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celebrated it as if it were a victory, and if the king's intention were to defuse tensions , then I can saytrue that he has achieved that.4th July 1848A strange fight erupted in the port tonight, between Americans celebrating their damned IndependenceDay and a party of adventurers from Darmstadt, here to journey up-river as a guest of Mr Ryland.Apparently the Darmstadters were, the phrase goes, 'mouthing off' about the power of their countryand how it has come to have a place at the top table of European powers. The Americans took offenceto think so small a nation could boast so, and a running battle ensued before the city police, aided bysailors from the Belgian merchantman Roi de Soleil broke the two parties apart.Mr Ryland appeared and bailed out his guests, but the American ship captains left their men to rot thisnight, no doubt to pay off their fines on the morrow.25th September 1848Tensions apparently are rising fast between Egypt and Persia. A British merchantman bound forLengeh put into here last night bringing news that Cairo and Tehran are engaged in a war of words. Tohear him speak he did not doubt that it would soon enough become a war of guns and cannon, but thequestion is whether Britain will this time join our Egyptian ally in the fight, or whether London sees fitto stand and watch for the moment.25th December 1848I decided this year to host the best party in the city, and as part of this I accepted the request by a newartists movement to play host to their paintings. They truly are remarkable, soft of tone and yet vivid ofcolour. They like to call themselves Romanticists, and yet there is something more powerful than mereromanticism at work here.The party was a success, though many of my guests divided their attention equally between ourembassy and that just along the road of Prussia, where the count once again had several of Mr Sax'ssaxophonists performing for the evening.23rd April 1849War, war, war, war and war! None of them involving either Britain or my hosts, but the news fromships putting into harbour here is of a sudden outbreak of hostilities across the world, or so it seems tous.Ecuador is in default and several nations have put together a loose coalition to force repayment ofdebts. Russia and the Ottoman Empire are at war, and hostilities have finally erupted between Egyptand Persia, though London has stood aside from this, so far.Tomorrow, the king will open the new Stock Exchange here, something that many have commented onas being mere hubris on his part, but with trade down the rivers continuing to increase, and MrRyland's ventures in the interior attracting increasing numbers of partners, it seems a prudent move,and one which can only help the usually parlous finances of this tiny kingdom to improve.