ut he lost his ministerial position in six
weeks and was again at sea. He had, however, a companion ready to
share his trials and triumphs, and their union proved to be very
happy.

In the summer of 1852 he was sent by the Prussian Ministry to London
to study English conditions and write reports for the government
journals, _Preussische Zeitung_ and _Die Zeit_. In 1855 he was again
sent to England, and this time his journalistic engagement lasted for
four years. Accounts of his experiences are contained in _A Summer in
London_ (1854) and _Beyond the Tweed_ (1860). From 1860 to 1870 he was
on the staff of the _Kreuzzeitung_ and during this time served as a
war correspondent in the campaigns of 1864, 1866, and 1870-71. While
accompanying the army in France he was seized with a desire to visit
the home of Joan of Arc at Domremy, and was captured, taken for a spy,
and imprisoned for a time on the island of Oleron in the Atlantic
Ocean. An interesting account of his experiences is given in _Prisoner
of War_ (1871). During his years in England he had taken advantage of
the opportunity to visit Scotland and familiarize himself with its
picturesque beauties and its wealth of historical and literary
associations. In the midst of these travels the thought had occurred
to him that his own Mark of Brandenburg had its beauties, too, and its
wealth of associations. On returning to Berlin he began his long
series of journeyings through his native province, making a thorough
study of both country and people, particularly the Junkers, for which
his trained powers of observation, combined with warm patriotism and
true love of historical research, eminently fitted him. His published
records of these travels, _Rambles through the Mark of Brandenburg_
(1862-81) and _Five Castles_ (1889), won for him the title of the
interpreter of the Mark. His right to this distinction was further
established by the novels in which he later employed the fruits of
these studies.

Fontane is equally celebrated as an interpreter of Berlin, where he
lived for over fifty years, being the one prominent German writer to
identify himself with a great city. His two autobiographical works,
_From Twenty to Thirty_ and _C.F. Scherenberg_, tell of his early
experiences in the Prussian capital. From 1870 to 1889 he was dramatic
critic for the _Vossische Zeitung_, for which he reviewed the
performances at the Royal Theatre. In one of his last criticisms he
hailed Haup