March 12th, 1873. Fine in the morning; rain in the afternoon, clearing by evening.

At one o'clock in the afternoon we went in ceremonial dress to the Königspalais, also known as the Opera Palace, the main residence of the king of Prussia where official functions are held. Today a hundred civil and military officials were gathered in the chapel, and after observing the service for a while we took a look around inside.

Once the service was over, the doors of the assembly hall were opened, and diplomatic representatives of all nations gathered inside in formal dress. The emperor himself was seated on a high dais, and Bismarck, the chancellor of the German Empire, was in attendance, together with a hundred civil and military officials and representatives from the various German states. There was first a speech given by the emperor, and the remaining time was taken up with addresses summing up the political situation.

After 1806 the title of ‘Kaiser’ of Germany remained unused for sixty-four years until December 1870, when all of the states both north and south agreed to place Wilhelm, king of Prussia, on the imperial throne. Accordingly, a central government was set up in Berlin, with representatives from all the states sent to attend the Bundesrat, the federal assembly there, and deputies were elected by public ballot, forming a popular assembly known as the Reichstag. Between them these bodies constitute the legislature, and administrative power is vested in the emperor and the chancellor, the post now conferred on Bismarck.