George Ticknor, Life, letters and journals of George Ticknor
George Hillard, Ed.

At half past 9 in the evening I drove out with Baron Lerchenfeld, the Bavarian Minister, to Schonbrunn, to see Prince Metternich.

. . . . Just at ten o'clock we ascended the little bank of the dry Wien, and from its bridge looked down upon the wide palace of Schonbrunn, lighted brilliantly in all its apartments, as not only the Emperor is there, but the King of Naples and Marie Louise are on a visit to him. A moment afterwards we dashed through its court, and, passing round to the other side of the garden, stopped at the door of the Premier, who lives in a fine large house given to him by the late Emperor. . . . . There was no show of servants and liveries on the stairs, and very little in the hall.

In a corner of the large outer saloon we found the Prince, talking, apparently on business, to somebody. He rose to receive us, said a few words of graceful compliment, and then asked the Bavarian to take me into the inner saloon and present me to the Princess. She was sitting in an easy-chair, dressed simply in half-mourning, and at work diligently on what I believe the ladies call ‘rug-work.’ She is rather pretty, thirty-one years old, and the Prince's third wife; but she seemed sad, and obviously plied her needle for occupation. Her reception of me was not at all courtly, but very kind. She said her husband had told her I was coming, and that she had expected me both the preceding evenings; asked me about Boston, the United States, etc., etc.; said she did not like liberals in Europe, but that it was another thing in America, where the government was democratic, and it was a man's duty to be liberal; and so on, and so on. Other persons came in, and I was presented to the Minister at War, Count Hardegg; the Minister of Police; Bodenhausen, the Minister from Hanover; Steuber, the Minister from Hesse Cassel; and some others whose names I did not catch.

I found there, too, Count Bombelles, whom I had known in 1818, as Austrian Charge d'affaires at Lisbon,¹ and who is now a great man in a very agreeable office here, that of governor of the young archdukes, who are the heirs presumptive, as the Emperor has no children; a sinecure office thus far, since the eldest is not seven years old. He has married an English wife, talks English admirably, and was very agreeable. There were no ladies present except a Russian princess and her daughter. By half past 10 o'clock there were perhaps five-and-twenty persons in the saloon, and a plenty of conversation on all sides.