Tuesday, October 13:
Making all sorts of provisions for my departure, letters, etc. R. works; at 1 o'clock our friend Gersdorff arrives, and spends the rest of the day at Wahnfried. In the evening Bach preludes.
Many things were 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.