la part du General Leiser a Monsieur
le Baron de Friesen, Maitre de Ceremonie de S.M. le Roi de
Saxe, pour lui etre utile pendant son sejour a Dresde et de
lui procurer la connaissance de plusieurs de nos artistes."
And he added, in German: "Herr Chopin is himself one of the
most excellent pianists whom I know."

In short, Chopin was made much of; had to play four times, received an
invitation to dine at the castle the following day, &c., &c. That our
friend, in spite of all these charming prospects, leaving behind
him three lovely princesses, and who knows what other aristocratic
amenities, rolled off the very next morning at five o'clock in a vehicle
hired at the low price of two thalers--i.e., six shillings--must be
called either a feat of superhuman heroism or an instance of barbarous
insensibility--let the reader decide which. Chopin's visit to Teplitz
was not part of his original plan, but the state of his finances was
so good that he could allow himself some extravagances. Everything
delighted him at Teplitz, and, short as his stay was, he did the
sight-seeing thoroughly--we have his own word for it that he saw
everything worth seeing, among the rest Dux, the castle of the
Waldsteins, with relics of their ancestor Albrecht Waldstein, or
Wallenstein.

Leaving Teplitz on the morning of August 26, he arrived in the evening
of the same day in Dresden in good health and good humour. About this
visit to Dresden little is to be said. Chopin had no intention of
playing in public, and did nothing but look about him, admiring nature
in Saxon Switzerland, and art in the "magnificent" gallery. He went to
the theatre where Goethe's Faust (the first part), adapted by Tieck, was
for the first time produced on the stage, Carl Devrient impersonating
the principal part. "An awful but grand imagination! In the entr'actes
portions from Spohr's opera "Faust" were performed. They celebrated
today Goethe's eightieth birthday." It must be admitted that the
master-work is dealt with rather laconically, but Chopin never indulges
in long aesthetical discussions. On the following Saturday Meyerbeer's
"Il Crociato" was to be performed by the Italian Opera--for at that time
there was still an Italian Opera in Dresden. Chopin, however, did not
stay long enough to hear it, nor did he very much regret missing it,
having heard the work already in Vienna. Although Baron von Friesen
received our friend most politely, he seems to ha