tempted to share in the attempt because of the opportunity it afforded him of proving that, if he took the matter in hand, everything would at once wear a different aspect, and Tannhauser become a great success.  But as he was an exceedingly cold and cautious man, he thought he had discovered serious flaws in M. Lorbach’s proposals, and when the latter began to stipulate for certain commissions, Perrin immediately fancied that he detected a not quite blameless savour of speculation in the whole business, and declared that if he wanted to found a Wagner Theatre, he would manage to procure the necessary funds in his own way.  As a matter of fact, he did actually entertain the notion of securing a large cafe, the ‘Alcazar,’ and after that the ‘Bazar de la Bonne Nouvelle,’ for the purposes of such a theatre.  It also seemed possible that the requisite capitalists would be found for his enterprise.  M. Erlanger believed he could succeed in getting ten bankers to guarantee fifty thousand francs, thus placing a sum of five hundred thousand francs at M. Perrin’s disposal.  But the latter soon lost courage when he found that the gentlemen thus approached were willing to risk their money on a theatre for their own amusement, but not for the serious purpose of acclimatising my music in Paris.

With this disappointing experience M. Erlanger now withdrew from all further participation in my fate.  From a business point of view he regarded the arrangement made with me as a sort of deal, in which he had not succeeded.  The settlement of my financial position seemed likely now to be undertaken by other friends, and with this object in view the German embassies approached me with great delicacy, commissioning Count Hatzfeld to inquire into my necessities.  My own view of the situation was simply that, in obedience to the Emperor’s command for the production of my opera, I had wasted my time over an enterprise the failure of which had not been my fault.  With perfect justice my friends pointed out how careless I had been not to secure from the first certain stipulations about compensations, a demand which the Frenchman’s practical mind would at once have recognised as reasonable and obvious.  As matters stood, I had demanded no return for my time and labour beyond certain author’s rights in case of success.  Feeling how impossible it was for me to approach either the management or the Emperor to retrieve this omission, I was content to leave Princess Metternich to intercede on my behalf.  Count Pourtales had stayed on in Berlin to try and persuade the Prince Regent to order a performance of Tannhauser for my benefit.  Unfortunately, the latter had been unable to secure the execution of his order owing to the opposition of his manager, Herr von Hulsen, who was hostile to me.  As I had no other prospect for a long time to come but one of complete helplessness, I had no option but to leave the representation of my claim for compensation to the kindly care of my royal patroness.  All these events had taken place within the short space of a month after the production of Tannhauser, and now, on the 15th April, I went for a short trip to Germany, to try and find some solid ground for my future in that country.