Copy of a Letter from the Crown Prince of Sweden to Lieut.-General Sir Charles Stewart, K.B. MONSIEUR LE LIEUT.-GÉNÉRAL DE STEWART. Le zèle, les talens et la valeur que vous avez déployés en toute occasion, au service de la belle cause pour laquelle nous combattons, et dont vous avez nouvellement donné tant de preuves dans les batailles devant Leipzig, le 18 et 19 de ce mois, m'ont porté à demander pour vous au Roi mon souverain la dignité de Commandeur grand-croix de son Ordre militaire de l'Épée, dont je me réserve de vous envoyer les décorations." Je me trouve heureux de pouvoir vous donner parlà une preuve de l'estime bien méritée que je vous ai vouée et du prix que j'attache aux services que vous avez rendus; et sur ce je prie Dieu qu'il vous ait, Monsieur le Lieut.-Général de Stewart, en sa sainte et digne garde, étant Votre bien affectionné, A mon Quartier-Général, d'Acken, le 25 octobre, 1813. Diaries.-Oct. 30th.-I went early with Rumbold to see the Grand Duke's library, which contains near 100,000 volumes. Among them are some very fine and curious editions. We were shown the Lord's Prayer in five hundred different languages. We afterwards called on the Chancellor, who had proposed that we should go to see General Kleist, before Erfurt; but the General having come to Weimar to pay his respects to the Grand Duke, we all dined at Court instead. We were a much larger party than on the day before; and I met there Prince Paul of Würtemburg, Baron Anstatt, General Dufour, and several others with whom I was acquainted. We were also much livelier, and many anecdotes were told of Bonaparte; amongst others that his last words to the Queen of Saxony were, "Votre frère est un grand gueux." While at dinner, received intelligence of the Bavarians having reached Aschaffenburg, and that our head-quarters are to-day at Meiningen. The Grand Duchess having invited me to her box, I went to hear the opera of "Camilla." The House was very full, and the opera very well given. Some of the music was, indeed, finely executed. I, however, got away as soon as etiquette permitted, being engaged with Count Bombelles to drink tea with Madame de Spiegels; a most pleasant-mannered pretty little woman. I met there a sister-in-law of Mrs. Mellish. Mellish appears to have been a great favourite here, as everybody enquires after him with much interest. The doings of Jerome Bonaparte at Cassel formed a chief subject of conversation. His Westphalian Majesty was in a very sad way it seems at not being able to carry off with him from Cassel all the valuable articles he had collected or appropriated; but at last he hit upon a plan that in some measure consoled him. He put a price upon them and compelled the inhabitants to buy them, by which means he decamped with a considerable booty. 31st. After attending the Te Deum, which was sung in the Lutheran church for the late victories, I went to the Chancellor, who showed me a letter from Baron Humboldt, giving an account of another brilliant affair, in which the indefatigable Blücher and his glorious Silesian army had again beaten the retreating enemy, and taken some thousands of prisoners. It would have been a still more decisive action if General d'Yorck could have come up in time. The town of Würtzburg, not the citadel, surrendered to General Wrede on the 27th, and the Grand Duke of Frankfort has renounced the Confederation of the Rhine. Again we dined at Court. General Jomini was of the party. He stated in conversation, that he is of opinion that the Allies ought to cross the French frontier with a small army, as a point de ralliement to the discontented in France, but not to attempt conquest there. Again, too, we go to the play, which, having much writing to do, I had hoped to escape. But that could not be, as the play was given for our especial entertainment. I cannot say that it was well chosen, though it was a play by Werner and much admired, I am told, by some persons. But it is of all the horrors of the German school the most horrid, and, in my opinion, has nothing whatever to recommend it. It is called "The 24th of February," and has only three characters in it. Au reste, it is said to be founded on a mysterious event-which I could make neither head nor tail of-in real life, and that it was I worked up into a play, only in consequence of Werner being defied by Göthe to write on the subject with his wonted spirit, and without diffusiveness. presume he is thought to have succeeded. After the play I took leave of the Grand Duchess, who was extremely affable and gracious, as she has been throughout our stay here. I also bade adieu to our obliging host, M. de Göthe. In the course of the evening, Prince Augustus of Prussia arrived from before Erfurt. Nothing has been done there, and I fear nothing is likely to be done for some time, for the want of a battering train. They are urgently pressing for one to be sent them from England. Gotha, November 2nd.-Early yesterday morning my friend Rumbold and I again parted; he for Berlin, with the intention, he said, of rejoining me at Frankfort; but he is become so dreadfully home-sick, that I imagine he will make the best of his way from Berlin to his native shores; I set out with our party for Gotha. In our way, which lay to the left of Erfurt, we stopped at General Kleist's head-quarters. The force besieging the place is about twenty-five thousand— the garrison, not five thousand. It seemed very odd to me to pass, in perfect safety, almost within shot of a large town occupied by the enemy. As we passed along, a few guns were fired; in honour, I presume, of our cavalcade, and procession of twelve carriages. It is remarked, that the moment they descry anything like a group of people, they immediately begin firing; for they have abundance of ammunition and are by no means sparing of it-knowing, I suppose, that sooner or later the place must fall. After a pleasant ride, for the greater part of which the Chancellor joined us on horseback, we reached Gotha to a late dinner. It was reported here that Murat had left Bonaparte, but the report was not generally credited. This morning Count Salisch called to desire, on the part of the Duke and Duchess, that I would be at the palace to dinner at two o'clock. The interval I spent in viewing, with Count Bombelles, the interior of the ducal residence. To recommend it, it has a handsome library of many thousand volumes, and some very beautiful manuscripts; as well as a fine collection of medals and many rare curiosities. There are also some well executed modern statues, the work of an artist whom the Duke has established at the palace. At the appointed hour of two we repaired thither, and were introduced to the Duke and Duchess; the former, though with the character of being a little cracked, is evidently very far from being without his wits; the Duchess is a daughter of the old elector of Hesse Cassel, and though she is not exactly pretty there is something exceedingly interesting and pleasing in her manner, and in the gentle tones of her voice. Dinner was served in a very handsome old-fashioned saloon, and every thing was in the best style. The Duke and Duchess were particularly gracious, and seemed anxious to show every attention to their guests; but the old German etiquette, so strictly observed at this court, had somewhat the effect on |
