Editor's Introduction xiii 



the Duke of Saxe-Weimar as special ambassador 

 to the Emperor Alexander. Soon after this he 

 visited England a second time, spending a year 

 in that country. 



During the years from 1816 to 1822 Piickler 

 occupied himself with many things. He traveled 

 everywhere — on the European Continent ; in 

 Africa, in Algeria, and Egypt and other places ; 

 in Asia and America, making notes as he traveled 

 and afterwards writing books. His adventures 

 even took the form of ascending in a balloon 

 with a celebrated aeronaut, a great feat in those 

 days. During this period came the death of his 

 father with whom he seems to have lived on good 

 terms except for the usual disagreements which 

 extravagant sons have with most fathers. Doubt- 

 less, he was many times during his travels so short 

 of funds as to be almost in dire want, but hav- 

 ing been bred a soldier and being of a high, free 

 spirit it is not likely that any shortage of funds 

 seriously troubled him. 



He finally married a lady of rank, the Count- 

 ess Pappenheim, widow of the Count of the 

 same name and daughter of the Prince Harden- 

 burg. State Chancellor and one of the great states- 

 men of the age. We find Piickler at this period 

 of his career enjoying much society in the gay, 

 as well as in the diplomatic, world. In 1 8 1 8, for 

 instance, he accompanied his wife and father-in- 

 law to the Congress of Aix-la-Chapelle. Later 

 he was offered an ambassadorship to Constanti- 

 nople and other high state employments. He, 



