords of the province. The Prince Bishop proposed my health at dinner in a charming speech, dealing with the signification of the name of Dorothea and with the arms of Sagan,[133] which he was good enough to term a speaking coat of arms. He trembled with emotion and spilled a few drops of wine from his glass, whereupon he made an end, saying to me, "When the heart speaks, the hand trembles."

[132] Cardinal Diepenbrock.

[133] The arms of Sagan were an angel upon a golden background.

The typhus fever which is devastating Upper Silesia threatens to appear here, though we hope that it may be less deadly than it is upon the other side of Breslau. The extremes of want and hunger have been more successfully met here than in other parts of the province. In Upper Silesia this disease has caused dreadful ravages. The doctors have succumbed to it, and were it not for the Brothers of Charity sent by the Prince Bishop, the people would be without relief. Four thousand orphans are wandering about. Mgr. Diepenbrock, following the example of Mgr. de Quélen after the ravages of the cholera in 1833, proposes to open a place of refuge for them to which the Catholics of the province are to devote their time and energy. The plan has been elaborated here.

_Weimar, February 18, 1848._--We have had a succession of festivities here in honour of the birthday of the reigning Grand Duchess. The day before yesterday an excellent performance was given of an opera which has made much stir in Germany, called _Martha_, by the composer Flotow. The libretto and the music are very pretty, and the orchestra was admirably conducted by Liszt. He is Capellmeister to the Weimar Court, with definite leave of absence for nine months in the year. Of this he recently took advantage to make a tour in Constantinople and Odessa, in the course of which he made much money. This evening he is to play to us privately at the house of the Grand Duchess, after Prince Pückler-Muskau has read some extracts dealing with his stay with Mehemet Ali. There is to be previously a little dinner at the young Court of the Hereditary Prince. Attempts are made here to cherish the sacred fire of art and literature, which for sixty years or more has gained for Weimar the title of the Athens of Germany. The Grand Duchess, in order to perpetuate the tradition, has devoted a certain number of rooms in the castle to the memory of poets, philosophers, and artists who have made the district famous. Fresco paintings recall the various subjects of their works, and the rooms are decorated with busts, portraits, views of the historical scenes and curious sites, and pieces of furniture of different periods. The Grand Duchess enjoys a considerable private fortune, which she expends very nobly upon charitable foundations, and in the decoration of her residences. For a hundred years the Court of Weimar has been very well divided among various Princesses; the grandmother of the present Grand Duke was the patroness of Schiller, of Goethe and Wieland, and under her patronage the classical literature of Germany was able to flourish; her daughter-in-law, the mother of the present Grand Duke, was the only Princess of Germany who was able to overawe Napoleon. She saved the kingdom for her husband, the Duke, by her courage and firmness. M. de Talleyrand often took pleasure in describing the scenes in which this Princess confronted the conqueror. The daughter-in-law of the present Grand Duchess, the Princess of the Low Countries, is also clever and well educated; she has a charming voice, great tact, and a simple manner which increases the effect of her good qualities; everything shows that she will be worthy to continue the tradition of the remarkable Princesses who have reigned over the Court of Weimar. Among them one might almost include the Duchess d'Orléans, as her mother was a sister of the reigning Grand Duke.

_Berlin, February 28, 1848._--The day before yesterday I was far from thinking that an interval of forty-eight hours would have brought such vast changes of the situation. The telegraph has successively announced a series of events, though without details, none of which, however, prepared us for the startling news of the abdication of Louis Philippe, and of the regency of the Duchesse d'Orléans.[134] We had no knowledge of the causes or exigencies of the situation, nor can we say what events can be ascribed to prudence or to weakness; but apart from the historical value of these events, which we shall learn later, the simple fact is sufficiently crushing to cause general consternation here, which is equally widespread among all parties from the highest to the lowest. The considerations which throng upon the mind are the same in every case, and there is only one way of regarding the question and its probable results. These results will affect not only all Governments, but also all private rights. The Princess of Prussia, who is united to her cousin by the keenest sympathy, is quite overwhelmed; she thinks that my presence may help her to bear the weight of anxiety, so that I have spent many hours with her in conjectures upon all these dreadful events, and in lamentations concerning the mystery which still veils the greater part of this drama, or, rather, of this sad tragedy. These grievous events will be re-echoed more quickly and more loudly in Italy than anywhere else; the rest of Europe will then follow, for the respite momentarily granted cannot be long. The fact is that it is impossible to find a single part of Europe where undisturbed peace and quiet is certain. Even America does not seem to me to be secure from disintegrating elements; such is the general tendency of the age, and we must learn to endure it in the positions in which Providence has naturally placed us. I am thankful, however, that I had induced Pauline to leave Paris on February 23 for Le Délivrande.[135] I had disapproved of this plan in view of the coldness of the season, but I am now tempted to think it quite providential. This poor child's nerves have already been so shaken that they would have been overstrained by the sight and uproar of the city in tumult.

[134] King Louis Philippe who had resolved too late upon
electoral reform and the dissolution of his ministry, was
surprised by the massacre of the Boulevard des Capucines on
February 23. On the 24th the whole of Paris was in a ferment, the
revolution was triumphant and the King resolved to abdicate. He
left the Tuileries and took refuge at first in the Castle of Eu
and was under the delusion that his grandson, the Comte de Paris,
might succeed him, but on the 25th he learnt that the Republic
had been proclaimed and was forced to take refuge in England.

[135] The Marquise de Castellane had gone with her children to La
Délivrande, a village near Caen, which owes its origin to a
famous pilgrimage of the Virgin. Mgr. de Quélen had there uttered
ardent prayers that M. de Talleyrand might die a Christian death.

Poor Madame Adélaïde died at the right time and God has rewarded her affection for her brother by sparing her this bitter grief. This is also true of M. de Talleyrand; I cannot say the same of the Duc d'Orléans, who might have been able to turn these terrible events in another direction if he had been alive.

Considerable excitement is beginning in Russia, but it is true to say that the health of the Emperor Nicholas is very bad. He has an eruption at the knee-joints which makes it difficult for him to walk, and the want of exercise consequently increases the sluggishness of the liver to which he is subject; in short, his health gives cause for anxiety.

_Berlin, March 2, 1848._--Since February 28 the most frightful news has arrived every hour with despairing rapidity. To-day a rumour is in circulation which seems to indicate a tendency to a counter-revolution at Paris; I admit that I put no faith in it. My last direct news is dated the 24th, and was written during the quarter of an hour for which the regency of the Duchesse d'Orléans lasted. Letters of the same date have arrived at Berlin, and we have the _Moniteur_ of the 25th, but nothing more. These messages have not been delayed, and so we must withhold our judgment upon events and upon the people who have figured in this tragedy until we know the combination of events which induced the King to yield, and has, so to speak, paralysed his action and that of his family. These unfortunate people are already the objects of disapproval and criticism; I think it would be better to suspend any final judgment. Appearances, however, are very strange, and incline one to think that M. Guizot and the Duchesse d'Orléans have both shown courage and firmness in their several spheres of action. The English post which arrived yesterday evening gave no news of Louis Philippe or his family; they are said to be all at London, but on this subject there is no official or certain news, and the movements of individuals are marked by extreme uncertainty. The Marquis de Dalmatie[136] is playing a strange part here; thirty-six hours ago he sent away his servants, has been selling his furniture and his diamonds, complaining of his poverty, and going from door to door saying that he is a poor _émigré_, and cursing the Sovereign whom he represented six days ago. He does not thereby improve his position. It is thought that as long as the Duchesse d'Orléans and the Comte de Paris are on French territory he ought to maintain his official position and adopt the attitude which it requires; moreover, it is known that his father is very rich, and it is improbable that confiscation would take place except in cases of actual exile. I shall therefore advise my children not to become _émigrés_, as I remember M. de Talleyrand's constant advice against this course.

[136] He was then French Minister at Berlin.

The excitement here with regard to the European consequences of the days of February may easily be imagined. The Belgian Minister, M. de Nathomb, told me yesterday that a strong anti-French movement was becoming manifest in Belgium. Herr von Radowitz started for Vienna last night, and Prince William, the King's uncle, has gone to Mayence.[137]

[137] Herr von Radowitz was then sent to Vienna to try and
arrange some co-operation between the two courts in view of the
revolutionary storm which seemed to be threatening. Prince
William, who had been governor of Mayence from 1844, returned to
his post in view of the course of events.

The telegram which has just come in officially announces the arrival of the Duchesse d'Orléans and her two children at Deutz, on the outskirts of Cologne.[138] The district of Baden is being overcome by excitement, and there is much anxiety as to the possible course of events. People say that there have also been disturbances in Cassel.[139] May God have pity upon this poor old world and those members of it in particular who are dear to me!

[138] In the confusion which prevailed during the unhappy day of
February 24, at Paris, when every one fled as best he could, the
Duchesse d'Orléans and her two children, after escaping the
perils which they had run at the Chamber of Deputies, took refuge
with M. Jules de Lasteyrie at the Hôtel des Invalides, which they
left secretly during the night. From Paris to Aix la Chapelle,
the Princess travelled in a public conveyance accompanied by the
Marquis de Montesquiou and M. de Mornay. She then took the
railway to Cologne, and after spending the night at Deutz, she
went to Ems to ask refuge of the Grand Duke of Weimar who placed
the castle of Eisenach at her disposal. It was not until June
1849 that she went to England to visit the Royal Family at St.
Leonards, near Hastings, where the King and Queen had gone in
view of their health.

[139] The old district of Franconia, that is to say, part of
Baden, Wurtemberg and Hesse, was then the scene of a movement
akin to the Jacquerie: the peasants rose in a body and committed
deplorable excesses; castles were burnt and plundered, and
several landowners were killed or barbarously ill-treated. On the
10th of March serious disturbances broke out at Cassel under the
pretext that the newly nominated ministers were the objects of
popular disapproval. The arsenal was stormed and plundered of
weapons; resistance was offered to the troops; the Life Guards
retreated, but the populace held the barracks until the regiment
was disbanded and the officers put upon trial.

_Berlin, March 14, 1848._--The whole country between the Rhine and the Elbe is in commotion. Even here the troops are confined to barracks to-day and popular disturbances are expected. If the King had been willing to convoke the Diet a few days ago difficulties would have been greatly decreased. The best chance here is to follow constitutional forms openly and promptly; delay, hesitation, or intrigue will produce a crisis, the extent of which cannot be foreseen. Hence the present week is likely to be very critical here; the burgomasters of the great towns have arrived with terrifying petitions; revolution is more or less avowed everywhere, and it is impossible to say what will be or can be done. Meanwhile the poverty and the typhus fever are increasing.

The Duchesse d'Orléans is at Ems with her two children, travelling as the Marquise de Mornay: she is anxious to remain entirely incognito and her confidants therefore deny the fact of her presence at Ems. She is, however, certainly there, for I have seen people who have talked to her.

_Sagan, March 24, 1848._--Serious events have taken place at Berlin; precious time has been lost, and after hesitation half-measures have been reluctantly begun. Further action has been extorted only by fear, after two days, March 18 and 19, the horror of which I shall never forget. Highly disturbing symptoms proceeding from Breslau have affected Silesia; attacks have been made here upon the town hall and the garrison; so far the castle has been spared. My servants thought that my presence might calm the excitement and I hastened to the spot. So far I have had no reason to regret my action, but as the neighbourhood of the Russians is a source of extreme and increasing bitterness, my brother-in-law thinks that I should not stay here and is sending me back to Berlin, where, however, the atmosphere is by no means calm. He proposes to stay at Sagan to make head against the storm and to save what can be saved. Meanwhile the financial crisis is at its height: there is no money in the country, no one can pay, bankruptcies are declared on every side, while panic and agitation are paramount. Pandora's box has been overturned upon Europe. I have just heard that the Grand Duchy of Posen is in a ferment and as my estates touch the frontier, I have a further cause for alarm, but I trust in the mercy of God, am entirely calm, resigned and resolved to bow my head without murmuring to the decrees of Providence. I only ask from Heaven the life and health of those whom I love. The uproar at Vienna has quite amazed me. We advance from peril to peril.[140]

[140] On March 13 a formidable insurrection broke out at Vienna:
the population rose in a body; the railways were torn up and the
air resounded with cries, "The constitution and the liberty of
the Press."

_Berlin, March 30, 1848._--I have now returned here, where the agitation is far from appeased. Prince Adam Czartoryski arrived yesterday from Paris, and I need not point out the nature of this new complication.[141] Complications, however, follow one another with appalling rapidity. The situation of individuals who have anything to lose is hardly better than that of the kings whose thrones are tottering to their fall. For the moment, at any rate, we are all penniless and neither the war in the east nor the communism of the west offer any better chances for us in the future, for we are crushed between these two colossi.

[141] Prince Adam Czartoryski, who retained his delusions, was
inspired with fresh hopes by the disturbances which prevailed on
every side, and from which the Poles were trying to derive some
advantage for themselves. The Prince arrived at Berlin where
disorder was general and proclaimed with considerable effrontery
that Lord Palmerston and M. de Lamartine had promised to
support him by land and sea, if Prussia would declare the
re-establishment of Poland. The presence of Prince Czartoryski at
Berlin was regarded with such disfavour by the Emperor of Russia,
that he informed his Minister, Baron Meyendorff, that he would be
withdrawn from Poland, if the Prince prolonged his stay in that
capital.

It is said that the Prussian Diet will be open on April 2, that is in two days, though this is not yet certain. In any case the meeting will be short, as it will only deal with the electoral law.

_Berlin, April 1, 1848._--The Diet which is to open to-morrow will form a new act in the drama.[142] It is impossible to estimate the results, and I have lost all interest in forecasts and also in proposals for a long time. Paul Medem, who is here still, is very uncertain what his future will be. The news from Vienna does not seem to me to be particularly reassuring. In general it is scarcely possible to find a peaceful point on the whole of the globe and the sole consolation is the remembrance of sure and tried affection which can defy revolution and absence and everything that walks abroad throughout this vale of tears.

[142] On April 2, 1848, at midday the second general Diet was
opened at Berlin in one Chamber without any distinction of rank
or representation. The commissary of this Diet, Herr von
Camphausen, the President of the Council, accompanied by all the
Ministers, opened the Diet in the King's name. He delivered a
speech, at the conclusion of which he brought forward proposals
for a law concerning elections for the purpose of bringing into
force upon a wide basis the constitution which the King had
granted to his people after the events of March 18.

_Berlin, April 8, 1848._--The effects of the revolution in Paris have been felt here and the consequences have been violent, far-reaching and irremediable. Everything is still in a ferment and the impetus, far from being exhausted is still proceeding, though not in an upward direction. The peasants' rising in the provinces is a most disastrous element in the situation: I am obliged to remain in the town in consequence, though here the continuance of popular excitement disagreeably breaks the monotonous and profound melancholy of this capital. The Metternich family are in Holland preparing for their crossing to England.[143]

[143] After a collision between the troops and the people at
Vienna on March 13, 1848, and after the insurrection in Venice,
Prince Metternich, who was too prone to overrate his capacity for
resistance, was forced by an infuriated mob to resign and to flee
from Austria with his wife. At first they stayed in Dresden, but
the unpopularity of the Prince was so great that they were
obliged to proceed to Holland and thence to England. In 1849 they
settled at Brussels.

_Berlin, April 12, 1848._--Life is very sad and all classes of society in great agitation. The members of the Diet all left Berlin yesterday to seek re-election by their constituents. The fate of the country depends upon the manner in which this constitutional assembly is to be composed; it is therefore the duty of all right-minded people to attempt to secure a seat, and such is the general opinion; but many things may happen between now and May 22. A net-work of clubs enfolds the capital and the provinces ever more closely in its toils; outbreaks are of constant occurrence in every direction; the temper of the militia is doubtful; the audacity of the agitators, foreign complications and the infectious examples which have been set in the west and south and in certain disaffected quarters in the north and in the east, are enough to make any one lose his head; while the hesitating attitude of the Government and the absolute abandonment of any repressive measures are not calculated to restore confidence. The fifty little tyrants established at Frankfort will certainly do their best to turn the balance of things; no one has given them any mandate and yet every one obeys them.[144] The state of affairs, as we see it, is utterly inexplicable; forecast is impossible. We must live from hand to mouth and be satisfied when every twenty-four hours have passed without some unusual shock. We see many bands of police passing through the town on their way to Posen or Cracow. The Polish landowners are giving their peasants full liberty, to avoid the danger of massacre at their hands. The Polish nationality is in arms against the German and no one can see which of the two will emerge triumphant, if attempts at reconciliation should fail.[145]

[144] This assembly was spontaneously convoked at Frankfort to
provide the country with a centre of action in case the Princes
declined to support the movement for amalgamation which was then
in progress among the Germanic races. It was dissolved on April
2, after securing from the Princes at the Diet the promise that a
German parliament should meet. A commission, however, was
appointed by the army consisting of fifty members, to secure the
execution of this promise, and these members were ordered to
convoke a national parliament within one month, assuming that a
parliament had not been already elected by the different states.

[145] The news of the Paris Revolution had produced a great
sensation in the Grand Duchy of Posen. A revolt broke out at
Posen itself, where Mieroslawski, who was released from prison on
March 19, formed an army and prepared for war. At Cracow when the
news of the Vienna disturbances came in, seventy thousand Poles
went to Count Deyne, the civil commissary, and demanded the
liberty of four hundred of their compatriots.

_Sagan, April 20, 1848._--The state of public feeling remains disquieting. If the rebels confined their objections merely to the moneyed classes, the best of all possible courses would be to let them take what they want. People have so little money in hand that they would not get much: but in their frenzy they are ready to attack archives, titles, contracts, and in short anything that determines and settles landed tenure. They are also greatly inclined to ill-treat individuals and to set fire to barns and buildings, whether they are opposed or not. The position here has grown a little calmer although emissaries from the Jacobin club at Breslau appeared two days ago and are attempting to secure the adherence of the wretched little lawyers who are known in Germany as _Die obskure Literatur_. We heard that these agitators under pretext of holding a preliminary electoral meeting were attempting to raise a mob from the lowest of the people and to show them the quickest and easiest way of disarming the civil guard. Fortunately precautions have been taken and I have no doubt that if a demonstration should take place, it would be dispersed without bloodshed.

The wirepullers of the Berlin clubs are agitating against the form of election by two stages and are organising a great popular demonstration to offer a petition in favour of direct election, to the castle and the Ministry. I do not know whether they will be able to get many workmen together on this political question: possibly they might be successful, as the workmen are already greatly disturbed on the question of pay; from what I hear they are continually parading the streets. The other day there were serious disturbances directed against the bakers who were selling bread by fraudulent weights and who certainly deserved a lesson in consequence, though it was not the business of the people to give it to them. Meanwhile the workmen are contracting idle habits and learning to lounge in public: the workshops where they desire to work are closed by the wirepullers, and the tailors, for instance, are involuntarily on strike. I do not think there is any imminent danger of violence, but the general tendency of things is bad and may well lead to violence. The Poles have sent their ultimatum to Berlin.[146] They declined to lay down their arms or separate until their demands had been conceded. The authorities are busy deliberating and find themselves in a difficult position between these two peoples, for the Poles decline to consider the demands of the Germans who insist upon remaining German, and demand that a line of demarcation should be drawn, making Posen a German capital and giving Gnesen to the Poles.

[146] There was no ultimatum properly so-called; this was only a
newspaper report. The Polish National Committee merely published
a manifesto proclaiming that until the independence of Poland was
re-established, the Poles would consider any arbitrary division
of their national districts as a new partition of Poland, and
threatened to protest against any such violation before Europe as
a whole. This protest was eventually made on April 26 by two
letters from Prince A. Czartoryski, addressed to M. de Lamartine,
the Minister of Foreign Affairs at Paris, and to Baron Arnim who
held the same position at Berlin.

Nobody knows what to believe of Italy, as the news from that quarter is so contradictory. Letters from Vienna are sad and depressing: England offers another spectacle, very different and very glorious for herself, but I must say that I am furious to see Lord Palmerston, who has so largely contributed to this European upheaval, boasting of the comfort, of the glory and of the wealth of the English, which naturally increases with continental distress.

_Sagan, April 24, 1848_.--The following is a letter from Vienna sent to me by the Russian Minister, my cousin Medem: "Vienna is in a state of complete depression: there are no social gatherings; the Prater is deserted and the Opera is closed, as the public will not allow the Italians to play. Wallmoden has come to us from Italy; he is said to be here in the hopes of arranging a scheme with the Government, if not for resuming the offensive in Italy upon a large scale,[147] at any rate for regaining possession of Venice and the part of Frioul which is in rebellion. Communications with the army under arms continue to be confined to the Tyrolese passes. People are properly indignant at the conduct of F. Zichy, of Count Palfy at Venice and Count Ludolf at Treviso, who capitulated disgracefully without adequate reason.[148] Dissatisfaction and uncertainty of the future is general: every day the unpardonable sluggishness of the old administration, both civil and military, becomes more obvious. Their incompetency is quite incredible unless one has a knowledge of certain details. The peace of Vienna has not been seriously disturbed of late, but unpleasant demonstrations have taken place: these are provoked by unwise people, generally from abroad, who harangue the people in public meetings, in the Odeon or in similar places; publications and inflammatory notices appear everywhere and foment uneasiness in the more sensible part of the nation, especially among the upper classes. It is quite time that this came to an end, and if it goes on the situation will become complicated. For the moment, at any rate, the state of affairs is much better here than in the capital or the Prussian monarchy, but what guarantee is there for the future?"

[147] The noble and chivalrous Charles Albert, desiring to throw
off Austrian influence, had formed a highly organised army
and proclaimed a constitution. On him the hopes of Italian
independence were set. Taking advantage of the insurrection which
had broken out at Milan on March 18 and which had been followed
by the defeat of the Austrian army and the flight of the Archduke
Reynier, the King had declared war upon Austria on March 20. At
first he rapidly carried the positions of the enemy as far as the
Adige, but he was attacked by superior forces and afterwards (in
August) he lost the murderous battle of Custozza and was obliged
to evacuate Milan.

[148] After Milan, Venice revolted in turn. On March 20 the
Arsenal was captured by the insurgents. The civil governor, Count
Palfy, placed his authority in the hands of Count Zichy, the
military governor, who hesitated before the prospect of bloodshed
and finally surrendered to the municipality and made a
capitulation with the provisional government on March 22; Venice
was thus freed from the Austrians. On March 21 Treviso had also
been forced to capitulate and the Austrian garrison had left the
town.

_Sagan, April 30, 1848._--We have now reached the end of the second month of this upheaval, the shocks of which are, I fear, far from reaching their conclusion. At the present moment Europe is divided between electoral passion and the flames of civil war. Human passion is displayed in all its hideousness during the rivalry aroused by the elections: citizens fight with citizens blindly and furiously, while anarchy, disorder, restlessness, poverty, despondency and despair is the picture to be seen everywhere, with a few slight differences. Those people are only too happy who are but touched by a reaction which has spent its power and contrive to pass the day without personal risk, if not without anxiety. Here we shall see what the elections, which begin to-morrow, will bring forth, and what the attitude of the country will be during the voting and the counting. Meanwhile the Press and the clubs are working furiously. Every little town has its newspaper and every hamlet its orator. The audiences for the most part do not understand what they hear, but they obey like the sheep of Panurge. The working classes propose to lay down the law to the factory directors, who can sell nothing and therefore cannot increase or even maintain their output or improve the prospects of their employees. As for the poor people who work upon the land and the more prosperous class which finds employment on the railway, their labours have come to an end, and one really does not know what to do for them. People are dividing with them the last farthing and the corn from the barns, as they are the objects both of pity and fear.

_Sagan, May 5, 1848._--The Grand Duchy of Posen is at present the scene of the greatest atrocities; civil war is in progress with unheard of refinements of cruelty. The French newspapers do not know these facts or decline to state them, but the details which I have from first hand evidence are enough to make one's hair stand on end. On May 1 the Prussians were utterly defeated by the insurgents who, armed with scythes, disembowelled the horses.[149] Several Polish lords have been massacred by their peasants, and they can only secure their personal safety by instigating the peasants against the Prussian army.

[149] The Prussian troops commanded by General Blum, had marched
upon Miloslaw which they captured after a desperate combat; but
an advance guard which was pursuing the Poles when approaching a
wood, was received by so sustained a fire, that the Prussians
fled, rushed upon their own infantry which was following them,
broke their ranks and swept the whole force away in rout. The
Poles pursued the Prussians in turn, drove them out of Miloslaw
and captured two of their guns.

_Sagan, May 8, 1848._--To-day the electors chosen a week ago are to appoint the Prussian representatives. I think that undue hopes are being set upon constitutional assemblies, and I fear the result may show a general state of delusion. At Vienna the resignation of Count Ficquelmont was one of the most unpleasant incidents in the whole drama:[150] some students entered his house, declaring that they would no longer have him as Minister; he obeyed and would have run great risks as he walked to his son-in-law's house if Prince Clary and two students had not acted as his protectors.

[150] On May 4 Count Ficquelmont, Minister of Foreign Affairs at
Vienna, was forced to resign by a tumultuous demonstration of the
students who regarded him as a pupil of Metternich.

_Sagan, May 21, 1848._--The scenes at Paris on the 15th were frightful.[151] May Heaven grant that the Moderate Party will use its triumph energetically, and that it may not be too often called upon to celebrate such victories.

[151] For several days manifestations in favour of Poland had
been proceeding at Paris. On May 15 a band of insurgents attacked
and invaded the National Assembly, but order was quickly
restored.

To-morrow the constitutional assembly at Berlin is to open. It is so strangely composed that any beneficial result will be truly miraculous.

_Sagan, May 25, 1848._--My mind is full of Rome and of the Pope;[152] I can think of nothing else. I think that if I had been the Holy Father I should have set sail for America with a few faithful cardinals, the poor persecuted monks and nuns and all the money and holy vessels that could be collected: I should have founded a settlement upon the model of that in Paraguay and could thence have governed European catholicism in full independence, just as the American Catholics have been governed for so long. I think the Romans would speedily have cried out for the recall of the Pope; in any case he would be at least sheltered from actual indignity and would not be obliged to sacrifice innocent people and the property of the church. Possibly my idea is absurd, but at all events there would be something magnificent about it; whereas the present scenes display nothing but humiliation and degradation.

[152] On May 1 a revolutionary movement broke out at Rome, caused
by the Pope's refusal to declare war against Austria. The
Ministry resigned: the Pope was threatened with a provisional
government, and declared in a manifesto that as chief Pontiff he
could not declare war but that he left the power of declaring war
as a temporal prince to his Ministry. On May 5 Pius IX. was
forced to accept a Ministry composed wholly of laymen which was
constantly in opposition to him.

I have read with interest and horror the stories of events in Paris on May 15 and my opinion is that the work of the deliberative assemblies will produce no good effect. I greatly fear that this will be the consequence at Berlin, while at Frankfort the assembly is a perfect babel. The Prussian newspapers already contain Jacobin outcries against the constitution and I doubt whether the King will be able to carry through the two-Chamber system, especially with the small fragment of hereditary right he is anxious to maintain. Breslau is a horrible centre of communism.

I hear from England that at Claremont domestic quarrels increase the painful nature of the situation. The sons, disgusted with their forced inactivity, reproach their father with the loss of his party; he is wondering what posterity will think of him; and this is all very unpleasant for poor Queen Amélie whose pride and joy have so long been the touching unanimity of her whole family. She is also in a very poor state of health. Their financial position approaches poverty.[153]

[153] The little exiled court lived very quietly at the seat of
Claremont in England which belonged to King Leopold who had
kindly placed it at their disposal.

_Sagan, May 28, 1848._--The Duchesse d'Orléans has settled at the court of Eisenach: she lives very quietly with her stepmother and the tutor[154] of her children, but no other attendants. Her pecuniary resources are very strained. The castle of Eisenach belongs to the Duke of Saxe Weimar, the uncle of the Duchesse d'Orléans, who has placed it at the disposal of his niece.

[154] M. Boismilon.

I hear from Vienna that all the Hungarians are breaking up their establishments and withdrawing either to the country or to Buda or to Pressburg; the Bohemians are going to Prague. In short, the pretty town of Vienna, once so cheerful and lively and so aristocratic, is becoming a desert and is as depressing as one vast village. Princess Sapieha and Madame de Colleredo have been deeply compromised in the recent disturbances; they have been forced to go into hiding. The Archduke Francis Charles has written from Innsbrück to Lord Ponsonby, asking him in the Emperor's name to join the court in Tyrol with all his colleagues.

Mr. Bulwer has come back from Spain; he had fomented a revolt at Seville against the Montpensiers who have been obliged to flee to Cadiz; the proverb, "Like master, like man" is certainly applicable to Palmerston and Bulwer.

Great excitement continues to prevail in the streets of Berlin, and the return of the Prince of Prussia who is expected daily at Potsdam, will probably produce an explosion.[155] Meanwhile Berlin is practically surrounded by a force of sixteen thousand men who can be used if necessary.

[155] It was thought that the Liberalism of Herr von Camphausen
had sufficiently calmed the popular excitement to allow the
Prince of Prussia to return to Berlin. At the outbreak of the
disturbance he had been forced to take refuge in England.
However, no sooner had the Prince arrived than the Camphausen
Ministry was overthrown on June 20, after the capture and plunder
of the Arsenal and the Ministry of Auerswald came into power.

I hear from Paris that Madame Dosne is dying with rage to think that the revolution could have taken place without being aimed at her son-in-law. This information may be taken as literally true, as she was having her third attack of low fever. I also hear that M. Molé and M. Thiers are both coming forward as deputies and that M. de Lamartine seems greatly apprehensive that the latter may be successful.

The atrocious scenes at Naples[156] have produced a bad effect at Berlin and street excitement is said to have become menacing once more. The citizens have seized the arsenal.

[156] An insurrection had been broken out at Naples. After six
hours' desperate fighting the royal troops retained possession of
the town, though they lost three or four hundred men. The Chamber
and the National Guard were dissolved and a new Ministry was
formed under the Presidency of Signor Cariati.

_Sagan, June 7, 1848._--Mental equanimity depends upon a thousand petty circumstances in every case. Only those who are very young and know nothing of mental trouble, are able to avoid the thousand and one influences of times, places, things, and even of details apparently most trivial. I think that Saint Evremond says that the less people are amenable to pleasure the more they are afflicted by trouble.

Paris seems to be peaceful but at what a price has this result been obtained? Terrible refinements of cruelty have been committed.

_Sagan, June 12, 1848._--The state of Berlin and Breslau grows steadily worse. The provinces are correspondingly affected and I expect to see civil war break out any day. The country populations are ready to join the revolutionary movement against their overlords and their priests, but they detest the towns. The peasants do not like the citizens and are royalists and supporters of the military, though they are against the nobles and the priests. The result is a strange confusion which heaven alone can disentangle. The assembly which has met at Berlin has been hitherto marked by no character except ignorance and disturbance.

_Sagan, June 18, 1848._--The newspapers and my letters tell me that Germany is resuming its republican tendencies. Hecker has been elected for Frankfort. Confusion is thus inconceivable, especially in view of the increasing dislike which France shows for the deplorable government under which she placed herself four months ago. She must be reduced to extremities indeed to turn to the Bonapartist flag, so miserably represented by Louis Napoleon who is known to be a very poor figurehead. And what can be said of the frightful scenes at Prague, and the assassination of poor Princess Windisch-Graetz.[157] I have also been very anxious on account of Berlin, where the pillage of the arsenal and the opposition to the Ministry in the Chamber have diminished the prospect of a peaceful solution; three Ministers, Arnim, Schwerin and Kanitz, have resigned.

[157] After a bombardment and some street fighting which lasted
from the 12th to the 17th of June, Prince Windisch-Graetz was
able to overcome the insurrection at Prague. During these
struggles his wife was treacherously shot near the window of her
drawing-room, while standing between her sisters, from the other
side of the street.

_Potsdam, June 23, 1848._--I reached here yesterday after staying for half a day at Berlin. Medem writes from Vienna to his colleague Herr von Meyendorff and speaks very mournfully of the vacillation and uncertainty that have prevailed at Innsbrück since the Baron von Wessenberg has been in power. I am not surprised; Wessenberg is a kind, clever and good-hearted man, but even from London days I thought him muddle-headed and this is a terrible hindrance to the conduct of affairs.

I have news of Prince Metternich: he is sending his sons to a Catholic college in England as he finds no one who will join his fate and act as tutor; he is also troubled by pecuniary embarrassments.

The reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenberg-Schwerin has increased the settlements upon his stepmother, in order that the Duchesse d'Orléans and her children may gain indirectly a means of greater comfort in life; a noble and tactful action.

The ministerial crisis here is still in progress and the street uproar has been thus succeeded by a political disturbance which is no less dangerous, when a Chamber is composed of ill-assorted elements as that of Berlin. There was a rumour yesterday evening that a telegram from Frankfort stated that the assembly in that town had elected a dictator for Germany in the person of the Archduke John.[158] Here there was a wish for a triumvirate. Rumour consequently arose that Prussia had replied to this news by a protest.

[158] In the National Assembly at Frankfort the Committee of the
Fifty had been tempted several times to form a triumvirate as a
centre of power. Eventually a commission of eleven deputies was
elected in June. This commission appointed Archduke John for
Austria, the old Prince William for Prussia, and Prince Charles
for Bavaria. The combination was ironically known as the
directory of the three uncles, these princes being the uncles of
the kings of their respective countries. The proposal was
vigorously opposed, and the Session of June 23 eventually elected
the Archduke John as sole director. A deputation offered the
dignity to the Archduke who accepted it, and appeared in the
National Assembly on the following 12th of July.