The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-09-12
PRINCE BISMARCK -4THOME.
Visit to his Estate In Pomerania-His
Character and Habits.

accompanied countess Blucner on FlslC 10
varzin, the country seat of Prince Bismarck,
in consequence OF this unceremonious invita-
ton from the Chancellor: II say, Countess,
mind you bring Miss -- with you in July.
1 like girls who have the frankness to let me
know that they think me an old humbug."
The following is an extract from this letter:
The rattling noise of the carriage in the
court, and the baying of band Of watch.
dogs, brought the Princess Won Bismarck, her
daughter, and two maids in Pomeranian cos.
tunes to the door. In every respect the Prin-
a lady on, should say, the wrong side OF
sixty, but fresh and comely withal. Placid
women keep their good looks far into old age.
Have you ever noticed what peachy bloom
| there is in the cheek of silver-haired Qua
keress Princess Won Bismarck has this be-
coming bloom. She Is quite an unpretendinS
| person both in dress and manners, and does
not give herself any trouble to remind people
of her being great mans wife. You must
| not fancy because Of her plain simple ways
| that she Is vulgar or unintelligent. AS the
| fashion Is in her native province, she received
| scientific education in girlhood, and on leaving
school devoted her energies to domestic econ
omv. | wish you could taste the game she
| potts. or the hams that are cured the sausages
| that are manufactured, the cider that is bot
tied, and the fish that is dried under her super
| intendence at Varzin. The best part OF ,he
provisions consumed in the Chancellors town-
house comes from his Pomeranan estate. In
the good old-tashioned style, Mad Bismarck has
bunch OF keys hung to her girdle. They de-
pend from gold chatelaine her husband pick
ed up somewhere in France. When sitting
In the drawing.room. or experimenting the
farm women at their work, her knitting
needles are always going. Everywhere In the
sNtng.rooms, in the bedrooms, one psrceiVes
in knitted quilts and curtains, netted macas-
sars, embroidered pillows, evidences of her
manual skill and housewifely activity. Being
an old friend of the Countess, she kissed me.
When was introduced she addressed to me a
hearty welcome in German. Her words had
a motherly ring as she kindly said to her
daughter, you'll take care to be good sister
to the frqulein while she Is at Varzln." Then
laughing, she told us that the Countess (Mlle.
Blsmarck) was engaged, but as her 'intended"
was with her, she would not be too much oc-
cupied in thinking Of him to attend to the
visitors, of whom I learned at dinner there
were no less than thirty In the house when we
arrived.
Coffee was laid in the drawing-room. But
Otto said that would never do. So he order.
ed regular lunch, at which tea with thick
fresh cream figured. This repast was good
deal in the nature of Scotch breakfast, Tor.
In addition to cold 'oast mutton, there were
thin, hard-baked oatmeal scones, honey, pre-
serves, and sort of whiskey, distilled from q
mixture of barley and potatoes. The furniture
used to be very plain. But Bismarck has
brought back from France carved oak side
boards, tables, and bahuts, equal to what one
sees in the royal chateau of Pau, and probably
as ancient. Many a Sgneural residence In
France has contributed to I'LL his roomy Pom
eranian schloss with pleasant riches. Our
tea, for instance, was served In a porcelain
service, taken from the Empresss apartments
at Compiegne. This service was manulactur-
ed for Marie Antoinette, at the factory she
founded at Bourg-la-Reine and it Is quite
unique The ground Is OF ofcanary-yellow, and the
decorative part consists of landscapes most ex-
uuisitely done In Indian Ink. The Princess
Bismarck, with truly German naivete, says
"Ah you are admiring those little mugs.
They belonged to that poor Queen Of Louis
XVI. My husband bought the whole lot for o
such lovely things from Versailles will
show you the wonderful laces that am going
to have made up for Leuchen's trousseau.
They were found by Otto In most beautiful
inlaid wardrobe, (Which I have placed In my
bedroom at Berlin,) in the castle OF the Ouch
ess de Mouchy, that foolish Emperor's cousin.
Mein Gon what foolish man that Emperor
was. heard the Emperor Wilhelm say that
the Empress was also very silly and frivolous,
and that she hated Prussia. But she was not
wicked, Notwithstanding her being the too OF
Princess Metternich in provoking the war"
Bismarck came In from fishing while we
were at luncheon. He Is hearty, hilarious,
rough-and-ready sort of man, with little cul-
ture of any sort, but man OF keen mother
wit, which best comes out over tankard of
beer. Without ceremony he took me at the
coffee stage Of the repast into the hall to show
me basket full of trout, fresh from little
noisy brook that runs into the lake on the
garden side Of the house. Bismarck Is a
patient fisher and q venturesome hunter. At
Varzin. nobody unacquainted with his antece-
dents, could see in him the stuff for an astute
politician. Yesterday, when he was romping
with the gleesome Leuchen, he caught my eye
scanning his massive head and sodierly coun-
tenance. | wanted 10 See where his astute
genius lay, 10 find out where his Machiavellian
spirit turks. There he cried out, "is your
English Jfaulsin wondering that a cloren foot
does not show itself through my jack-boot.
Bismarck and the devil are all one. Isn't it
so. old mother ?" (thls was to the princess.)
"What have you got to say about the hoots
and horns? II you could only hear what The
Vienna papers are writing about my pact VITA
Belial, you'd plead forthwith for divorce.
But, luckily, yoa never look at the papers.
and therefore are in happy ignorance of my
coquetrles with his Internal Majesty"
BismarckS study Is situated on the ground
floor. 1t has the prosaic, uncomfortable ap-
pearance of an attorneys office. Long-legged
desks, break-back, bolt-uprigbt halrcloth
chairs. and sofas imported from London by
way of Stettin; brass-handled endless drawers,
all docketed and numbered; many maps; un-
slightly, ponderous volumes, bound in calf.
skin; files of letters on square table, solid as
fmade for playing billiards, having held their
own against the charming French importa-
tions which embellish the other rooms OF the
sch oss. We, the visitors, pass our time In
..Ilng, fishing, boating, botanizing, eating,
drinking, singing and dancing. Small as the
village is. it has It's 0rpheonist Society, which
sends brass band to play every evening in
the garden Of the schloss while we are a: sup.
per; for we dine at hall-past two and sup at
seven. The farm laborers and their wives
and daughters are allowed often to dance on
broad quadrllle space. The Chancellor enjoys
the fun, and sometimes orders beer to be serv-
ed to the rustic dancers. rode this morning in
the forest with LeucheD, Otto and Count Won
Luxburg, Bavarian nobleman of old family
and large estates, the aff1anced lover OF the for
mer. We cantered through some lovely
glades, startling as we went along hares and
other kind of game. The Count is. naturally,
in the army. Every German nobleman is.
But he Is a dilletdnti also, swears by Wagner.
and sings sentimental songs exactly like
tenor OF the Italian opera house. He is mild
as moonbeam, and Of the same pale COM
pleXion. Leuchen thinks him an Apollo dis
gulsed in the uniform of an huzzar. For my
part, his hair is too slrery, his eyes are too
celestially blue, and his cheeks OF too pure
red and white to please me. The .tianc6e will be
thp rOvprninr noCer In the hOnSnhOl6 when