A Glimpse of Three Crowned Heads [pp. 446-452]

I871.] A GLIMPSE OF THREE CROWNED HEADS.
who still wore the queue, according to
the old fashion. I can see them all now,
as though I had seen them only yesterday."
It struck me that something must have
transpired at this royal rendezvous, or
in connection with it, that had helped to
fix it in her mind. In answer to my
question, she told me that an event,
which had taken place the day before
the meeting at Wilhelmsbad, certainly
had made a deep impression on her.
Wilhelmsbad is only a mile or two distant from Hanau (it is sixteen miles from
Frankfort - on- the - Main), and the regiment of infantry, called Regiment KurPrinz, stationed at Hanau, was always
ordered to Wilhelmsbad when the Elector honored this place with his presence.
When expecting his august visitors in
Wilhelmsbad, he notified the commander of the Regiment ]'zir-Priizz, Colonel
Von Fliess, that he intended to hold a
review of the troops in the presence of
the three monarch-visitors. The Colonel
became so flurried and excited over the
prospect of maneuvering his troops before their Majesties, and dreaded so
much the possibility of reproof or reprimand from his Prince, in case of any
short-coming on the part of his soldiers,
that hle preferred taking a dose of powder and ball to running the risk; ahd
blew his brains out, the night before the
Elector came to Wilhelmsbad. The
father of my friend, being next in command, was summoned post-haste before
the Elector, and the next day creditably
acquitted himself of the important task
of showing off the perfect drill of the
Regiment Kztr-Prinzz-to the thorough
satisfaction of the Elector, who presented him with the customary "war-steed,"
to prove it. Suicides can not have been
so frequent in those days as they are
in ours, for the impression of this one
was still fresh on my frierd's mind; and
then, to be sure, it was no small matter
to have the eyes of King and Emperor
rest approvingly on one's self and soldiers, as had been the case with Madame's father at the review.
Cadets too, from the Military School
at Cassel, were summoned to Wilhelmsbad on this occasion, to act as pages to
the royal visitors: Madame's brother
was assigned to the Emperor of Russia,
her cousin to the Emperor of Austria.
This might have been a pleasure for
them as well as an honor, if the unfortunate youths had not been condemned to
wear queues; to have their hair powdered, with a three-cornered hat on it, while
their lower limbs were robed in kneebreeches and white, silk stockings. Horrible! For in this costume they were
compelled to cross the streets in broad
daylight, to report to the commandant;
affording unwilling amusenment to the
gamizs on the street, who ran after
them, shouting and laughing in the most
disrespectful manner. The soldiers were
likewise furnished with queues, which
precious instruments were returned, as
soon as the gala-day was over, to the
military magazine, where they were piled
up in stacks, to'rest till the next time
the Elector should deign to come to Wilhelmsbad, or inspect his faithful troops.
I can well believe that on the occasion
of this friendly meeting of the highest
Powers in Europe, every soldier's pigtail
was waxed with extreme rigor, and every official of the Hessian Court and
household put his best foot forward to
receive the exalted guests of his Elector. The Elector himself entered his
carriage, drawn by six cream - colored
horses, at eleven o'clock in the morning,
and, preceded and followed by military
and civic dignitaries, pages, and members of the household, mounted and in
carriages, set out to meet his expected
guests at Gelnhausen. They were traveling in plain, private carriages, with relay- horses, their attendants dressed unostentatiously like themselves - though
representing the oldest add in the land,
447