; the chapel is in itself
lovely, with a great deal of gold about it, and all hung with red
velvet and gold--the carpet, altar, thrones and canopies the same. The
Knights of the Black Eagle with red velvet cloaks, the Queen's four
young ladies all alike in white and gold, the two Palastdamen in
crimson velvet and gold, and the Oberhofmeisterin in gold and white
brocade with green velvet, Marianne and Addy in red and gold and red
and silver; I, in gold with ermine and white satin, my ladies, one
in blue velvet, the other in red velvet, and Countess Schulenberg,
together with the two other Oberhofmeisterin of the other Princesses,
in violet velvet and gold. All these colours together looked very
beautiful, and the sun shone, or rather poured in at the high windows,
and gave quite magic tinges.

The music was very fine, the chorales were sung so loud and strong
that it really quite moved one. The King was immensely cheered,
wherever he appeared--also the Queen, and even I.

There were illuminations last night, but I did not go to see them,
as I was too tired and felt so unwell. There are five degrees of cold
(Reaumur), and one is exposed to draughts every minute.

Sixteen hundred people dined in the Schloss last night! The King and
Queen were most kind to me yesterday; the King gave me a charming
little locket for his hair, and only think--what will sound most
extraordinary, absurd, and incredible to your ears--made me Second
_Chef_ of the 2nd Regiment of Hussars! I laughed so much, because
really I thought it was a joke--it seemed so strange for ladies; but
the Regiments like particularly having ladies for their _Chefs!_ The
Queen and the Queen Dowager have Regiments, but I believe I am the
first Princess on whom such an honour is conferred.

The Archduke addressed the King yesterday, in the name of all the
foreign Princes present, in a very pretty speech.

It is such a pleasure to see good Philip here, and the two Portuguese
cousins. Juan[41] is very nice, but he does not talk much; he has a
very fine, tall figure, and is nice-looking. I should think he must
be like his father. Prince Hohenzollern [42] is become Royal Highness,
and the title is to descend to his eldest son. Half Europe is here,
and one sees the funniest combinations in the world. It is like
a happy family shut up in a cage! The Italian Ambassador sat near
Cardinal Geisel, and the French one opposite the Archduke. The
Grand Duke Nicolas is here--he