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11 January 1870 — Madrid | |
Tuesday. 11th [January 1870]. I was occupied most of the morning trying to tame my birds & doing accounts. Singing lesson– After lunch we went out driving & went to an antiquity shop in the Alcala to see a silver box we had heard of & some old tiles. We bought the casket wh is of the finest repoussé work & matches my toilet set. We then went & took a walk in the Retiro and the weather was most lovely. Mr Ff came up to tea & admired our box. We dined at the Regents—a dinner given to Olozaga who returns tomorrow to Paris. The Prussian Ambr Canitz took me in & I sat next the Regent—a very long wearisome dinner—the Regents little girl came in with a puppy in her arms & stood by us. She was a little better behaved today—a little more civil. The Regent was immensely proud because the boy had been out shooting for the 1st time today being only 7 and had shot a rabbit & a hare. After dinner we sat talking the Dss, Mme Karnicky & Mme Silvela & Mme Ulloa & I & the gentlemen stayed a long time smoking but it appeared Mr Sagasta was reading a telegram he had received from Paris to say that the writers in the “Marseillaise” had gone to Prince Pierre Napoleon & he asked them whether they were the authors of certain articles of abuse of him wh had lately appeared in the “Marseillaise”—whereat one man gave him a box on the ears & the other took out a revolver—that the Prince in alarm seized a loaded pistol and shot the 1st dead. I don’t know how far this may be true—this is 1 version of the story. At ½ past 10 we went to Mme Montijo’s where we found 1 or 2 people. She was in a great state of excitement at an article abusive of the Empress wh had appeared in the same paper & very bitter against the Revolutionaries for having wantonly pulled down some old churches here. We came away early. | |
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