Making all sorts of provisions for my departure, letters, etc. R. works, at 1 o’clock arrival of our friend Gersdorff, who spends the rest of the day at Wahnfried. In the evening Bach preludes.
— Many things discussed, a new gun with an unrestricted range has again been invented, the Emperor is reported, however, to have shaken his head at the last maneuvers; the fact that for health reasons he was unable to take part in them during the past two years seems to have had a deleterious effect.
Steinmetz’s errors, of which nothing is said in the official account of the general staff, make a very bad impression. Also there seems to be a shortage of good officers in Prussia at the moment, and many officers amuse themselves by dancing the cancan! . . .
Schott’s is behaving well, agreeing to R.’s demands.