On a renewed visit to Frankfort in the autumn of 1843 I received an invitation to play at Darmstadt before the Grand Duke of Hesse, and I was delighted to see my dear old master, Einck, again on the same occasion. Coming to the castle on the appointed evening I was ushered into the still untenanted musicroom, where after a time I was joined by a gentleman in simple evening dress who entertained me most politely, telling me that the Grand Ducal party, which included the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar, would soon appear. I took my informant for one of the gentlemen of the Court, and as he was so very amiable I asked him to be kind enough to point out to me the different distinguished personages, who, I said, would probably be familiar to him by sight, but were not so to me. He promised most willingly to do so, and it gave me rather a start when I found half-an-hour later that my kind cicerone was the celebrated Prince Alexander of Hesse. The party was a small one, and listened to my performance with a willing ear. What has impressed the evening upon my memory is the circumstance that while I was playing, a despatch was brought in announcing the birth of a son to the Crown Princess of Eussia (a Princess of Hesse Darmstadt), which caused such joy that the two Grand Dukes not only embraced, but in spite of their bulky persons, which hardly permitted their short arms to reach each other, waltzed together through the long and almost empty room. It was a touching but curious spectacle. After half an hour's interruption I was allowed to continue my performance. << less