Dear Franz and dear Anna!
I herewith inform you that I have decided to relinquish my house and estate in Munich to His Majesty the King with my most devoted thanks, since I have no intention to dwell in it any longer. Therefore I ask you to clear the house of all the furniture in the course of the present month. You should also remove all the carpets and have Herr Mathieu pack them all carefully together with all my other belongings. For the present I should like to ask Herr Mathieu to rent an empty storeroom for me which will not cost too much and where for the moment all these things may be stored as my property until I dispose of them further. I should like to ask Herr Mathieu to supervise the careful storage of this furniture against due remuneration for him. You should try to sell, at the best possible price, the flowers, camellias and roses, which I had purchased and which could not very well be transported, and then take the proceeds into account for me. Some things, however, should be sent me by freight to Lucerne at once; namely, the following: my two beautiful wardrobes, also the other wardrobes; all we possess in the way of beds and bedsteads. Also Vreneli's things. Also the beautiful things which stood on the marble box in my study downstairs; in short, all that is precious. Also all the dishes. However, you should sell the ordinary kitchenware, as that will not be worth transportation. You can also bring along your children's beds. For the situation is this: This winter I do not want to establish myself here completely, as various installations and reconstructions would be necessary in the house in which I live now, all of which would bother me right now far too much and which would interrupt my work. This I want to avoid. Therefore I shall postpone the complete new installation till next spring; and so I cannot use all my furniture right now, as I shall leave several rooms unoccupied during the winter.
You two with your children will manage to find some kind of home already furnished: so what you don't really need you could store temporarily through Herr Mathieu in Munich; it would only be a burden here. Should I change my opinion about this within the next days, I shall inform you of it by telegram.
For the moment just act according to my instructions: should I want everything at once, that could be easily done, once everything is packed. Now you have time till September 1st. Then, when everything is cleared, you will get ready for the trip and will come to Lucerne, where for the moment we shall not yet be installed and lodged quite according to our wishes, but where from then on we shall be able to be together again. Before that you will well air and fumigate the house, above all, the top floor. Then Franz will call upon Herr Hofsecretär Hofrat von Hofmann, and will ask him on my behalf to name somebody to whom you can turn over the house and the premises. When you deliver the music book for the King to the Prince Taxis, you can tell him at once about the arrangements made by me. Do not forget anything necessary! And take good care of everything. Soon we shall see each other again!
Let Franz draw the salary on September 1st. I think you might arrive here around the 3rd. Vreneli will write you about it all again!
Now God be with you! Farewell! Kindest regards to Herr Mathieu.
Your
R. Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 286