Being terrified at the Czar's
anger she immediately complied with his orders without the least
hesitation. The Czar asked the King to give him this and other
statues, a request which he could not refuse. The same thing happened
about a cupboard, inlaid with amber. It was the only one of its kind,
and had cost King Frederick I. an enormous sum, and the consternation
was general on its having to be sent to Petersburg.

This barbarous Court happily left after two days. The Queen rushed at
once to Monbijou, which she found in a state resembling that of the
fall of Jerusalem. I never saw such a sight. Everything was
destroyed, so that the Queen was obliged to rebuild the whole house.

Nor are the Margravine's descriptions of her reception as a bride in the
principality of Baireuth less amusing. Hof was the first town she came
to, and a deputation of nobles was waiting there to welcome her. This is
her account of them:

Their faces would have frightened little children, and, to add to
their beauty, they had arranged their hair to resemble the wigs that
were then in fashion. Their dresses clearly denoted the antiquity of
their families, as they were composed of heirlooms, and were cut
accordingly, so that most of them did not fit. In spite of their
costumes being the 'Court Dresses,' the gold and silver trimmings were
so black that you had a difficulty in making out of what they were
made. The manners of these nobles suited their faces and their
clothes. They might have passed for peasants. I could scarcely
restrain my laughter when I first beheld these strange figures. I
spoke to each in turn, but none of them understood what I said, and
their replies sounded to me like Hebrew, because the dialect of the
Empire is quite different from that spoken in Brandenburg.

The clergy also presented themselves. These were totally different
creatures. Round their necks they wore great ruffs, which resembled
washing baskets. They spoke very slowly, so that I might be able to
understand them better. They said the most foolish things, and it was
only with much difficulty that I was able to prevent myself from
laughing. At last I got rid of all these people, and we sat down to
dinner. I tried my best to converse with those at table, but it was
useless. At last I touched on agricultural topics, and then they
began to thaw. I was at once informed of all their different
farmsteads and herds of cattle. An almost interesting discussion took
place as to whether the oxen in the upper part of the country were
fatter than those in the lowlands.

* * * * *

I was told that as the next day was Sunday, I must spend it at Hof,
and listen to a sermon. Never before had I heard such a sermon! The
clergyman began by giving us an account of all the marriages that had
taken place from Adam's time to that of Noah. We were spared no
detail, so that the gentlemen all laughed and the poor ladies blushed.
The dinner went off as on the previous day. In the afternoon all the
ladies came to pay me their respects.