which had to be obtained by these means as surrounded by the greatest obstacles, and hedged in by the strictest etiquette.  I offered to cancel everything, but that only embarrassed him the more.  I thereupon asked him what he wanted me to do, if the plan was still to be carried out.  On this point he seemed uncertain, but thought I had shown a great lack of fellow-feeling in having not only ignored him, but Reissiger as well.  I answered that I was perfectly ready to hand over my composition and the conducting of the piece to Reissiger.  But he could not swallow this, as he really had an exceedingly poor opinion of Reissiger, of which I was very well aware.  His real grievance was that I had arranged the whole business with the Lord Chamberlain, Herr von Reizenstein, who was his personal enemy, and he added that I could form no conception of the rudeness he had been obliged to endure from the hands of this official.  This outburst of confidence made it easier for me to exhibit an almost sincere emotion, to which he responded by a shrug of the shoulders, meaning that he must resign himself to a disagreeable necessity.

But my project was even more seriously threatened by the wretched weather than by this storm with the director; for it rained all day in torrents.  If it lasted, which it seemed only too likely to do, I could hardly start on the special boat at five o’clock in the morning, as proposed, with my hundreds of helpers, to give an early morning concert at Pillnitz, two hours away.  I anticipated such a disaster with genuine dismay.  But Rockel consoled me by saying that I could rely upon it that we should have glorious weather the next day; for I was lucky!  This belief in my luck has followed me ever since, even down to my latest days; and amid the great misfortunes which have so often hampered my enterprises, I have felt as if this statement were a wicked insult to fate.  But this time, at least, my friend was right; the 12th of August, 1844 was from sunrise till late at night the most perfect summer day that I can remember in my whole life.  The sensation of blissful content with which I saw my light-hearted legion of gaily dressed bandsmen and singers gathering through the auspicious morning mists on board our steamer, swelled my breast with a fervent faith in my lucky star.

By my friendly impetuosity I had succeeded in overcoming Reissiger’s smouldering resentment, and had persuaded him to share the honour of our undertaking by conducting the performance of my composition himself.  When we arrived at the spot, everything went off splendidly.  The King and royal family were visibly touched, and in the evil times that followed the Queen of Saxony spoke of this occasion, I am told, with peculiar emotion, as the fairest day of her life.  After Reissiger had wielded his baton with great dignity, and I had sung with the tenors in the choir, we two conductors were summoned to the presence of the royal family.  The King warmly expressed his thanks, while the Queen