In Memory of 
 
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 JAPAN VELLVAV ETCHINGS 
 
 HAND PAINTED INDIA-PLATE 
 
 REPRODVCTIONS.AND 
 
 FULL PAGE PORTRAIT5 
 
 OFAVTHOR5. 
 
 M.WAL [R DUNNE PUBLISHER 
 
 WASHINGTON tr LONDON
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1901, 
 
 BY 
 
 M. WALTER DUNNE, 
 
 PUBLISHER
 
 SECRET MEMOIRS OF 
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 
 
 HONORS GABRIEL RIQUETI, 
 
 COMTE DE MIRABEAU 
 HI 
 
 WITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION BY 
 
 OLIVER H. G. LEIGH 
 
 Author of " French Literature of the XlXth Century." etc 
 
 HAVALTER DUNNE, PUBLISHER 
 WASHINGTON & LONDON
 
 *- 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1901, 
 
 BY 
 
 M. WALTER DUNNE, 
 
 PUBLISHER
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 CATHARINE II., EMPRESS OF RUSSIA Frontispiece 
 
 After Rosselin. 
 
 FREDERICK THE GREAT PLAYING His FLUTE 131 
 
 Photogravure after Ger6me. 
 
 EMPRESS MARIA THERESA 261 
 
 Photogravure after StaaL 
 
 (vii)
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 PIQUANT entertainment used to be found by our grand- 
 sires and dames in "secret memoirs" and "Mys- 
 teries" of high life. London and Paris each main- 
 tained its school for scandal, with an organ department 
 in which the merest snatch of table-tattle was worked up 
 into a fine fantasia of delicious mischief. In those ante- 
 diluvian days there was a great gulf fixed between Peo- 
 ple who were People, and the people who were not. 
 "Middle" and "Upper-Middle" class scientific culture 
 had not yet extended much beyond the musical glasses 
 and a pious craze to explore the polar region of the court 
 circle. The conscious nether world revelled in envious 
 awe as it got these glimpses of distant spheres and gloried 
 as it found their denizens frail. It was the day of a 
 Paul Pry press, before the advent of the instrument with 
 telescopic range and microscopic penetration, which could 
 not but slacken interest in one constellation by revealing 
 so much of so many. 
 
 There has been too pharisaical a view taken of the old- 
 fashioned secret memoir. The gathering of facts known 
 to the entourage of great personages, which throw even 
 the fiercest glare upon those whose prominence chal- 
 lenges it, is not strictly a scandalous act though it may 
 include scandals. The strong man bade his artist paint 
 "warts and all." If society's head is sufficiently impor- 
 tant to be portrayed for posterity, as it assuredly is, bet- 
 ter it should be a portrait than a picture. Court 
 chronicles were historical counterfeits. The demi-godded 
 folk whose diplomatic marriages were deftly contrived to 
 keep the business in the family, were by these veracious 
 records of personal observations shown to be really humans. 
 Rummage collections of faded letters with fadeless memories 
 completed the Garlands which Friendship placed on the brow 
 of the Great. The only corrective of pseudo-historical biog- 
 raphy was the ' ' secret " memoir, to which posterity owes 
 
 (ix)
 
 x MIRABEAU'S MEMOIRS 
 
 more substantial acknowledgements than its affected blush 
 fully expresses or hides. 
 
 Frederick the uniquely great is one of the few about 
 whom we cannot know too much. Mirabeau came late 
 on the scene, but brought with him such qualifications 
 as a chronicler of royal and courtly and plebeian every- 
 day passion-play acting as have seldom been so handily 
 combined under one hat. He had passed the stiffest 
 courses in the university of the world with honors and 
 dishonors. A stranger career was never run to a sad- 
 der and more momentous ending. The wine may drink 
 as lusciously out of a pipkin as a golden goblet, but 
 only an exceptionally gifted observer is competent to 
 make a study of outlandish men, manners, or movements. 
 
 Mirabeau's father was of the very last type that should 
 have been chosen to pose, or rather impose, paternally 
 over such a son. Born with a giant's capacity for public 
 service and private mischief the young Count's unfortu- 
 nate physiognomy won him the positive hatred of his 
 Marquis father, who printed himself for the world to 
 admire as "The Friend of Humanity," though he dropped 
 the r in the case of his brilliant son. Young Mirabeau 
 early became an expert in prison life, although not a legal 
 prisoner. His boy-amours were the excuse for the father's 
 lavish use of lettres-de-cachet, by means of which con- 
 venient rod he chastised the lad with years of prison 
 odium. Philosopher though the Marquis supposed him- 
 self to be it was beyond him to perceive that thrashing 
 a flour-sack or a boy is an excellent way to waste the 
 fine and retain the course. The sorely handicapped youth 
 lost his army chance by one escapade. Next, to facilitate 
 affairs with a somewhat reluctant heiress, he used her 
 maid, by arrangement, to hasten the gainful marriage. 
 His income was small, but his debts did honor to his 
 rank and talent. For this a paternal lettre-de-cachet placed 
 him again in limbo, which was not cheered by the 
 quarreling that accompanied his wife's visits. Three 
 years after the marriage Mirabeau's confessedly forbidding 
 face did not hinder a romantic attachment with Sophie 
 de Ruffey, the eighteen-year-old wife of a rich man of 
 sixty. Once again a lettre caged him but he escaped to
 
 INTRODUCTION xi 
 
 Holland, where the adoring Sophie followed him. This 
 was in 1776, Gabriel in his twenty-seventh year. He 
 dwelt in the Dutch Grub Street for a year, expert and 
 diligent at all pen-work, solaced by the news that only 
 his effigy had been duly executed under the death sen- 
 tence his parent had secured. The confiscation also pro- 
 nounced did not add to his poverty. By and by both 
 were spied out, arrested, and brought back, the result 
 being three years and a half in Vincennes Castle, apart 
 from his Sophie. The outcome of his confinement was a 
 batch of books, the "Erotica Biblion," and such like effusions 
 of a genius, goaded like Burns's, when its tottery steps 
 should have been gently led. 
 
 Being free once more in 1780 Mirabeau made his first 
 effort in forensic pleading, urging the annulment of the 
 extreme sentence. This his eloquence won, but not his 
 repeated pleas for the restitution of conjugal rights with 
 Sophie, now enjoying a separate income from her divorced 
 husband. In 1784 Mirabeau went to England, accom- 
 panied by the daughter of a well-to-do citizen of Holland. 
 He was received into distinguished society, and justice 
 was done to his great talents, without condonation of his 
 least pardonable faults. On returning to Paris he fell 
 into the toils of a shameless creature who had ulterior 
 schemes in view. His desertion of the devoted Madame 
 de Nehra is still inexplicable. 
 
 He had established a certain claim to statesmanship by 
 some writings, and Franklin had moved him to write his 
 famous plea for the order of the Cincinnati, which was 
 translated into English. In 1786 he went on a secret 
 mission to the Prussian Court. Events in France were 
 leading up to the breach between King and commoners. 
 Mirabeau never sold a principle nor advocated for a fee 
 a cause in which he had no faith, but it is true that his 
 impecuniosity, at mid-age and at the turning point be- 
 tween drifting and leadership, led him to accept from 
 the King's friends the wherewithal to clear his debts and 
 take up the patriotic work which he alone had the sagacity, 
 opportunity, and the genius effectively to do. The rest 
 is familiar. He saw where the nation was being whirled, 
 his eloquence and experience of the English compromise
 
 xii MIRABEAU'S MEMOIRS 
 
 government devolved on him the high duty of guiding 
 the helm of state. His hour had come, but the ripened 
 statesman found it was also his hour of doom for the 
 sins of a defiant physique. Strong and tall, bulldog 
 mien, Goethe's eyes, sensual, ambitious, vain of person, 
 and of an eloquence that could have saved his country 
 one indelible reproach, he died when supremely needed 
 by his people, and was only forty-two. The picture re- 
 calls Gambetta. 
 
 Mirabeau conversed with Frederick in the old man's last 
 illness. His report went up to the French King through 
 M. Calonne and the Duke de Lauzun. It led to nothing 
 in the way of definite assistance for the monarchy. He 
 gathered materials for his masterly work on the Prussian 
 monarchy, and the Prussian and Saxon States, published 
 in four volumes in 1788. Next year Mirabeau issued the 
 present work, in two volumes, " Histoire Secrete et Anec- 
 dotes de la cour de Berlin" in two octavo volumes. A 
 little reign of terror was inaugurated in royalty circles 
 by this startling work. Some sort of demonstration had 
 to be made, so, in cousinly affection as between King 
 and King poor Mirabeau's rich book was condemned by 
 the Parliament of Paris to be publicly burned by the com- 
 mon hangman, an honor once appreciated by Voltaire. 
 Its offense was the disrespectful treatment of the reign- 
 ing King and other great personages in the course of its 
 exposure of intrigues by princes and courtesans in the 
 shadow of the Court. 
 
 As for the great Frederick himself, even scandals took 
 on a greatness to which they had no claim, by flickering 
 around his crown. The religious world was scandalized 
 by his anticipation of Huxleyan agnosticism, which was then, 
 too, dubbed "atheism." Goody-goodyism languished into 
 fits at his masculine toleration of fancy faiths. A man so 
 bad must be a worse King. His training, temperament, 
 and ascetic habits in all but eating were well known, but 
 the peccadilloes of any youthful lordling must necessarily 
 magnify into unspeakable vices if stumbled into by wearers 
 of purple, who are the wicked world's mark for temptation. 
 
 Frederick married to please his father, who out-Mira- 
 beaued Mirabeau pere in outrageous misrule of his son.
 
 INTRODUCTION xiii 
 
 He married at twenty-two and took the crown at twenty- 
 eight. Thenceforward his heart went out to strong men, 
 to men of genius, men of his own stamp, men and not 
 women. For the last half of his reign Frederick dined 
 with his amiable consort; when they met at table the 
 King bowed to the Queen and the Queen to the King, 
 but they never conversed. He paid her the customary 
 pretty gift courtesies on anniversary days, and once went 
 to her room to tell his regrets over her gouty seizure, 
 but converse they never did all those years, and she sur- 
 vived him by eleven. 
 
 The Court of Frederick had its full sheaf of eight- 
 eenth century scandals. His relations, his henchmen, the 
 distinguished writers, musicians, philosophers (alas!) had 
 their foibles and met their fascinating fates in that once 
 upon a time Liberty Hall. As already observed, even these 
 small-beer chronicles have their legitimate and even ad- 
 mirable historical uses. The flamboyant schools always 
 paint " personages " posing as sublimities, and it requires 
 the faithful pencil of the old Dutch realist to complete 
 the vraisemblance to life. Frederick, as King at least, was 
 no voluptuary. Indeed it was thought an act of pious 
 duty to vindicate his memory from a slander of the most 
 unlikely kind, by making a post-mortem examination akin 
 to that decreed to be made prior to the election of each 
 Pope. He was first and last a soldier and a martinet, 
 afflicted with a weakness for mistaking feminine grace 
 for insipidity and womanliness as either wanton or prud- 
 ish extremes. He showered alternate contempt and fe- 
 rocious hatred on men he had thought were proof to 
 sparkling eyes. And yet, no court more than his was 
 swayed by the mysterious influence that blows where it 
 listeth and is not seen until its work is virtually done. 
 These secret memoirs are, of course, excellent reading, 
 racy of the temper of the writer and of his subject and 
 the times.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PACK 
 INTRODUCTION ix 
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE i 
 
 LETTER I. Recommends the Abb6 de Perigord, afterward Prince 
 
 de Talleyrand 17 
 
 LETTER II. Last illness of Frederick the Great 20 
 
 LETTER III. The Duke of Brunswick, his public and private 
 
 character 22 
 
 LETTER IV. Prospects in the event of the King's death .... 30 
 
 LETTER V. Talk of an alliance between France, England, and 
 Prussia. The King dropsical, but will not give up his 
 favorite eel pies 41 
 
 LETTER VI. The author receives a snub and prepares to dissemble 44 
 
 LETTER VII. Court gossip; Frederick devotes more time to pine- 
 apples than politics 46 
 
 LETTER VIII. Thinks the King cannot survive longer than two 
 
 months. The Heir Apparent and Mademoiselle Voss ... 49 
 
 LETTER IX. Rumor that the King of Sweden has turned Catholic ; 
 
 Russian intrigues 50 
 
 LETTER X. The King very unwilling to die ; resents the mention of 
 
 dropsy 52 
 
 LETTER XI. Erysipelas and gangrene set in 54 
 
 LETTER XII. His dangerously voracious appetite 55 
 
 LETTER XIII. Uncertainties as to the policy of the King-to-be; 
 doubtful if he has system, understanding, or character. The 
 old King eats of ten or twelve highly seasoned dishes at dinner 
 every day 56 
 
 LETTER XIV. Death of Frederick the Great ; ate a lobster a few 
 hours before the end; the author's efforts to forestall the 
 French Ambassador in sending the news by pigeon express . 61 
 
 LETTER XV. The new King leans toward the French as against 
 
 the English system 65 
 
 LETTER XVI. Prince Henry affirms that the King is entirely 
 French ; the will of Frederick the Great; his affection for his 
 dogs ; the new Ministry 68 
 
 LETTER XVII. Character sketch of Prince Henry; the author as 
 
 diplomatist 73 
 
 LETTER XVIII. The King reforms his habits, does not look at 
 
 Mademoiselle Voss ; is somewhat penurious 76 
 
 (xv)
 
 xvi MIRABEAU'S MEMOIRS 
 
 PAGB 
 
 LETTER XIX. His favorites ; Goltz the Tartar, Boulet the honest, 
 
 Goertz the able 80 
 
 LETTER XX. Remonstrance with the Due de ; Prince Henry 
 
 stranded on the rock of vanity ; a strong pica for friendly ap- 
 proaches to the King by the French government 83 
 
 LETTER XXI. The ' ' gallomania " of Prince Henry is prejudicing the 
 cause of France ; the Duke of Brunswick the coming strong 
 man ; troubles over Holland ; the King ennobles his son by 
 Madame Rietz 87 
 
 LETTER XXII. The Duke plays with Prince Henry ; a Grand Duchess 
 
 Delilah ; manceuvering for Russia's friendship 94 
 
 LETTER XXIII. Interment of Frederick the Great; neither in taste 
 
 nor splendor equal to state funerals in Paris 100 
 
 LETTER XXIV. Plea for more active and shrewd diplomacy by 
 
 France 103 
 
 LETTER XXV. A weak ruler and intriguing counselors .... 105 
 
 LETTER XXVI. Stuterheim and Gudschmidt, prudent Ministers; 
 qualifications for successful diplomatists; sketch of the Elector 
 of Bavaria 107 
 
 LETTER XXVII. Dufour, exjourneyman barber, his influence over 
 
 the Heir Apparent; objections to an Austro- Prussian alliance. 112 
 
 LETTER XXVIII. Frederick the Great, his long defiance of a disease 
 
 which would have killed ten men 116 
 
 LETTER XXIX. Russia's project to steal a march on India ; possible 
 
 alliance between France and England 119 
 
 LETTER XXX. Social blunder of a clumsy Princess ; card-table pre- 
 cedence; the gay Madame de Vibraye 122 
 
 LETTER XXXI. Homage to the new King ; mischief-making amateur 
 
 diplomatists ; brawls and jealousy from Madame Rietz . . .131 
 
 LETTER XXXII. King Frederick William's violent temper; plays 
 
 the violoncello ; an out-and-out German 137 
 
 LETTER XXXIII. An undesirable representative; Austria strong 
 
 but weakly governed 143 
 
 LETTER XXXIV. The author's laborious efforts to collect trust- 
 worthy information ; reported accident to the King ; growing 
 power of the Duke 146 
 
 LETTER XXXV. Concerning Holland, Austria, and Russia; the 
 
 Duke of York, a character sketch ; English insolence . . .152 
 
 LETTER XXXVI. The case of the unfortunate Lieut CoL Szekely; 
 
 sentenced and pardoned 159 
 
 LETTER XXXVII. The Duke hopes France will act to prevent war 
 
 by Holland ; significant conversation with the Duke .... 167 
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. The Duke meditates the building of a German 
 
 empire ; the King hastens to Mademoiselle Voss 174 
 
 LETTER XXXIX. Secret orgies of the King; does not hate the 
 
 French, does not love any nation; triumph of the Lady Voss . 179 
 
 LETTER XL. Downfall of Count Herzberg ; Lannay, finance minis- 
 ter, retires ; possibility of the Duke going over to the Emperor. 185
 
 CONTENTS xvii 
 
 PAQB 
 
 LETTER XLI. On French finance and the commercial treaty with 
 
 England 190 
 
 LETTER XLII. Quarrels in the royal household ; Madame Rietz and 
 Mademoiselle Voss ; the Empress of Russia said to drink too 
 much champagne 194 
 
 LETTER XLIII. Empress Catherine II. a model of sobriety ; secret 
 
 suppers in the King's palace 194 
 
 LETTER XLIV. The King rises early; his Court an Augean stable 
 
 without a Hercules ; Prussian power rotten before ripe . . . 204 
 
 LETTER XLV. Honors to the son of a cookmaid ; Anhalt threatens 
 
 to go over to the Emperor ; the baboon-like Voss 209 
 
 LETTER XLVI. Mirabeau's aspect terrifies the court; is crippled 
 
 pecuniarily; hopes for the Anglo-French alliance 216 
 
 LETTER XLVII. A scheming woman uses the author to aid her 
 siege of the King; suspects her as the go-between of Ma- 
 demoiselle Voss ; the shade of Caesar at a supper .... 220 
 
 LETTER XLVI1I. The King faithful to his old friends; soldiers' 
 coats that shrank skin-tight ; army aristocrats and morals ; the 
 King withdraws a threatened tax 224 
 
 LETTER XLIX. Fear of a coalition between Austria and Prussia; 
 
 the King's debts ; the questionable Madame de F . . 231 
 
 LETTER L. Discontent of the army; the tobacco monopoly; free 
 
 speech in peril ; the divorced consort of the King .... 236 
 
 LETTER LI. Industry and commerce in Prussia; urges the natural 
 force of reciprocity between France and England ; indolence 
 of the King ; a plea for La Grange 243 
 
 LETTER LIL A mysterious messenger ; Baron Nold6, a friend of 
 France; a left-handed marriage for Mademoiselle Voss; the 
 King's four sorts of children; rascally courtiers . . . .251 
 
 LETTER LIII. The King and his ministers, meddling and muddling ; 
 
 the mystics in favor ; manuscripts of Frederick the Great . . 261 
 
 LETTER LIV. Character of the King, deceitful, vain, avaricious; 
 the leading courtiers libertines, shallow flatterers, and adven- 
 turers 267 
 
 LETTER LV. The Queen bribed to consent to the King's marriage 
 with Mademoiselle Voss ; prodigal yet not generous ; building 
 at Potsdam 275 
 
 LETTER LVI. Sketch of the King's officers; new taxes imposed, 
 the King orders his subjects to be numbered ; the ladies Rietz 
 and Voss and the screen scene 278 
 
 LETTER LVII. The cup of Circe filled with beer; the magic of a 
 
 yellow riband; court snarls; troubles in the silk trade . . 284 
 
 LETTER LVIII. Madame Rietz asks for an estate ; Corporal Schlag; 
 Prince Henry discouraged; the kingdom neglected because 
 the King is in love 290 
 
 LETTER LIX. The peculiarities of Count Nostitz ; Madame Rietz 
 
 wants a Margraviate ; gambling forbidden ; the land question . 295
 
 xviii MIRABEAU'S MEMOIRS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 LETTER LX. The Queen blind to her husband's amours ; the Prince 
 Royal an echo of Frederick the Great ; unfair treatment of 
 Launay ; pays a debt incurred by Frederick the Great when 
 Prince 301 
 
 LETTER LXI. Miscellaneous distribution of honors; the question- 
 able marriage deferred ; memorial against the capitation tax . 306 
 
 LETTER LXII. The Dutch envoy makes overtures to Mirabeau; 
 delicate position of affairs between France, Prussia, and Hol- 
 land; hopeless confusion around the King 314 
 
 LETTER LXIII. Affairs in Russia; more gossip about the sus- 
 pended marriage ; difficulty of suppressing lotto ; Launay de- 
 parts incognito 325 
 
 LETTER LXIV. Gambling with Poland; Frederick the Great ne- 
 gotiates a loan by the gift of a smoked salmon; Voltaire 
 expected a famous diamond and got a keg of wine ; Mirabeau 
 demands adequate recognition of his services 330 
 
 LETTER LXV. A Sans Souci house for Mademoiselle Voss ; pros- 
 pects of her growing power ; smuggling the King into heaven 
 under the bishop's coat tail 338 
 
 LETTER LXVI. Mirabeau's final letter; endowing Mademoiselle 
 
 Voss ; new taxes on cards, wines, oysters, etc. ; the outlook . 345 
 
 APPENDIX. Memorial presented to Frederick William II., King of 
 Prussia, on the Day of his Accession to the Throne, by Comte 
 de Mirabeau. 
 
 This was published as the author's reply to the accusation 
 of having "presented the reigning King of Prussia with a 
 libel against the immortal Frederick II." 353-85
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 
 
 To "THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE COURT OF BERLIN,* 
 
 AND TO THE <( KEY W OF THAT HlSTORY. 
 
 MIRABEAU, exiled to Prussia on a secret mission, has 
 left behind him, in the following work, a curious 
 account of his sojourn at the Court of Frederick 
 the Great. It is generally supposed that these letters 
 were addressed to Calonne. 
 
 The last moments of Frederick are therein depicted in 
 a vivid and lifelike manner, and every portrait that Mira- 
 beau essayed to paint bears the mark of a master's hand. 
 However, Frederick dies, and the writer has no longer 
 anything but low intrigues to depict, as he is now sur- 
 rounded only by little men and little interests. 
 
 If he is reproached with including in this work several 
 scandalous revelations, it must be remembered that (< The 
 Secret History " was never intended to see the light of 
 day, and that it was quite contrary to the author's wishes 
 that it was published. It was also in direct opposition 
 to his wishes that the * Lettres & Sophie,* and others of 
 his productions, were issued. 
 
 The manuscript of (< The Secret History n was stolen, 
 sold to Malassis, a printer of Alengon, and published by 
 him as a work by an unknown traveler who had died 
 about a year previously in a village in Germany. Twenty 
 thousand copies of the book were speedily disposed of. 
 
 The original manuscript, in Mirabeau's handwriting, 
 remained in the printer's possession, and great care was 
 taken that, in every edition issued by him, all the names 
 and certain passages were suppressed and indicated by 
 asterisks only. Unfortunately, the manuscript was sub- 
 sequently burned. M. Dubois-du-Desert, who had the 
 privilege of inspecting this manuscript before its destruc- 
 tion, has communicated to us all the names, of which he 
 had taken a note. This it is that is known as the " Key M 
 * (0
 
 2 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 to <( The Secret History. J> A very small number of the 
 names have been lost, and it is impossible for us, after 
 this long interval, to repair these omissions. 
 
 The following are some appropriate reflections included 
 in the Preface, written by M. Brissot-Thivars, for the 
 edition of 1821 : 
 
 <( The ministerial modesty, which so easily reconciled 
 itself to the secret picture of the licentiousness of a 
 neighboring Court, grew much alarmed at the prospect 
 of a similar picture of their own Court being exhibited 
 to the public gaze. The Government received orders to 
 confiscate the book, and to prosecute the author, who 
 had disappeared under an anonymous name. Meanwhile 
 the public were much rejoiced at the ill humor displayed 
 by the Court. 
 
 " The Etats-Ge'ne'raux were convoked, the nobility re- 
 pulsed Mirabeau, the Commons welcomed him with open 
 arms, and the privileged classes heaped insults and abuse 
 upon the author of ( The Secret History. * w 
 
 Among the most noticeable pamphlets issued at this 
 period, was one entitled (< L ' Examen politique et critique 
 de /' Histoire secrete de la Cour de Berlin* par Fre'de'ric, 
 Huron de Trenck* 
 
 <( The Baron de Trenck was a Prussian, and had, there- 
 fore, some right to enter the lists. It was also to his 
 interest to do so, as for some time he had been in bad 
 odor with his Government, and he was only too re- 
 joiced to purchase his pardon by breaking a lance in 
 honor of his country. 
 
 w Mirabeau pretends that the Prussians are a dull people. 
 The Baron de Trenck admits that this is the case; but, 
 he adds, they are so systematically. 
 
 (< Mirabeau hints that the two sons of Prince Ferdi- 
 nand are really the sons of the Comte de Schmettau. The 
 Baron de Trenck replies that he has closely examined 
 the children of Princess Ferdinand. ( They are,' he says, 
 * destined to occupy glorious positions in the House of 
 
 * Political and Critical Examination of the Secret History of the 
 Court of Berlin, by Frederic, Baron de Trenck. A thick 8vo volume. 
 The Baron de Trenck was known by his misfortunes and by his sundry 
 writings.
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 3 
 
 Brandenburg-. I would never guarantee,* he adds, 'the 
 birth of any man ; all that I can certify is that he is the 
 son of a man. It is to be hoped that, in certain Euro- 
 pean royal families, they will act as they do in England 
 toward the race horses. It is unnecessary and absurd 
 to try and discover who are the fathers of the kings who 
 rule over us. It is often much better that they owe 
 their existence to wise and vigorous plebeians than to 
 a self-styled " noble w race, which is in no way superior 
 to others, save by an opinion based upon absurd prej- 
 udices. I heartily congratulate Prince Ferdinand on be- 
 ing the head of so interesting a family. * 
 
 <( Mirabeau, having related some amorous scenes of 
 Frederick William, the Baron gravely examines the two 
 following questions: 
 
 <( i . Is it true that the King of Prussia is fond of 
 women? Nobody doubts it. 
 
 <( 2. Is this a crime in a king? William, in love, is 
 capable of a tender attachment. He understands how 
 to value his mistress. Refined and sensitive, it is by 
 the personal interest that he inspires, that he endeavors 
 to find favor in the eyes of the woman he loves. He 
 puts aside all rank and power. It is solely for himself 
 that he would win the lady's affection. Mademoiselle de 
 Voss resisted his wooing during twenty months. The 
 tardy gratification of his desires did not cool his 
 passion. In the present condition of Prussia the King 
 may prefer the myrtles of Cupid to the laurels of Mars. 
 
 <( Did the reputation of Baron de Trenck re-estab- 
 lish Frederick William and the Prince Ferdinand the 
 one in his paternal rights, and the other in the re- 
 spect and veneration which a virtuous monarch has the right 
 to expect from his subjects? We do not think it did. It 
 appears to us, on the contrary, that it will remain 
 proved that Mirabeau had correctly observed, and that he 
 stated the truth, since his adversary is reduced to rep- 
 resenting concubinage and adultery as the accustomed 
 pastime of the nobility and as the legitimate resource of a 
 monarch. Mirabeau's statements, therefore, must have 
 been based largely on facts, since there did not exist 
 any other means of extenuating the scandal.
 
 4 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 w In the absence of logic and reason, Baron de Trenck 
 had recourse to abuse of Mirabeau, whom he vilified as 
 an impostor and a spy. Such insults, however, proved 
 nothing; and, even at the present time, there are those 
 who firmly believe in the truth of Mirabeau's asser- 
 tions.* 
 
 "At the date of the publication of 'The Secret His- 
 tory,' time had strongly confirmed nearly all of Mira- 
 beau's predictions the invasion of Holland, the ridiculous 
 combinations of the French Cabinet, etc., at the present 
 day after a lapse of thirty years. Some personages 
 who are still living are attacked; for instance, he says, 
 * The Duke of York arrived here this evening. This 
 Duke is a great sportsman, fond of laughter, but with- 
 out grace, deportment, or politeness; and, judging from 
 external appearances, he possesses many of the moral 
 and physical features of the Due de Luynes. I do not 
 think that there is any question of his marriage with 
 Princess Caroline of Brunswick, who is very amiable, in- 
 tellectual, handsome, and vivacious. * w 
 
 The Princess Caroline, who was married in 1759 to the 
 Prince of Wales, was divorced after he had become King 
 of England. 
 
 " It must be admitted, however, that Mirabeau was 
 sometimes mistaken in his judgments. He judged man- 
 kind; and, for good or for evil, the human species is 
 subject to variations. Time and education modify the 
 character, and alter the inclinations. The horoscope that 
 Mirabeau cast of the Prince Royal of Prussia, the pres- 
 ent reigning monarch, was it realized ? Did that Prince 
 resuscitate the great Frederick ? w 
 
 Mirabeau recommends 1'Abbe" de Pe"rigord to M. de 
 Calonne. <( L'Abbe" de PeYigord, * he says, combines a 
 talent of a rare order and great experience with a pro- 
 found circumspection and an unfailing secrecy. It would 
 be impossible for you to choose a man who is more 
 
 * In all matters apart from the Prussian monarchy, or Ministry, and 
 any facts relating to either, Baron de Trenck renders full justice to 
 Mirabeau; he even admits the accuracy of Mirabeau's estimate of 
 political affairs, and of his profound knowledge of the actual state 
 of Europe.
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 5 
 
 anxious to do good, and who would be more eager to 
 show his gratitude.* Prince de Talleyrand, before the 
 Revolution, bore the name of I'Abbt de Ptrigord. 
 
 Among the curious facts relating to this work, we should 
 not omit to give a copy of the Decree ordering it to be 
 burned. We reproduce this document as an example of 
 the jurisprudence of the period. 
 
 (< Decree of the Court of Parliament, the Chambers as- 
 sembled, the Peers being present, condemning a printed 
 book entitled: <The Secret History of the Court of Ber- 
 lin ; or, the Correspondence of a French Traveler * (Comte 
 de Mirabeau, D/pute" de la Se'ne'chausse'e d' Aix aux tats- 
 Ge'ne'raux), to be torn and burned by the Public Execu- 
 tioner. 
 
 EXTRACT FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY REGISTER OF THE 
 IOTH OF FEBRUARY, 1789. 
 
 "This day the Court, the Chambers assembled, the 
 Peers being present, and the King's representatives being 
 admitted, M. Antoine Louis Se"guier, Advocate to the 
 King, opened the proceedings in the following words: 
 
 * * GENTLEMEN, Justly indignant at the impression pro- 
 duced by a libel as surprising as it is atrocious, the King, 
 in placing in our hands the two printed works which we 
 have brought before you, relies upon the vigilance of the 
 Ministry to denounce and condemn them. 
 
 * * This libel, which has spread itself through the Capi- 
 tal, has already caused the greatest sensation. It has 
 been received with a cry of indignation, the public ver- 
 dict has been given, and this work of darkness has al- 
 ready been stamped with the seal of universal reprobation. 
 
 " ( It is within the rights of Justice to proscribe, with 
 the strongest qualifications, a correspondence which the 
 author seeks to disown by announcing it as the secret 
 agent of a minister who wishes to remain unknown. In 
 denouncing this clandestine work, therefore, we propose 
 to proceed against both the author and the printer, if it 
 is possible to discover them. 
 
 " ' You will doubtless feel some surprise that our Min- 
 istry, so long a dumb recipient of the complaints addressed
 
 6 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 to it by all the Orders of the State, was not to be 
 awakened out of its voluntary inaction, excepting by the 
 command of the King himself. But at this critical 
 moment, when every day sees some fresh production, 
 alternately extravagant and wise, violent and moderate, 
 circumspect and licentious, dictated by party spirit and 
 inspired by patriotism; in this universal madness, when 
 the indefinite liberty of the Press distributes with equal 
 profusion the fruits of knowledge, of ignorance, and of 
 frenzy; in this total inversion of principles, it required 
 nothing less than an order emanating from the Throne 
 to decide us to fulfill those functions which would be 
 indispensable under all other circumstances, but which it 
 seemed to us prudent to suspend, in the midst of the 
 fanaticism of opinions. There are moments when, by a 
 kind of public discretion, or decency, the magistrate 
 should not consult the oracle of the Law. 
 
 * ( There is no need for dissimulation on our part, and 
 we regard with an unfeeling eye the product of resent- 
 ment and vengeance. The past is a guarantee for the 
 future. We have no fear in making this avowal in the 
 presence of magistrates who, while demanding the legiti- 
 mate liberty of the Press, are very far from countenanc- 
 ing the publication of the deluge of anonymous sheets, and 
 the seditious and scandalous pamphlets, with which France 
 is inundated. Tolerance degenerates into abuse, impunity 
 encourages license, and license has reached its last stage. 
 Nothing is respected; rank, position, services rendered 
 are forgotten ; the nobles, and even crowned heads them- 
 selves, become objects of derision and satire. The evil 
 is so widespread that one fears to augment the epidemic 
 in attempting to stay its progress. 
 
 w< The slightest prohibition of a work is sufficient to 
 make the author celebrated, to accelerate its sale, at 
 double the original price, and to give a wider publicity 
 to imposture and calumny. 
 
 <<( The work which we are now denouncing was not 
 written with the intention of still further fertilizing the 
 germs of discord which are already too much scattered 
 throughout the kingdom, but it is of a nature likely to 
 influence the reception, and the mode of existence, of the
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 7 
 
 French nobility at foreign Courts; and far from confirm* 
 ing the high opinion which it has always gained for its 
 generosity, far from being characterized by that frank 
 and loyal spirit of ancient chivalry, which led it on to 
 honor and glory, this vile and infamous production can- 
 not but inspire the strongest prejudice against a people 
 at once polite, natural, complaisant, and quick to famil- 
 iarize itself wherever it finds an opportunity of displaying 
 its wit, or of captivating hearts by the charm of that 
 sociability which distinguishes it from the other European 
 nations. 
 
 (<< This work, in two volumes, is entitled: "The Secret 
 History of the Court of Berlin; or, Correspondence of a 
 French Traveler, from the month of July, 1786, until 
 the ipth January, 1787. Posthumous work, 1789;" with- 
 out the names of either author or printer, or the place 
 where printed. 
 
 (<< This title would seem to indicate that the author was 
 no longer in existence, and that the work was therefore 
 published without his knowledge or consent; but suppos- 
 ing, as the title-page states, that the Secret History is the 
 result of observations made by a writer who had ceased 
 to exist, if it has taken two entire years to print and 
 distribute a work of this nature, is it not obvious that 
 the publisher is even more culpable than the author, since 
 he has given publicity to a correspondence written under 
 the seal of confidence, and which, therefore, was never 
 intended to become a means of defamation, or to supply 
 food for the scandal mongers ? 
 
 (< ( The period at which this Secret History commences 
 will be forever memorable in the annals of Germany. 
 The short space of time which it includes was full of 
 events likely to affect the policy of many a monarchy. 
 Frederick II., whose name alone was sufficient to pre- 
 serve that balance of power which assured to Europe 
 general peace and happiness, Frederick still reigned; but 
 this Prince was fast declining, and his power and fame, 
 which did not abandon him during life, seemed to await 
 him even at the tomb. 
 
 ( It was at this moment that the self-styled * Voyageur 
 fran^ais* endeavored to ingratiate himself with the
 
 8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 greatest personages of the State, in order to gather any 
 stray scraps of conversation, and to endeavor, in the 
 midst of the trouble and commotion caused by the un- 
 foreseen changes of a new ruler to surprise ministerial 
 secrets, to detect the aims and ambitions of the nobles, 
 to expose the intrigues of courtesans, and to fathom the 
 plots of the Court. 
 
 * * If one is to believe this disguised observer, his abil- 
 ity surmounts all obstacles. He is at once welcomed, 
 and, far from being suspected, he seems to have obtained 
 almost general confidence. Princes treat him with kind- 
 ness ; the Ministers put him in possession of State secrets ; 
 the nobles admit him into their society ; the political veil 
 is rent asunder for his benefit ; Frederick dies ; Frederick 
 William succeeds him; the army has not yet taken the 
 oath of allegiance, and yet this attentive politician is 
 aware of the spirit, the character, and the resources of 
 those in authority. The plan of administration is no 
 longer a mystery, and even the King himself, who sus- 
 pects his mission, does not take offense at his assiduity 
 or his liaisons. 
 
 a 'After having explained the system upon which the 
 correspondence would be based; after having explained 
 the sources from which he proposes to draw his informa- 
 tion; in fact, after having exposed his relations and his 
 intimacy with the principal members of the Royal Fam- 
 ily, the first object with which the author has thought it 
 his duty to concern himself is the panegyric on the King 
 which Prussia has just lost. He eulogizes that great man. 
 and he is nearly the only person of whom he speaks 
 highly, or even of whom he does not speak ill, in a 
 Secret History which has no other authenticity than that 
 of the observations, estimates, and the combinations, true 
 or false, of a writer who possessed neither title nor qual- 
 ification. 
 
 * And how was it that he did not render to Frederick 
 II. the justice that was his due? Worthy of the admiration 
 of his century, our soldiers were sent to be instructed in 
 his schools, to study his manoeuvers and his evolutions, 
 and, above all, his military discipline, in the hope of 
 transferring to France some portion of that genius which
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 9 
 
 had founded a new school of tactics, and which had, in 
 some sort, revolutionized the art of war. Amid the hom- 
 age which truth sometimes forces from this mysterious 
 correspondent, one discovers reproaches against the mem- 
 ory of the greatest man in Europe; but, notwithstanding 
 this critical observer and his remarks, his reflections and 
 his criticisms, Frederick, the friend of science and the 
 protector of literature, legislator and philosopher, pro- 
 found politician and indefatigable warrior, combined in 
 his person, and displayed on his throne, all the gifts of a 
 hero and a king. His name, even before his death, was 
 inscribed in the temple of Immortality. 
 
 <( ( Why did not the author of this correspondence show 
 the same respect for a prince of the same blood, animated 
 by the same spirit, and endowed with the same talents ? 
 Did not Prince Henry prove himself to be a general 
 worthy of commanding his august brother, to second his 
 views, and to execute his projects ? Frederick himself, 
 on learning of his success, could not suppress a feeling 
 of rivalry. The greatest generals and the most famous 
 captains are sometimes at fault; the ablest have their 
 reverses. Alone exempt from the common destiny of 
 mankind, fortune seems, in his case, to have renounced 
 its natural inconsistency, or, rather, the experience of 
 Prince Henry enabled him to control the caprices of for- 
 tune, and to fix the victory under his standard. Could 
 we but examine here the witnesses of his brave deeds, 
 the companions of his glory, the only true judges of his 
 merit, they would say, with one voice, that, gentle and 
 affable in the ever) r day affairs of life, intrepid and at 
 ease in action, humane and compassionate after the com- 
 bat, by a most happy accord of the most eminent quali- 
 ties, he combined the activity of Hannibal, the prudence 
 of Fabius, and the wisdom of Scipio. 
 
 " ' But is it necessary for us to call witnesses to prove 
 the bravery and genius of a prince whose name is re- 
 vered by both officers and soldiers ? It is for the French 
 army to avenge the insults. A magistrate, a friend of 
 peace, is not the proper man to pronounce his eulogy; 
 and the Minister of Justice would hardly dare to add his 
 voice to the general acclamations of this celebrated Prince.
 
 jo SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 (< ( One is tempted to believe that, from the midst of 
 his <( nebulous position, the author has taken upon him- 
 self to open the flood gates of his malice nnd animosity 
 on all those whose positions and characters are above 
 suspicion, and who are worthy of his respect. It is not 
 enough to have showered invectives on the uncle of the 
 new King, the King himself, his august family, the 
 princesses of the blood, and the Ministry; in fact 
 the whole Court is treated with such a criminal inde- 
 cency, that we should blush to repeat the infamous ex- 
 pressions of which the author has made use. 
 
 * * His (< amphibious existence w enables him sometimes 
 to wander from his native land ; his imagination trans- 
 ports him to far distant countries, to Austria, to Poland, 
 and to the northernmost lands ; and it is always with the 
 same culpable purpose of collecting fresh horrors, of 
 filling his correspondence with untruthful statements, 
 and to circulate with his discoveries the blackest calum- 
 nies. 
 
 (< ( What opinion can one form of this Secret History, 
 which is even more abominable than that of the his- 
 torian, Procopius, who, when criticising an emperor, did 
 at least refer to his merits as well as his demerits? It 
 presents us with nothing but a collection of shameful 
 impostures, highly improbable and easily invented, more 
 for the purpose of gratifying the mania of the author, 
 than for attracting the curiosity of the reader in search 
 of knowledge. 
 
 w ( It is a collection of portraits in which the artist's 
 imagination is largely predominant. His hand has mixed 
 the colors with the bitter spleen with which his brush 
 was already filled; and, if we are told that he painted 
 his subjects as they appeared to him, it must be re- 
 membered that his prejudiced eye enveloped them in 
 that shade in which he was himself obscured. 
 
 " ( It is an assemblage of reflections based indiscrimi- 
 nately upon malicious conversations, upon lying reports, 
 upon fictitious secrets, and upon allegations which have 
 since been proved untrue. All these have been written 
 down without thought or hesitation, and the author has 
 no fear in asserting that they are veritable facts, because
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE u 
 
 it was the only return he could make for the treatment 
 he received, of the mediocrity of which he is constantly 
 complaining. 
 
 <( * It is most unfortunate to possess great talent when 
 one has not sufficient force of character to apply it to 
 good purposes. If the corruption of the soul stifle the 
 sentiment of honor and the cry of conscience, genius is 
 a disastrous gift from Nature. What are we to think of 
 a writer who voluntarily adopts the role of anonymous 
 accuser; who settles himself in a foreign Court with that 
 frankness, that ease, that amenity, which leads to the 
 forming of liaisons; and who, ere long, abusing the sen- 
 timents which he had inspired, dares to reveal particu- 
 lars which he has learned in the most intimate confidence ; 
 who dares to slander all those who have received him with 
 kindness, dares to make insinuations and suggestions con- 
 cerning them which are entirely unjustifiable; and who 
 even carries his audacity to the length of insulting, with 
 a brutal cynicism, those whose station is so greatly above 
 that of this * agent subalterne* (for so he styles himself) 
 that it is difficult to place any confidence in his asser- 
 tions ; because, if they were true, his relations with peo- 
 ple of rank must have been most intimate in fact, they 
 must have treated him as an equal ? Again, what man 
 would wish to expose himself before his equal ? The 
 nobles may lay aside their rank in their own households; 
 it is frequently necessary for them to do so. But a king, 
 or prince, or a man of dignity, always knows how to 
 respect himself before a stranger; should any familiari- 
 ties or confidences be accorded to him, it is done with 
 suspicion and is but temporary. 
 
 (< * What must have been the result, therefore, when this 
 stranger himself admits that he is regarded as a spy ? 
 And if he is suspected of wishing to find out the secrets 
 of the Government, would not a wise circumspection sug- 
 gest the advisability of deceiving him by making a pre- 
 tense of that confidence which he is so eager to abuse ? 
 
 <( * Let us suppose, nevertheless, that the author, de- 
 ceived by fnlse reports or by feigned contrivances, 
 believed that he was really a witness of all that he in- 
 serted in his correspondence : the entire work would still
 
 12 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 be a violation of the Law of Nations, an abuse of hospi- 
 tality, an infamy the more unpardonable in that familiar- 
 ity was with him but the cloak of perfidiousness, and 
 that the closest friendship became the instrument of 
 treachery. 
 
 w * These reflections lead necessarily to the pronounce- 
 ment of judgment both upon the author of this pretended 
 posthumous work and upon itself. And, in the first place, 
 it is by simple and by sure rules that the author may be 
 judged without error. 
 
 <( * Has he placed himself beyond the laws of honor and 
 probity ? Has he gone beyond the bounds of decency ? 
 Has he so far forgotten himself as to violate public 
 morality ? Has he been wanting in that respect of which 
 the French are ever ready to accord the most touching 
 proofs to their King, respect impelled as much by love 
 as by duty, but respect that every Frenchman owes to 
 other nations, whether they are friends or enemies of 
 France; which every man owes to other men, and which 
 every one owes to himself ? This writer has an unruly 
 spirit. His natural perversity makes him rash, violent, 
 and passionate; and, after having broken down all the 
 barriers that prudence opposes to his license, he only 
 brings trouble and remorse into the hearts of those who 
 are unfortunate enough to allow themselves to be en- 
 trapped by his fables, his lies, and his calumnies. 
 
 < We are, nevertheless, bound to admit that, if this 
 unknown author only fulfilled the particular mission which 
 he pretends to have received; if the letters which com- 
 pose this Secret History were written by him only to be 
 sent direct to their destination; if he made no copies of 
 them; if it was not by his act that they were made 
 public; in fact, if he is entirely innocent of the printing 
 of this work, however ignominious may be the obscure 
 person who played this part, it is for him alone to re- 
 proach himself with his baseness and crime, and justice 
 cannot hold as a crime the publication of his correspond- 
 ence. The publisher only merits prosecution, and the 
 printer, equally guilty, should share the punishment of 
 an offense which is as contrary to public honesty as it is 
 to the Law of Nations.
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 13 
 
 <( ( With regard to the work itself, it is difficult to con- 
 sider this <( Correspondence w otherwise than as a defam- 
 atory libel worthy of all the rigor of the law. By a 
 species of fatality, writings of this nature generally ex- 
 cite the curiosity; the more they are vicious, the more 
 they are sought after. The human heart permits itself 
 to be so easily attracted toward that which is evil. In 
 censuring the writer, one gives publicity to his libels. 
 The malicious smile, the honest man contents himself 
 with a sigh, and the defamation remains unpunished; 
 whereas general indignation should denounce and prose- 
 cute the slanderer. (< The Secret History of the Court of 
 Berlin w has not received the same indulgent treatment. 
 Public opinion was shocked, and it measured the insult, 
 not by the man who uttered it, but by the elevated posi- 
 tion of those against whom it was directed. The dispar- 
 ity of rank seemed to add to the gravity of the outrage. 
 The libel was regarded as sufficient to excite the indig- 
 nation of all the Powers, should the law not hasten to 
 proscribe the work. 
 
 " * It is by the King's command that we have denounced 
 this fictitious correspondence; it is in his name that we 
 demand its condemnation; and, after having consigned 
 it to the flames, we call upon the Ministry to employ 
 every effort for the discovery of the author, publisher, 
 and printer. 
 
 " < This, then, is the conclusion of our indictment, which 
 we place before the Court, together with the two vol- 
 umes referred to, of which the following is a faithful 
 description : 
 
 <( * A printed work, in two volumes, entitled : (< The 
 Secret History of the Court of Berlin ; or, Correspondence 
 of a French Traveler, from the month of July, 1786, un- 
 til ipth January, 1787. A posthumous work, 1789 ; w with- 
 out names of either the author or printer, containing 
 Vol. i., 318 pages; vol. ii., 376 pages.' 
 
 [Conclusion of the indictment of the Procureur-ge'ne'ral of 
 the King. Follows the decision of the Court. ,] 
 
 <( The Court orders that the two volumes be destroyed 
 and burned in the courtyard of the palace, at the foot of
 
 14 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the grand staircase, by the public executioner, the Court 
 being of the opinion that the volumes contain defamatory 
 and slanderous libels, which are contrary to the respect 
 due to other Powers, and in opposition to our laws and 
 those of other nations. The Court calls upon all those 
 who possess copies of this work to deliver them up to 
 the clerk of this Court in order that they may be de- 
 stroyed. It also strictly prohibits all printers and book- 
 sellers from printing or selling copies of this work, and 
 all colporteurs and distributors from hawking or distribu- 
 ting it, under penalty of prosecution and punishment with 
 such rigor as the law may permit. And the Court fur- 
 ther ordains that, at the request of the Procureur-ge'ne'ral 
 of the King, information may be heard against the author, 
 printer, and publisher, before the Conseilleur-rapporteur 
 that the Court may appoint, for the witnesses at Paris; 
 and before the Lieutenant-criminel des bailliages et se"ne"- 
 chausse'es du ressort, for such witnesses as may reside in 
 the provinces, having regard to the printing and distribu- 
 ting of this work. The Court ordains that the present 
 Decree be printed and posted up in all public places, and 
 that copies may be sent to all bailliages et se'ne'chausse'es 
 du ressort, for a similar purpose. The Court enjoins upon 
 the deputies of the Procureur-ge'ne'ral du roi to give this 
 matter their attention, and to report to the Court within 
 a month from this date. Given in Parliament, fully as- 
 sembled, the Peers being present, the tenth day of 
 February, the year seventeen hundred and eighty-nine. 
 
 <( (Verified) GLUTTON. 
 
 w (Signed) ISABEAU. 
 
 "And the same date (xoth February, 1789), at the ris- 
 ing of the Court, the aforesaid work, entitled ( The 
 Secret History of the Court of Berlin; or, Correspond- 
 ence of a French Traveler,' was destroyed and burned 
 by the Public Executioner, at the foot of the grand stair- 
 case in the Palace, in the presence of me, Dagobert 
 Etienne Isabeau, esquire, one of the clerks of the Grande 
 Chambre, assisted by two ushers of the Court. 
 
 " (Signed) ISABEAU.*
 
 EDITOR'S PREFACE 15 
 
 At the end of the Secret History will be found a letter 
 addressed by Mirabeau to Frederick William II., on the 
 day of his ascension to the throne. He was the nephew 
 of the great Frederick, and the father of the present 
 King. 
 
 This Prince is not much known as a soldier, his only 
 experience in the art of warfare being during the in- 
 vasion of Champagne in 1792. He received Mirabeau's 
 letter with kindness, but he did not foresee the destiny 
 which the (< Voyageur franqais w had traced for him. 
 
 C. Y.
 
 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 
 
 LETTER I.* 
 
 July sth, 1786. 
 
 SIR, I have the honor to write to you by the first post, 
 to inform you that the Berlin mail, for which I 
 waited before I would enter my carriage, has brought 
 me no letter. It is possible, but not probable, that the 
 letter of my correspondent has been sent too late for the 
 post. It is also possible, and very likely, nay, if the 
 Comte de Vergennes has received no intelligence it is 
 almost certain, that the great event either approaches or 
 is past; for I hold it as infallible that, when death be- 
 comes inevitable, the couriers will be stopped. This, sir, 
 deeply engages my attention, and I shall hasten with all 
 expedition to Brunswick, where I shall gain certain in- 
 formation; there I shall remain several days if the King 
 is living. 
 
 I have at present only to add, I shall think no labor, 
 time, or trouble too great if I can but serve you, mon- 
 sieur, and the cause of the public. 
 
 I shall not repeat any of our conversations, but shall 
 take the liberty to offer you my advice, solely founded 
 on my personal attachment; of which you cannot doubt, 
 
 * This letter is evidently addressed to a Minister, who had given the 
 traveler some secret commission to execute. It seems evident to us that 
 this Minister was M. de Calonne ; and the following letter is extremely 
 curious, as it leads to prove that, from the beginning of the year 1786, 
 M. de Calonne was determined on the Assembly of the Notables; whom 
 he convoked and directed, in 1787, with so much perilous and fatal pre- 
 cipitation. 
 
 2 (17)
 
 i8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 since, independent of that amiable seduction which you 
 exercise with power so irresistible, our interests are the 
 same. The torrent of your affairs, the activity of ca- 
 bals, the efforts of every kind which you so prodigally 
 are obliged to make, render it impossible that you should 
 yourself class and arrange the grand projects which your 
 genius has brought to maturity, and which are ready to 
 bud and bloom. You have testified some regret that I, 
 for the present, declined performing this office for you. 
 Permit me therefore, monsieur, to name a person who 
 is, in every respect, worthy of this mark of your confi- 
 dence. 
 
 The Abbe" de PeYigord, to consummate and practical 
 abilities, joins profound circumspection and inviolable 
 secrecy. You never can select a man more to be de- 
 pended upon; or one who will with more fervent piety 
 bow before the shrine of gratitude and friendship; who 
 will be more anxiously active in good, less covetous of 
 others' fame, or one with superior conviction that fame 
 is justly due to him, only, who has the power to con- 
 ceive and the fortitude to execute. 
 
 He possesses another advantage. His ascendency over 
 Panchand represses the defects of the latter, which have 
 been so described to you as to inspire fears, and sets all 
 his great qualities and uncommon talents, which daily 
 become more necessary to you, in action. There is no 
 man who can guide and rule M. Panchand like the Abb6 
 de Pe*rigord, who will momentarily become more valu- 
 able to you the better to effect a grand money measure, 
 without which no other measures can be effected. You 
 may confide that delicate business to the Abbe" de P6ri- 
 gord, which, especially in the present moment, ought 
 not to be trusted to clerks. The noble, the enlightened, 
 the civic project of drawing inferences from the numer- 
 ous false statements that infest the accounts of Minis- 
 ters (and which, being compared to the true statements, 
 caused, or rather obliged, the King to determine that 
 decisive measures should give France a national credit, 
 and consequently a legal constitution) cannot be better 
 realized than by the joint labors of these two persons. 
 One of them has long been devoted to you; and the
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 19 
 
 other will be, whenever any single act of benevolence 
 shall excite his emulation. Condescend to believe, mon- 
 sieur, that you cannot act more to your own interest. 
 
 I was desirous of writing thus to-night, because it 
 would neither be delicate nor decent for the person in- 
 terested to read what I have written; and this letter is 
 the last you will receive that must not pass through the 
 hands of a third person. My attachment, monsieur, to 
 you, and your fame, induces me to hope you will place 
 some confidence in this counsel, if I may so venture to 
 call it; and that it will not be ranked among the least 
 of the proofs of the most devoted respect with which I 
 am, etc.
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 BRUNSWICK, July i2th, 1786. 
 
 THAT the King is very ill is very certain; but he is 
 not at the point of death. Zimmermann, the famous 
 Hanoverian physician, whom he sent for, has de- 
 clared that, if he would be careful, he might still live; 
 but he is incorrigible on the article of abstinence. He 
 still mounts his horse, and he even trotted fifty paces 
 some days since, with a man on each side of him; but 
 it is nevertheless true that he has the dropsy; and in 
 reality, he has not been any better since my departure. 
 
 I shall not see the reigning Duke of Brunswick before 
 this evening; he is in the country. He has powerfully 
 supported the election which the Chapters of Hildesheim 
 and Paderborn have lately made of a coadjutor. M. 
 Furstemberg has been elected. Vienna caballed exceed- 
 ingly in favor of the Archduke Maximilian. It appears 
 that the Duke wishes to promote peace, since he en- 
 deavors, by every means, to strengthen the Germanic 
 confederation, which certainly has that only for its end, 
 though the means may give room for reflection. I have 
 my reasons for being of that opinion, which I shall ex- 
 plain on some other occasion. To-day I am at the mercy 
 of the courier. 
 
 Parties are very busy at Berlin; especially that of 
 Prince Henry, who is eternally eager, without well 
 knowing what he wishes. But all is silence in the King's 
 presence; he still is King, and so will remain to the 
 last moment. 
 
 As the immediate death of the King is not expected, 
 I shall continue at Brunswick some days, in order to 
 prepare him for my return (much more premature 
 than I had announced) and that I may more nearly 
 study the Duke. 
 
 (20)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 21 
 
 The coinage continues to be an object of contention, 
 and exaggerated discredit. I think it would be of use 
 to publish apologetic reasons concerning the gold coin, 
 confessing its too high rate (for wherefore deny that 
 which is demonstrated ?) ; and justificatory proofs, relative 
 to the silver, the crowns of sixty-nine, and those since 
 1784, still remaining prohibited. 
 
 You no doubt know that the Duke, Louis of Bruns- 
 wick,* has quitted Aix-la-Chapelle, and is retired to 
 Eisenach. The troubles of that petty republic may 
 perhaps explain his retreat; but these do not seem to 
 me sufficient motives for his new abode, and for this 
 single reason, that the Duchess of Weymar is his niece. 
 
 * Not the reigning Duke of Brunswick, just before mentioned, but 
 his uncle, the late Prime Minister of the Stadtholder ; or rather the late 
 effective regent of the United Provinces.
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 July i4th, 1786. 
 
 I DINED and supped yesterday with the Duke. When we 
 rose from table, after dinner, he took me aside to the 
 window, where we conversed for about two hours, 
 with much reserve at first, on his part, afterward with 
 more openness, and at last with an evident desire to be 
 thought sincere. 
 
 An expression of esteem for the Comte de Vergennes, 
 and fear for his approaching retreat, gave occasion to 
 this private conversation. The expression alluded to was 
 immediately followed by the question ( which was asked 
 in a tone of affected indifference, and betrayed a very 
 strong degree of curiosity ), (< No doubt M. de Breteuil 
 will be his successor ? w The Duchess was of our party. 
 I answered, lowering my voice, but articulating with 
 great firmness, <( I hope and believe not. " It was after 
 I had said this that he led me to the window, at the far 
 end of the apartment. He presently began to converse, 
 with all the energy which his slowness and native dignity 
 admit, of the inquietude which the Germanic body could 
 not avoid feeling, should M. de Breteuil, who was at the 
 head of the Austrian party, and who has long been a 
 servant and friend of the Cabinet of Vienna, succeed to 
 the place of first Minister. 
 
 I replied (speaking of the Comte de Vergennes with 
 every respect, and of the generous and pacific intentions 
 of the King with great confidence ) that, should the Comte 
 de Vergennes retire, it would probably be of his own 
 free will; and that no one would have greater influence 
 than himself in the choice of his successor; that con- 
 sequently, whether he remained in office or went out, the 
 first Minister would not be of the Austrian party; and, 
 though most assuredly the probity of the King, and the 
 morale of his politics, would continue to render the con- 
 
 (22)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 23 
 
 nections between the Courts of Vienna and Versailles re- 
 spected, as they would all others, yet, that the interest 
 of Europe, and of France in particular, was so intimately 
 united to the continuance of peace, that these connections, 
 far from inciting war, could but contribute to render 
 peace durable ; that France was sufficiently puissant, from 
 innate strength and from the state of her affairs, honor- 
 ably to own that she dreaded war, which she would take 
 every care to shun; that I did not think sudden war 
 probable, especially when, studying the administration of 
 the Duke of Brunswick, I perceived that he had per- 
 formed his duties, of Prince and father, with so much 
 assiduity and success; that, however natural it might be 
 for man to seek that career, in which he was indubitably 
 the first, I could not believe he ( the Duke ) would sacri- 
 fice to the desire of military renown, so much of which 
 he had already acquired, his favorite work, his real en- 
 joyments, and the inheritance of his children; that all 
 circumstances called him to supreme influence over the 
 affairs of Prussia after the death of the great King, and 
 that, Prussia being at this time the pivot on which con- 
 tinental war or peace were balanced, he ( the Duke of 
 Brunswick) would almost singly decide which was to 
 ensue ; that he had formerly sufficiently shone the hero of 
 war, and that I was convinced he would hereafter remain 
 the angel of peace. 
 
 He then forcibly denied ever having been fond of war ; 
 even at the time when he had been most fortunate. He 
 showed, independent of his principles, how ardently his 
 family and personal interest would induce him to beware 
 of war. <( And if it were necessary, * added he, (< in an 
 affair so important, to consult nothing further than the 
 despicable gratification of self-love, do I not know how 
 much war is the sport of chance? I have formerly not 
 been unfortunate. I might hereafter be a better general, 
 and yet might not have the same success. No prudent 
 man, especially one who is advanced in life, will risk 
 his reputation in so hazardous a pursuit, if it may be 
 avoided. M 
 
 This part of his discourse, which was long, animated, 
 energetic, and evidently sincere, was preceded by a
 
 24 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 phrase of etiquette and remonstrance, in which he as- 
 sured me that he never should possess, and was far from 
 desiring to possess, any influence in Prussia. To this 
 phrase I reverted; and, by a rapid sketch, proving to 
 him that I was well acquainted with Berlin, the princi- 
 pal actors there, and the present state of men and things, I 
 demonstrated (which he most certainly knows better than 
 I do) that his interest, the interest of his house, of Ger- 
 many, and of Europe, made it a duty in him to take the 
 helm of State in Prussia; to preserve that kingdom from 
 the hurricane most fatal to States, the strength of which 
 principally depends upon opinion. I mean from petty 
 intrigues, petty passions, and want of stability and con- 
 sistency of system. "Your personal dignity, " added I, 
 a which is truly immense, and a thousand times more 
 elevated than your rank, however eminent that may be, 
 no doubt forbids you to tender your services; but it is 
 your duty, I will not say not to refuse, no, I repeat, it is 
 your duty to take measures, and employ all your abil- 
 ities, all your powers, to gain an ascendency over the 
 successor, and to seize the direction of affairs.* 
 
 This mode of treatment greatly developed the man. 
 He spoke with truth, and consequently with a degree of 
 confidence, of Berlin. He told me Count Hertzberg had 
 not let him remain ignorant of our intimacy; he de- 
 picted many, of the persons who have influence, such as 
 I know them to be. I clearly saw that there was a cool- 
 ness, founded on some unknown subject, between him 
 and the Prince of Prussia;* that he (the Duke of 
 Brunswick) neither loved nor esteemed Prince Henry; 
 and that his (the Duke's) party was as powerfully formed 
 as it could be, in a country hitherto little in the habit 
 of cabal, but which, perhaps, will presently be initiated. 
 I purposely assumed much faith in the warlike disposi- 
 tions of the Cabinet of Berlin. The Duke gave good 
 proofs that, independent of the Heir Apparent, who, 
 though personally brave, was not warlike, as well be- 
 cause of his manners and habits as of his prodigious 
 stature, it would be madness to begin; that the moment 
 of acquisition by arms, which, perhaps, still was neces- 
 
 *The Heir Apparent
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 25 
 
 sary to Prussia, was not yet come; and that it was 
 necessary to consolidate, etc., etc. All this was very 
 serious, very sensible, and very circumstantial. 
 
 The Oriental system, Russia, Poland, Courland, all 
 passed in review. 
 
 They still have their fears concerning the Oriental 
 system; that is to say, concerning the part that we 
 might take. They seem to believe that Russia will never 
 powerfully second the Emperor, except in support of the 
 Oriental system, and whatever may contribute to its 
 success. Poland is to reconstruct. We remitted speaking 
 of it, as well as of Courland. Suddenly, and by a very 
 abrupt transition (it seems to me he employs transitions 
 to surprise the secrets of those with whom he converses, 
 and on whom he earnestly fixes his eyes while he listens), 
 he asked what I meant to do at Berlin. <( Complete my 
 knowledge of the North, w answered I, <( which I have had 
 little opportunity of studying, except at that city; since 
 Vienna and Petersburg are to me forbidden places. And 
 who knows ? We always presume on our own powers. 
 It may be hoped that, the subject being so grand, the 
 soul may elevate the genius. I, perhaps, shall dare to 
 snatch the portrait of Caesar from the daubers who are 
 so eager to besmear. 8 This answer seemed satisfactory. 
 I found it easy to interlard my discourse with agreeable 
 compliments. I told him he had rather conquered than 
 vanquished us ; that we regarded the fate of Germany as 
 resting on his shoulders, etc. , etc. ; and that, therefore, 
 the design of writing the most brilliant history of the 
 age in which I lived had placed me, even before I was 
 acquainted with him, in the rank of one of his most 
 ardent admirers. I know not whether he did or did not 
 believe that I solely occupied myself with literature ; but 
 the supposition that I shall write history will perhaps 
 render him more accessible to me, and acquire me more 
 of his confidence; for he appears to possess the love, 
 and even the jealousy, of fame to the utmost de- 
 gree. 
 
 I am pressed by the courier because, not having 
 quitted the Court all yesterday, I could not write before 
 this morning; and the courier departs at eleven o'clock.
 
 36 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Writing in cipher is very tedious; I therefore omit a 
 thousand particulars which lead me to believe 
 
 1. That the English will not, by any means, be so 
 quickly successful in their artifices in the North as might 
 be feared; if the Court of Berlin may at all depend on 
 the Court of Versailles. 
 
 2. That it is time to speak a little more openly to the 
 former; and not to confound mystery and secrecy, finesse 
 and prudence, ambiguity and policy. 
 
 3. That the Duke of Brunswick, whom I believe to 
 be by much the most able Prince of Germany, is sin- 
 cerely desirous of peace; and that he will inspire the 
 Cabinet of Berlin with the same sentiments, if but the 
 least restraint be laid on the Emperor; who, said he to 
 me, has spoken in outrageous terms, in the presence of 
 seven or eight witnesses besides myself, of the Prince of 
 Prussia. 
 
 4. That the intention of the Duke is to govern 
 Prussia, and to obtain great confidence and superior 
 influence in Europe; that he would dread lest these 
 would not be augmented by war, which he is convinced 
 ought to be avoided, at Berlin; and that war is not 
 really to be feared, except as far as France shall en- 
 courage the Emperor, who without us will not be any- 
 thing. 
 
 I have not time to-day to give more than a sketch of 
 the Duke such as he appears to me, who certainly will 
 not be thought a common man even among men of 
 merit. His person bespeaks depth and penetration, a 
 desire to please tempered by fortitude, nay by severity. 
 He is polite to affectation; speaks with precision, and 
 with a degree of elegance; but he is somewhat too care- 
 ful to speak thus, and the proper word sometimes escapes 
 him. He understands the art of listening, and of inter- 
 rogating according to the very spirit of reply. Praise, 
 gracefully embellished and artfully concealed, he finds 
 agreeable. He is prodigiously laborious, well informed, 
 and perspicuous. However able his first Minister Feronce 
 may be, the Duke superintends all affairs, and generally 
 decides for himself. His correspondence is immense, for 
 which he can only be indebted to his personal considera-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 27 
 
 tion; because he cannot be sufficiently wealthy to keep 
 so many correspondents in pay; and few great Courts 
 are so well informed as he is. All his affairs are in 
 excellent order. He became the reigning Duke of Bruns- 
 wick in 1780, and found his principality loaded with 
 debts, to the amount of forty millions of livres. His 
 administration has been such that, with a revenue of 
 about one hundred thousand louis, and a sinking fund 
 in which he has deposited the savings of the English sub- 
 sidies, he will, in 1790, not only have perfectly liquidated 
 the debts of the sovereignty, but, also, those of the 
 State. His country is as free as it can be ; and is happy 
 and contented, except that the trading class regret the 
 prodigality of his father. Not that the reigning Duke is 
 less sensible to elegant pleasures than another; but, se- 
 verely observant of decency, and religiously faithful to his 
 duty as a Prince, he has perceived that economy was 
 his only resource. His mistress, Madame Hartfeld, is the 
 most reasonable woman at Court; and so proper is this 
 attachment that, having a short time since discovered an 
 inclination for another woman, the Duchess leagued with 
 Madame Hartfeld to keep her at a distance. Truly an 
 Alcibiades, he delights in the pleasures and the graces; 
 but these never subtract anything from his labors or his 
 duties, not even those of prudence. When he is to act 
 as a Prussian general, no one is so early, so active, so 
 minute as himself. It is a mark of superior character 
 and understanding, in my opinion, that the labor of the 
 day can be less properly said to be sufficient for him than 
 he is for the labor of the day; his first ambition is that 
 of executing it well. Intoxicated by military success, 
 and universally pointed out as a great general (especially 
 since the campaign of 1778, during which he all the 
 winter maintained the feeble post of Troppau, to which 
 the King of Prussia annexed a kind of vanity, against 
 every effort of the Austrians), he appears effectually to 
 have quitted military glory, to betake himself to the 
 cares of government. Everywhere made welcome, pos- 
 sessed of unbounded curiosity, he still is capable of as- 
 siduously confining himself to Brunswick, and attaching 
 himself to business. He is, in fine, a man of an uncom-
 
 28 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 mon stamp, but too wise to be formidable to the wise. 
 He delights much in France, with which he is exceed- 
 ingly well acquainted, and appears to be very fond of 
 whatever comes from that country. His eldest son, re- 
 turning from Lausanne, has passed through Franche- 
 Comte", Languedoc, and Provence, and is very desirous 
 to return to France. I shall soon know if he is to be 
 sent back. In my opinion the son cannot be treated 
 with too much respect there, so as to testify confidence 
 in the father; which it seems to me would give the latter 
 pleasure, by which he would certainly be sufficiently con- 
 firmed and flattered, to keep this treatment in memory. 
 
 I cannot at present speak of the supper, when the 
 Duke removed me from the place of honor, opposite the 
 Duchess, where I sat at dinner, to seat me beside him- 
 self, which is always at the far end of the table. The 
 conversation was lively, and absolutely individual, but 
 not political. (We had listeners.) He questioned me 
 much concerning France. I am to dine with him to-day, 
 and to sup with the Duchess Dowager, at Antoinetten- 
 Ruh. I could not avoid this tax on propriety, which 
 deprives me of an opportunity of supping with the Duke, 
 a favor he rarely grants, and which appeared to be 
 much remarked here, yesterday, where I am observed 
 with anxiety. Perhaps I am supposed a place hunter. 
 
 The continuance of Zimmermann at Potsdam is pro- 
 longed, more than it was supposed it would have been. 
 He writes that the dropsy is not confirmed, and he again 
 talks of an asthma. This is medical cant. He is the 
 creature of the King, not of the public. Certain it is 
 that he has gained no victory over eel pies and polenta; 
 that there are no longer any wrinkles in the face ; and that 
 the parts are all inflated and oedematous. 
 
 Prince Henry, however, is returned to Rheinsberg, 
 
 where the youthful and handsome R , as it is said, 
 
 occasions rain and fair weather. 
 
 I can warrant it as a fact that a Scotchman who is 
 first physician to Catherine II. of Russia, being lately at 
 Vienna, dined at the table of the Emperor, and was 
 seated by his side. Indeed, this was avowed in the 
 Gazettes; but it was not there avowed that, while this
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 29 
 
 physician remained at Vienna, Cobenzl (the Austrian 
 Ambassador to the Court of Petersburg, but then at 
 Vienna) having been ordered to show the physician a 
 pleasure house in the vicinity of the metropolis, the 
 Emperor on horseback HAPPENED to meet the doctor on 
 the road, and continued in conversation with him, at the 
 coach window, for the space of more than two leagues.
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 July 1 6th, 1786. 
 
 TO-DAY I was three hours alone with the Duke, after 
 rising from dinner. The conversation was animated, 
 
 frank, and almost confidential: it confirmed me in 
 most of the opinions I gave in my last letter (Number 
 III.), but it has inspired me with much fear, concern- 
 ing the situation of Prussia after the death of the King. 
 The successor seems to have every symptom of the most 
 incurable weakness ; the most corrupt among the persons 
 by whom he is surrounded, of whom the gloomy and 
 visionary Bishopswerder may be ranked as first, daily 
 increase in power. There is a coolness said to prevail 
 between the Heir Apparent and his uncles. The coad- 
 jutorship of the Order of St. John, bestowed with great 
 solemnity on Prince Henry, the eldest son of Prince 
 Ferdinand, which deprives the successor of more than 
 fifty thousand crowns per annum, is the most recent 
 cause of this coolness. It should seem that there have 
 been very powerful intrigues for the establishment of 
 these two young Princes, whom both city and Court re- 
 gard as the children of Count Schmettau. The measures 
 taken to effect this were strengthened at the very mo- 
 ment when the King was supposed to be expiring, so as 
 to bind the successor, of whom they consequently have 
 testified their suspicion. To the King's brother, Prince 
 Henry, the half at least of all this appertains; nor has 
 the Heir Apparent attempted to conceal his dissatisfaction. 
 Thence it results that all the subaltern parties, and 
 their dirty cabals, become more active; so that the re- 
 spect in which the Court of Berlin has been held, and in 
 which consists its greatest power, depends, perhaps, but 
 too much on the life of the King; unless the Duke of 
 Brunswick should seize the reins of government, the 
 burden of which he seriously appears to dread. In 
 
 (.30)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 31 
 
 effect, a kingdom like this, which has no constituent 
 foundation, will be cruelly agitated, should the winds of 
 Court begin to blow; and should the Duke, who has 
 formed himself without having studied in the school of 
 adversity, and whose reason and sagacity it is impossi- 
 ble to speak too highly of, fear to reverse the whole 
 system of his mode of life. But he does not start at 
 difficulties; and he is too much interested in the pros- 
 perity of Prussia not to seek to obtain influence 
 there. 
 
 It does not appear to me probable that the first six 
 months, or even the first year, should produce any change, 
 or do more than prepare for change. The Duke has 
 repeatedly assured me that all the Protestant powers of 
 Germany, and a great part of the Catholic, would in- 
 controvertibly be in the interest of France, whenever the 
 latter should fully convince the Germanic body of her 
 amicable intentions; and when I asked what pledges 
 should be given us that the high part with which the 
 Elector of Hanover was invested, in the confederation 
 of the Princes, should not sway the Cabinet of Berlin to 
 the side of the English, and should not become an in- 
 vincible impediment to any sincere union between Ver- 
 sailles and Prussia, he clearly showed me, so as not to 
 admit of reply, that the Germanic league would never 
 have existed, or at least would never have assumed its 
 present form, had it not been for the ambiguity of our 
 conduct, relative to the Schelde, to Bavaria, and to the 
 Oriental system. He added that the Elector of Hanover, 
 and the King of England, were two very distinct per- 
 sons: and that the English and the Germans were great 
 strangers to each other. 
 
 Here I ought to observe that, in my opinion, the Duke 
 overacts his part, whenever he speaks of depressing 
 England, which I well know he loves; and that perhaps 
 because he feels his family connections may, in this 
 respect, render him more liable to suspicion. In a word, 
 I cannot too often repeat that they do not appear to 
 have confidence in us, but that such confidence is very 
 sincerely desired ; and that the more because the Emperor, 
 unsupported by France, is not held in the least dread,
 
 32 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 and that there is a reigning conviction he will not dare 
 to take a single step, when the Cabinet of Versailles 
 shall say, (< We will not suffer any infraction. w 
 
 Be it however remarked that the incoherent conduct 
 of the Emperor, and his abrupt vagaries, often unhinge 
 all the combinations of reason. The Duke has to-day 
 learned a fact of this kind, which may well incite medi- 
 tation. 
 
 The Baron of Gemmingen, some time since, wrote a 
 very violent pamphlet against the German confederacy. 
 Dohm, an excellent Prussian civilian, answered in a 
 strong and victorious manner. The Ministry of Vienna, 
 in consequence, requested our Ministry to entreat the 
 Court of Berlin to suffer wordy hostilities to cease. The 
 latter consented; but there has just appeared (printed 
 indeed at Munich, but indubitably coming from Vienna) 
 a satirical and bitter reply to Dohm. Verbal wars are 
 rarely insignificant at Vienna, where they are never begun 
 but under the auspices of Government. 
 
 The following is another fact of serious import, if 
 true. The Duke has received advice, from Vienna, that 
 between four and five thousand Russians have entered 
 Poland, where the Diet threatens to be very turbulent. 
 The Duke is desirous we should take a decisive part con- 
 cerning and against all new arrangements tending to the 
 further dissolution or dismemberment of Poland. I have 
 not knowledge sufficient of this country to enter into any 
 circumstantial detail; but I spoke to htm on the subject 
 of Courland, explaining my ideas, relative to the late 
 proceedings of Russia in this country, such as they will 
 be found in my Memorial ; and I introduced my discourse 
 as if arising out of the conversation. He was ardently 
 attentive to what I said, and promised to write according 
 to my sense of the danger to Count Hertzberg. I well 
 comprehend that the circumstances of the moment are 
 nothing less than favorable; and the assent which was 
 warmly given by a most excellent politician emboldens 
 me to entreat that my Memorial may be taken into con- 
 sideration, though it should only be practicable in future, 
 and that some instructions may be sent me, on the man- 
 ner in which I may sound the Duke of Courland on this
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 33 
 
 head, whom I shall meet at Berlin, and the principal 
 persons of Courland, with whom I may easily correspond ; 
 my trade of traveler being known, and my desire to col- 
 lect facts and to deduce consequences giving great op- 
 portunities to inquire and speak concerning all sub- 
 jects. 
 3
 
 MEMORIAL.* 
 
 Sent to the Court of France, Concerning the Declaration Made by 
 Russia to Courland, and Published in the (< Leyden Gazettes, from 
 the aoth of May to the 3d of June, 1786. 
 
 COURLAND has lately been officially menaced with the 
 indignation of the Sovereign of all the Russias, on 
 the supposition that the report, relative to the ab- 
 dication of the Duke of Courland in favor of the Prince 
 of Wurtemberg, a general in the Prussian service, should 
 be true. 
 
 The reigning Duke, Ernest John, a ferocious man, so 
 much abhorred in his own country as not to be able to 
 remain there, although he should not dread any violence 
 from the Ministry of Petersburg, is known to be the 
 son of the famous Biron, who was reinstated Duke of 
 Courland, in 1760, by the influence, or rather through 
 the fear of Russia, which power, with the aid of forty 
 thousand men, expelled Prince Charles of Saxony, the 
 uncle of the Elector and the legitimate Duke, to restore 
 the former favorite of Elizabeth, f whom a Court faction 
 had lately recalled from Siberia. 
 
 It is also known that this Ernest John has more than 
 once felt the whole weight of the resentment of Cather- 
 ine II. ; that he has been near twenty years banished 
 into Siberia; that he has no influence whatever in Cour- 
 land; and that his abdication is universally wished. 
 
 This is apparently the Memorial which is mentioned in the pre- 
 ceding letter. 
 
 fThis is a mistake. Biron was the favorite of the Empress Anne 
 Ivanowna; was banished to Siberia by Anne of Mecklenburg, the 
 Princess Regent of Russia ; was soon recalled from Schlusselburg and 
 sent to Yaroslaf by the Empress Elizabeth; was restored to freedom 
 by Peter III. ; and after the assassination of the latter, to his duchy 
 by Catherine II. ; not to confer a favor on Biron, but to wrest the 
 duchy from Poland, and to render it dependent on herself. 
 (34)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 35 
 
 But it is not known, or rather it is kept secret, that 
 he was enjoined, by a Ukase (or edict) six years ago, to 
 resign his duchy to Prince Potemkin ; and that, by the ad- 
 vice of the Chancellor Taube, and of the Chamberlain 
 Howen, he averted the storm by remitting to Prince 
 Potemkin (whose affairs ever were and are in disorder) 
 two hundred thousand ducats. Rason, the ministerial 
 secretary of the Duke, was intrusted to carry him this 
 sum. 
 
 Whether it be that Potemkin, while waiting for the 
 execution of his grand projects, which perhaps relate to 
 the Oriental system, or to circumstances that are yet 
 immature, wishes to acquire this accession of power; 
 whether it be that he is in want of money; or more 
 especially whether it be that the Duke of Courland, since 
 his situation has been so precarious is known in conse- 
 quence of his avarice to have become one of the rich- 
 est princes in Europe, and that, rendered effeminate by 
 adversity, old age, and the daily importunities of his 
 last wife, who has acquired some influence over him, he 
 is endeavoring to place himself beyond the reach of 
 ill fortune ; be it which of these causes it may, a similar 
 crisis is again returned. 
 
 The Cabinet of Petersburg is ignorant of none of these 
 things. It doubtless fears that the Court of Berlin is 
 speculating concerning the province of Courland; hoping, 
 by the aid of a new Duke, to have it entirely at its dis- 
 posal. The conditions which gave Poland a right of pro- 
 tection over Courland having ceased, when power be- 
 came law, and at the moment the oppressed republic 
 found it impossible to fulfill those conditions, it is not 
 absurd to apprehend that Prussia will surreptitiously take 
 the place of Poland, and thus to its own profit confirm 
 the right by the deed. 
 
 Courland is in reality far from a contemptible country. 
 Its climate, being in the 57th degree of latitude, though 
 sufficiently is not insupportably cold. Its extent in length 
 is eighty leagues, and in breadth fifty. Its soil is fertile, 
 and its natural products are very necessary for all the 
 commercial and maritime powers. Two principal and 
 navigable rivers divide it, from east to west, the Aa and
 
 36 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the Windau; several brooks and canals intersect it in 
 every direction. It has two ports, Windau and Liebau 
 on the Baltic. In its present important and indolent 
 state its commerce, active and passive, does not employ 
 less than from six to seven hundred vessels, of three, 
 four, and as far as eight hundred tons burden. It con- 
 tains seven or eight small towns, and its population is 
 estimated at more than a million and a half of inhabit- 
 ants. The landholders may be supposed not to be in a 
 state of wretchedness, since the revenues of the reigning 
 Duke, whose influence in the republic is so small, annu- 
 ally amount to two hundred thousand pounds sterling. 
 Such is the outline of the situation of Courland. 
 
 It would be of little use to prove in this place that the 
 republic being a free State, the Prince of which is purely 
 elective, so that though he may abdicate he cannot transfer 
 his privileges, Russia cannot legally interfere in the affairs 
 of Courland, which ought to be as independent as are its 
 rights. This word RIGHTS is totally stripped of meaning 
 when opposed to the word POWER. Russia has long been 
 in the habit of vexing Courland, internally and exter- 
 nally; of dictating the choice of its Governors; of laying 
 its suffrages under restraint ; and of extorting or forcibly 
 seizing on its money, its produce and its men. The 
 Monarchs of Petersburg have always made it a principle 
 to familiarize the Courts of Europe to the supposition that 
 Courland has no political existence except such as Rus- 
 sia shall please to bestow. All this is well known. 
 
 The points I should wish briefly here to examine are : 
 
 i. Whether it is not evidently our interest to intro- 
 duce a new order of affairs; and 
 
 2 Whether we have not the means so to do. 
 
 Courland, kept back and oppressed by every kind of 
 exterior and interior tyranny, possesses no one species 
 of manufacture. It abounds in naval stores; stores for 
 which reason there is an affinity, resulting from circum- 
 stances, between Courland and France, which latter holds 
 the first rank among industrial nations, or an affinity 
 between their mutual products, the direct barter of 
 which would give birth to the most advantageous kind of 
 trade.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 37 
 
 In reality, there exists at present a species of barter 
 between Courland and France ; but in so indirect a man- 
 ner that it is carried on at second or third hand, by the 
 intervention of the English, the Dutch, the Swedes, the 
 Danes, the Prussians, the Hanse Towns, etc. 
 
 This intervention absorbs and destroys all the benefit 
 which a trade so advantageous would be of to France, 
 and which certainly ought abundantly to procure us, and 
 at a moderate price, a price unknown in our dockyards 
 and markets, ship timber, masts, spokes, fellies, ve- 
 neering wood, etc., grain, ship beef, saltfish, vege- 
 tables, etc. The natural returns for these would be the 
 produce of our industry, from the coarsest to the finest 
 articles (for nothing is manufactured in Courland), which 
 the Courlanders (whose consumption is great, and who 
 are very desirous of articles of luxury, and even of finery) 
 would then obtain from us at a moderate price, still in- 
 finitely lucrative to our traders. 
 
 The advantage of this direct trade would not be con- 
 fined merely to money ; for, besides the influence which 
 such intimate connections with Courland would give us 
 in the Baltic and the North, where we should become 
 the mediators between Prussia, Russia, and Poland, which 
 last State must necessarily soon undergo some new 
 change, France, by a commercial treaty with Courland, 
 would acquire two ports on the Baltic, which would at 
 least remain neuter and almost exclusive to herself. 
 These would be useful to us, both in war and peace, as 
 depository places for stores, and most of the materials 
 which are requisite for the royal and mercantile marine; 
 and would highly compensate the disadvantage which 
 continually increases, and which is preparing for us in 
 the North, relative to our marine, in consequence of the 
 strict connections between England and Russia. 
 
 To the attentive observer, England presents every 
 symptom which can menace the possessions of the 
 Dutch in the East, and which can forebode the de- 
 sire of revenge. Russia can at any time rob France 
 of a great part of the naval supplies of war in the 
 European seas. 
 
 This order of affairs cannot too soon be reversed.
 
 38 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Let it be attentively observed that there is no ques- 
 tion here of a new treaty, but the revival of an ancient 
 one; for the Cardinal de Richelieu made a treaty with 
 Courland, in 1643, which was registered by the Parlia- 
 ment of Paris, in 1647; so that, should we at present 
 treat with Courland, we can decisively affirm, and dem- 
 onstrate, we are committing no innovation. 
 
 This seems to me to be a very important remark, 
 which ought not a little to influence the resolution that 
 may be taken, and the form given to that resolution, 
 when once it is taken. 
 
 The States of Courland desire this political affinity be- 
 tween the two countries. The Chamberlain Howen, of 
 whom I have spoken, is a man of the greatest influence 
 in the republic, and, of all the Courlanders, the most 
 anti-Russian; because that, while an envoy from Cour- 
 land to the Court of Warsaw, he was carried off, by order 
 of the Empress, and banished into Siberia. His nephew 
 was indirectly, but formally, charged to question the Gov- 
 ernment of France on this subject. I positively know he 
 has spoken to the Comte de Vergennes, and that the only 
 answer he received from the Minister was: 
 
 1. That, he being Minister for Foreign Affairs, this 
 was a subject that did not appertain to his department. 
 
 2. That it was requisite that the Duke of Courland 
 and the States, conjointly and officially, should make a 
 proposition to the King, concerning a treaty of commerce. 
 
 To this I reply: 
 
 1. That, most certainly, the Minister for Foreign Affairs 
 ought to consult with the Minister of Finance, on what- 
 ever relates to commercial treaties; but that this does 
 not therefore appear to me a sufficient reason to reject 
 either the project or the proposal. 
 
 2. That it would be absurd to suppose that Courland, 
 bowed as it is under the iron rod of present circum- 
 stances, would expose itself, by taking any open step, 
 without first being certain its propositions should be 
 favorably received, and that the country should be pro- 
 tected against that power which, possessed of strength 
 and in the habit of taking its will for law, should make 
 every effort to counteract and prevent whatever might
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 39 
 
 tend to impart solidity to the constitution of Courland, 
 and to render its political independence respectable. 
 
 I see no hope that any power, except Prussia, should 
 interest itself in the affairs of this province. And this 
 is the second point which it is my intention to prove, 
 in this Memorial. 
 
 i Because the situation of the Prussian States is such 
 that the stability and prosperity of Courland ought no 
 less to influence the King of Prussia than if this country 
 was one of his own provinces. 
 
 2. Because he cannot prudently covet Courland, which 
 Russia would never leave him in peaceable possession 
 of, and which would but increase the length of his 
 provinces, already too much extended, without rendering 
 his power more real or more compact. 
 
 This latter point is self-demonstrative; and, as to the 
 advantages which Prussia might derive from the future 
 stability of Courland, and from the increase of its energy 
 and industry, these are evident from a mere view of the 
 map. Between the States of Brandenburg and Russia 
 there is only the dismemberment of Poland, which at 
 present forms part of Prussian Lithuania and of Cour- 
 land, of which the King of Prussia, politely speaking, 
 would become the useful proprietor that very day on 
 which he should become its guardian and protector. 
 Russia, therefore, necessarily and indubitably is formid- 
 able to none of the powers of Europe, Prussia excepted, 
 on which kingdom she can bring evil, and which can do 
 her no injury. 
 
 On the other part, it is known that there is only a 
 very narrow slip of Polish Lithuania between the States 
 of Prussia and Courland, which barely extends from five 
 to six leagues. Here Prussia might easily make legal 
 and amicable acquisitions, sufficient to open a very 
 advantageous transport trade on the Memel, and the 
 canals that might be cut between that river and the 
 rivers of Courland, descending to the ports of the Baltic, 
 of which I have spoken. 
 
 Either I am much deceived or the Ministry of Berlin 
 might easily be made to comprehend that, instead of 
 forming projects of ambition on this republic, its real
 
 40 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 interest would be to declare, in some manner, Prussia to 
 be the representative of Poland in her engagements 
 toward Courland, as stipulated by the pacta conventa 
 and the pacta subjectionis, which have been actually and 
 necessarily destroyed. Prussia might find a hundred 
 reasons of public right to allege, independent of her 
 dignity and safety. This proposition, and that of acced- 
 ing to our treaty of commerce with Courland, would 
 therefore contain nothing imprudent; it would perhaps 
 be a good means of depriving the House of Brandenburg 
 of all fears relative to our Northern politics. Nor does 
 it seem to be impossible but that the King of Prussia 
 would, on this condition, support the declaration we 
 might make to the Court of Petersburg, that it was our 
 determination to protect Courland; and not to suffer a 
 free country, allied to France by ancient treaties, to be 
 humbled, over which we would not permit any direct 
 and legislative influence to be exerted by any Court. 
 
 Such a declaration, softened by every diplomatic for- 
 mality, which is so easily practiced, would at this time 
 be sufficient, in my opinion, especially if made in con- 
 cert with the Court of Berlin, to repel the projects of 
 usurpation conceived by Russia over Courland. 
 
 Be these things as they may, this small country, too 
 little known, together with Poland and the Germanic 
 body, claims the serious attention of the King of France ; 
 who, if my opinion be right, has no other general inter- 
 est, on the continent, than that of maintaining peace 
 and the reciprocal safety of States.
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 July i pth, 1786. 
 
 YESTERDAY morning, before my departure, the Duke 
 granted me an audience for the space of about 
 three hours; or rather, personally indicated a con- 
 ference, under the pretense of remitting letters to Berlin, 
 and which, indeed, he committed to my care. We again 
 spoke of general affairs, and of the particular situation of 
 Prussia ; of the suspicions which he pretends it is impos- 
 sible to avoid entertaining, concerning our intentions 
 and our system (how should I answer him when such is 
 the disorder of our finances that it is impossible we 
 should have any system?); of the dread that daily in- 
 creases, which the Emperor necessarily inspires, who 
 does good awkwardly, but who does enough to acquire 
 great power, the basis of which is magnificent, and 
 highly disproportionate to that of any other monarchy, 
 France excepted; of the impossibility of finding any 
 counterpoise to this power, except in the prudence of the 
 Cabinet of Versailles; of the little hope that the new 
 regulations of Prussia should be wise; of the various di- 
 rections which the various factions that were fermenting 
 at Berlin might take; of the military vigor and the 
 ambitious fumes which intoxicate the Duke of Weymar, 
 who aspires to enter into the service of Prussia, and to 
 embroil parties; of the necessity which there was that 
 the Cabinet of Versailles should send a man of merit to 
 Berlin, there to inspire awe and give advice, keep watch 
 over the factious and the turbulent, etc., etc., etc. 
 
 At length, questioning me with an air of fearing what 
 he was going to say was an absurdity, he asked whether 
 I should think the project of an alliance between France, 
 England, and Prussia an impracticable chimera; the end 
 of which, solemnly avowed, should be to guarantee, 
 throughout Europe, to each Prince his respective posses- 
 
 (41)
 
 42 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 sions; a measure in itself noble, and worthy of the two 
 first powers, which should command all others to remain 
 at peace; founded on the evident and combined interest 
 of the two rivals, and the greatest obstacle to which 
 would be that no one would dare to put it in execu- 
 tion. 
 
 The idea, on which I have for these seven years been 
 ruminating, is too sublime not to be seductive. It would 
 infallibly immortalize the Sovereign by whom it should be 
 realized, and the Minister by whom it should be pro- 
 moted. It would change the face of Europe, and totally 
 to our advantage; for, once again, commercial treaties, 
 however advantageous to England, would never make the 
 English anything more than our carriers and our most 
 useful factors. 
 
 The Duke has permitted me to correspond with him; 
 he even desired me so to do, and I find I have obtained 
 almost that very place in his opinion which I myself 
 could have wished. 
 
 July 2ist, 1786. 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. I am arrived, and perhaps I shall 
 learn but little to-day. The dropsy is in the stomach; 
 nay, in the lungs. He was informed of it on Thursday. 
 He heard it with great magnanimity, say some; others 
 affirm he treated the physician, who was to<> sincere, 
 very ill. He might drag on life, if he would take ad- 
 vice, Doctor Baylies says, another year; but I suspect he 
 will never give up eel pies. Count Hertzberg has been 
 at Sans Souci this week past; he had never before been 
 sent for. Two days previous to that on which the King 
 made him this kind of honorable reparation, if, however, 
 it be anything else than the necessity of giving breath 
 to those who are obliged to converse with him, and of 
 enlivening his conversation, the Heir Apparent dined 
 with the Count at his country seat, and passed the best 
 part of the evening with him and the Prince of Dessau. 
 This has bewildered the parties that are hotly animated 
 against this estimable Minister, in and for whom, accord- 
 ing to my opinion, our embassy has always testified too 
 little confidence and respect.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 43 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. I have intelligence, from what I 
 believe to be a very certain and profound source, wholly 
 independent of the Cabinet of Berlin, that the Emperor 
 has made preparations which greatly menace those parts 
 of Moldavia and Wallachia that would be convenient to 
 him to possess; that he is immediately expected to re- 
 pair to those frontiers in person; and that such motions 
 cannot otherwise be explained than by reacting the con- 
 quest of the Crimea in those countries. This informa- 
 tion, combined with the ultimatum which Russia has 
 delivered in to the Porte, seems to me to be of sover- 
 eign importance. I do not know the precise intentions 
 of the Court of France; but if the indefinite aggrandize- 
 ment of the Emperor, and particularly the execution of 
 the Oriental system, are as formidable to us as I sup- 
 pose them to be, I entreat deliberations may be held 
 whether it befits the dignity of the King to suffer the 
 tragedy of Poland to recommence, the interest of the 
 State to lose the Levant trade, or prudent policy to tem- 
 porize, when the match is putting to the touch-hole. I 
 cannot for my part doubt but that our inactivity, in such 
 a case, must be gratuitous; because the Emperor would 
 most certainly not brave us ; and fatal also, since we are 
 precisely the only power who have at once the interest 
 and the strength to impede such attempts. England will 
 trouble herself little concerning them, and without us 
 Prussia is nothing.
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 July zist, 1786. 
 ******* 
 
 AN ODD incident has happened to me. I am just re- 
 turned from the French Ambassador's, who sent 
 me word he could not have the honor of receiving 
 my visit, because he was busy. To feel the whole import 
 of this act, it is necessary to know that there has lately 
 appeared an article in the * Hamburg- Gazette, w affirming in 
 express terms I had received orders to quit France. 
 You will further recollect that, in general, the Ambas- 
 sador of France is eagerly desirous of receiving the visits 
 of French travelers. Such is the present combination of 
 circumstances that this, which would only, on any other 
 occasion, be an affair of rather serious impoliteness, is 
 at this moment a very embarrassing affectation. I be- 
 lieve I have no need to tell you I am far superior to 
 punctilio; but this is not mere form. The natural pre- 
 ponderance of France is such that the respect in which 
 a native of that country is held cannot be wholly inde- 
 pendent of the reception he shall meet from the Ambas- 
 sador. What, then, must be thought when he shall be 
 envied, suspected, and watched, and when pretenses are 
 sought to render his character equivocal? And what must 
 be his situation, when, far from seeking to quarrel with 
 the Ambassador, it is his duty and his wish, on all oc- 
 casions, to preserve appearances, and to protect him from 
 becoming instead of making him ridiculous? 
 
 You will have no difficulty in comprehending that it 
 is an intricate affair, and that I must well reflect on the 
 part I have to take. At present I must dissemble, and 
 expose myself to a new refusal to-morrow; but it will 
 be impossible to suffer this new refusal to remain un- 
 noticed. I write you word of this in order that, in any 
 case, and rather too soon than too late, you should in- 
 form M. d'Esterno it is not the intention of Government 
 (44)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 45 
 
 that I should be treated in a disrespectful manner, and 
 still less as a proscribed person. He is so much of a 
 timid trembler, that he may have been imposed upon by 
 the Hamburg paragraph. I do not think him sufficiently 
 cunning to have written it himself. He certainly appeared 
 ridiculously disturbed at my return, and entirely departed 
 from his silent circumspection, that he might discover, 
 by questioning those whom he supposed intimate with 
 me, what were my intentions. Some of the numerous 
 persons who do not love him, especially among the corps 
 diplomatique, have amused themselves with inventing 
 tales relative to my views, similar to those of the 
 ft Thousand and One Nights. w His brain is in a state of 
 fermentation upon the subject; and the more so as he is 
 acting out of character. I may in consequence of this 
 be very ill-situated here. To prevent this you will 
 take proper measures. I shall tell you more before I 
 seal this letter; he is not a person who will oppose the 
 least ministerial insinuation.
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 July 23d, 1786. 
 
 is nobody here, consequently I shall for some 
 days lead an inactive life. There is no Court, ex- 
 cept that of Prince Ferdinand, which is always 
 insignificant; he is at present on the recovery.* Prince 
 Frederick of Brunswick knows nothing. The English Em- 
 bassy caress and suspect me. Count Hertzberg still re- 
 mains at Sans Souci; I must, therefore, satisfy myself with 
 the sterility of the moment. I imagine I have discovered 
 that the real occasion of the threatening declaration of 
 Russia respecting Courland, was a secret proposal of mar- 
 riage between the Countess of Wurtemberg, the natural 
 daughter of the Duke, and a Prussian ; and the increasing 
 intimacy of the Duke with the Heir Apparent, who has 
 found in the purse of this savage Scythian that pecuniary 
 aid with which he ought long since to have been supplied 
 by France. The Duke of Courland departed, soon after the 
 menace of Petersburg appeared, with his wife, who is said 
 to be pregnant, to drink the Pyrmont waters. According 
 to all appearances, instead of remaining at Berlin on his 
 return, he will go to Mittau. He still continues to make 
 acquisitions in the Prussian dominions; he has lately 
 bought the county of Sagan, in Silesia; and the King, 
 who was not a little vexed to see the Prince of Lobko- 
 witz spend the revenues of this fine estate at Vienna, 
 treats the Duke of Courland with great favor. Besides 
 remitting the manor fees, he consented to alienate or at 
 least to entail the fief on female descendants, which be- 
 fore was revertible to the Crown on the want of male 
 heirs; so that the Duke, who has no son, found that, by 
 his carelessness, or a very strange kind of ignorance, he 
 had risked six hundred thousand German crowns on a 
 chance the most hazardous. 
 
 * Prince Ferdinand had just then escaped from a dangerous fit of 
 sickness. 
 (46)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 47 
 
 It is indubitable that Prince Potemkin is, or appears 
 to be, more in favor than ever. It has been found 
 necessary to approve his disobedience. There are re- 
 ports that he has sought a reconciliation with the Grand 
 Duke, which he has accomplished. 
 
 The new Minister of Petersburg (the son of Field- 
 marshal Romanzow) is not successful here; intelligent 
 people, however, affirm he possesses understanding and 
 information. I know he has strong prejudices against 
 me, which I shall endeavor to remove, and to gain his 
 intimacy; for he is of such a nature that much may be 
 derived from his acquaintance. But you must feel I 
 stand in need of some instructions, or at least of a series 
 of questions, which shall serve me as a compass, and by 
 which I may obtain the customary intelligence. General 
 politics have for some years been very incoherent, for 
 want of possessing some fixed system. Which of the two 
 alliances, that of the House of Austria, or that between 
 the two Imperial Courts, Austria and Russia, ought to 
 be regarded as stable, sacred, and subordinate to the 
 other ? Is France resolved to quit her natural train, I 
 mean to say her continental system, for the maritime ? 
 If so, whether wisely or not, this will at least explain 
 our extreme cautiousness, in what relates to the projects 
 of the Court of Vienna. 
 
 The man who wants this knowledge can do little more 
 than wander at a venture ; he may, with more or less in- 
 telligence, write a gazette, but, not having a sufficient 
 basis to build on, cannot be a negotiator. I entreat it 
 may not be supposed I have the presumption to interro- 
 gate; I only mean to explain, in very few words, such 
 of the reasons which, exclusive of my own want of ca- 
 pacity, and of the few means my situation affords me, 
 infinitely circumscribe that utility which I wish and labor 
 to be of to my country. 
 
 I hope I shall not be suspected of supposing any im- 
 portance annexed to those extracts from the German 
 newspapers, which I shall in future send by every courier. 
 It is purely an object of curiosity, but which I thought 
 might be agreeable in a country where, I believe, not a 
 single German gazette is received; and into which so
 
 48 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 many Ambassadors send no other dispatches than those 
 obtained on the authority of these gazettes. I shall only 
 speak in my extracts of the news of the North. 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. Advice yesterday arrived com- 
 manding Lord Dalrymple to depart, and bear the Order 
 of the Garter to the Landgrave of Hesse Cassel. 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. I have received a very friendly 
 letter from Sans Souci. The King seems to hope he 
 shall still live long; he appears, however, to be much 
 more occupied concerning himself and his pineapples 
 than by foreign affairs. Astonishment is testified (this 
 is a surprising affair ! ) though in a very obliging man- 
 ner, that the son of the Comte de Vergennes should pass 
 through Hamburg, Dresden, Vienna, etc., without any 
 hope of seeing him at Berlin. I have answered I was 
 very grateful, in behalf of my nation, for the importance 
 annexed to the topographical peregrination of the son of 
 our Minister for Foreign Affairs, and that I imagined 
 nothing could be more flattering to his father; but that, 
 for my own part, I was wholly uninformed on the sub- 
 ject; though I was persuaded that, if the Court of 
 Berlin was reserved as the last place to be visited, it 
 would only be from a love of the Crescendo. I said the 
 same to Count Goertz, by whom I was warmly questioned.
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 BERLIN, July z6th, 1786. 
 
 fine weather supports the life of the King, but he 
 is ill. On Wednesday he was for some minutes 
 wheeled about in his chair, by which he was much 
 incommoded, and suffered greatly during and after the 
 exercise. His pains increased on Thursday, and yester- 
 day he was no better. I persist in my opinion that the 
 period of his existence will be toward the month of 
 September. 
 
 The Heir Apparent does not quit Potsdam, where he 
 keeps on the watch. Still the same respectful passion 
 for Mademoiselle Voss.* During a short journey that 
 she lately made with her brother, a confidential valet de 
 chambre followed her carriage at a distance, and if the 
 beauty, who in my opinion is very ordinary, testified the 
 least desire (to eat white bread, for example), before she 
 had proceeded half a league further she found everything 
 she wished. It appears indubitable that she has not 
 yet yielded. No great use can be made either of her 
 uncle or her brothers. Frenchwomen arrive daily ; but 
 I doubt much whether there will be any great advantage 
 derived from them, except to innkeepers and milliners. 
 
 The Duke of Courland has lent the Heir Apparent 
 money to pay his debts at Berlin; they are supposed to 
 be all discharged, except those of his Princess, which 
 they are not very anxious to liquidate, from the fear of 
 giving her bad habits. 
 
 I have spoken at large with Struensee. He supposes 
 the project of the bank to be a grand and superb operation, 
 which cannot but succeed. He asks timely information, 
 and promises to place and cause to be placed in it a 
 considerable sum; but the secret must only be known 
 to him, and the subject treated only between ourselves. 
 
 *At present the Countess of Ingenheim. 
 4 (49)
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 July 3ist, 1786. 
 * * * * * * * 
 
 I SUPPOSE in reality that, in this commencement of cor- 
 respondence, my letters are waited for, in order to 
 write to me; however, if my letter of the 23d of 
 July (Number V.) has been well deciphered and consid- 
 ered, it cannot be disowned that I stand in need of in- 
 structions. Politics are at a crisis. I repeat, politics 
 are at a crisis. It is impossible they should continue as 
 they are, whether it be from endeavors to accelerate or 
 efforts to retard. Everything denotes the Oriental sys- 
 tem to increase in vigor. I have no doubt but that, 
 soon or late, it will be destructive of that of the West; 
 and the danger is immediate, is instantaneous. If Tur- 
 key in Europe, speaking in political and commercial lan- 
 guage, be one of our colonies, if we are not resolved to 
 leave it to its fate, is it not time to pay it some atten- 
 tion ? and because that it is so, is the general system of 
 Europe out of the question ? Were the King of Prussia 
 ten years younger, he would well know how to restore 
 the equilibrium, for he would take as much from Po- 
 land as others might take elsewhere ; but he dies and has 
 no successor. For my own part, it is easy to conceive, 
 I shall consume my time in barren efforts; and, after 
 taking much more trouble, shall be much less useful 
 than if I knew what track to follow, and where to gain 
 information. 
 
 The King is in daily danger of death, though he may 
 live some months. I persist in my autumnal prognostics. 
 Prince Henry having sent for me to Rheinsberg by a 
 very formal and friendly letter, it would appear affecta- 
 tion in me not to go; and I shall set off on Wednesday, 
 after the departure of the courier. I shall not remain 
 there longer than a week, where I shall have good 
 (so)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 51 
 
 opportunities of intelligence concerning the state of the 
 King, and of gaining information on various matters. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. The King is sensibly worse; he has had a 
 fever these two days; this may kill him, or prolong his 
 life. Nature has continually done so much for this ex- 
 traordinary man, that nothing more is wanting to restore 
 him than a hemorrhoidal eruption. The muscular powers 
 are very great. 
 
 The English Embassy has received advice from Vienna 
 that the Emperor is in Transylvania, and that the world 
 is ignorant of what he is doing, what he intends, or even 
 to what place he is gone. 
 
 All the boats on the Danube are taken into his service. 
 
 The maritime company wished to monopolize the sale 
 of snuff and tobacco in Sweden, offering to pay half a 
 million annually to the King ; but the Swedish States have 
 totally refused to forbid the cultivation of tobacco in the 
 kingdom, and this was the condition, sine qud non. The 
 actions of this Monarch decline greatly, on all occasions; 
 another Diet like the present, and monarchical power 
 would once more fall in Sweden. It appears to be un- 
 doubted that the rumor of his having turned Catholic, 
 on his journey to Rome, has alienated the whole nation. 
 But are we to impute nothing to the intrigues of Russia, 
 in the present fermentation ? 
 
 Struensee repeats that, if the bank be established, he 
 and his friends are ready; that is to say, the most mon- 
 eyed men in the kingdom, and probably, under a new 
 reign, the Government itself. This man ought to be 
 cherished. It would be of importance were I often em- 
 powered to give him good information respecting the 
 state of the place. Meditate on this. His resources are 
 in himself, and will probably survive his administration. 
 He has gained immensely, by speculating in the Eng- 
 lish funds. He ought to be weaned of this, to which he 
 is self -inclined, for he feels and owns that chances in 
 the English funds are exhausted for the remainder of his 
 life.
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 August zd, 1786. 
 
 Written before my departure for Rheinsberg. 
 ******* 
 
 THE King is evidently better, at least with respect to 
 pain, when he does not move; he has even left off 
 the use of the taraxicum, or dandelion, the only 
 thing Zimmermann prescribed, who, consequently, is in 
 despair. He simply takes a tincture of rhubarb mixed 
 with diarrhcetics, which give him copious evacuations. 
 His appetite is very good, which he indulges without 
 restraint. The most unhealthy dishes are his greatest 
 favorites. If indigestion be the consequence, as it fre- 
 quently is, he takes a double aperitive dose. 
 
 Frese, his physician of Potsdam, still continues in dis- 
 grace, for having dared to whisper the word dropsy on 
 the question being asked him, and an appeal made to his 
 conscience, what was the name and character of the 
 disease. The King is exceedingly chilly, and is con- 
 tinually enveloped in furs, and covered by feather beds. 
 He has not entered his bed these six weeks, but is 
 removed from one armchair to another, in which he 
 takes tolerably long sleeps, turned on his right side. In- 
 flation augments; the scrotum is exceedingly tumid. He 
 perceives this, but will not persuade himself, or appear 
 to believe, that it is anything more than the inflation of 
 convalescence, and the result of great feebleness. 
 
 This information is minutely exact, and very recent. 
 There is no doubt of his unwillingness to die. The 
 people best informed think that, as soon as he believes 
 himself really dropsical and at the point of death, he 
 will submit to be tapped, and to the most violent 
 (52)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 53 
 
 remedies, rather than peaceably resign himself to sleep 
 with his fathers. He even desired, some time since, 
 incisions might be made in his hams and thighs ; but the 
 physician feared to risk them. With respect to his 
 understanding, it is still sound; and he even continues 
 his labors.
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 August 8th, 1786. 
 
 THE King is dangerously ill; some affirm he has not 
 many hours to live, but this probably partakes of 
 exaggeration. On the fourth, the erysipelas with 
 blisters on the legs made their appearance; this prog- 
 nosticates bursting, and soon after gangrene. At present 
 there is suffocation, and a most infectious smell. The 
 smallest fever and the curtain must drop. 
 (54)
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 August 1 2th, 1786. 
 
 THE King is apparently much better. The evacuation, 
 which was the consequence of the apertures in his 
 legs, has caused the swelling to abate, and given 
 ease; but has been followed by a dangerous excess of 
 appetite. He cannot continue in this state. You may 
 expect to receive a grand packet at my return from 
 Rheinsberg. 
 
 (55)
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 August isth, 1786. 
 
 I AM just returned from Rheinsberg, where I have 
 lived in the utmost familiarity with Prince Henry. 
 I have numerous modes of communication, which 
 will develop themselves as time and opportunity shall 
 serve; at present I shall only state consequences. 
 
 Prince Henry is in the utmost incertitude, concerning 
 what he shall or shall not be under the new reign. He 
 greatly dreads, and more than he wishes to appear to 
 dread, though his fears are very visible, the influence of 
 Count Hertzberg, who is still detained at Sans Souci, 
 but, as I think, only for the sake of his conversation, 
 at least, as far as respects the old King. This Count 
 Hertzberg has openly espoused the English system ; but, 
 though the flatteries of Ewart* and his secret arts have 
 much profited by the long contempt in which the French 
 Embassy have held this Minister, I believe his principal 
 reason for attaching himself to England is because 
 Prince Henry, his implacable enemy, is the avowed and 
 fanatical protector of the French system; and because 
 the Count imagines he cannot otherwise make himself 
 indispensably necessary to the opposite party; for 
 which reason he clothes himself in the uniform of the 
 Stadtholder. 
 
 In consequence of this, and persuaded as I am that 
 Prince Henry has not sufficient influence over the 
 successor (who is weary of avuncular despotism) to dis- 
 place Hertzberg, who will continually batter his enemy 
 in breach, by boasting, by meannesses, by a faithful 
 portrait of the Prince's creatures, and by the jealousy 
 with which he will inspire the new King against Prince 
 Henry, who, if he be anything, will be master; con- 
 
 * Then Secretary to the Embassy, and later the English Ambassadof 
 at Berlin. 
 (56)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 57 
 
 vinced also that he (Hertzberg) is useful to France, 
 which is influenced by the uncle because he holds the 
 English system in abhorrence I have exerted every 
 effort to induce Prince Henry (who wants nothing but 
 dissimulation) to reconcile himself with Count Hertz- 
 berg, and thus put his nephew out of fear. This he 
 might with the greater security do, because Hertzberg, 
 relative to him, could be nothing more than a first clerk, 
 who, if he should act uprightly, would make as good a 
 clerk as another ; and who, should he endeavor to deceive, 
 might be the more easily crushed, after having been 
 admitted a colleague. 
 
 I have had much difficulty in persuading him, for 
 Baron Knyphausen, the brother-in-law of Hertzberg, and 
 his irreconcilable enemy, because that their interests 
 clash, is possessed of the entire political confidence of 
 the Prince, of which he is worthy, for he is a very able 
 man, and perhaps the only able man in Prussia; but 
 as he is in danger of a confirmed palsy as his mind 
 and body both decay, and as the Prince himself per- 
 ceives they do, I was able to effect my purpose by 
 dwelling on all these circumstances, while I heaped 
 exaggerated praise on Baron Knyphausen, and expressed 
 infinite regret for his situation; so that I have prevailed 
 on the Prince, and have personally received a commis- 
 sion to negotiate an accommodation between him and 
 Hertzberg; for which purpose I shall go the day after 
 to-morrow to Potsdam. 
 
 What may I augur from all this? Weakness only and 
 incoherency. It appears indubitable that petty cabals, 
 the fine arts, the blues, the subalterns, the wardrobe, 
 and particularly the mystics, will engross the new King. 
 I have anecdotes innumerable on this subject, by which 
 I shall endeavor to profit, and which I shall communi- 
 cate in good time. Has he any system? I believe not. 
 Any understanding? Of that I doubt. Any character? I 
 cannot tell; my present opinion is that no conclusions, 
 for or against, ought yet to be drawn. 
 
 To memorials exceedingly well drawn up by Prince 
 Henry and Baron Knyphausen, all tending to demonstrate 
 that, should Prussia attach itself to the English system,
 
 58 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 fifteen years hence Frederick William will be the Marquis 
 of Brandenburg, he gives replies which are slow, vague, 
 laconic, and hieroglyphic. He wrote the other day, for 
 example (I saw the letter), " THE PRINCE OF THE ASTURIAS 
 is ALL ENGLISH. w Baron Boden, however, who is his con- 
 fidential correspondent, and who has lately remained shut 
 up with him a whole week in his garden at Potsdam, 
 has protested that the dispositions of the successor are 
 wholly French, and that he had charged him to endeavor 
 to convert Hertzberg. Remark this. Remark, still further, 
 that Boden is a man of low cunning, who may wish to 
 deceive Prince Henry, in whose service he formerly was, 
 with whom he quarreled, and to whom he is now recon- 
 ciled, Heaven knows by what means. Observe, once 
 again, that the Prince of Salm-Kirburg has also been 
 (nearly about the same time) a week concealed at Pots- 
 dam. What inconsistency? 
 
 It is the advice of Prince Henry that Boden, who is 
 returned to Paris, should be tampered with. He also 
 wishes (for your great men do not disdain little means) 
 that a lady should be sent hither, of a fair complexion, 
 rather fat, and with some musical talents, who should 
 pretend to come from Italy, or anywhere but France; 
 who shall have had no public amour; who should appear 
 rather disposed to grant favors than to display her pov- 
 erty, etc., etc. Some elegant trifles would not be amiss, 
 but take care not to forget the man is avaricious. The 
 French letters, at least those which I shall show, ought 
 to speak well of him, and to report that the King has 
 spoken favorably of him; particularly that he has said: 
 " This Prince, like me, will be a worthy man. w Repeti- 
 tion might be made of the success of Prince Henry in 
 France; but in this I would advise moderation, for I 
 believe Prince Henry has spoken too much himself on 
 that subject; he has pretended to prophesy concerning 
 the new reign, and predictions are disagreeable. Let me 
 add it is affirmed that, could the new King be gained, 
 he would become the most faithful and the most fervent 
 of allies; to this his uncle Henry pledges his honor and 
 his head; and, indeed, the Prince of Prussia has never 
 forfeited his word. It is added, as you may well believe,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 59 
 
 that it is neither possible nor proper to require more, for 
 in fine we are suspected, and with good reason, etc., etc. 
 You will imagine France has not been thus treated 
 without any pleadings in the behalf of Prussia; and 
 the advocates have pretended to prove (the map on the 
 table), alike by military and political details, that the 
 alliance of Prussia would be much more effectual to France, 
 against England, than that of Austria. If it be requested, 
 I will draw up a memorial, according to the grounds that 
 have been given me. Nor is it at all required that we 
 should quarrel with Vienna; nothing more is asked than 
 a treaty of confraternity, agreeable to the guarantee of 
 the treaty of Westphalia; a treaty well known at all 
 Courts, and with this only secret article that, should 
 there be any infringement of the peace, we then should 
 go further; and if at the present a treaty should be re- 
 fused, reciprocal letters between the two Kings, sealed 
 and so left till some event should happen, would be 
 deemed satisfactory. In short, a pledge is demanded 
 against the Austrian system; and the written word of 
 honor of the King of France will be accepted. No sub- 
 sidies are or will in any case be asked; perhaps even 
 Prussia will pay subsidies to Brunswick and Hesse. 
 Great complaints are made of France for having per- 
 mitted and even favored the German confederation. 
 <( For must not Germany, soon or late, assume some con- 
 sistent form? Must not Prussia acquire a frontier? And 
 what other means are there than those of secularization, 
 which by this confederacy are interdicted? How other- 
 wise arrange the affairs of Saxony than by Westphalia 
 and Liege?" This latter phrase appeared to me very 
 remarkable. 
 
 I do not nor cannot at present mean to send anything 
 more than the great outlines. Prince Henry is French, 
 and so will live and die. Will he have any influence ? 
 I know not. He is too pompous; and the Duke of 
 Brunswick, of a very different complexion, is the man 
 necessary to the King and the country, though he is not 
 loved by the former. However, I am supplied with the 
 secret means of correspondence, inquiry, and success;
 
 60 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 and it could not be more made a common cause between 
 us. I am promised that my services to my country shall 
 be amply repaid on the day an alliance is concluded 
 with France, etc., etc. 
 
 I forgot a curious fact. The Heir Apparent wrote to 
 Boden, before his journey to Berlin, to inquire what the 
 people of Paris thought of him. tt That you will be feeble, 
 indolent, and governed,* was the substance of Boden 's 
 reply. The Prince, as he read the letter, stamped with 
 his foot, and exclaimed : w I have suffered by myself and 
 I will reign by myself. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. By the natural discharge of the water 
 from the legs, which may be calculated at a pint per 
 diem, the swelling of the scrotum has disappeared; the 
 patient imagines the general inflation is diminished. It 
 is probable he is feverish every night; but of this he 
 endeavors to remain ignorant. His appetite is so extraor- 
 dinary that he generally eats of ten or twelve of the 
 highest dishes. His supper and breakfast consist of 
 smoked tongues, bread, butter, and a large quantity of 
 pepper. If he feel his stomach oppressed by its load, 
 which is usually the case, he has recourse an hour or 
 two after dinner to a dose of anima rhei. He wishes to 
 have six or seven motions in the twenty-four hours, ex- 
 clusive of clysters. From all this you may gather the 
 result, which is that we are incontestibly at the last 
 scene, more or less protracted.
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 August i yth, 1786. 
 
 ALL is over! Frederick William reigns and one of 
 the grandest characters that ever occupied the 
 throne has burst one of the finest molds that nature 
 ever organized! 
 
 The vanity of friendship was highly interested that 
 you should be the first informed of this event; and my 
 measures were all most carefully taken. On Wednesday, 
 at eight in the morning, I knew he was as ill as pos- 
 sible; that the preceding day the hour of appointment 
 for the day following was noon, instead of eleven 
 o'clock, as was before customary ; that he had not spoken 
 to his secretaries till midday, who had been waiting 
 from five in the morning; that, however, the dispatches 
 had been clear and precise; and that he still had eaten 
 excessively, and particularly a lobster. I further knew 
 that the prodigious foulness of the sick chamber, and 
 the damp clothes of the patient, which he wore without 
 changing, appeared to have brought on a species of 
 putrid fever; that the slumbers of this Wednesday 
 approached lethargy; that every symptom foreboded an 
 apoplectic dropsy, a dissolution of the brain; and that, 
 in fine, the scene must close in a few hours. 
 
 At one o'clock I took an airing on horseback, on the 
 road to Potsdam, impelled by I know not what fore- 
 boding, and also to observe the meanderings of the 
 river, which is on the right, when a groom, riding full 
 speed, came for the physician Zelle, who received orders 
 to make all haste, and who instantly departed. I soon 
 was informed that the groom had killed a horse. 
 
 I was thrown into some perplexity. That the city 
 gates would be shut was certain; it was even possible 
 that the drawbridges of the island of Potsdam would be 
 raised the moment death should take place, and should 
 this happen by uncertainty would continue as long as it 
 
 (61)
 
 62 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 should please the new King. On the first supposition 
 how send off a courier? There were no means of scaling 
 the ramparts or the palisades, without being exposed 
 to a fray, for there are sentinels at every forty paces 
 behind the palisades, and at every fifty behind the wall. 
 What was to be done? I had not received, could not 
 receive any orders; I could only use my own resources. 
 And ought I to expose myself to ridicule, by sending 
 intelligence already known, or concerning an event so 
 well foreseen? Was the loss or gain of a week worth 
 the expense of a courier? Had I been Ambassador, the 
 certain symptoms of mortality would have determined 
 me to have sent off an express before death. For what 
 addition was the word death? How was I to act in my 
 present situation? It certainly was most important to 
 serve, and not merely to appear to have served. I 
 hastened to the French Ambassador. He was not at 
 home ; he dined at Charlottenburg. No means of joining 
 him at Berlin. I dressed myself, hurried to Schoen- 
 hausen, and arrived at the palace of the Queen as soon 
 as the Ambassador. He had not been informed of par- 
 ticulars, and did not imagine the King was so ill; not a 
 Minister believed it ; the Queen had no suspicion of it ; 
 she only spoke to me of my dress, of Rheinsberg, and of 
 the happiness she had there enjoyed when Princess 
 Royal. Lord Dalrymple, with whom I am too intimate 
 to admit of dissembling what my opinion was, assured 
 me I was deceived. (< That may be, B replied I ; but I 
 whispered to our Ambassador that I had my intelligence 
 from the sick couch, and that he ought to believe stock- 
 jobbers had as good information as the diplomatic body.* 
 I know not whether he believed me; but, like me, he 
 would not sit down to play, and left the company soon 
 enough to send news of the approach of death. 
 
 I still had great reason to be diffident of the activity 
 of our Embassy. How did I act ? I sent a man, on 
 whom I could depend, with a strong and swift horse to 
 a farm, four miles from Berlin, from the master of which 
 I had some days before received two pairs of pigeons, an 
 
 * It will here be perceived this was intended to give the French 
 Ambassador to understand that he had no competitor.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 63 
 
 experiment on the flight of which had been made; so 
 that, unless the bridges of the isle of Potsdam were 
 raised, I acted with certainty; and, that I might not 
 have a single chance against me, for I thought the news 
 tardy in arriving, I sent M. de Nolde" by the daily stage, 
 with orders to wait at the bridges of the island. He was 
 acquainted with the station of my other man ; the raising 
 of the bridges would speak plainly enough ; he had money 
 sufficient to push forward; there was no human power 
 apparently that could counteract me, for my gentry had 
 not a single Prussian post to pass, and were to proceed 
 to Saxony, taking care not to go through any fortified 
 place; and they had their route ready traced. 
 
 M. de Nolde* was departing at half past six in the 
 morning, with the stage, when General Goertz, aide-de- 
 camp to the late King, arriving full speed, called aloud: 
 (< In the King's name, lower the portcullis, * and M. de 
 Nolde" was obliged to turn back! Five minutes after, I 
 was on horseback; my horses had passed the night sad- 
 dled; and, that I might omit nothing, I hastened to the 
 French Ambassador. He was asleep. I wrote to him 
 immediately that I knew a certain mode of conveyance, 
 if he had anything to send. He answered, and I keep 
 his note as a curious proof if, which, however, to me ap- 
 pears impossible, the Comte de Vergennes keeps no 
 courier,* "The Comte d'Esterno has the honor to re- 
 turn thanks to Mirabeau, but cannot profit by his oblig- 
 ing offer." 
 
 I then reflected, either he had sent off a courier, who 
 only could convey the news of the King's extreme danger, 
 consequently there must be something to add, or he had 
 received orders not to send any; otherwise his apathy 
 was wholly inconceivable. I, moreover, knew that the 
 Saxon envoy had sent off his chasseur on the eve, so that 
 he was twenty hours and forty leagues in advance with 
 me; it therefore was wholly improbable that M. de 
 Vibraye at Dresden should not hear of the King's danger. 
 The same might be conjectured of the aide-de-camp Wit- 
 tinkoff, who bore the news to the Duchess Dowager of 
 
 *The Comte de Vergennes first read the news in the Leyden 
 Gazette.
 
 64 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Brunswick, and would certainly spread it, so that noth- 
 ing was left for me till absolute death should happen. 
 After considering, I did not find we were rich enough to 
 throw a hundred guineas away; I therefore renounced all 
 my fine projects, which had cost me some thought, some 
 trouble, and some guineas; and I let fly my pigeons to 
 my man with the word RETURN. 
 
 Have I done well, or ill? Of this I am ignorant; but 
 I had no express orders, and sometimes works of super- 
 erogation gain but little applause. I have thought it my 
 duty to send you this account; first, because it may be 
 of service (observe that several prizes have thus been 
 gained) ; and secondly, to prove that I wanted neither 
 zeal nor activity, but effrontery. 
 
 The new King remained all Thursday at Sans Souci, 
 in the apartment of General Moellendorf. His first act 
 of sovereignty was to bestow the order of the Black Eagle 
 on Count Hertzberg. At five in the morning, his Majesty 
 was busy with the secretaries of the late King. This 
 morning he was on horseback in the streets of Berlin, 
 accompanied by his eldest son. Thursday presented a 
 spectacle worthy of observation. 
 
 There were many wet eyes, even among the foreign 
 Ambassadors; for they were all present, the French ex- 
 cepted, when the troops took the oath of allegiance. 
 
 The ceremony is awful, and would be more so if the 
 oath, which the soldiers repeat word by word, were 
 not so long. Yet this vast military paraphernalia, that 
 multitude of soldiers, who all the morning swarmed in 
 the streets, and the precipitate administering of the legion- 
 ary oath, seem but to me too exclusively to proclaim the 
 military power; seem but to say: I AM MORE ESPECIALLY 
 
 THE KlNG OF THE SOLDIERS. I COMMIT MYSELF TO MY ARMY, 
 BECAUSE I AM NOT CERTAIN OF POSSESSING A KINGDOM. I 
 
 am persuaded these military forms will be mitigated 
 under the new reign.
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 August 1 8th, 1786. 
 
 PRINCE HENRY received information of the decease 
 somewhat late; not till yesterday, the seventeenth, 
 at midnight. But this, perhaps, was occasioned by 
 their desire to send him one of his favorite officers, who 
 was a very bad horseman. The letter of the King was 
 a page and a half in length, written by his own hand, 
 and inviting the Prince to come, who arrived to-day at 
 three in the afternoon. As soon as it was dark, his 
 aide-de-camp came for me; and what follows is the sub- 
 stance of the Prince's narrative. 
 
 He has had an interview of an hour and a half with 
 the King, but is no further advanced in the knowledge 
 of what he shall hereafter be. The King was devoid of 
 ostentation in his behavior to his family; and was very 
 much moved with the Prince, says the latter, but no way 
 communicative. The uncle only attempted to speak of 
 foreign politics. His request in behalf of his favorite, 
 Tauensien, captain and aide-de-camp to his Royal High- 
 ness, was immediately granted. 
 
 <( Resolved on the French system, but desirous of see- 
 ing }> (< Why ? w (< Dignity, prudence, the alarming dis- 
 contents of Holland. n (< Are you brother or King ? as 
 brother interest yourself; as King do not interfere, you 
 will but have the greater influence." "Your father, 
 whose name you cannot pronounce without weeping, was 
 as much French as I am; this I will demonstrate by his 
 letters. w (< Oh, I have seen proofs of that, w replied the 
 King, (< in those of the Queen of Sweden.* 
 
 "Vienna. w (< Advances it is supposed will be made; 
 they will be accepted; the war of peace will actually be 
 concluded. J> 
 
 5 (65)
 
 66 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 w The English system ? }> <( God preserve me from it ! w * 
 <( Russia ? w <( It has scarcely been thought on. " 
 
 The whole day passed in well-managed artifice. The 
 King was on horseback with his eldest son ; he addressed 
 his generals with caresses of every kind : <( If you serve 
 less faithfully than formerly, I, by being obliged to 
 punish, shall be the person punished. >J He spoke a lit- 
 tle more seriously to the Ministers, with whom, not- 
 withstanding, he dined. Severely to the secretaries <( 1 
 well know you have been guilty of indiscretions ; I would 
 advise you to change your behavior." 
 
 Hertzberg hitherto preserves all his consequence. The 
 King has not once pronounced his name to Prince Henry, 
 nor the Prince to the King. His Majesty, however, 
 tenderly embraced Count Finckenstein, a true French 
 knight-errant, and the only person, after Knyphausen, 
 in whom Prince Henry confides; that is to say, willingly. 
 * I thank you, M said the King, (< for the eminent services 
 you have been so indefatigable in rendering my uncle; 
 and I request you will act in the same manner for my 
 interest." It is to be noted that Count Finckenstein is 
 the implacable enemy of Hertzberg, but the uncle of the 
 dearly beloved Mademoiselle Voss. 
 
 The will is to be opened to-morrow, in presence of 
 those interested. The King will not attempt to alter a 
 single line, one article excepted, the necessity of erasing 
 which he will submit to his uncles. The old Monarch 
 has been generous. He has bequeathed Prince Henry 
 two hundred thousand crowns and a handsome ring, 
 exclusive of what will revert to him by the family agree- 
 ment. The rest are likewise well treated, but not so 
 magnificently. 
 
 The funeral ceremony afforded Prince Henry a proper 
 excuse for remaining; it is to be performed at Potsdam. 
 The King will depart thence to receive homage in Prus- 
 sia and Silesia; this is an old custom of the country. 
 Prince Henry will come to an explanation previous to 
 his journey; but he is determined to wait as long as 
 possible, that the King may begin the subject himself. 
 
 * It is Hertzberg who debates warmly for Holland; and beneath 
 this mask the tip of the English ear appears.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 67 
 
 Speaking of me, his Majesty said: (< I suspect he is 
 ordered to observe me ; his love * for the Emperor prob- 
 ably will not expose him to the temptation of speaking 
 ill of me, when there is nothing ill to be spoken. 
 
 Prince Henry fears that, the mode of life excepted, the 
 method and especially the ceremonies of Government 
 will be continued. He has charged me to mention that 
 Comte d'Esterno is much too cold, too distant, too entirely 
 an Ambassador, for the new King. He entreats our 
 Ministry not to be tedious in bargaining concerning the 
 pledges of confidence. 
 
 It is said, and I forgot to ask Prince Henry, who per- 
 haps does not know, whether it be or be not true, that 
 the King has sent for the Duke of Brunswick. The 
 Minister, Schulemburg, is in danger. Prince Henry, by 
 whom he has so long been hated and decried, is resolved 
 to give him support. Schulemburg returned only this 
 morning. He has composed, or rather made Struensee 
 compose, an apologetic memorial, adroit and sophistical, 
 in which he has imputed to the late King that order of 
 affairs which he proposes to remedy. He declaims against 
 monopolies, he, who is himself at the head of all the 
 monopolies; but he endeavors to prove they cannot be 
 suddenly reformed, especially that of the maritime com- 
 pany. 
 
 *This is ironical.
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 August, 22d, 1786. 
 
 PRINCE HENRY is singularly well satisfied with the new 
 King, who the day before yesterday (Sunday) spent 
 the greatest part of the afternoon with his uncle. 
 The latter went to him in the morning to know the 
 watchword. He pretends his nephew indicates an entire 
 confidence in him; but I fear he interprets compliments 
 into pledges of trust. He affirms the downfall of Hertz- 
 berg approaches ; this I do not believe. (< I and my 
 nephew, w said the Prince, <( have been very explicit ; w 
 but I doubt the nephew has deceived the uncle. The 
 conciliating temper of the King, and his good-nature, 
 which induce him to receive all with kindness, may like- 
 wise lead to error, without intending deception; and 
 these rather prove he possesses sensibility than strength 
 of mind. 
 
 Prince Henry affirms that the King is entirely French. 
 He requests that no attention may be paid to the send- 
 ing of Colonel or Major Geysau to London, with acces- 
 sion compliments; these, he affirms, relate only to the 
 family. The King has besides been deceived; he was 
 told that the Court of St. James had sent compliments 
 at the death of King George, which is not true. This, 
 it is added, is an artifice of Count Hertzberg. Prince 
 Henry did not arrive soon enough to prevent the thing 
 being done; were it to do again it should be otherwise. 
 (Remark, it is the Prince himself who speaks.) No one 
 has been sent either to Vienna or to Petersburg. (Not 
 to Vienna, to the chief of the Empire, who is almost as 
 near a relation as the King of England. And as to 
 Petersburg, Romanzow has made such bitter complaints 
 that Count Finckenstein, moderate as he is, demanded 
 whether he had received orders from his Court to speak 
 in that style.) But it is singular enough that envoys 
 have been sent everywhere else; and particularly Count 
 
 (68)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 69 
 
 Charles Podewils (brother to him who is at Vienna) is 
 gone to bear the news to Sweden. This is departing 
 from the old system, to which, it is said, the King means, 
 in other respects, to adhere; for the King of Sweden 
 was held in aversion by the late King; nor is he less 
 hated by Prince Henry. Count Stein, a kind of domes- 
 tic favorite, is gone to Saxony, Weymar, Deux- Fonts, etc. 
 
 Prince Henry wishes the Minister for Foreign Affairs 
 should write, and immediately, that the Court of France 
 hopes the new King will confirm the friendship his pred- 
 ecessor began; and should give it to be understood that 
 all the Prussian Ministers are not supposed to mean as 
 well, toward France, as the King himself (I am not at 
 all of this opinion; for this would be to distinguish 
 Hertzberg, and to render the war against our Cabinet 
 more inveterate. If the downfall of this Minister be 
 necessary, it can be effected only by taxing him with 
 governing the King), and that the reciprocity of good 
 will and good offices may, and ought to, produce a more 
 intimate connection. He wishes M. de Calonne might 
 write soon to him ( Prince Henry ) a friendly and ostensi- 
 ble letter, but which ought to be sent by safe hands; 
 that it should be recommended to Comte d'Esterno to 
 smooth his brow; and he is particularly desirous a mode 
 of somewhat calming the affairs of Holland should be 
 found, and that this act should be much praised and 
 insisted on. 
 
 The Duke of Brunswick has been sent for, and is to 
 arrive on Thursday. It is said he brings another will, 
 which was deposited in his hands. The first was not 
 read before the family, but only in presence of the two 
 uncles and the two Ministers. The legatees have all 
 received their bequests. The date of this will is 1769. 
 It is in a pompous style, and is written with labor and 
 declamation. The King has been exceedingly attentive to 
 specify that his legacies are made from the savings of 
 his privy purse. 
 
 The following is a sketch of his donations: The Queen 
 has an annual augmentation to her income of ten thou- 
 sand crowns. Prince Henry has the gross sum of two 
 hundred thousand crowns, a large green diamond, a lus-
 
 70 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 ter of rock crystal estimated at fifteen thousand crowns, 
 a set of eight coach horses, two led horses richly capar- 
 isoned, and fifty anteaux, or small casks of Hungarian 
 wine. Prince Ferdinand the gross sum of fifty thou- 
 sand crowns, and some Hungarian wine. Princess Fer- 
 dinand ten thousand crowns annually (the reason of this 
 was that, in 1769, she was the only Princess of her 
 house who had any children), and a box. Princess 
 Henry six thousand crowns annually. The Duchess Dow- 
 ager of Brunswick ten thousand crowns annually. The 
 Princess Amelia ten thousand crowns annually, and all 
 the personal plate of the late King. The Princess of 
 Wurtemberg the gross sum of twenty thousand crowns. 
 The Duke of Wurtemberg a ring. The Landgrave of 
 Hesse the gross sum of ten thousand crowns. Prince 
 Frederick of Brunswick the same. The reigning Duke 
 of Brunswick the same, with eight horses (among others, 
 the last that Frederick mounted) and a diamond ring, 
 estimated at twenty-two thousand crowns, etc., etc., 
 etc. 
 
 The King has confirmed all this with a very good 
 grace. The only article that he will not agree to was a 
 strange whim of the late King, relative to the interment 
 of his body; he wished to be buried beside his dogs. 
 Such is the last mark of contempt which he thought 
 proper to cast upon mankind.* I know not whether the 
 will that is coming will be equally respected with that 
 
 * The tongue of scandal VERY PUBLICLY, that is to say, in Prussia, gives 
 a far different reason ; but it is one so revolting, so atrocious, that not 
 only charity but probability leads us to suspect the truth of SUCH an ac- 
 cusation. Still, his love for his dogs while living, his manner of treating 
 them, and his last request to be buried by their side, are very strange, 
 or, in a man like him, very whimsical facts. One of these favorites, a 
 greyhound bitch, was taken at the battle of Sorr, when the baggage 
 was plundered by Trenck and Nadasti. Regardless of inferior losses, 
 the King was in the act of writing to Nadasti, to request his bitch 
 might be restored, when the Austrian general, knowing his love for 
 the animal, which was itself greatly attached to him, sent it back; the 
 bitch, unperceived by the Monarch, leaped upon the table while he 
 was writing, and, as usual, began to caress him, at which he was so 
 affected that he shed tears. The day before he had cut off many thou- 
 sands of men, and charged his DEAR CHILDREN to give no Saxon 
 quarter.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 71 
 
 already opened, even though they should not be contra- 
 dictory. 
 
 As to the situation of the Court, I believe the truth to 
 be that Prince Henry exaggerates his ascendency; and 
 that he is in absolute ignorance of the King's intentions. 
 They prattle much together, but there is no single point 
 on which they have yet come to any stipulation. True 
 it is that five days are scarcely yet elapsed. But where- 
 fore presume ? The Prince supports the Minister, Schu- 
 lemburg; and I know that Schulemburg found the King 
 dry and cold. He had one choice for the French Em- 
 bassy; and I know the King has another, which he has 
 not even concealed from the Prince. The Monarch hears 
 all, but is in nothing explicit. Bishopswerder himself 
 perhaps does not know what he is to be, and, if he be 
 prudent, will not be in too great haste. 
 
 I have twice seen Count Hertzberg, and found him still 
 the same, a small portion of dissimulation excepted. Ho 
 very positively denied being English. He does not seem 
 to me to think he has the least need of Prince Henry, 
 whom he has not been to visit (which is very marked, 
 or rather indecent behavior) since his promotion to the 
 Order of the Black Eagle. I wished to insinuate to him 
 that it would be easy to consult the uncle by the aid of 
 the nephew; this he declined, but gave me an apologetic 
 memorial for Prince Henry, relative to his personal dis- 
 cussions with Baron Knyphausen. Either Prince Henry 
 or Hertzberg, or both, are much deceived. Hertzberg 
 certainly sups almost every night with the King; and 
 the opinion of some well-informed people is that this 
 Minister, and General Moellendorf, will be appointed to 
 educate the Prince of Prussia. 
 
 The Marquis of Luchesini is continued in his place by 
 the present King; but hitherto he has only been desired 
 to write the poem for the funeral. The secretary of 
 Prince Henry, it is said, is to compose the music; and 
 this is one of the things which turn the uncle's brain. 
 
 I have sent the King my grand Memorial * ; he has 
 only acknowledged having received it, adding that I might 
 remain persuaded whatever should come from me would 
 * The Memorial found at the end of this volume.
 
 72 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 give him pleasure; and that, of all the obliging things 
 that were said to him, none flattered him more highly 
 than mine. 
 
 P. S. The Ministers took the oath of allegiance yes- 
 terday, about three o'clock; hence, no probable changes 
 for some time to come. Count Arnim Boytzemburg, 
 sent for by the King, arrived with all haste, and passed 
 the evening with his Majesty. I believe him proper for 
 nothing but a place about Court; it may, however, have 
 relation to the Embassy to France, but more probably to 
 the place of Grand Marshal, or that of Minister of the 
 Landschafft, a kind of president of the provinces, who 
 greatly influences the assessments of the taxes, and other 
 internal arrangements.
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 August 26th, 1786. 
 
 I FEAR my prophecies will be accomplished. Prince 
 Henry appears to me to have gained nothing but 
 bows from his nephew. One article of the will of 
 the King's grandfather disposed of the succession of cer- 
 tain bailliages, so as to bequeath an accession of income, 
 of about forty or fifty thousand crowns, to Prince Henry, 
 including an augmentation of the revenue of Prince 
 Ferdinand. Circumstances not being exactly the same 
 now as supposed by the testator, the Ministers (that is 
 to say, Hertzberg) have pretended that this bequest no 
 longer was legal; and the king, eluding to grant the 
 legacy, has made a proposal to his uncle to have the suit 
 determined either in Germany, France or Italy. The 
 Prince has written an ingenious and noble letter to him, 
 but in which he indicates the enemy. The King has 
 redoubled his outward caresses for his uncle, and has 
 submitted to three judges, who have been nominated by 
 the Prince. I hence conclude that the uncle will gain 
 the suit of the bailliages, but never that of the regency. 
 Hertzberg, however, has commissioned me to make 
 some advances from himself to the Prince, and this I 
 think is a sign that he is not in perfect security. I 
 never could prevail on the Prince to comply; sometimes 
 inflated, sometimes agitated, he neither could command 
 his countenance nor his first emotions. He is deceitful, 
 yet knows not how to dissemble; endowed with ideas, 
 wit, and even a portion of understanding, but has not a 
 single opinion of his own. Petty means, petty councils, 
 petty passions, petty prospects; all is diminutive in the 
 soul of that man. While he makes gigantic pretensions, 
 he has a mind without method; is as haughty as an 
 upstart, and as vain as a man who had no claim to re- 
 spect ; he can neither lead nor be led. He is one of too 
 
 (73)
 
 74 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 frequent examples that insignificance of character may 
 stifle the greatest qualities. 
 
 The thing the new King fears the most is being thought 
 to be governed; and in this respect Prince Henry, of all 
 men, is the least adapted to the Monarch; who I believe 
 would consent not to reign, provided he might only be 
 supposed to reign. 
 
 Remarkable change ! The general directory is restored 
 to the footing on which it was under Frederick William I.* 
 This is a wise act. The result of the madness of innova- 
 tion, under Frederick II., was that, of all the Kings in 
 Europe, he was the most deceived. The mania of ex- 
 pediting the whole affairs of a kingdom in one hour and 
 a half was the cause that the Ministers were each of them 
 absolute in their departments. At present, all must be 
 determined in a committee; each will have occasion of 
 the consent and sanction of all the rest. In a word, it 
 is a kind of Council. This, no doubt, will have its in- 
 conveniences ; but how are inconveniences to be avoided ? 
 
 The edict for suppressing the Lotto is signed, as I am 
 assured. I shall at least have done this much good to 
 the country. But the King has permitted the last draw- 
 ing, which is wrong; there ought to have been none 
 under his reign. Perhaps it is only popular report. 
 
 The Duke of Brunswick arrived this evening. M. 
 Ardenberg-Reventlau, a man of merit and his favorite 
 Minister though M. Feronce is the principal preceded 
 him, and was here at a quarter after four. The Duke 
 was admitted to see his Majesty, who rises at four o'clock ; 
 at half after six he was on the parade. The King received 
 him with neither distance nor ardor. Perhaps nothing 
 more is meant by this journey than politeness. Neces- 
 sity only could make such a man Prime Minister, who 
 will not trouble himself with fruitless efforts, but who will 
 be very tenacious in his grasp. I shall not converse with 
 him till to-morrow. The will he brings will probably be 
 burned; it is said to be of. a much earlier date than the 
 other, and as far back as 1755. 
 
 The Landgrave of Hesse Cassel, it is affirmed, is com- 
 ing; also the Duke of Weymar, the Prince de Deux- 
 
 *The predecessor of the late King.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 75 
 
 Fonts, and even the Duke of York. Of the latter I 
 doubt. 
 
 Hertzberg pretends that the King, by becoming the 
 pledge of the Stadtholder, ought to make us easy con- 
 cerning Holland, but he has not told us who shall make 
 the pledge respected. 
 
 Prince Henry wishes advice should be sent that Count 
 Hertzberg, who has not the good word of the world, ap- 
 pears to have gained the entire confidence of the King, 
 and even to act the master. This last imputation is 
 probably the most effectual method to procure the down- 
 fall of any man, under the present sign. 
 
 There are many small Court favors granted, but no 
 considerable place bestowed. I have attempted to recon- 
 cile Hertzberg and Knyphausen, which I was in a train 
 to accomplish, by demonstrating to them that their coali- 
 tion would erect a throne which could not be shaken. 
 Knyphausen refused, because, alleged he, Hertzberg is 
 so deceitful it can never be known whether the recon- 
 ciliation is or is not sincere ; a and it is better, w said the 
 Baron, <( to be the open enemy than the equivocal friend 
 of a man whose credit is superior to our own." 
 
 I am inclined to think Hertzberg must be displaced, if 
 we wish the Prussians should become French. Three 
 months are necessary to draw any conclusions that should 
 be at all reasonable. I again repeat, if you have any 
 grand political views, relative to this country and Ger- 
 many, put an end to the democratical quarrels of Hol- 
 land; which are only the disputes of cunning, profitable 
 to those who have their fortunes to make, but not to 
 those whose fortunes are made.
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 August 29th, 1786. 
 
 To PROPHESY here daily becomes more difficult; time 
 only can afford any rational prognostics. The King 
 apparently intends to renounce all his old habits; 
 this is a proud undertaking. He has made three visits 
 to Schoenhausen,* nor has he cast one look on Mademoi- 
 selle Voss; no semblance of an orgia; not one woman's 
 bosom touched since he has sat on the throne. One of 
 his confidants proposed a visit to Charlottenburg. ^No," 
 replied he; "all my former allurements are there. He 
 retires before ten in the evening, and rises at four; he 
 works excessively, and certainly with some difficulty. 
 Should he persevere, he will afford a singular example 
 of habits of thirty years being vanquished. This will be 
 an indubitable proof of a grand character, and show 
 how we have all been mistaken. But even, the suppo- 
 sition granted, which is so far from probable, how de- 
 ficient are his understanding and his means. I say how 
 deficient, since even his most ecstatic panegyrists begin by 
 giving up his understanding. The last day that he 
 exercised the troops he was ridiculously slow, heavy, 
 and monotonous. The men were four times ranged in 
 columns, and concluded with parading. This continued 
 three hours, and in the presence of a general such as is 
 the Duke of Brunswick. Everybody was dissatisfied. 
 Yesterday, the first Court day, he was ill; he forgot 
 some of the foreign Ministers, and uttered nothing but a 
 few commonplace phrases, hasty, embarrassed, and ill- 
 chosen; this scarcely continued five minutes. He imme- 
 diately left us to go to church; for he does not miss 
 church; and religious zeal, homilies, and pulpit flatteries 
 already begin to be everywhere heard and seen. 
 
 Prince Henry has gained his suit, concerning the 
 bailliages, as I had foreseen ; in other respects, he has not 
 
 *The Queen's Palace. 
 (76)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 77 
 
 advanced a step, consequently has gone backward. He 
 dines every day with the King, and does wrong; he 
 affects to whisper with him, and does wrong; he speaks 
 to him of public affairs incessantly, and does wrong. 
 The King goes alone to visit the Duke of Brunswick; 
 and also goes in company with Hertzberg, or meets him 
 at the Duke's. The latter pretends to interfere only with 
 the army, the sole thing which, according to him, he 
 understands. I have never yet seen him in private, but 
 he has appointed me an audience on Wednesday morn- 
 ing. 
 
 The English faction continues very active, and this 
 proves there are difficulties to encounter. In reality, it 
 is an alliance so unnatural, when compared to ours, that 
 it seems to me we should not suffer ourselves, though 
 the King should commit blunders, to be routed by his 
 mistakes. 
 
 The Monarch becomes very difficult effectually to ob- 
 serve. He reverts to the severe ceremonies of German 
 etiquette. It is imagined he will not receive foreigners, 
 at least for some time. I know all that can be learned 
 from subaltern spies; from valets, courtiers, secretaries, 
 and the intemperate tongue of Prince Henry; but there 
 are only two modes of influencing, which are to give, 
 or rather to give birth to, ideas in the master, or in his 
 Ministers. In the master! How, since he is not to be 
 approached ? In the Ministers ! It is neither very easy 
 nor very prudent to speak to them on public affairs, I 
 not being in a public character ; and the discussions which 
 chance affords are short, vague, and incomplete. If I 
 am supposed capable of business, I ought to be sent to 
 some place where I should have a public character. I 
 am afraid I shall here cost more than I am worth. 
 
 Count Goertz goes to Holland ; I know not whether in- 
 stead of Thulemeyer or ad tempus. He is followed by 
 the son of Count Arnim, who is a young shoot for the 
 corps diplomatique. Goertz is not a man without talents: 
 when sent into Russia, under every kind of disadvantage, 
 he obtained a good knowledge of the country; he is cold, 
 dry, and ungracious; but subtle, master of his temper, 
 though violent, and a man of observation. That he is of
 
 78 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the English party is certain; he is loyal to Hertzberg, 
 and convinced that the alliance of Holland and France is 
 so unnatural it must soon end. I own I think as he 
 does, especially should we abuse our power. 
 
 A new Ambassador is appointed, in petto^ for France. 
 I have not yet been able to discover who ; but Hertzberg 
 supports the ridiculous Goltz with all his power. Schu- 
 lemburg daily declines in favor. The maritime company 
 have already lost their monopoly of coffee, of which there 
 are four millions and a half pounds' weight consumed in 
 the various provinces of the Prussian monarchy. Hence 
 we may observe that the free use of coffee, which daily 
 becomes general in Germany, is the cause that the con- 
 sumption of beer is gradually and much less. The same 
 company may be deprived of a prodigious profit on sugars ; 
 but it will be in vain to destroy old monopolies only to 
 substitute new, though they should be for the profit of 
 the King. 
 
 The personal debts of his Majesty are paying off by 
 the Minister, Blumenthal; it is said there are tolerably 
 great reductions made, but not unjustly, as I imagine, 
 for there are no complaints on the subject. Exclusive 
 of the Royal Treasury, Frederick II. has left savings so 
 great that they will scarcely be absorbed by the personal 
 debts of Frederick William II. It is said he will pay off 
 his Italian opera, and everybody believes there will be a 
 French opera instead. This certainly would be no trifling 
 means of support to intrigue. 
 
 The freedom of scrutiny is restored to the Academy, 
 and the Germans are henceforward to be admitted mem- 
 bers. I regard the curatorship of this body as a favor 
 conferred on, and a tolerable resource of power for, 
 Hertzberg, who will be curator by title, and president in 
 reality. The presidency of the Academy is so truly min- 
 isterial that the late Frederick exercised it himself, after 
 the decease of the restless and morose De Maupertuis. 
 Count Hertzberg said to me, at Court, "You are a com- 
 pliment in my debt. M <( On what occasion ? }> <( I am 
 curator of the Academy; which title gives me greater 
 pleasure and, in my opinion, is more honorable than a 
 ribbon. " Forty persons heard our discourse. w Cer-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 79 
 
 tainly," replied I, <( he who is the minister of knowledge 
 may well be called the Prime Minister." 
 
 The King will not ruin himself in gifts; he has hith- 
 erto bestowed only prebendaries, which cost him noth- 
 ing, except a pension of three hundred crowns, on 
 General Levald. I am informed that he has just granted 
 one of eight hundred crowns to the poet Rammler. 
 It would perhaps have been more delicate not to have 
 begun by pensioning fame, and her trumpet.
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 September zd, 1786. 
 
 ALL circumstances confirm my predictions. Prince 
 Henry and his nephew have almost quarreled. 
 The uncle is inconsolable, and thinks of retiring to 
 Rheinsberg. He will almost certainly return during the 
 journey of the King, through Prussia and Silesia. Prob- 
 ably we shall have no great changes before the Monarch 
 has performed these journeys, if then. There is one, 
 however, besides those I have before spoken of, which is 
 remarkable; and that is, a commission to examine the 
 administration of the customs, what is to be abrogated, 
 what preserved, and what qualified, especially in the 
 excise. 
 
 M. Werder, a Minister of State, and the intimate friend 
 of Hertzberg, the enemy of Schulemburg who brought 
 him into place, and father-in-law to the secretary of the 
 English Embassy, or perhaps to his wife, is at the head 
 of this commission. The other members are ridiculously 
 selected; but the very project of such a reform is most 
 agreeable to the nation ; as much so as the pension of 
 eight hundred crowns granted to the poet Rammler, and 
 the promise of admission of Germans into the Academy, 
 is to the distributors of renown. It remains to be seen 
 whether the people have not been led to hope too much ; 
 and whether it is not requisite to be certain of substi- 
 tutes, previous to the promise of relief. 
 
 The King goes to Prussia attended by Messieurs Hertz- 
 berg (for the King to be attended by a Minister out of 
 his department is unexampled), Goltz, surnamed the Tar- 
 tar, Boulet, a French engineer, General Goertz, Gaudi, and 
 Bishopswerder. 
 
 This Goltz the Tartar is he who, in the last campaign 
 
 of the Seven Years' War, raised an insurrection of fifty 
 
 thousand Tartars, in the Crimea and the neighboring 
 
 countries; who were marching to make a diversion in 
 
 (80)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 81 
 
 favor of the King of Prussia, and had arrived at Bender, 
 when peace was concluded. Notwithstanding this, Goltz 
 can boast of but little abilities ; except that he is a good 
 officer, and ardently active. He was indebted for his 
 great and singular success to a Dutchman named Bis 
 kamp, whom he met with in the Crimea. He attached 
 himself to this very able and enterprising man, who under- 
 stood the language, knew the country, and served Fred- 
 erick II. according to his wishes; by whom, indeed, he 
 was well paid. This Biskamp is at Warsaw, and there 
 forgotten, which is very strange. I have supposed the 
 relating this anecdote, which is but little known, might 
 be interesting. 
 
 Boulet is an honest man, for whom the King shows 
 some affection, and to whom he is indebted for all he 
 knows concerning fortification. 
 
 General Goertz is the brother of the Goertz who is go- 
 ing to Holland, but not his equal ; he is artful and subtle, 
 and his good faith is of a suspicious complexion. 
 
 Gaudi is the brother of the celebrated general of the 
 same name; little known hitherto as the Minister of the 
 Prussian department, but capable, well-informed, firm, 
 decided, and indubitably the man most proper to influ- 
 ence interior arrangements in reconstructing the grand 
 directory. 
 
 Bishopswerder you are acquainted with ; he and Boulet 
 each lately received the commission of lieutenant colo- 
 nel. 
 
 The King has told Schulemburg that, on his return 
 from Prussia, he will determine which of his nine de- 
 partments he shall be deprived of. He and his wife arc 
 the only ministerial family who are not invited to Court. 
 The probabilities all are that Schulemburg will demand 
 leave to resign, should his colleagues continue to humble 
 him, and the King to treat him with contempt. But 
 Striiensee probably will keep his place, and he then pro- 
 poses to act, in concert with us, in our public funds; 
 especially should the King, as is apparent, commit to his 
 charge the four millions of crowns which he means to 
 set apart for the operations of previous finance. Struen- 
 see is the only man who understands them. This is a 
 6
 
 82 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 subject not to be neglected, as it hitherto has been, even 
 so far as to render it impossible for me to act with pro- 
 priety. We might profit by him, during peace; but if 
 unfortunately the news which is whispered be true, con- 
 cerning the increasing ill health of the Elector of Bava- 
 ria, depend upon war, for I then hold it inevitable. Is 
 this a time for us to exist from day to day, as we do, 
 when each month (for there is a probability, at any 
 time, that he should die within a month) menaces all 
 Europe with inextricable confusion ? 
 
 M. de Larrey, sent from the Stadtholder to compliment 
 the King, openly affirms it is impossible the disputes of 
 Holland should be appeased without effusion of blood; 
 and the speculations of Hertzberg upon this subject are 
 boundless ; but the secret is well kept by those who sur- 
 round the King.
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 TO THE DUG DE 
 
 September ad, 1786. 
 
 BY WHAT fatality, monseigneur, has it happened that I 
 have not received your letter, dated the sixteenth, 
 till this day ? And, still more especially, why was 
 it not written some weeks sooner ? The importance of the 
 proposition with which it concludes will never be fully 
 understood; and which, made at any other time, except 
 when the King was dying, would have been willingly ac- 
 cepted. It will never be known, had it been presented 
 soon enough, how much it might have effected, impeded, 
 and indicated, relative to a Prince whose understanding 
 perhaps is not great, but who possesses gratitude, and 
 who will much more certainly be an honest man than a 
 great King ; so that his heart rather than his mind ought 
 to have been appealed to; and that at a time when he 
 was far otherwise accessible than at present, walled in, 
 as he is, by system and intrigue. How does it happen 
 that you are the only person of the country you inhabit 
 who conceived this plan ? How could the Cabinet of 
 Versailles give up the merit of offering trifling sums to 
 Serilly ? How could it permit the Duke of Courland to 
 secure the claim of having hushed the loud cries of cred- 
 itors to silence ? How impolitic and disastrous are the 
 sordid views, the confined plans, and short-sighted pru- 
 dence of certain persons ! In what a situation would such 
 an act have placed us, as it would me personally, in his 
 opinion! All things then would have been possible, 
 would have been easy to me. But of this we must think 
 no more; we must only remember this is a new proof 
 that reason is always on your side. 
 
 Since the death of the King I have sent supplies of 
 information to your Cabinet, respecting the Aulic phases * 
 
 * Court changes, or appearances. 
 
 (83)
 
 84 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 and my dispatch of to-day, a great part of which no 
 doubt our common friend will read to you, is a state- 
 ment, according to the best of my abilities, of present 
 and future contingencies. You will there perceive that 
 Prince Henry has accomplished his own destiny; that his 
 trifling character has, on this occasion, weighty as it 
 was, been stranded on the rock of his excessive vanity, 
 as it has before so often been ; that he has at once dis- 
 played an excessive desire of power, disgusting haughti- 
 ness, insupportable pedantry, and a disdain of intrigue, 
 at the same time that his conduct was one continuation 
 of petty, low, dirty cabal ; that he has despised the peo- 
 ple in power, while he himself is surrounded only by 
 those who are evidently either foolish, knavish, or con- 
 temptible, one sole man, Baron Knyphausen, excepted, 
 and he is in daily danger of being carried off by apo- 
 plexy; that, in fine, no man can be more out of favor, 
 and particularly out of confidence, or can have put him- 
 self into a situation in which confidence and favor will 
 be more difficult to regain. 
 
 I therefore persist in my opinion that the Duke of 
 Brunswick, who is master of himself, by no means 
 ostentatious, and who is possessed of profound talents, 
 will be the man, not of the present moment, but of 
 the moment of necessity. My reasons are numerous, and 
 so deduced as, in my opinion, not to admit of contra- 
 diction, the order of events and circumstances which I 
 see and foresee considered. All this does but render the 
 execution of your project the more necessary, and which 
 I regard as very practicable, with some small exceptions, 
 if executed by the persons in whom you ought to confide, 
 should you, with your natural dexterity, and irresisti- 
 ble seduction, pursue the plan of interesting the vanity 
 of the MASTER, so as to make it his own act, and, as you 
 have so well expressed it, that it shall be he himself 
 who shall inform his Ministers of his intentions. 
 
 I repeat, your project is the more immediately neces- 
 sary because that England cabals, with great industry, 
 in her own behalf, under the pretense of the interests of 
 Holland, which are very much at heart, in the Cabinet 
 of Berlin. I own that what I have often insinuated here,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 85 
 
 namely, that the Prussian power is not sufficiently con- 
 solidated, and that, if opposed to stand the shock of 
 France and Austria combined, it must be reduced to 
 powder, is a proposition not so unanswerable but that, 
 thanks to Russia, there are many objections to be made; 
 and so there always will be, even in suppositions the 
 most unfavorable to Prussia. 
 
 1. Because this would but be commencing a deplora- 
 ble career of sanguinary contentions, under the direction 
 of the Emperor, who is so little able to direct that he 
 may be affirmed to be the least military of men. 
 
 2. That the utmost success would leave a Prince with- 
 out counterpoise in Europe, who has claims and preten- 
 tions of every kind. 
 
 Lastly, and more especially, this would be painfully to 
 seek that which the nature of events spontaneously offers ; 
 like as spring makes the apparently dry and sapless tree 
 bud and bloom. 
 
 There are some errors in ciphering, which are the cause 
 that I do not perfectly understand the grounds of your 
 dissension with me, concerning the maritime system; but 
 I too well know the extreme justness of your mind, which 
 does not remain satisfied with phantoms, to imagine our 
 opinions are very opposite. And, for my own part, I have 
 never pretended to say that we ought not to maintain a 
 navy which should make our commerce respected. The 
 question to determine is, What ought the extent of this 
 commerce to be, which is to be effectually protected ? 
 You, like me, perceive that no alliance with England can 
 be solidly established but by a commercial treaty, which 
 should have exact, clear, and distinct lines of demarca- 
 tion ; for, were unlimited freedom of trade permitted, they 
 would be the sufferers. How might they support the rival- 
 ship ? And, if we do not cut away the voracious suckers 
 from the root of the tree, how shall we prevent the Indies 
 and Antilles from eternally continuing the apple of dis- 
 cord ? 
 
 Be this as it may, monseigneur, do not suffer your- 
 self to be discouraged or disgusted by difficulties. Ascend 
 the height with a firm though measured step, and with 
 inflexible constancy. You have found the only unbeaten
 
 86 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 track which, in these times, can lead to political fame, 
 and which best may tend to the pacification of the earth. 
 How admirable is it to unite the talents of the hero, 
 the principles of the sage, and the projects of the 
 philosopher! By a single diplomatic act to reverse all 
 the obsolete forms, all pitiable rubrics, all the destruc- 
 tive arts of modern politics, would be to gain no vulgar 
 crown; and a prospect so magnificent must be a most 
 powerful support to your fortitude. 
 
 I need not repeat how much I am devoted to you, or 
 how entirely you may dispose of me.
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 September 5th, 1786. 
 
 IT is impossible that I should send you intelligence 
 more exact, concerning the situation of Prince Henry 
 with the King, than that which my preceding letters 
 contain. The Prince himself no longer conceals the 
 truth, and, like all weak men, passing from one extreme 
 to the other, he clamorously affirms the country is 
 undone, that priests, blockheads, prostitutes, and Eng- 
 lishmen are hastening its destruction; and, by the intem- 
 perance of his language, confirms what the indiscretion 
 of Chevalier d'Oraison, and the personal confidence of 
 the uncle to the nephew, when he was only Prince of 
 Prussia, probably before but too certainly told Frederick 
 William II. I repeat, he has completed his disgrace, in 
 the private estimation of the King. It is my opinion 
 that, if he may be permitted, he will either quit this 
 country, in which he has not one friend, one parasite, 
 except in the most subaltern and abject class, or will 
 become insane, or will die; such is my augury. 
 
 Not that I am convinced that the administration must 
 always be committed to subalterns. The King has too 
 much dread of seeming to be governed not to have the 
 necessity of being governed. Why should he be the first 
 man who should pretend to be what he is not ? Fred- 
 erick II., who by nature was so perfectly designed to 
 govern, never testified a fear of being governed; he was 
 certain of the contrary. The present King fears he shall, 
 and therefore shall be. While public affairs are trans- 
 acted separately, he will not seem to be; for nothing is 
 more easy in this country than to receive and to pay. 
 The machinery is so wound up that the surplus of reve- 
 nue is great indeed. It is easy to pay some atten- 
 tion to detail, to keep watch over the police, to make 
 some subordinate changes, and to coquette with the 
 nation. And here be it said, by the way, there seems a 
 
 (87)
 
 88 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 determination of humbling the vanity of foreigners; so 
 that, as I have always affirmed, the gallomania* of 
 Prince Henry has been very prejudicial to us. Some 
 good will be done; for it is not here as in other king- 
 doms, where the passing from evil to good is sometimes 
 worse than evil itself, and where there is terror in re- 
 sistance. All is here done ad nutum. Besides, the cords 
 are so stretched they cannot but relax; the people have 
 been so oppressed, have suffered such vexation, such ex- 
 tortion, that they must find ease. All will proceed, 
 therefore, and almost without aid, while foreign politics 
 shall continue calm and uniform; but, whenever a gun 
 is fired, or even at the first lowering storm, with what 
 a petty crash will this scaffolding of mediocrity come to 
 the ground! How will these subaltern Ministers shrink, 
 from the slave at the oar to the terrified steersman ? 
 How will they call for a pilot's aid ? 
 
 Who must be this pilot ? The Duke of Brunswick. 
 Of this I have no doubt. Every little accident, in the 
 day of trouble, is only an additional aptitude to fear. 
 Besides that, the Prince is, of all men, he who best can 
 conduct little vanity; he will satisfy himself with appear- 
 ing the servant of servants; the most polite, the most 
 humble, and indubitably the most adroit of courtiers; 
 while, at the same time, his iron hand will fetter all 
 paltry views, all trifling intrigues, all inferior factions. 
 Such is the horoscope I draw ; nor do I think, at present, 
 one more rational can be erected. 
 
 Hertzberg is the man who must be managed in the 
 State; and for this Comte d'Esterno is not qualified, be- 
 cause he formerly deserted him too much; and he well 
 perceived it would have been indelicate and stupid to have 
 veered too suddenly. Hertzberg, however, may ruin him- 
 self by his boasting, and even by his ostentation. This 
 is a mode of effecting the fall of Ministers which the 
 courtiers will not fail to employ because of the character 
 of the King, and which may succeed. 
 
 But Holland and her convulsions are the subject of 
 present consideration. There is a conviction that we can 
 do what we please; and, though I am far from thinking 
 
 * Enthusiasm in favor of France.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 89 
 
 this to be incontrovertible, I still think that, were we to 
 say to the party that has gained so much ground, prob- 
 ably from a conviction that we were ready to march up 
 to their support ( for how would they have dared to make 
 themselves responsible if they had possessed no securities 
 for such future contingencies as may be expected ?). I 
 repeat, were we to say, YOU MUST GO NO FURTHER, we 
 should be obeyed. It will be supposed, I neither pretend 
 nor wish to give advice. I am too far removed from 
 truth, which I can only inspect through the magnifying 
 glass of passion; and the Comte d'Esterno informs me 
 of nothing; but I can distinctly perceive that that hurri- 
 cane, which is forming in those marshes, may extend to 
 other countries. The French Embassy of Berlin will not 
 say thus much to you, because they do not see things 
 in the same light, but are persuaded that the interest 
 of the brother will have no influence on the connections of 
 the King. Of this I doubt, and have good reason so to 
 doubt. Hertzberg is wholly Dutch, for it is the only 
 decent manner in which he can be English ; and he may 
 greatly influence foreign politics, although he does not 
 understand them. As, the other day, he was rehearsing 
 his eternal repetition of THE KING WILL BE THE PLEDGE 
 OF THE STADTHOLDER I said to him, *I respect the 
 King too much to ask who shall be the pledge of the 
 pledge; but I dare venture to ask How WILL THE KING 
 MAKE HIS PLEDGE RESPECTED? What shall happen when 
 France shall demonstrate that the Stadtholder has broken 
 engagements entered into under her sanction? The King 
 is not the brother-in-law of Holland ; and the affair of 
 Naples is sufficient proof that family interventions may 
 be eluded ? What can the King accomplish against Hol- 
 land ? And is he not too equitable to require us, who 
 cannot wish that the Dutch should become English, to 
 risk our alliance for the knight-errant of the English ? * 
 To all this Hertzberg, who beholds nothing on this sub- 
 lunary earth but HERTZBERG and PRUSSIA, made vague 
 replies ; but, at the words, <( What can the King accom- 
 plish against Holland ? w he muttered, with a gloomy air, 
 "HOLLAND WILL NOT DEFY HIM, I BELIEVE.* Once again, 
 beware of Holland; where, by way of parenthesis the
 
 90 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 English legation affirms that we have bought the town 
 of Schiedam ; that M. de Calonne, in particular, inundates 
 the country with gold; and, in a word, that he is per- 
 sonally the brand of discord. 
 
 I have reserved the questions with which your letter 
 begins, to conclude with; first, because they relate to 
 affairs the least pressing, since it appears impossible that 
 the Emperor should make any attempts on Turkey in 
 Europe before the coming spring; and next, it was neces- 
 sary I should previously recollect myself; the concurring 
 circumstances of the death of the King, and the accession 
 of Frederick William, being the subjects which have almost 
 exclusively demanded my attention, and induced me to defer 
 more distant objects to future consideration. Still, I fear 
 mine is a barren harvest, Prussia not having any continued 
 intercourse with these wide lying countries, which are 
 more than four hundred leagues distant; for she has 
 neither any great merchant, nor any system of politics, 
 because the corps diplomatique of Prussia is extremely 
 deficient. 
 
 As to those individuals that are met with in society, 
 they are ignorant, and can afford no information. Buck- 
 holz, the Prussian envoy to Warsaw, a man of ordinary 
 capacity, but active, and Huttel, who is in the same 
 capacity at Petersburg, an intelligent person, write word 
 that Russia is more pacific than Turkey, and that the in- 
 ternal Ottoman provinces call for war. The frontier 
 provinces, appertaining to the Tartars, certainly are not 
 friendly to Russia. Moldavia and Wallachia are governed 
 by Hospodars, who, being Greeks, most certainly are sold to 
 whoever will purchase them, consequently to Russia. The 
 Emperor deceives them, and is hated there, as elsewhere. 
 I shall speak further of this, and shall endeavor to give a 
 sketch of a journey along the frontiers of these countries, 
 which should be undertaken in the disguise of a trader, 
 and kept rigidly secret, by which the state of the fron- 
 tiers, the magazines, the propensities of the people, etc., 
 etc. , might be known, and what is to be hoped or feared, 
 if it be found necessary to arm (in which case it is very 
 probable Prussia would voluntarily aid us with all her 
 powers), that is to say if the Emperor should determine
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 91 
 
 to pay no respect to our remonstrances, as he has twice 
 done before. 
 
 Perhaps I might be more useful employed in such a 
 journey than at Berlin, where at every step I tread on 
 danger, and shall so continue to do, unless I have cre- 
 dentials, at least as an assistant; which perhaps would 
 be the more proper, because it sometimes happens that 
 such an interlocutor is spoken to with greater freedom 
 than an Ambassador; for the refusals he meets, or the 
 proposals he makes, have no ministerial consequences; 
 and thus each party gains information, without either 
 being offended. 
 
 Pay serious attention to this, I request. In vain you 
 recommend me to act privately; permit me to inform 
 you that, in despite of all my efforts, this is impractica- 
 ble. I have too much celebrity, too much intercourse 
 with Prince Henry, who is a true Joan of Arc, and who 
 has no secrets of any kind. I am made to speak when 
 I am silent; and when I say anything it is unfaithfully 
 repeated. It is impossible to conceive all that has been 
 attributed to me since the King's death; that is to say, 
 since an epoch when I have taken advantage of the 
 interruption of social meetings to keep myself recluse, 
 and to labor only by mining. Comte d'Esterno dis- 
 credits me all in his power. The English Embassy 
 exclaims: * Fcenum habet in cornu, longt fuge* The favor- 
 ites keep me at a distance ; the wits, the priests, and the 
 mystics have formed a league, etc., etc. Each fears an 
 invasion of his domains, because my real business is not 
 known. I cannot remain and be of any utility, unless 
 you shall find means to inform Count Finckenstein that 
 I am only a good citizen and a good observer; but that 
 these I am, and that I am authorized to give my opinion. 
 I cannot doubt but that this Minister is very desirous 
 these few words should be said. I am, however, in con- 
 science obliged to repeat, the part I have to play daily 
 becomes more difficult and more invidious; and that, in 
 order to be truly useful, I must have some character 
 given me, or be employed elsewhere. 
 
 Prince Henry at present reads his recantation ; he again 
 pretends Hertzberg has received his deathblow, and that
 
 92 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 his downfall will be instantaneous. He relates miracles of 
 the Duke of Brunswick, and flatters himself that he shall, 
 soon or late, have great influence (< He will be in no 
 haste. He will ply to windward six months. w He affirms 
 the English projects are absolutely abortive. Hertzberg, 
 he is confident, acts as if he had lost all understanding, 
 and precisely as if he, Prince Henry, had counseled 
 him, in order to render his fall more headlong, etc., etc., 
 etc. In fine, his discourse is a mixture of enthusiasm 
 and rodomontade, of presumption and anxiety; a flux of 
 words that confirm nothing; or of half phrases without 
 any determinate meaning, except of exaggeration and 
 tumor. Hence, it is difficult to conjecture whether he 
 deceives himself or wishes to deceive; whether he main- 
 tains the cause of vanity, feasts on illusion, or if he has 
 recently any ray of hope; for, as I have said, it is not 
 impossible but that Hertzberg, by his boasting, should 
 effect his own ruin. Prince Henry presses me to request 
 the Court to send me some credentials, while the King 
 shall be in Prussia and Silesia; or, at least, to write con- 
 cerning me to Count Finckenstein, by whom the intelli- 
 gence may be communicated to the King. 
 
 No change in the new habits of the Monarch. Ma- 
 dame Rietz has been but once to see him; but, on Sat- 
 urday last, he wrote to his natural son by that woman, 
 and directed his letter: <( To my son Alexander, Count 
 de la Marche. w * He has ennobled, and even made a 
 Baroness of the mistress of the Margrave of Schwedt 
 (Baroness of Stoltzenberg, which is the title of a Barony, 
 worth about eight thousand crowns a year, given her by 
 the Margrave), who is nothing more than a tolerably 
 pretty German girl, formerly an actress, by whom the 
 Margrave has a son. It was not thought proper to refuse 
 the only thing this old Prince of seventy- seven wished 
 or could request. Perhaps, too, it was a pretext to do as 
 much for Madame Rietz. The husband of this lady is 
 erzkaemmerer, \ a place nearly corresponding to that of 
 first valet de chambre, and treasurer of the privy purse; 
 but it is supposed he will do nothing more than get 
 
 * Meaning one of the Marches of Brandenburg, 
 f Archchamberlain.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 93 
 
 rich; his wife hitherto has never had any serious influ- 
 ence. 
 
 The Court Marshal, Ritwitz, having suddenly become 
 raving mad, after a quarrel with one of the provision 
 officers, Marwitz, who is a totally insignificant person, 
 has been proposed to the King. (< He will do as well as 
 another," replied the Monarch. Is this thoughtlessness, 
 or is it fear of importance being annexed to a place 
 which in reality but little merits importance ? This ques- 
 tion it is impossible to answer. 
 
 Lucchesini increases in his pretensions; he demands a 
 place in the finance or commercial department; perhaps 
 the direction of the maritime company, but this would 
 be a very lofty stride. Annexed to wit and information, 
 he has some qualities to which ambition is seldom allied; 
 at most they will entitle him to become a member of the 
 corps diplomatique, of which he is capable. I believe this 
 Italian to be one of the most ardent in keeping me at a 
 distance from the King, who will not indeed be easy of 
 access before the winter. 
 
 The commission of regulations has hitherto rather ap- 
 peared a caustic than a healing and paternal remedy. 
 There is much more talk of the sums the employment 
 of which cannot be justified than of easing the excise. 
 Verder, the president, is besides known to be the per- 
 sonal enemy of some of the members of the tax admin- 
 istration. This, perhaps, has occasioned suspicions. 
 Verder, however, was proposed by the Duke of Bruns- 
 wick, who, in fact, had need of his aid in some affairs 
 that relate to his country. 
 
 Hertzberg has certainly been in a storm, and the 
 credit of Count Finckenstein appears to be augmented, 
 though I confess the shade of increasing favor is scarcely 
 perceptible. I persist in believing that Hertzberg is 
 immovable, unless by his want of address.
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 September 8th, 1786. 
 
 THE sixth, at a review of the artillery, I dismounted my 
 horse to attend the King, in the front of the ranks. 
 The Duke of Brunswick joined me; and, as we 
 talked of mortars, bombs, and batteries, we gradually re- 
 moved to a distance. As soon as we were alone, he began 
 to speak to me of the prodigious knowledge I had of the 
 country; giving me to understand he had read my me- 
 morial to the King. He then reverted to the new reign, 
 and suddenly afterward to foreign politics. Having en- 
 tered at length into the subject, and spoken more than 
 is necessary here to repeat, he added, (< In God's name, 
 arrange affairs in Holland; free the King of his fears. 
 Must the Stadtholder never be other than ad honores? 
 You are in full credit there, and this credit you cannot 
 lose ; if you did, the party by which you obtained it would 
 be too much exposed to danger. I repeat, put us at our 
 ease, and I will answer on my head for everything else; 
 but use dispatch, I conjure you. On Sunday I shall de- 
 part for Brunswick; come and visit me, while the King 
 is gone into Silesia; we can converse freely there, and 
 nowhere else. But write to your friends that they ought 
 to exert all their influence to engage the French Ministry 
 to use moderation with the Prince of Orange, who can- 
 not be proscribed without State convulsions. Things are 
 not ripe for his abolishment ; give him protection. France 
 cannot render a greater service to Europe. What, is your 
 Court yet to learn those forms which effect no change, 
 but which give every support ? }> Here we separated, be- 
 cause the subject began to be too interesting. But tell 
 me ought I not to go to Brunswick ? 
 
 To this I should add that Count Goertz has taken eight 
 chasseurs with him, who are to convey letters to the 
 frontiers of the Prussian States, in order that no dis- 
 patches may be sent by land, nor pass through foreign 
 
 (94)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 95 
 
 hands. The Duke of Brunswick has repeated what Prince 
 Henry had told me, and which I forgot to inform you 
 of, that one of the principal motives for selecting Count 
 Goertz was his former friendship with M. de Veyrac. 
 
 From my conversation with the Duke, I conclude that 
 he is or soon will be master of affairs ; and this explains 
 the new fit of joy, hope, and presumption which has 
 seized on Prince Henry, who has been persuaded by the 
 cunning Duke that, if he will but have patience, the 
 scepter will devolve on him ; and that he, the Duke, will 
 be no more than high constable. It is said Koenigsberg 
 will be appointed Field Marshal. This, added to the 
 smooth turn which the Duke has given discussions and 
 pecuniary matters, has turned the Prince's brain, who 
 told me the other day that w the Duke was the most loyal 
 of men, and his best friend; that he owned a fortnight 
 ago he was of a different opinion; but that,* etc. So 
 that the metamorphosis has been produced within this 
 fortnight. In truth, there is no real difference between 
 a fool and a man of understanding who thus can suffer 
 himself to be deceived; as little is there between a fool 
 and a man of understanding who can be persuaded that 
 a fool is a man of understanding. Both these things 
 daily happen to Prince Henry. On the thirteenth he 
 departs for Rheinsberg and is to return the day before 
 the King. 
 
 The fervor of the novice appears somewhat to abate. 
 I have good reason to believe that Mademoiselle Voss 
 is ready to capitulate, ogling, frequent conversations 
 (for the present assiduity at Schoenhausen is not paid to 
 the Queen Dowager), presents accepted (a canonicate for 
 her brother), and an attempt at influence. (It is she who 
 placed Mademoiselle Vierey in the service of the Princess 
 Frederica of Prussia.) To ask is to grant. Since the 
 accession all circumstances denote how dazzling is the 
 luster of a diadem; but so much the better, for her fall 
 only can render her but little dangerous. She is wholly 
 English, and is not incapable of intrigue. When we re- 
 flect that the credit of a Madame du Troussel had the 
 power, under a Frederick II., to bestow places of impor- 
 tance, we may imagine what may happen under another
 
 96 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 King, as soon as it shall be discovered that intrigue may 
 be employed at the Court of Berlin, as well as at other 
 Courts. 
 
 Madame Rietz yesterday received a diamond worth 
 four thousand crowns; she will probably be put on the 
 invalid list, with some money, and perhaps a title. 
 
 Her son, at present, has publicly the title of Count 
 de la Marche (or Count Brandenburg), and has a sepa- 
 rate establishment. 
 
 General Kalckstein, disgraced by the late King, and 
 regretted by everybody, has received a regiment. 
 
 At present, and till I hear other news relative to Ber- 
 lin, accept the following important anecdote, which I 
 think it necessary to send in the now doubtful state of 
 the health of the Empress of Russia: About six years 
 a g> a young foreigner, and a gentleman, in the service 
 of France, was presented to the Grand Duchess, by a 
 lady who had been educated with her, and who has re- 
 mained her intimate friend. It was the intention of this 
 young gentleman to enter into the Russian service. He 
 was presented to the Grand Duke by the Grand Duch- 
 ess, who warmly solicited, and while he was present, a 
 place for the youth in the service of her husband. 
 
 The young favorite, well-formed and handsome, often 
 visited the Grand Duchess. Invited to her palace, feasted, 
 distinguished, and continually receiving new favors, he 
 fell in love; of which the Grand Duchess was informed 
 by his extreme confusion. One grand Court day, at a 
 masked ball, in the evening, she had him conducted by 
 one of her women into an obscure apartment, and suffi- 
 ciently distant from those where the Court was held. In 
 a little time the conductress quitted him, and advised 
 him to wait, and the Grand Duchess arrived in a black 
 domino. She removed her mask, took the youth by the 
 hand, led him to a sofa, and made him sit down by her 
 side. The Grand Duchess then told him this was the mo- 
 ment for him to choose between the service of France 
 and the service of Russia. A certain time, however, 
 was allowed him to come to a decision. Coquetry and 
 even caresses succeeded. Wavering, taken by surprise, 
 distracted between love and fear, the youth behaved
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 97 
 
 with excessive awkwardness at the beginning of the 
 interview. The Grand Duchess, however, encouraged 
 him, inspired him with audacity, and made him every 
 advance, till at length he vanquished his timidity and 
 indeed became very daring. 
 
 To this scene of transports, adieus suddenly succeeded, 
 which partook as much of terror, and of despotism, as 
 of love. The Grand Duchess commanded the youth, in 
 the most tender but the most absolute tone, to inform 
 the Grand Duke that he could not accept the rank of 
 captain, which was intended to be given him. She added 
 that he must depart, instantly depart; and that his 
 head must answer should the least circumstance tran- 
 spire. She, at the same time, pressed him to demand 
 some mark of remembrance. The terrified youth, con- 
 fused and trembling, requested a black ribbon, which 
 she took from her domino. He received the pledge, and 
 so totally lost all recollection that he left the ball, and 
 quitted Petersburg, without contriving any means of cor- 
 respondence, arrangements for the future, or precautions 
 of any kind, in favor of his fortune. In a few days he 
 left Russia, traveling day and night, and did not write 
 to the Grand Duke till he had passed the frontiers. He 
 received a very gracious answer ; and here the affair ended. 
 
 This person is returned to, and is now in, the service 
 of France. He has little firmness, but does not want 
 understanding. Were he guided he might certainly be 
 useful ; at least, attempts might be made after so extraor- 
 dinary an incident. But for this it would be necessary 
 he should go to Russia before there is any change of 
 monarch, and should tempt his fortune, now that the 
 Grand Duchess has not so much fear. I am not per- 
 sonally acquainted with him, but I can dispose of his 
 most intimate friend, in whom every dependence may be 
 placed. I have not thought proper to name the hero of 
 the romance, whom it is not necessary to know, unless it 
 should be intended to afford him employment. If, on the 
 contrary, it should be thought proper for him to pursue 
 any such plan, I will name him instantly. 
 
 The Elector of Bavaria is certainly not in good health ; 
 he may not live to see winter; and it is scarcely proba- 
 7
 
 98 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 ble he will reach the spring. I shall go from hence to 
 Dresden, that I may not appear to absent myself pur- 
 posely for the Duke of Brunswick. I shall remain there 
 seven or eight days, as long at Brunswick, and three or 
 four weeks in the whole. My journey will be exactly of 
 the same duration as that of the King, in whose absence 
 there is nothing to be learned, and I shall certainly profit 
 by my peregrinations, and learn more at Brunswick in 
 a week than I should here divine in three months. 
 
 My letter is too long to speak of Turkey in Europe. I 
 doubt the Emperor cannot be prevented, if he is not 
 destitute of all capacity, from marching any day he shall 
 please to the mouth of the Danube ; but on the same day 
 he must become the natural enemy of Russia, who will 
 find in his presence one too many on the Black Sea, and 
 this may render the combined projects abortive. I am 
 assured that Moldavia and Wallachia desire to be under 
 the Emperor's Government. This I cannot believe, since 
 his own peasants fly their country, and even go to Poland, 
 rather than remain in his power. But the before-mentioned 
 provinces are absolutely unprotected, and I think no op- 
 position can be made, except in Roumelia and Bulgaria. 
 In fine, I believe we only, by promises or threats, are 
 able to prevent the Emperor from laboring at this grand 
 demolition. If we believe the rodomontadoes of Peters- 
 burg, Russia is singly capable of the work. But, were 
 she to attempt it, what would she be on the succeeding 
 day ? You are not ignorant she has received some check ; 
 that Prince Heraclius has been obliged to desert her 
 cause; that she is once again reduced to defend Mount 
 Caucasus as a frontier ; that she cannot at present march 
 into the heart of the Ottoman territories; and that per- 
 haps this would be the best moment for recovering the 
 Crimea. Should all these particulars be true, and these 
 conjectures well founded, it is impossible that I should 
 know any one of them so perfectly as you do yourself. 
 
 The dispute, relative to the bailliage of Wusterhausen, 
 has been very nobly ended by the King. He has retaken 
 it, but has made an annual grant of fifty thousand 
 crowns to Prince Henry, seventeen thousand of which 
 the latter is obliged to pay Prince Ferdinand. The bail-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 99 
 
 liage does not produce more than about forty-three 
 thousand. 
 
 Prince Ferdinand at present recants the renunciation 
 to the Margraviate of Anspach. As it is known that 
 Prince Ferdinand has no will of his own, it is evident 
 he receives his impulse from Prince Henry, and the 
 more so, because this is the manet altd mente repostum 
 against Count Hertzberg. It would be difficult to im- 
 agine anything more silly, or better calculated eternally 
 to embroil him with the King. 
 
 I have always regarded the singularity of Romanzow, 
 of not going into mourning, and his violence with Count 
 Finckenstein concerning not sending a complimentary 
 envoy to Petersburg, which occasioned the Count to de- 
 mand whether he had orders from his Court to speak in 
 such a style, as the effervescence of a young man; es- 
 pecially since Baron Reeden, the Dutch envoy, did not 
 likewise go into mourning from economy, which shows 
 it was not considered as a matter of any great impor- 
 tance. As these debates very ridiculously occupied the 
 corps diplomatique for a week; and as the Comte d'Es- 
 terno, who has conducted himself well on the occasion, 
 must have mentioned it, I thought it to no purpose to 
 write on the subject. But as Romanzow, of all the 
 foreign Ambassadors, did not attend the funeral at Pots- 
 dam, this mark, either of thoughtlessness or dissatis- 
 faction, was felt; and, the time necessary to receive 
 orders being past, I send information of the fact, to 
 which I do not, however, pay so much attention as the 
 good people in the pit, though it has greatly displeased 
 the boxes. The Cabinet of Berlin must long have known 
 that friendship, on the part of Russia, is hopeless till 
 the accession of the Grand Duke ; but it is impossible to 
 butt with more force, or greater disrespect, than Roman- 
 zow has done.
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 September loth, 1786. 
 
 THE following are some particulars concerning what 
 happened, on the day of interment, at Potsdam. 
 
 The King arrived at seven o'clock. At half-past 
 seven he went with the Princesses Frederica and Louisa of 
 Brunswick, the young ladies Knisbec, Voss, etc., to see 
 the chamber of Frederick. It was small, hung with vio- 
 let-colored cloth, and loaded with ornaments of black and 
 silver. At the far end was an alcove, in which the coffin 
 was placed, under the portrait of the hero. This coffin 
 was richly ornamented with cloth of silver, laced with 
 gold. Toward the head was a casque of gold, the sword 
 that Frederick wore, his military staff, the ribbon of the 
 Black Eagle, and gold spurs. Round the coffin were 
 eight stools, on which were placed eight golden cushions, 
 meant to sustain: 
 
 1. The crown. 
 
 2. The golden globe and cross. 
 
 3. The gold box containing the seal. 
 
 4. The electoral cap. 
 
 5. The scepter. 
 
 6. The Order of the Golden Eagle, of diamonds and 
 other precious stones. 
 
 7. The royal sword. 
 
 8. The royal hand. 
 
 The balustrade was hung with violet-colored velvet. A 
 splendid glass chandelier was in the center, and on each 
 side was a mutilated pyramid of white marble veined 
 with black ; that is to say, of white cloth, marbled with 
 great art. The chamber appeared to me to want light. 
 
 His Majesty afterward passed into the canopy salon, 
 hung with black, and adorned with plates of silver from 
 the Berlin palace; and next into the grand hall, hung 
 with black. Eight artificial black columns had been 
 added to this immense hall. Its only embellishments 
 
 (100)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 101 
 
 were garlands of cypress, and here again there was too 
 little light. 
 
 In about half an hour the King returned to his apart- 
 ments; and, at half past eight, Prince Henry, Prince 
 Ferdinand, and the Duke of Brunswick came to see the 
 same apartments, where they only remained five min- 
 utes. 
 
 At a quarter past nine the King went to Prince Henry. 
 The regiments of guards formed under their windows. 
 The canopy was brought; it was of black velvet, sur- 
 rounded by cloth of gold, and laced with a crape fringe, 
 On the cloth of gold were black eagles. Twelve posts, 
 covered with velvet, supported the canopy; and over 
 them were twelve silver eagles, each a foot high, which 
 produced a good effect. 
 
 After the canopy came the state coach;* very large, 
 very low, hung with white satin edged with gold fringe, 
 and drawn by eight horses covered with black velvet. 
 
 To the state coach succeeded a chariot, in black vel- 
 vet, on which was a black crown, drawn by eight cream- 
 colored horses, in black velvet harness, on which were 
 fixed black eagles, embroidered in gold. The livery 
 servants, chamber lackeys, heydukes, running footmen, 
 huntsmen, and pages followed. 
 
 The Princesses, ushered by Messieurs Goertz and 
 Bishopswerder, were at church. 
 
 At ten o'clock the procession began. The place of 
 assembly was the grand hall with the eight columns. A 
 gentle descent had been made from the grand canopy to 
 the door, to which the state coach was drawn up to 
 receive the coffin. The road from the palace to the 
 church was planked, and covered with black cloth. The 
 procession was truly superb, and conducted with great 
 order. The troops formed two lines. 
 
 The church was illuminated with wax candles and 
 small lamps; and the coffin was deposited under a cu- 
 pola, supported by six pillars of white marble. The 
 organ began to play and the funeral service was per- 
 formed, which continued half an hour. The return was 
 not disorderly, but it was not made in procession. 
 
 * Corbillard. Perhaps the word is here used to signify a hearse.
 
 loz SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 When the guests came back to the palace, the tables 
 were ready spread, and the courses were served up at 
 noon. The guests rose from table at half past one. The 
 King, Prince Henry, the Duke of Brunswick, and the 
 Princesses, went to Sans Souci. Such was the manner in 
 which the morning was spent. 
 
 There was no comparison to be drawn between this 
 and the funerals of the Church of Notre Dame with re- 
 spect to magnificence, taste, or splendor; but they did 
 everything that could be done, the country and the time 
 considered. 
 
 There was much order from the commencement to the 
 close. The music was indifferent, had no effect, no en- 
 ergy, no charm, and was ill executed, not one good 
 voice, Concialini excepted, who did not sing well. 
 
 The tables were well supplied, the viands abundant and 
 select, the servants numerous and orderly. Each of the 
 aides-de-camp general did the honors of a table. French, 
 Rhenish, and Hungarian wines were served in profu- 
 sion. 
 
 The King, going to table, led Prince Henry. On 
 every occasion his Majesty saluted with dignity. His 
 countenance was neither serious nor too cheerful. 
 
 He testified his satisfaction to Reck, who replied that 
 Captain Gonthard had regulated the whole; and that he 
 had no other merit except that of having procured him 
 everything of which he stood in need. 
 
 The King wore the grand uniform of the guards. The 
 Princes were booted. Prince Goethen had mourning 
 spurs, which was remarked. 
 
 The King went and returned in company only with 
 the Duke of Brunswick.
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 September i2th, 1786. 
 
 King departs to-morrow. The order of his journey 
 has undergone no change. He will be back on the 
 28th, and again set out on the 26. for Silesia. I 
 shall probably have a good opportunity, on his return, to 
 speak of finance and of substitutes. Previous to this 
 Panchaud must absolutely unite with me to form a good 
 plan of speculating in our funds, good for the finances, 
 and in particular good for the King who is to be allured. 
 Remember the importance of this Monarch. 
 
 Bishopswerder increases in credit, which he carefully 
 conceals. Welner, a subaltern creature, endowed with 
 understanding, management, and knowledge of interior 
 affairs, a mystic when mysticism was necessary to please, 
 and cured of his visions since the King has required these 
 should be kept secret, active, industrious, and, what is 
 more, sufficiently obscure to be employed without creat- 
 ing jealousy, Welner, I say, appears to gain prodigious 
 influence. He has the qualities necessary to succeed, and 
 even to outwit all his competitors.* 
 
 I again repeat, Boden ought not to be neglected, by 
 the way of insinuation. He is vain, and should be capable 
 of corruption ; for, always suspected of the most insatiable 
 avarice and the basest means, he has lost a place of eight 
 thousand German crowns by the death of the Landgrave 
 of Hesse Cassel, and, it is said, is driven to expedients. 
 He corresponds with the King, and rather intimately; 
 that which he should often repeat must produce an effect. 
 He is the hero to slay Hertzberg, who, I may add, has 
 not been successful concerning Holland, and, in despite of 
 whom, Thulemer may still be recalled. 
 
 Prince Henry still feeds on hopes. I have no doubt 
 that he is cajoled by the Duke of Brunswick. But he is 
 exactly at the same point, except that Hertzberg is not 
 
 * He is at present absolutely the principal Minister.
 
 104 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 so powerful. The King intends Alvensleben for the 
 French Embassy; a man of high birth, sense, and wis- 
 dom, as it is affirmed. He is at Dresden. I shall en- 
 deavor to study him and shall take him letters. 
 
 No person is satisfied; civil and military, courtiers and 
 Ministers, all pout. I imagine they expected it would 
 rain gold. I have nothing to add to my prognos- 
 tics, which may be reduced to this alternative : the nation 
 sacrificed, while affairs continue tranquil, that we may 
 persuade ourselves we govern; the Duke of Brunswick, 
 should perils intervene, and the storm begin to blow. 
 
 In the name of business and of friendship, do not for- 
 get a plan of operations for finance. Schulemburg is sup- 
 ported, and I have reasons to believe he will not be 
 dismissed. Should I acquire influence in finance I would 
 not be his enemy. He will be more serviceable than any 
 other, Baron Knyphausen only excepted, who will never 
 be anything while Hertzberg is in power. 
 
 Remember that you have an incapable envoy in Ba- 
 varia, and that this will become an embassy of importance 
 at the death of the Elector. If it be meant to place me, 
 which must be meant if I am to serve, had not I best 
 make my first appearance here ?
 
 LETTER XXV. 
 
 DRESDEN, September i6th, 1786. 
 
 I SHALL say nothing particular to you yet of this coun- 
 try, as you may suppose, for who can run and read? 
 Besides, I find the inconvenience of having no cre- 
 dentials, and, consequently, have not been able to speak 
 with propriety on affairs, except in very general and 
 metaphorical terms. 
 
 Stuterheim, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, with whom 
 I have dined, is said to be a very well, a labyrinth of 
 secrecy, and it follows that his subalterns are exceedingly 
 reserved. The Ministers here rather give in their RE- 
 PORTS than act. a Give in their reports >J is the conse- 
 crated phrase. But I have been so well convinced by 
 what I have seen under Frederick II., that the King, who 
 governs most himself, is so little the master, and is so 
 infinitely deceived, that I am perfectly aware of the de- 
 gree of credit which these Court dicta deserve. 
 
 I have seen Alvensleben. Should he go to France, I 
 do not think he will live long. He is worn out, and 
 only keeps himself alive by extreme abstinence, and an 
 almost total sequestration from society. He is well ac- 
 quainted with Germany, is said to act with prudence and 
 propriety, is successful in what he undertakes, and has a 
 good moral character. He is not, however, without art, 
 and, perhaps, he wishes to be cunning. He is not pre- 
 cisely the man for France, but he is a specimen of the 
 fruit of the country, and, for any other use, is some of 
 the best it produces. I imagine you will find him agree- 
 able. 
 
 I shall endeavor to get into the currency of the coun- 
 try, but, I repeat, while I shall have no credentials, and 
 am left so much in ignorance concerning home affairs, I 
 shall be much more proper to collect literary and written 
 opinions than for any other business; and the thoughts 
 of men are not written in their faces. Nor do you, for 
 
 (105)
 
 io6 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 example, find in any book that a Prime Minister has con- 
 fided his eldest son, on his travels, to such a blockhead 
 
 as G , or to a Chevalier du Vivier, who never utters 
 
 a word that he does not utter an absurdity, and, perhaps, 
 some that are dangerous. But why has he related that 
 he waited at Hamburg five weeks for permission to take 
 the Vicomte de Vergennes to Berlin, on occasion of the 
 accession of the King, and that this was refused ? Is he 
 afraid that they should be insensible at Berlin of the 
 affectation of having avoided that Court ? I should never 
 finish were I to cite all the incoherencies he utters, the 
 least of which is ridiculous in the extreme. 
 
 In reality, if I am to commence as a subaltern in the 
 diplomatic corps, I have no objection to Hamburg, where, 
 exclusive of the great intercourse of the commerce of the 
 North, with which we are unacquainted, and in which 
 we do not sufficiently participate, since we wish to have 
 an envoy there, we ought to have an active person, in- 
 stead of one from whom nothing is so desirable as that 
 he should be deaf and dumb. 
 
 The vast connections that are between the grand em- 
 poriums of trade are such that these posts are never 
 things of indifference. Why do not they bestow a sine- 
 cure on M. du Vivier?
 
 LETTER XXVI. 
 
 DRESDEN, September igth, 1786. 
 
 THERE are few MEN here, yet is the machine tolerably 
 well regulated ; nothing can better prove that order 
 and constancy are more necessary for good govern- 
 ment than great talents. 
 
 The extreme credit of Marcolini is to be regarded as 
 a popular rumor. He is a favorite without ascendency 
 (as without merit) at least in the Cabinet; his influence 
 does not extend beyond the Court. At present he is in 
 Italy, and the routine of affairs is the same. Probably 
 some favors which pass through his hands, and which 
 the excessive devotion of the Elector rather bestows on 
 Catholics than on Lutherans, are the real cause of these 
 murmurs; which, however, are sufficiently believed to 
 occasion the Emperor to make a stupid blunder. He has 
 sent here one of the silliest of Ambassadors one 
 O'Kelly, an Irishman because Marcolini had married 
 his niece. He thought by this means to have governed 
 everything; but the trap was so palpably gross that no 
 one has taken the trouble to remove the bait. 
 
 The Ministers who have real influence are Stuter- 
 heim and Gudschmidt. The first is very infirm, but pru- 
 dent, sage, and with understanding enough to know on 
 what subjects he is ignorant, to ask information, and to 
 consult others. He, however, draws near his end. The 
 second does not show himself to the world. It is affirmed 
 that he is a man of the greatest merit; that he has infi- 
 nite knowledge; that not a single pamphlet in any 
 language throughout Europe escapes him; that his 
 judgment is sound, his understanding perspicuous and 
 penetrating, and his temper communicative; which last 
 quality is in him the more compatible with discretion 
 because he possesses its piety without its superstitions. 
 He ranks first in the confidence of the Elector; but it 
 
 (107)
 
 io8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 must be added he is sixty years of age. and has ill 
 health. 
 
 Among the Ministers we must also enumerate M. 
 Worm, a well-informed man, who possesses some princi- 
 ples of political economy, with information not very 
 common on the general relations of commerce, together 
 with industry, activity, and great quickness of apprehen- 
 sion; but, as it is said, rarely with much justness of 
 understanding. His moral character is suspected. He is 
 accused of not keeping his hands pure from bribery ; but 
 it is not the less true that he is of great service to in- 
 ternal government. He appeared to me to be artful, 
 communicative, ironical, subtle, satirical, and crafty, but 
 very proper for business in all countries.* 
 
 Of all the foreign Ambassadors, I believe M. Saftzing, 
 from Sweden, to be the only one above, or rather not 
 below, mediocrity. I except the English envoy, who has 
 the character of being an able man, but whom I have 
 not yet any proper opportunity for examining. He is 
 open and complaisant, even to affectation, considering 
 that his character is English. If we except Alvensleben, 
 not one of the remainder deserves the honor of being 
 mentioned. 
 
 The Elector is a man distinct from Princes in general, 
 yet he appears to partake of the character of the King 
 of England. The consistency of his mind, which is en- 
 tire, has a small alloy of obstinacy. I spoke but little to 
 him, because of the confusion of the dinner. Etiquette 
 is observed at the table of the Elector; consequently I 
 paid every care and attention to seat M. de Vergennes 
 near the Prince. He speaks with intelligence and pre- 
 cision, but his voice is harsh, sharp, and shrill. His 
 dress and countenance seemed to indicate devout and 
 wheedling, but acute and implacable, jealousy. The very 
 ill education of the Electress, her noisy mode of speech, 
 and her unreserved freedom , greatly occupy this Prince 
 to his disadvantage; for, besides that such kind of vigi- 
 lance ever bears somewhat of the stamp of ridicule, his 
 
 *No wonder governments, and consequently nations, are vicious, 
 when such are supposed, even by men of considerable abilities, to be the 
 proper qualities for governors.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 109 
 
 crabbed figure, rendered more disagreeable by a paralytic 
 affection of the eyes, becomes at such moments restless, 
 disturbed, and hideous. 
 
 Such, and so ungracious, as he is here depicted, he 
 is a Prince who, from many considerations, is worthy 
 esteem and respect. Since the year 1763, his desire to 
 do good, his economy, his indefatigable labors, his in- 
 numerable privations, his perseverance, and his industry, 
 have not for a moment relaxed. He has paid all the 
 personal debts of the Electors; and is advanced in the 
 liquidation of the debts of the State. He pursues his 
 plans with inflexible punctuality. Slow, but not irreso- 
 lute, difficult in accomplishing, but intelligent, with few 
 resources at a first view, but possessed of aptitude and 
 the gift of meditation, his only weakness arises from his 
 religion, which yet does not occasion him to exaggerate 
 his rights, or to neglect his duties. One step further 
 and he would have been a bigot, and one step backward 
 and he would no longer be a devotee. It is much to 
 be doubted whether his confessor, Hertz, has the least 
 influence except in the distribution of some footmen's 
 places. The Elector supports his Ministers with uncom- 
 mon firmness, against all, and to all. In a word, but 
 for him the country had been undone; and, should he 
 have the good fortune to see a duration of peace, he 
 will render it very flourishing. Population visibly in- 
 creases ; the annual surplus of births over deaths amounts 
 to twenty thousand; and the number of the people is 
 less than two millions. Trade, which might be better, 
 is not bad. The army imitates that of Prussia, over 
 which it has the advantage of being purely national ; but, 
 to say the truth, Saxony is the least military of all the 
 provinces of Germany. Credit is good, and even great. 
 The paper currency is at par, or nearly ; and the inter- 
 est of money at four per cent. The Cabinet of Dresden 
 is the only one in Europe which has adopted the true 
 principles of coinage. Agriculture is in a state of pass- 
 able respectability. Manufactures are free; the rights 
 of the people are uninfringed; justice is impartially ad- 
 ministered; in a word, all things considered, it is the 
 most happy country in Germany. Yet this is a remark-
 
 no SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 able circumstance, and excites admiration when we recol- 
 lect the terrible scourges* which have successively, and 
 sometimes collectively, laid this fine, but ill-situated coun- 
 try, desolate. 
 
 They are persuaded here that we instigate the Turk; 
 that there is a coolness between the two imperial Courts; 
 and that Russia is in want of men, money, and horses. 
 It must be frankly owned that her bank operations have 
 a gloomy appearance. It is supposed we shall endeavor, 
 should it be absolutely necessary, to effect a diversion in 
 Germany, without interfering, except by coming to the 
 aid of those who should be too much exposed to danger. 
 For no one imagines we shall suffer Germany to de- 
 volve on one single head, nor even to be divided be- 
 tween two. And, with respect to Turkey in Europe, it 
 is thought that our interest, conjointly with that of Eng- 
 land, will, by one means or other, avert the destruction 
 with which it is menaced. 
 
 On inquiry, I find the Elector of Bavaria has not 
 properly had an attack. He has only changed his mis- 
 tress; and when he does so, he alters his regimen to 
 excite venery. It happens on these occasions that he 
 has nervous affections, which resemble false attacks, and 
 which will some day bring on a paralytic stroke. His 
 life is not depended upon. 
 
 The hostilities of the Stadtholder have produced an 
 effect here greatly to his disadvantage. For my part, I 
 do not think his affairs in so disastrous a state as they 
 seem to be believed. Should we embroil province with 
 province, we shall lose our advantages ; it will in vain be 
 urged that the Stadtholder is master of Guelderland ; the 
 nobility is numerous in that province, and they form A 
 PUBLIC opinion. 
 
 I send you the state of the military in the Electorate 
 of Saxony, which is no secret; but I shall also add, by 
 
 * The principal scourges to which the author alludes, by the epithet 
 of * ill-situated, are wars; by which its sufferings have indeed been 
 dreadful. Charles V., the Thirty Years' War, Charles XII., and still 
 more flagrantly the late Frederick, have been its tormentors. That it 
 should recover, as it continually has recovered, from such periodical, 
 such renovating destruction, is a fact remarkable in history, worthy the 
 attention of the philosophers and the highest eulogium on the country.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN in 
 
 the next courier, that of the public stores, which I pro 
 cured by a singular accident, the particulars of which it 
 would be useless here to relate. I shall only remark 
 that the custom which the Elector has for several years 
 adopted in his offices, of employing supernumeraries 
 without salaries, might give place to discovery, however 
 well secrets may here be kept. 
 
 I shall commit to M. de Vibraye, who is returning to 
 Paris, all the minutes of my ciphers, well and duly sealed, 
 and addressed to you. 
 
 He does not expect to return hither, and has hopes of 
 the Swedish Embassy. 
 
 May not the changes which will take place in the 
 corps diplomatique, by the vacancy of M. d'Adhe'mard, 
 afford an opportunity of giving me something more 
 agreeable and less precarious than a secret commission, 
 which must end of course, with the life of a Minister 
 who is hastening toward the grave? I hope your friend- 
 ship will not slumber. You must own others might act 
 with less diligence. If you will take the trouble again 
 to read my dispatches as they are here sent, not in 
 ciphers but correct, and will at the same time consider 
 all the difficulties of various kinds that I have had to 
 surmount, and the few means which my cloudy situation 
 can afford, you will not be dissatisfied with my cor- 
 respondence. Since, for example, Zelle has published 
 the history of the King's disease, I have the satisfaction 
 to perceive the information I sent you was exact. True 
 it is that, under the late King, at the conclusion of so 
 long a reign, a man knew to whom to address himself; 
 whereas at present it is necessary to discover which are 
 the doors at which you must knock. Yet I think I have 
 given a passable picture of men and things. And what 
 could I not effect of this kind, what could I not dis- 
 cover, had I credentials?
 
 LETTER XXVII. 
 
 DRESDEN, September zist, 1786. 
 
 I HAVE several times mentioned, and particularly in 
 Numbers XI. and XIX. , this Boden ; I can only refer 
 you to the circumstances you will there find. 
 As to the person named Dufour, whose real name is 
 Chauvier, and who was a journeyman barber in France, 
 had I thought it of any importance I should have spoken 
 before and given his character at full; for he is one of 
 the circuitous paths pointed out to me by Prince Henry. 
 He certainly had influence over the Heir Apparent, which 
 he obtained: 
 
 1. Because he was persecuted by the late King, by 
 whom he had been expelled ; * so that, in order to return, 
 he was obliged to take the name of Dufour, which is that 
 of a family of the French colonists. And 
 
 2. That he might aid to banish the spleen. He often 
 dined in private with the Prince, who was so familiar 
 with him, some time before his accession, that when 
 wearied with his discourse he would dryly bid him hold 
 his tongue, f Dufour was one of those with whom I 
 should have made myself intimate, had the King con- 
 tinued to live some time longer; and he was among the 
 persons and things that occasioned me to project a journey 
 to Potsdam. But death suddenly interposed, and I should 
 have sought his intimacy too abruptly; not to mention 
 that subaltern influence has, on the King's accession, 
 totally disappeared. 
 
 The person named Chapuis is a man who is not defi- 
 cient in understanding and address. He was born in French 
 Switzerland. He is the governor of the natural son of 
 
 * The author does not say whether from the the Court or from the 
 country. 
 
 f It is not very clear, from the original, whether it was the Prince 
 who bade Dufour, or Dufour who bade the Prince, hold his tongue. 
 The word prtsomtif, we believe, can only be applied to an Heir Ap- 
 parent, or we should have reversed the reading. 
 (112)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 113 
 
 the King, and the well-beloved of Madame Rietz. Think- 
 ing his acquaintance might be valuable in many respects, 
 I consequently sought it, under the pretense of litera- 
 ture only; but at present Chapuis has not in himself any 
 one point of contact. To run after such people, so cir- 
 cumstanced, would but be to render myself suspicious to 
 no purpose. I mentioned to you, on my return from 
 Rheinsberg (Number XI), <( I have numerous modes of 
 communication, which will develop themselves as time 
 and opportunity shall serve." But these have been re- 
 tarded by the accession. Applications of this secret kind 
 can only be made in the depth of winter, and during the 
 Carnival, with utility and safety. 
 
 These, generally, are rather TOOLS proper for a spy to 
 work with than the engines of influence. Should such 
 people ever have power over foreign politics, the puis- 
 sance of Prussia must draw to a conclusion. This coun- 
 try must not be estimated by France; there is not here 
 the same margin in which to insert follies, or to correct. 
 And as in general man remains at that point where it is 
 necessary he should be fixed, the King of Prussia will 
 act with circumspection in what relates to foreign affairs. 
 
 Not that this should prevent us from recollecting that 
 we ought to guard, with extreme caution, against a coali- 
 tion between Prussia and Austria, for this system also is 
 capable of defense. It is even the easiest of execution, 
 and the most splendid; nor would Prince Henry be so 
 averse to it as he himself supposes, should he perceive 
 the least glimmering of hope. Hitherto, indeed, I have 
 not noticed anything that could give suspicion, but I 
 shall more carefully examine whatever might occasion 
 such an event, on my return to Berlin. There can be 
 little danger that I should become languid in the pursuit 
 of this object, having four years ago published my fears 
 of such an event, and having begun to send my static 
 tables of Austria, only that you might attentively consider 
 the immense basis of power which the Emperor possesses, 
 and whose alliance with France I cannot but consider as 
 the masterpiece of Prince Kaunitz, and the type of our 
 indelible levity. 
 
 It may be that this power of the Emperor is as much 
 8
 
 ii4 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 overrated elsewhere as it is the reverse in France; but 
 even this is a reason which may lead to prefer, instead 
 of the perilous honor of being the champion of the Ger- 
 manic liberties, the easy and deceptive advantage of di- 
 viding the spoils. Therefore, delay appears to me more 
 unseasonable than it has been, for it is probable that the 
 King of Prussia, having once pledged himself, will not re- 
 cede, which seems to be warranted by his personal 
 probity, his hatred of the Emperor, the antipathy that 
 exists between the two nations, and the universal opin- 
 ion which prevails that the chief of the empire is a per- 
 fidious Prince. 
 
 Your project concerning Brunswick is certainly excel- 
 lent, and I shall spare no labor that may tend to give it 
 success. But the man is very circumspect, Hertzberg 
 very vehement, and the crisis equally urgent. 
 
 I have conversed with several of the English who are 
 returned from the Emperor's reviews; he behaved there 
 with great affability, and was very talkative. He par- 
 ticularly distinguished a French officer, who had traveled 
 on horseback, that not a single military position might 
 escape him on his route. The Austrian troops, in gen- 
 eral, manceuver well by companies, and even tolerably 
 by regiments, but, collectively, their inferiority to the Prus- 
 sian army is prodigious. Opinions on this point are unani- 
 mous. They were not capable of keeping their distances, 
 even when filing off in the presence of the Emperor. 
 This grand pivot, on which tactics turn, is unknown to 
 the Austrians, whereas the Prussians so habitually, so 
 religiously, observe their distances, that any failure of 
 this kind is an error unheard of. 
 
 The inferiority of the Austrian army, compared to the 
 Prussian, is attributed: 
 
 1. To the want of a sufficient number of officers and 
 subalterns, compared to the number of soldiers. 
 
 2. To the economy, totally anti-military, of the Em- 
 peror, who, while the companies nominally consist of two 
 hundred men, does not maintain more than fifty or sixty 
 under arms, and sends the others home, even against 
 their will, so that three-fourths of the soldiers are never 
 disciplined.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 115 
 
 3. To the troops being dispersed, kept in petty de- 
 tachments, and never exercised as a whole, except when 
 they are encamped, where, even then, they are disciplined 
 by detail. 
 
 4. To the very great inferiority of the officers. The 
 corps of captains forms the soul of the Prussian army, 
 and, at the same time, is the disgrace of the Austrian, 
 etc. 
 
 It is generally affirmed that, should the two nations go 
 to war, there is little doubt concerning which would have 
 the advantage; that there is no equality between them, 
 even supposing their generals to be equal; and that the 
 contest most certainly would be favorable to the Prussians, 
 during the first campaign. But this equality of generals 
 is not true. Laudon, though still vigorous, cannot wear 
 much longer. Besides that, he has often said he never 
 would command an army, unless at the distance of four 
 hundred miles from the Emperor. The abilities of Lacy 
 are suspected, though he enjoys the entire confidence of 
 Joseph II., and, as it is rumored, has rendered himself 
 singularly necessary, by the complication of the military 
 machine. No commander in the Austrian army can con- 
 tend against the Duke of Brunswick, nor even against 
 Kalcreuth, or Moellendorf. 
 
 Persons who have come very lately from Russia affirm 
 that the Empress is in good health and that ERMENOW 
 has obliterated her long sorrows for the death of LANSKOI. 
 It is also said that Belsborotko gains ground upon Potem- 
 kin, but of this I more than doubt. 
 
 I have no belief in the facility with which the fifth 
 dispatch may be deciphered. I think that, in general, 
 the ciphers have rather been conjectured than divined. 
 The way by which they are commonly known is the 
 official communication of writings, which is made from 
 one Court to another, and, which the Minister has some- 
 times the ill address to send without his accustomed 
 cipher, on a known day. This is a quicksand of which 
 I am not in danger. It is necessary, however, to have a 
 variety of ciphers, and I entreat you will not neglect any 
 occasion of sending me some that are new and more 
 complete.
 
 LETTER XXVIII. 
 
 DRESDEN, September 24th, 1786. 
 
 YOUR letter of the fourth of September, which, by mis- 
 take, your secretaries have dated the fourth of 
 August, came to hand very late, and I shall reply 
 without written references and solely from memory, in 
 the annexed sheet, to the principal points. I had, in- 
 deed, previously answered them; nor do I believe that 
 anything has escaped me which it was in my power to 
 learn, or that I have any reason to repent having sacri- 
 ficed too much to respect and to probabilities, at the 
 time of the death of the King. Had I pursued my plan, 
 I should have been four days sooner than any of the 
 diplomatic couriers; but I request you will answer me 
 whether it was possible to divine the conduct of our 
 embassy. I disregarded the minute circumstances of 
 death, as I had done that of the news itself; nor could 
 I divine that these, being no longer secret, and having 
 become so easy to examine and describe, should yet have 
 remained secrets to you. I suspected it the less because 
 certain Ambassadors (indeed, most of them) appeared to 
 me so embarrassed by the completing of their dispatches 
 that I should not have imagined they would have dis- 
 dained a supply which was to be obtained with so much 
 facility. Satisfied also with having informed you, thanks 
 to lucky circumstances, of the progress of the disease, 
 in such a manner as few Ministers were informed, I de- 
 spised those particulars that were become public. But 
 there were some that were sufficiently interesting, relative 
 to the last two days of the King, from which a banquet 
 might be prepared at an easy expense; and the poign- 
 ancy of which not death itself could destroy, relating 
 as they did to a mortal so extraordinary, both in body 
 and mind. 
 (116)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 117 
 
 His disease, which would have killed ten men, was of 
 eleven months' continuance, without interruption, and 
 almost without relaxation, after his first fit of an as- 
 phyxic apoplexy, from which he was recovered by emet- 
 ics, and after which the first word he uttered, with an 
 imperious gesture, was SILENCE. Nature made four dif- 
 ferent efforts to save this her rare composition, twice 
 by diarrhoeas, and twice again by cuticular eruptions. 
 Hence it might be said, by the worshipers of a God, that 
 this his image was broken by the Creator himself ; and that 
 nature did not abandon one of the most beauteous of 
 her works till the total destruction of the organs, ex- 
 hausted by age, had been effected; nor till after a con- 
 tinual warfare between body and mind * during forty-six 
 years; till after fatigues and agitations of every kind 
 which signalized this fairy reign, and after the most 
 ruinous disease. 
 
 This man died on the seventeenth of August, at twenty 
 minutes past two in the morning; and on the fifteenth, 
 when, contrary to his constant custom, he slept till eleven 
 o'clock, he transacted his Cabinet business, though his 
 feebleness was excessive, without any want of attention; 
 and even with a conciseness scarcely perhaps to be found 
 in any other Prince in good health. Thus when, on the 
 sixteenth, the reigning Monarch sent orders to Zelle to 
 repair instantaneously to Potsdam, because the King had 
 remained insensible almost since the noon of the day 
 before, and because he was in a lethargic sleep, the 
 physician, arriving at three o'clock, and finding Freder- 
 ick II. with animation in his eyes, sensibility in his or- 
 gans, and so much recollection, not being called, dared 
 not make his appearance. Zelle judged he was past re- 
 covery less from the cadaverous odor which exhaled from 
 his wound than because he, for the first time during the 
 whole course of his reign, did not recollect that he had 
 not expedited the affairs of the Cabinet. The conclusion 
 was sagely drawn: dying only could he forget his duty. 
 . . . Two-thirds of Berlin at present are violently 
 
 *The French reads: Contention continuelle d'dme et d'esprit^; or 
 of SOUL and MIND; the translator has the misfortune not to understand 
 the distinction.
 
 ii8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 declaiming in order to prove that Frederick II. was a man of 
 common, and almost of mean capacity. Ah! could his 
 large eyes, which obedient to his wishes seduced or ter- 
 rified the human heart, could they but for a moment 
 open, where would these idiot parasites find courage suffi- 
 cient to expire with shame?
 
 LETTER XXIX. 
 
 DRESDEN, September 26th, 1786. 
 
 CONVERSING with a well-informed man who is returned 
 from Russia, I learned a fact totally strange to me, 
 though no doubt known to the Comte de Vergennes ; 
 but, whether or no, one which appeared to me proper to 
 make you acquainted with; and more especially because 
 the project is pursued with greater ardor than ever. 
 
 When Hyder Ali, having advanced beyond the Orixa, 
 was at the height of his prosperous success, the inhabit- 
 ants of the north of Bengal, interrupted in their cus- 
 tomary commerce by the conflict between the English 
 and their enemies, brought their iron as far as the fron- 
 tiers of Siberia, there to find a market. This extraordi- 
 nary fact was the cause of a remarkable attempt made 
 by Russia, in 1783. She sent a fleet to Astracan, to seize 
 on Astrabat, there to form an establishment, on the north- 
 ern coast of the Caspian Sea, and thence to penetrate 
 into the interior parts of India. The enterprise failed; 
 but is so far from being abandoned that, at this very 
 moment, a plan may be seen in relief at Petersburg, of 
 the works by which it is intended to fortify Astrabat. 
 
 Of all the gigantic projects of Russia this is, per- 
 haps, the least unreasonable; since it is pointed out by 
 the nature of things, and since there is already an in- 
 land navigation completely carried on from Astracan, on 
 the Volga, the Mita, the Lake Jemen, the Wologda, the 
 Canal of Ladoga, and the Neva, to Petersburg. Should 
 this plan ever be pursued with activity and success, it 
 must either happen that England will seriously think of 
 an alliance with us, against the system of the North, or 
 she must suffer every sort of an advantage to be obtained 
 over her at Petersburg; for the interest of the Russians 
 must then become totally opposite to those of the Eng- 
 
 ("9)
 
 120 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 lish; and hence may arise dreadful hurricanes, that may 
 sweep away their puissance in the East. 
 
 How many revolutions, how much strife between men 
 and things, shall be occasioned by the development of 
 the destiny of that empire which successively overawes 
 and enslaves all surrounding nations? It must, indeed, 
 be owned that her influence in each place ought to de- 
 crease in an inverse proportion to the multiplicity of 
 these places. But how great is the influence of these 
 augmenting points of contact, relative to Europe! And, 
 without prematurely divining the fate of Turkey in 
 Europe, with an intent to overcharge the picture, should 
 Russia seize on the Polish Ukraine, as the manner in 
 which she is arming on the Black Sea, and disposing of her 
 commerce, seem to indicate and to threaten, how much 
 greater shall they still be? What species of understanding 
 must the Emperor possess, if it be impossible to make 
 him perceive that the Turks and the Poles are less dan- 
 gerous neighbors than those strange people; who are 
 susceptible of all, capable of all, who become the best 
 soldiers in the world, and who, of all the men that 
 inhabit the globe, are the most malleable? 
 
 The various ideas I have acquired here, where I have 
 made a tolerable harvest, will be comprised in a particu- 
 lar memorial. They are not immediately necessary, and 
 are too numerous to be inserted in my dispatches. But 
 there was one temptation, which was rather expensive, 
 that I could not resist. The Elector has employed his 
 engineers in the topography of Saxony. Twenty-four 
 maps have already been laid down ; they are kept in great 
 secrecy, and yet, by paying some louis for each map, I 
 can have them copied. True it is I recollected that, since 
 I COULD, M. de Vibraye perhaps HAS but, as we rarely do 
 all we may, or even all we ought to do, it is exceedingly 
 possible this should not be so; and then I should have 
 lost an opportunity that nevermore could be recovered. 
 This reflection determined me, in the hope that the in- 
 tent of the act would be its apology; and, as I have not 
 put the Government to the least fruitless expense, or which 
 did not appertain to the better execution of the office I
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 121 
 
 have undertaken, my surplus accounts, I suppose, will be 
 passed. 
 
 The Elector of Bavaria is not ill. His new mistress 
 seems only to have been the whim of a day, and his 
 favor again reverts to his former, Madame von Toning 
 Seefeld, originally Minuzzi.
 
 LETTER XXX. 
 
 DRESDEN,* September 3oth, 1786. 
 
 You have been informed, no doubt, by the courier of 
 Tuesday, of what happened on Monday, at the first 
 Court held by the Queen; but, as I think it is 
 proper I should add some reflections on this subject, I 
 shall begin by relating what passed. 
 
 The Princess Frederica of Prussia, who imagined that, 
 according to the very sensible custom of the country, 
 the Queen would sit down to play with natives, and not 
 with foreign ambassadors, had placed the Comte d'Es- 
 terno at her table ; for it was she who arranged the par- 
 ties. She asked the Queen whom she appointed for her 
 own table. The Queen named Prince Reuss, the Aus- 
 trian Ambassador, and the Prince of Goethe; but, this 
 species of infantine elephant having, after some consid- 
 eration, declared that he did not know any one game, 
 the Queen substituted Romanzow, the Russian Ambassa- 
 dor. The Princess Frederica was exceedingly surprised, 
 but either dared not, or would not make any remon- 
 strances; and the Queen's party sitting down to play, 
 the Comte d'Esterno, with great positiveness, energy, 
 and emphasis, refused to sit down at the table of the 
 Princess; declaring he certainly would not play. He im- 
 mediately withdrew. 
 
 Everybody blames the Queen and the Count. The 
 first for having committed an unexampled blunder, and 
 the second, say the people of Berlin, ought not to have 
 refused the daughter of the King. Perhaps this judg- 
 ment is severe; though I own I should not myself have 
 refused; because, in my opinion, we should not show we 
 are insulted, except when we wish to be supposed insulted. 
 And, as I think, it would have been very thoughtless to 
 
 * The scene of this and the two following letters, though dated at 
 Dresden, is Berlin. 
 
 (122)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 123 
 
 have taken serious notice of the absurd mistake of a 
 Princess who is the most awkward of all the Princesses 
 in Europe. Neither had Comte d'Esterno, rigorously 
 speaking, any greater cause for complaint than any other 
 of the royal ambassadors, among whom there is no claim 
 of precedency. Perhaps, too, it would be imprudent to 
 endeavor to establish any such claim; for this would be 
 very certainly to call that in question which tradition 
 and universal tolerance have granted to us. And here 
 let me observe that, as soon as Lord Dalrymple knew 
 Comte d'Esterno had been to complain to Count Fincken- 
 stein, he declared he made no demand of precedency 
 whatever; but neither would he suffer precedency from 
 anyone. I should, therefore, have accepted the party 
 of the Princess; but should have said aloud, and, point- 
 ing to the table of the Queen, <( I see we are all here 
 without distinction of persons ; and certainly fortune could 
 not have been more favorable to me.* (The Princess 
 may really be called handsome.) Had I thought I still 
 owed more to my Sovereign, I should, on the next Court 
 day, have refused the nomination of the Queen; though 
 it must have been a violent and hazardous step, and 
 reparation must have become a public topic; instead of 
 which it is the insult only that is talked of, and that 
 considerably, in the world. 
 
 Will the Comte d'Esterno, or will he not, at present, 
 accept the first invitation he shall receive ? Should he 
 comply, it will remain on record that, having resented 
 the procedure, he has acknowledged himself second. 
 Yet how may he refuse ? I have proposed to Prince 
 Henry, who is the mezzo termine, that there should be a 
 Court held by the Queen Dowager, who, from her cir- 
 cumspection and native dignity, is more respected than 
 the reigning Queen; and that Comte d'Esterno should 
 be of her party, with the Emperor's Ambassador; which 
 distinction would be the more marked because that this 
 Queen never yet played with foreign ministers. If her 
 mourning for her husband does not counteract this pro- 
 ject, it seems to me the best under the present circum- 
 stances. The Queen has written a letter to Count 
 Finckenstein, which must have been read to Comte d'Es-
 
 124 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 terno, in which is inserted the word EXCUSE, and wherein 
 she requires the King should not be informed of the 
 affair. But it is answered the offense was public, and 
 excuses are wished to be kept secret, since silence is 
 required. 
 
 The most important and incontestably certain fact is, 
 that there was no premeditation in the matter; that it 
 was the silly giddiness of the Queen in which it origi- 
 nated; that Count Finckenstein and the whole Court are 
 vexed at the affair; that should the King hear of it he 
 will be very much offended with the Queen, whom he 
 has not seen for these six weeks, and whom he thwarts 
 on all occasions; that he has reversed all the arrange- 
 ments which, in the rapture of accession, she had made 
 with the Master of the Household; and that, in fine, 
 never had Queen of Prussia, that is to say, the most 
 insignificant of queens, less influence. 
 
 If, therefore, it be true, on the one part, that the place 
 of every man in this world is that which he himself 
 shall assign to himself, that our rank, already much on 
 the decline in the public opinion, has no need to sink 
 lower, and that Russian insolence, which takes indefati- 
 gable strides, has need of being watched and traversed, 
 it is perfectly certain on the other, also, that the pro- 
 ceeding of Monday was distinct and unmeaning, which 
 ought not to be regarded with a lowering brow, under 
 circumstances which may lead from lowering to cold 
 distance, and from the latter to great changes; or, at 
 least, to decisively false steps, to which the Courts of 
 Vienna and London are desirous of giving birth, and by 
 which they will not fail to profit. 
 
 Such is my advice, since I have had the honor to 
 have this advice asked. Permit me to add, that Berlin 
 is not any longer an indifferent embassy, but that it is 
 necessary there to be active, yet cautious; amiable, yet 
 dignified ; firm, yet pliant ; faithful, yet subtle ; in a word, 
 to unite qualities which do not often meet. M. de Vi- 
 braye means to ask this embassy, should Cotnte d'Esterno 
 retire, or be sent elsewhere. I speak uninterestedly, 
 since I have no reason to presume that, should it be 
 determined to send me on an embassy, I should begin
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 125 
 
 by one of so much consequence; but it is my duty to 
 say that M. de Vibraye, and particularly his lady, are 
 not the proper persons. His understanding is heavy and 
 confined; rather turbulent than active; and timid than 
 prudent. He is more the giver of dinners than the 
 representative of monarchy; he has neither manners, 
 elocution, nor eyes. Madame de Vibraye, who does not 
 want understanding, would be too gay even for Paris, 
 and, to speak plainly, she has little propriety, and less 
 decency. But as she is enterprising, she makes pre- 
 tensions to dignity with all the behavior of thoughtless- 
 ness; and, as she molds her husband as she pleases, 
 by suffering him to believe he is absolute master, she 
 renders him morose, uncivil, and rude. Besides which, 
 she sequesters him from the world; and such seques- 
 tration must everywhere, and particularly at Berlin, be 
 totally disadvantageous to an Ambassador of France. 
 This is one of the errors of Comte d'Esterno. 
 
 The following is the chief intelligence I hear concern- 
 ing the King and his administration, relative either to 
 his absence or his return. He is exceedingly dissatisfied 
 with the Stadtholder. It is affirmed you ought to accept 
 the declaration of Count Goertz. I repeat incessantly, 
 that this is the very time when our intentions ought no 
 longer to be suspected; since assuredly, if we wish the 
 destruction of the Stadtholdership, the Prince of Orange 
 has given us a fine opportunity. Prince Henry affirms 
 that, provided he was restored to the right of main- 
 taining order, and not of giving order, at the Hague, 
 and was in possession of a little money, the King would 
 be contented. I believe he, the King, feels the necessity 
 of not making a false step at the beginning of his 
 political career. One fact, I can assure you, is certain, 
 which is that it was the advice of Hertzberg to march 
 ten thousand men into Holland; and that there was on 
 this occasion a very warm contention between him and 
 General Moellendorf, in the King's presence. By this 
 you may judge of what is to be expected from the vio- 
 lence of such a Minister. Still, however, this has not 
 prevented him from being created a Count in Prussia; 
 and, if I am not mistaken, his influence continues.
 
 126 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 With respect to domestic affairs, whatever Prince 
 Henry may say to the contrary, the credit of Schulem- 
 burg is on the decline; were it only that he no longer 
 appears in the transaction of public business. It is, 
 however, affirmed that he, with many others, is soon to 
 be made a Count, for they are not economists of their 
 titles. The commission for the regulation of the cus. 
 toms begins to strike bold strokes; but they alight on 
 individuals, and are not aimed at general reformation. 
 Launay has received information that the King hence- 
 forth can give him only six thousand crowns per annum, 
 in lieu of twenty thousand, the sum he before had; and 
 that he must accept this or resign. Launay, enraged, 
 and the more so because he has long since demanded 
 his dismissal, loudly declares he will print an estimate,* 
 which will prove not only that, in justification of each 
 of his acts, he has a letter from the late King, the fiscal 
 temper of whom he has moderated much oftener than 
 he has provoked, but that he likewise has refused twenty 
 bargains, offered him by Frederick II., which would 
 have acquired him tons of gold. The scandal of this es- 
 timate, should he dare to publish it, will be very great; 
 and the analyzing of it will rather be a commission of 
 inquiry into the conduct of the late King than of the 
 present state of the customs, which might easily have 
 been foreseen were thus regulated. The commissioners 
 have dismissed Roux, the only able man among the col- 
 lectors, with a pension of five hundred crowns; and 
 Groddard, a person of insignificance, with a like sum. 
 They have bestowed their places on Koepke and Beyer, 
 with a salary of three thousand crowns, neither of whom 
 know anything, with this difference, that the last is 
 exact, assiduous, and laborious; but both of them are 
 without information, and devoid of principles. Generally 
 speaking, the commissioners themselves have none; nor 
 have they the least knowledge of how they ought to act. 
 Commissions here will all be the same; for, exclusive of 
 the inconveniences that are annexed to them in every 
 country, there is in this the additional one that men of 
 knowledge are very scarce, and they must, therefore, 
 
 * Compte rendu.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 127 
 
 long continue ill-sorted. But the King wishes to satisfy 
 some, bestow places on those who have protectors, and 
 particularly not to have any Prime Minister. There 
 must be an embargo on business while it remains in 
 this state; and I have many reasons for supposing that 
 no person will, for some months to come, have found 
 his true place, or that which he is destined to keep; we 
 must not, therefore, be in haste to judge. 
 
 But we may affirm that the King has exceedingly dis- 
 pleased the people, less in refusing to partake of the 
 festival prepared for his return than in avoiding the 
 street where the citizens had assembled to see him pass. 
 * He treats us as his uncle did, on his return from the 
 Seven Years' War, w say the mob ; * but, before imitating 
 him in this, he ought to have imitated the great actions 
 of his uncle.* It must be owned good sense is some- 
 times on the side of the multitude. 
 
 With respect to the domestic affairs of the palace, any- 
 one may remark at the first glance that they are totally 
 in disorder. No master, no one to give directions, no 
 funds assigned; footmen and the household officers gov- 
 ern all. Dufour, or Chauvier ( I before explained to you 
 that this was one and the same person), like all the 
 other subordinate confidants without any influence what- 
 ever, is rather ill, than well treated. Colonel Vartensle- 
 ben, formerly banished into Prussia because of his 
 intimacy with the hereditary Prince, is supposed to in- 
 crease in favor. But the two men to be observed are 
 Welner, to whom it is affirmed are communicated all 
 ministerial papers, the reports on all projects, and the 
 revisal of all decisions; and Bishopswerder, who, besides 
 universal suspicion, talks with too much affectation of 
 having no influence over the King not to betray himself, 
 in a country where people are not artful enough to say 
 they do not possess a thing which they really do not 
 possess in order that it may be supposed they do. 
 
 With respect to pleasures, they are improved upon. 
 One very remarkable arrangement is, that a cook has 
 been appointed for the Princess Frederica of Prussia, 
 the King's daughter by his first Queen; thus she is to 
 have a kind of household; which, if I am not mistaken,
 
 128 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 is nothing more than a mode, and none of the most 
 moral, of procuring frequent and decent interviews with 
 Mademoiselle Voss, who is capitulating; for she has de- 
 clared that no hopes of success must be entertained as 
 long as Madame Rietz shall continue to be visited. The 
 latter went to meet the King on his return; then, pass- 
 ing through the city with an arrow's speed, she flew to 
 Charlottenburg, whither the King came, and where she 
 lives. She acts the prudent part of taking charge herself 
 of the pleasures of his Majesty; who apparently sets a 
 great price on any new enjoyment, be it of what kind it 
 may. 
 
 It is secretly rumored, though I cannot warrant its 
 truth, that England is prodigal in caresses, and reiterated 
 offers of a treaty of commerce, on the most advantageous 
 terms; and that Russia itself spares no advances. Cer- 
 tain it is that our enemies and their partisans loudly pro- 
 claim that we have lately disbanded ten thousand 
 men; which is sufficient proof, say they, that we 
 have no thoughts of holding the two imperial Courts in 
 awe. 
 
 I can also certify that the Grand Duke and the Grand 
 Duchess, who long had afforded no signs of existence to 
 Prince Henry, have lately written him very charming 
 letters, but these are no impediments to the licentious 
 discourse of Romanzow, who, on the eve of the King's 
 funeral, asked, in a public company, whether there would 
 not be rejoicings on the morrow; and who has bestowed 
 the epithet of THE ILLUMINATION OF THE FIVE CANDLES on 
 the night of the second, on which homage was paid 
 to the new King, and when a general illumination was 
 ordered. Apropos of homage, Prince Henry is permitted 
 to make written oath, and this favor has not a little re- 
 doubled his fumes ; he still wagers that Hertzberg will be 
 disgraced. This Hertzberg yesterday read a pompous 
 account to the Academy of his journey into Prussia, and 
 he was suffocated with incense by all the candidates. 
 Nothing could be more completely silly. 
 
 I shall conclude with a word concerning Saxony. I 
 do not believe the health of the Elector to be good, he 
 withers visibly; and this is promoted by the violent
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 129 
 
 exercise which he takes, from system, and in which he 
 perseveres with all his invincible obstinacy. He will 
 leave no sons, and there is no imagining the hypocritic 
 imbecility of his brothers, who are not married; the 
 result of which is that this fine country is dangerously 
 menaced by future contingencies. Marcolini, as I have 
 said, is on his journey through Italy; and it is supposed 
 that one of his commissions is to seek a wife for Prince 
 Anthony. Prince Henry, who fears lest choice should 
 be made of a Tuscan Princess, or some other of the 
 Austrian alliances, has conceived the project of bestow- 
 ing the hand of the Princess de Conde" on him, by 
 which we should secure the Electorate and the Elector. 
 I give this as I received it. 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. Let me add that, with respect to 
 the map I determined to have secretly copied, it is the 
 map of the most important part of Saxony; and one 
 which all the foreign ambassadors, without exception, 
 with M. de Vibraye at their head, are convinced the 
 Elector will not permit his brother to see. I have had 
 a windfall much more valuable, that of the land survey 
 of 1783, made with great exactitude, and containing a 
 circumstantial division of territorial wealth. I shall have 
 it copied in haste, for which I do not imagine I shall be 
 blamed. M. de Vibraye is quitting Dresden, whither he 
 does not wish to return. It is a pleasant post, and a very 
 excellent one from which to observe the Emperor and 
 the King of Prussia. 
 
 Boden is on the road hither; he is imagined to be 
 presumptuous enough to solicit the French Embassy. 
 Either he will be disappointed or the Court of Berlin 
 will act improperly. The King still continues in the inten- 
 tion of sending you Alvensleben. I spoke to you of him 
 when at Dresden, where I conversed much with him ; he 
 is certainly a man of information and understanding. M. 
 d'Entragues was intimately acquainted with him, and 
 this friendship has continued. It would be very easy to 
 send for M. d'Entragues, who is at Montpellier; whether 
 it were to conduct or to watch his entrance on the scene 
 of action. 
 9
 
 130 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. Prince Henry was sent for by the 
 King this morning-, on business, and invited to go and 
 dine at Charlottenburg. This he has acquainted me with, 
 and desired me to come to him at five o'clock. I can 
 add nothing to this enormous length of ciphering, except 
 that I wish to repeat that the intelligence of the ten 
 thousand men proposed by Hertzberg is fact. It has 
 appeared so important to me, when combined with the 
 affairs of Hattem and Elburg, which seemed to give in- 
 vincible demonstration that Count Hertzberg had long 
 promised, in the secret correspondence of which I have 
 spoken, the aid of the army of the new King. I say this 
 information appeared so important that I thought it my 
 duty to make it known to the Comte d'Esterno, by a 
 channel which he cannot suspect is derived from me. 
 
 With respect to Court intrigues here, I have proof that 
 Prince Henry tells everything to Prince Ferdinand, who 
 tells everything to his wife, who, lured by the tempting 
 bribes she receives in ready money, betrays Prince Henry. 
 Luckily, the excessive stupidity of this Princess deadens 
 her influence, and congeals the good-will which the King 
 wishes to entertain for her.
 
 LETTER XXXI. 
 
 DRESDEN, October 3<i, 1786. 
 
 I HAVE had very little time for the courier of to-day, 
 having spent all day yesterday, from six o'clock in 
 the morning till night, at, and in the affairs of, the 
 Court. The ceremony of rendering homage was awful, 
 notwithstanding the narrowness of the place in which the 
 States were received. As moral ideas have a great influ- 
 ence, even unperceived by us, on our physical sensations, 
 this tribute of respect, paid by armed despotism to the 
 nation it governs, this species of paternal colloquy be- 
 tween the Monarch and the deputies, here called the 
 States, establishing in some manner a correlative engage- 
 ment, to which only a little more dignity on the part 
 of the deputies, and at least the appearance of delibera- 
 tion, are wanting to give pleasure to the heart, fill the 
 mind with sublime and affecting reveries. To a Prince 
 capable of reflection, I would only wish this ceremony to 
 be contrasted with the military oath, and the different 
 emotions they excite to be analyzed, in order to lead him 
 to examine whether it be true that a monarchy depends 
 wholly upon force, and whether the pyramid ought to rest 
 upon its basis or upon its point. 
 
 After the discourse of the Minister of Justice (Reek) 
 to the States, after the harangue of the first order (the 
 ecclesiastics), conducted by Prince Frederick of Bruns- 
 wick, Provost of the Chapter of Brandenburg, and after 
 the oath of the nobility, the declaration and confirmation 
 of privileges, the enumeration of titles to be bestowed, 
 made by the Minister Hertzberg (the Minister Schulem- 
 burg is one among the number of new Counts), the King 
 advanced, on a projecting balcony, over which a very fine 
 canopy had been raised, to receive the oaths and the horn 
 age of the people. The citizens were assembled, by com- 
 panies, wards, and trades, in the square opposite the 
 palace. The symptoms of tumultuous joy are here, as 
 
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 i 3 2 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 elsewhere, the effects of sympathy (I had almost said 
 contagious) between a great multitude of men, assembled 
 to behold one elevated superior to them all, whom they 
 called their Monarch and their Master, and on whom, in 
 reality, depends the greatest part of the blessings or the 
 woes that await them. 
 
 It must, however, be remarked that the order was 
 much greater all the day, and at night, than could have 
 been hoped in any other large metropolis. It is true 
 that they distribute here neither wine, cervelats* nor 
 money. The largesses are distributed to each quar- 
 ter, and pass through the hands of the pastor and the 
 magistrate. It is equally true that the passions of this 
 are scarcely so strong as the emotions of other nations. 
 
 The King dined upward of six hundred people. All 
 who were noble were invited. When the proposal was 
 made to me to remain, I replied that, apparently, only 
 the national nobility was meant; and that, had it been 
 intended to admit foreigners to that favor, they no doubt 
 would have had the honor of receiving such an intima- 
 tion. All the English, and almost all the French, like 
 me, and with me, retired. 
 
 The illuminations were not very great. One was re- 
 marked where all the small lamps were covered over by 
 crape, so that the light appeared dim, gloomy, and truly 
 funereal. This was the invention of a Jew, and it was 
 in the front of his own house that it took place. It calls 
 to my mind a beautiful passage in the sermon which 
 preceded the ceremony, and which was preached in the 
 Lutheran church. The minister of the prevailing reli- 
 gion long invoked, and with considerable pathos and 
 energy, the blessings of toleration, u That happy and 
 holy harvest, for which the Prussian provinces are in- 
 debted to the family by which they are governed. 8 
 
 I send you the best medals that were struck on the 
 occasion. They are your own. Others are to be dis- 
 tributed among the foreign ambassadors, who, no doubt, 
 will send them home. There are some in gold, but I 
 thought them too dear, the workmanship considered. 
 Each general in the service was presented with a large 
 
 * A species of large sausage.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 133 
 
 medal, the price of which is forty crowns. Each com- 
 mander of a regiment received a small one, of the price 
 of six ducats. The large are good, the small very in- 
 different. I speak of those that were distributed yester- 
 day; and only of the likeness. 
 
 October 4th, 1786. 
 
 THE day of homage and its preparations have wholly 
 consumed the time, and obstructed all society, since the 
 last courier; for which reason I have at present little to 
 say. Prince Henry was invited, the other day, princi- 
 pally, as I believe, let him say what he will, because M. 
 de Custine, the father, dined with the King. However, 
 his Majesty, before dinner, spoke to the Prince concern- 
 ing Holland, and complained that the discourse of M. de 
 Veyrac, who had informed Goertz he could not interfere, 
 was in exact contradiction to the promises of the Cabinet 
 of Versailles. The subject of Holland puts him out of 
 temper, as it naturally must ; and yet, as I have inces- 
 santly repeated, <( When could we find a better opportu- 
 nity of acting disinterestedly than at present; now that 
 the Stadtholder, contrary to reason and all propriety, has 
 taken a violent and decisive part, a few days before the 
 arrival of the advice which was intended to be sent him 
 by the King?* 
 
 I have had a very impassioned scene, concerning Hol- 
 land, with Count Hertzberg: patience, firmness, and some- 
 thing of cunning, on my part ; violence, passion, and want 
 of reason, on his. It is evident to me that he is pur- 
 suing some secret project concerning Holland. 
 
 Apropos of M. de Custine; he made the King wait an 
 hour for him at dinner. It is a melancholy circumstance 
 for France that she should continually be, in some 
 measure, represented by certain travelers, when political 
 
 affairs are in a delicate state. Our Due de la F , 
 
 amid an assembly of our enemies, said to the Duke of 
 Brunswick, (< Apropos ; pray has your Highness ever 
 served ? * At Dresden, a ceremonious and circumspect 
 place, where our embassy has given much dissatisfaction, 
 this same pitiable interrogator, having been shown a col- 
 lection of precious stones, the most magnificent that
 
 134 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 exists in Europe, said to the Elector at high dinner, 
 w Very good! Yes, indeed, very good! Pray how much 
 did the collection cost your Highness? * A certain M. de 
 
 P , a week before the death of the King, dining at 
 
 Potsdam with the Prince of Prussia, hearing the name 
 of M. de H mentioned, exclaimed, " Apropos; I for- 
 got that I have a letter from him, which I am to give 
 you. * And this letter he threw to the Prince across the 
 table. He no doubt imagined such familiarity was ex- 
 ceedingly natural he who, at Prague, taking leave of 
 the Emperor, seized and shook him by the hand, testify- 
 ing the great satisfaction he had received at having seen 
 his manceuvers, and renewed his acquaintance with him. 
 
 And, what is better, it is M. de who relates this 
 
 anecdote here; which there are Englishmen enough 
 would take care should not have been forgotten, had he 
 not with so much precaution treasured it up in his mem 
 ory. Wherefore permit such people to travel, whom, by 
 means of the places they enjoy, it is easy to detain at 
 home ? There is no possibility of exaggerating the evil 
 which such ridiculous pasquinades produce, at a moment 
 when the ill-designing are so numerous, and who wish 
 that the nation should be judged by such specimens. 
 
 Suffer me further to remark, of Messieurs de Custine, 
 that, foolish as the father is, physically a fool, a fool 
 unmeasurable and disgusting, equally is the son a man 
 of great hopes, and appears in all companies with 
 universal success. Not any man so young, with whom 
 I am acquainted, unites so much modesty, so much 
 reason, and such decent timidity, to so great a talent for 
 observation, or to manners so agreeable and mild, so 
 much caution and wise activity. There is no doubt but 
 that the extravagances of the father display these qualities 
 to advantage in the son, but they exist, and on the most 
 solid basis, for, in all probability, he has taken an aver- 
 sion for, by being a continual spectator of, the follies of 
 his father. He is a scion who, of all the young men I 
 have known, is most proper to be transplanted into the 
 diplomatic nursery. 
 
 The King, all yesterday, was cold and taciturn; not 
 an emotion, not a gracious word, not a smile. The
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 135 
 
 Minister Reek, who harangued the States in the name 
 of the Sovereign, promised, in his discourse, that no new 
 tax should be imposed during the present reign, but that, 
 on the contrary, those that existed should be diminished. 
 Was he commanded to make this promise, or did he 
 venture to make it uncommanded? Of this I am ignorant, 
 and it is a matter of doubt. 
 
 The day before yesterday, the King had some domestic 
 brawls and a scene of jealousy, at Charlottenburg, to 
 support from Madame Rietz. The remembrance perhaps 
 remained with him yesterday; whether or no, the dis- 
 course of his Minister of Justice spoke more pleasingly 
 than his countenance, however agreeable it may in reality 
 be. He is to depart on the fourth for Silesia, and does 
 not return till the seventeenth. 
 
 A part of the palace is at present furnishing, but in a 
 simple style. 
 
 Public notice has been given that those persons who 
 had been promised reversions of fiefs should appear, that 
 their reversions were annulled, and that they were not 
 allowed to solicit till first there should be a vacant fief, 
 and not for the reversion of fiefs. 
 
 I have seen a narrative of what passed in Prussia. 
 The person who wrote it has employed very sounding 
 expressions to depict the enthusiasm of the public, and 
 among them, the following phrase of the King: tt I have 
 found Prussia very ill, but I will cure her. w 
 
 Count Katzerling, who had suffered great losses during 
 the Seven Years' War, and met with very ill treatment 
 from the late Monarch, after having been very gra- 
 ciously received by him, had accepted a loan of one 
 hundred and fifty thousand crowns, for thirty years, 
 without interest. 
 
 It is said the Bishop of Warmia will be here within 
 three weeks. He is a very amiable man, with the levity 
 of a Pole, and was much in the favor of the Prince of 
 Prussia. The King seems to remember this ; he has been 
 treated with much greater kindness than any other person 
 in Prussia. 
 
 In November, the King is to balance the statements of 
 expense and receipt.
 
 136 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. I forgot to inform you that, for so 
 cloudy a day, Prince Henry was yesterday highly caressed 
 He dined and supped with his Majesty, and singly at- 
 tended him to see the illuminations. 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. I return from Court, the Ambas- 
 sadors were mingled promiscuously, but, as the Minis- 
 ters of the two Imperial Courts were together, the King 
 proceeded in rather a singularly retrograde manner. It 
 so happened (because of the number of Englishmen that 
 were to be presented) that Lord Dalrymple was the 
 nearest to the King's door, and preceded the Imperial 
 Ambassadors. The King began with the latter. He 
 then returned to Lord Dalrymple, after which he de- 
 scended much lower toward Comte d'Esterno, and spoke 
 no further to him than by thanking, in general, the 
 foreign Ambassadors for their illuminations. Should this 
 neglect of customary forms continue, I think it would be 
 right to let it be understood that it gives displeasure, for 
 the rumor of the hatred of the King for the French is 
 daily strengthened, and rumor, sometimes, in reality 
 produces the event it proclaims.
 
 LETTER XXXII. 
 
 DRESDEN, October 4th, 1786. 
 
 IT APPEARS extremely probable that habit will be the 
 conqueror, and that Frederick William will never 
 be more than what his penetrating uncle had fore- 
 boded. No terms are too hyperbolical to express the ex- 
 cessive negligence of his domestic affairs, their disorder, 
 and his waste of time. The valets dread his violence; 
 but they are the first to turn his incapacity to derision. 
 Not a paper in its place; not a word written at the bot- 
 tom of any of the memorials; not a letter personally 
 opened ; no human power could induce him to read forty 
 lines together. It is at once the tumult of vehemence 
 and the torpor of inanity. His natural son, the Count of 
 Brandenburg, is the only one who can rouse him from his 
 lethargy ; he loves the boy to adoration. His countenance 
 brightens the moment he appears, and he amuses him- 
 self, every morning, a considerable time with this child, 
 and this, even of his pleasures, is the only one in which 
 he is regular; for the remaining hours are wasted in in- 
 explicable confusion. His ill humor the other day, for 
 example, which I had supposed was occasioned by the 
 quarrel at Charlottenburg, induced me to inquire into 
 particulars. It was nothing more than a musical dispute. 
 The King would have a chamber concert. He ordered 
 two-and-twenty musicians to be assembled. It was his 
 intention to have performed himself; his violoncello was 
 uncased and tuned. Fourteen musicians only came; and 
 passions, threats, intemperance succeeded. The valets de 
 chambre laid the blame on Kalikan, whose business it was 
 to summon the musicians. Kalikan was thrown into 
 prison. Duport, the famous violoncello player, and con- 
 sequently the favorite musician, came to the aid of Kali- 
 kan, and gave the King the letter which the valets de 
 chambre had intercepted. His choler then became out- 
 rageous; everybody fled- but no further effects have 
 
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 138 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 followed this subaltern prevarication. Poor King! Poor 
 country ! 
 
 I am persuaded by two particulars: the one, that his 
 Majesty has conceived the idea and the hope of becom- 
 ing a great man, by making himself wholly and purely 
 German, and by hectoring French superiority; the other, 
 that he is already in his heart determined to resign busi- 
 ness to a principal Minister. He has not, perhaps, yet 
 owned the fact to himself; but at least he is inwardly 
 convinced it must be so. In this case his last resource 
 will be to call in the aid of the Duke of Brunswick, or 
 of MY UNCLE. 
 
 The first of these plans is the work and the master- 
 piece of Count Hertzberg. He has said, and justly said: 
 * There is only one mode of acquiring reputation ; which 
 is to impart an impulse to your nation, that under your 
 reign a new kind of glory may take date. This impulse 
 you can only give by acting determinately. What can 
 you ever effect as the partisan of France ? You can only 
 be the feeble imitator of Frederick II. As a German 
 you will be an original, personally revered throughout 
 Germany, adored by your people, vaunted by men of 
 letters, respected by Europe, etc., etc." The explication 
 of the enigma is, that Count Hertzberg imagined this to 
 be the shortest road to make himself Prime Minister. 
 
 But the necessities of accident demand, or will soon 
 demand, a different person. Servile as the country is, it 
 is not habituated to ministerial slavery; and Hertzberg, 
 long a subaltern, rather crafty than able, deceitful than 
 cunning, violent than determined, vain than ambitious, 
 old, infirm, and not promising any long duration of life, 
 will not bend the people to this servility. They must 
 have (though this Welner, who is so much attended to 
 at present, and whose influence near spectators only can 
 discover, may push his pretensions), I repeat, they must 
 have a man whose rank can quell subordinate candidates; 
 and the number of such men is not great. I can dis- 
 cover but two men of this kind, Prince Henry and the 
 Duke of Brunswick. To the disadvantage of not living 
 in the country, the latter adds that of being necessarily 
 formidable to a feeble and indolent, but vain and jealous,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 139 
 
 Prince; who may imagine that Prince Henry will not 
 commit the same injury on his, the Sovereign's, reputa- 
 tion as a Prince who cannot leave his own country, and 
 reside here constantly as Prime Minister, without being 
 undoubtedly and conspicuously such. For which reason 
 the credit of Prince Henry daily strengthens, in spite of 
 his ill address. However, he has boasted less within 
 some few weeks; and, instead of not returning from 
 Rheinsberg, whither he again goes during the absence 
 of the King, till the middle of December, as was his 
 intention, he will be here on the same day as his 
 nephew. 
 
 Yet, exclusive of the personal defects of Prince Henry, 
 and the errors of which he will indubitably be guilty, 
 how shall we reconcile the German system and the 
 Monarch's hatred of the French to the confidence granted 
 this Prince? The symptoms of such hatred, whether 
 systematic or natural, continually increase and cor- 
 respond. The King, when he dismissed Roux and Grod- 
 
 dart, said: <( Voilk done de ces B dont je me suis 
 
 dtfait** The real crime of Roux, perhaps, was that he 
 kept a Jewess whom the Prince of Russia wished to 
 possess, and obstinately refused to listen to any kind of 
 accommodation. A French merchant brought some toys f 
 to show him, to whom he harshly replied : <( I have 
 baubles already of this kind to the amount of seven 
 millions.* He then turned his back, and did not utter 
 another word, except to bid him not go to the Queen, 
 for if he did, he should not be paid. The action was 
 far from blamable; it is the manner only that I notice. 
 Boden was passably well received, except that the only 
 consolation he found for his fever was, "Go to Berlin, 
 and keep yourself quiet, for you have a companion that 
 will stay by you these three months." Boden said to 
 him, " I should have had thousands of messages to your 
 Majesty, had I dared to take charge of them.* <( You 
 did well to refuse,* replied the King; and in so rough a 
 
 * I have rid myself of these . The epithet must be left with 
 
 the reader ; there is no danger he should be more indelicate than the 
 original. 
 
 f Des genttllesses, probably jewels,
 
 i 4 o SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 tone that Boden dared not even given him the letters of 
 Dusaulx and Bitaube". 
 
 Latmay is treated with severity, and even with tyranny. 
 He was confined to his chamber while his papers 
 were examined, independent of a general prohibition not 
 to leave Berlin. One Delatre, his personal enemy, has 
 been opposed to him on all occasions, and has been sent 
 for to become an informer against him, a man devoid 
 of faith or honor ; suspected of great crimes ; a dissipator 
 of the King's money; an unbridled libelist, and as such 
 denounced by our Court to that of Berlin, which officially 
 returned thanks, two years ago, for our behavior on that 
 subject. I say he was sent for; because owing, as he 
 does, eighty thousand crowns to the King, would he have 
 ventured to come without a passport, or being asked ? 
 It is evident that Launay is persecuted as a farmer of 
 the taxes, and as a Frenchman. 
 
 It is believed that the collectors and farmers-general 
 will all be dismissed* at the festival of the Trinity, the 
 time when those accounts that shall actually be settled 
 are to be examined. This is the grand sacrifice that is 
 to be offered up to the nation. But what is to supply 
 the deficiency in the revenue ? For in fine, the farmers, 
 last year, paid six millions eight hundred thousand Ger- 
 man crowns; and it is not only impossible to replace 
 this immense sum, but, knowing the country, it is easy 
 to foresee that the German farmers of finance will scarcely 
 collect the half of the amount. 
 
 Of what will the convocation of the provincial and 
 finance counselors, and the" deputies of the merchants, 
 be productive? Of complaints, and not one project which 
 will not be distinct, partial, and in contradiction to the 
 general system, or such as the nature of things pre- 
 sents as a system; for in reality not any as yet ex- 
 ists. 
 
 *Congtdier la rtgie. The late King introduced the French into 
 Prussia, to farm and collect the taxes, at the beginning of his reign. 
 It was one of the most odious of the acts of his internal administration ; 
 in which whenever his own revenues were out of the question, he endeav- 
 ored to act for the good of the people. ENDEAVORED, but most fre- 
 quently did not ; of this, his innumerable monopolies are proofs incon- 
 testable.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 141 
 
 I return, and say, all these projects are contrary to 
 the personal hopes of Prince Henry. Will he make all 
 his passions subservient to his ambition? ( He is far 
 from possessing that degree of fortitude.) Or, does he 
 dissemble that he may obtain power? Of this I do not 
 believe him uniformly capable. I rather fear he is once 
 again the dupe of caresses ; which, however, it must be 
 confessed, are more substantial and more marked than 
 they ever had been before. I particularly fear he should 
 be in too great haste, and too eager to gather the har- 
 vest before it be ripe; neglecting the care of providing 
 seed for futurity. 
 
 The King has given the Minister of Justice, Reek, a 
 box of petrified shells, splendidly enriched with dia- 
 monds, estimated to be worth twelve thousand crowns; a 
 similar box to the Minister Gaudi, and ten thousand crowns ; 
 another of the same kind to General Moellendorf; a fine 
 solitaire to the Marquis di Luchesini; and a diamond 
 ring to Philippi, the lieutenant of the police. He has 
 further broken up three boxes set with diamonds, of 
 which thirty rings have been made; these he has taken 
 with him to distribute in Silesia. 
 
 Take good note, that Launay has not had the alterna- 
 tive of accepting a salary of six thousand crowns, or his 
 dismission; he has merely received information, under 
 the form of an order, that his salary was reduced to six 
 thousand crowns. 
 
 Count Hertzberg this day gave a grand dinner to for- 
 eigners, to which the new Spanish Ambassador was in- 
 vited, but neither Comte d'Esterno nor any Frenchman; 
 which affectation was the more remarkable since all the 
 English, Piedmontese, Swedish, and not only foreign 
 Ambassadors but complimentary envoys, were there as- 
 sembled. Comte d'Esterno takes a proper revenge; he 
 gives a grand dinner to-morrow, to which Count Hertz- 
 berg is invited. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. Mr. Ewart, the secretary of the English 
 Embassy, said to me yesterday, in the presence of fifteen 
 people, Count Hertzberg supporting him with voice and 
 gesture, in these precise terms, "The Stadtholder is, by
 
 142 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the constitution, the executive power in Holland; or to 
 speak more intelligibly, he is precisely in Holland what 
 the King is in England. w I replied, in the most ironical 
 and dry tone, (< It is to be hoped he will not be beheaded 
 by his subjects. w The laughers were not with Mr. 
 Ewart. 
 
 Boden has sent your packets. The extracts from the 
 pleadings of Linguet, which are excellent ( I speak of 
 the extracts ), have been perfectly successful. I entreat 
 you will not fail to send me the continuation. You can- 
 not find a better means of procuring me customers than 
 by things of this kind. 
 
 There is a demur concerning Alvensleben. It is Hertz- 
 berg who supports Goltz. 
 
 Number LXXVIII. of the Courier of the Lower 
 Rhine w is so insolent, relative to the King of France 
 and his Ambassador, that I imagine it would be proper 
 to make a formal complaint. This might somewhat curb 
 Hertzberg, who is the accomplice of Manson, and who 
 may do us many other favors of a like nature, should 
 this pass with impunity. You are not aware of the in- 
 fluence these gazettes have in Germany.
 
 LETTER XXXIII. 
 
 MAGDEBURG, October pth, 1786. 
 
 LEAVING Berlin, I by chance discovered the person who 
 has remained four days shut up in the apartment 
 of the Prince of Hesse (of Rothembourg), who is no 
 other than that Croisy, formerly St. Huberty, and once 
 the husband of our celebrated St. Huberty,* whose mar- 
 riage was annulled, Counselor Bonneau f of the Prince of 
 Prussia, and relative to his own wife a bankrupt, a for- 
 ger, in a word, a knight of industry, of the most des- 
 picable order, and concerning whom all foreigners ask, 
 tt Is it possible such a man can be an officer in the 
 French service ? * I am no longer astonished that the 
 Prince of Hesse should be coldly received by the King. 
 To come expressly to lay the train to the mine of cor- 
 ruption; and to depend upon it as a certainty that the 
 combustibles should catch fire, from a knowledge of the 
 errors of the Sovereign; to found hopes of success on 
 the ill opinion we have of him, and in a manner to pro- 
 claim this knowledge, by a rapid journey from Paris to 
 Berlin, destitute of all other pretext, since the Prince of 
 Hesse and his minion have stayed only five days, and 
 are already gone back to Paris, this is at once to dis- 
 play foolish cunning and contemptible conduct. I imag- 
 ine it is of importance that we should tell the King 
 aloud, and with the strongly marked, ironical tone of 
 disdain, which shall make him feel, without debasing 
 ourselves to speak more openly, that this manoeuver was 
 totally unknown to our Cabinet; for I am persuaded, 
 from some half-phrases which I have heard those who 
 wish us ill drop, that they do not desire anything better 
 than to fix this blot upon us. 
 
 The first singer at the French opera. 
 
 f Bonneau is a sea term, in the French language, and signifies buoy. 
 But the word was chosen by Voltaire, because it was an apt metaphor, 
 as the name of a Pandar. From him it is here borrowed, and is sev- 
 eral times so applied in this work. 
 
 (H3)
 
 144 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 I have traveled through Brandenburg to Magdeburg 
 with Count Hatzfeldt, who had been sent by the Elector 
 of Mayence to compliment the King on his accession, 
 and Baron Geilling, sent for the same purpose by the Due 
 de Deux-Ponts. The latter, formerly a captain of hussars 
 in our service, is a handsome blockhead, who could only 
 have been chosen because he is the brother of Madame 
 Eixbeck, the Duke's mistress. Count Hatzfeldt is a man 
 of great urbanity, and whose knowledge and understand- 
 ing are deserving of esteem. It seems he will remain 
 some time at Berlin, that he may discover what shall be 
 created out of the chaos. I conversed much on Mayence ; 
 the Elector is better, but does not promise any length of 
 life. The two persons who, in all appearance, are most 
 likely to succeed him are Feckenberg and Alberg. The 
 first is wholly Austrian, the latter a man of abilities, of 
 whom the highest opinion is entertained, whose political 
 inclinations are little known, and who dissembles, like 
 Sixtus V., while yet a monk. 
 
 That Court at present seems to be exceedingly averse 
 to the Emperor, who every day, indeed, by a multitude 
 of traits, both private and public, and which are really 
 inconceivable, increases universal hatred. It is impossi- 
 ble to depict the effect which his answer to the request 
 of the Hungarians produced (Pueri sunt pueri: pueri 
 puerilia tractant) together with the violent abolition of 
 all their privileges. But, on the one hand, the great 
 landholders are at Vienna, there enchained by their places, 
 and almost kept under a guard, so that they are in truth 
 the hostages of the slavery of the Hungarians; and, on 
 the other, the aristocracy being excessively odious to the 
 people, there is in this superb and formidable country 
 neither unity of interest, nor center of concord. The regu- 
 lar troops are, besides, posted, and provided with artillery, 
 supported by veterans, colonists, etc., etc. 
 
 An Englishman, very much my friend, and a man of 
 excellent observation, whom I have happened to meet 
 with here, and who has visited all the camps of the Em- 
 peror, while speaking in raptures of those formidable 
 pillars of his power, Hungary, Moravia, Bohemia, Galicia, 
 etc., confesses that the inferiority of his troops, com-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 145 
 
 pared with the Prussian army, has infinitely surpassed his 
 expectation. He affirms it is impossible, either relative 
 to the individual or collective information of the officers 
 or to the military talents of the Emperor, which are in 
 reality null, insomuch that he appears incapable of conceiv- 
 ing such complicated evolutions, he affirms, I say, it is im- 
 possible to compare the two nations : with this difference, 
 that the Emperor, like Cadmus, can make men spring out of 
 the earth ; and that the Prussian army, once annihilated, will 
 be incapable of renovation, except from its treasury. Should 
 A MAN once be seated upon the Austrian throne, there 
 will be an end to the liberties of Europe. The health of 
 the Emperor is supposed not to be good; his activity 
 gradually decreases; he still, however, surpasses his real 
 strength, but his projects seem like the wishes of an ex- 
 piring patient who raves on recovery. He is supposed at 
 present to be on very cool terms with the Empress of 
 Russia. 
 
 10
 
 LETTER XXXIV. 
 
 BRUNSWICK, October i4th, 1786. 
 
 THOUGH I ride post, you perceive it is not in the spirit 
 of dissipation. Alas! what mode of life in reality 
 less corresponds with my natural inclination than 
 that indolent activity, if so I may call it, which hurries 
 me into every tumult, and among the proud and fas- 
 tidious, to the utter loss of time ! For such is the gen- 
 eral consequence of the confusion of society among the 
 Germans, who converse as they call it AMONG THEMSELVES 
 although thirty persons should be present. Thus am I 
 robbed of study, deprived of my favorite pursuits, my 
 own thoughts, and forced incessantly to comply with 
 forms so foreign, not to say odious, to my nature. You 
 yourself, who lead a life so full of hurry, but who, how- 
 ever, associate with the chosen few, in despite of all the 
 gifts of nature, you must feel how difficult it is abruptly 
 to pass from the buzz of men to the meditations of the 
 closet. Yet is this indispensably necessary, in order to 
 manage the ASIDE speeches, by which the current news 
 of the day is acquired and consequences are divined. We 
 must gallop five days with the Prince, and pursue all the 
 physical and moral meanderings of the man, in public 
 and in private, before we can obtain the right, or the op- 
 portunity, to ask him a question; or, which is better, to 
 catch a word, which may be equivalent both to question 
 and answer. 
 
 But who knows this better than you? I only wish you 
 to understand my excursions are not the effect of 
 chance, and still less of whim. Let me add that each of 
 my journeys improves my local knowledge, a subject on 
 which I have made it a law not to be easily satisfied. I 
 hope that, among others, you will perceive by my 
 memorial on Saxony, and by that on the Prussian States, 
 which are, in reality, works of labor, and which you will 
 (146)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 147 
 
 not have a sight of for months to come, that I have pro- 
 foundly studied the countries which I wished to under- 
 stand, and as ardently in men as in books; with this 
 difference, however, that I scarcely dare confide in the 
 mere assertion of the best-informed man, unless he 
 brings written proofs.* The necessity of that species of 
 superstitious conscientiousness, with which I am almost 
 mechanically impressed, whenever I take up the pen, 
 has been demonstrated to my own mind too often for it 
 ever to forsake me. 
 
 Yet whither am I traveling in this painful road? If I 
 may depend on the few reports which your friendship 
 has deigned to make me of the sensation which my dis- 
 patches have produced, when corrected, arranged, and 
 embellished by you (for how is it possible for me to 
 correct that which I write at the moment, by snatches, 
 with lightning-like rapidity, and without having time to 
 read?), they have given satisfaction. If I judge by the 
 reiterated symptoms of the extreme inattention which 
 long silence supposes, on questions the most important, 
 on requests the most instantaneous, and sometimes of 
 absolute forgetfulness of the greatest part of these 
 things, I should be induced to believe that my letters are 
 read, at the most, with as much interest as a packet 
 would be, the materials of which are tolerably clear and 
 orderly, and that the reading produces not the least 
 ultimate effect. Should this be so, is it worth the trouble 
 (I put the question to you, whose energetic sentiments 
 and high thoughts so often escape, notwithstanding all 
 the contagion of levity, carelessness, egotism and incon- 
 sistency which exhale out of every door in the country 
 which you inhabit), is it right, I say, that I should 
 sacrifice, to an interest so subordinate as that of curiosity, 
 my inclinations, my talents, my time and my powers? I 
 believe you know me to be no quack, you know it is not 
 my custom to speak of my pains, and of my labors, in 
 fustian terms. Permit me, then, my good and dear 
 friend, to protest that they both are great. I keep three 
 men totally occupied in mechanically copying the materials 
 I have arranged. I am assisted by the labor and 
 * Are there not, cceteris flaridus, as many written as related lies?
 
 i 4 8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the knowledge of several; all my moments, all my 
 thoughts are there, thence depart, and thither return. 
 Should the product be no greater (and I may say to you 
 that you cannot yet estimate the whole product, for the 
 greatest of my labors are still in my desk),* it must 
 either be the fault of my own incapacity or of my situ- 
 ation; perhaps of both, and perhaps also of the latter 
 only. But here I am wholly, and, as a man of thirty- 
 seven, ought not to be wholly, devoted to nullities; for 
 nullities they are if nothing be produced, nothing effected, 
 either in behalf of myself or others. 
 
 If, therefore, anything BE produced, afford me some 
 proof of it; and when, for example, I ask any question, 
 for the purpose of more effectually executing my trust, 
 let it be answered. When I say it is necessary I should 
 have a plan of operations of such or such a kind to pro- 
 pose, because I shall be immediately questioned on the 
 subject, and shall lose an opportunity which probably 
 may never be recovered should I be caught unprovided, 
 let such a plan of operations be sent me. 
 
 If all this is to have any good effect in my favor, let 
 me be told so; for in my present situation I have great 
 need of encouragement, if it were but to empower me 
 to yield without madness to the impulses of my zeal. I 
 say without madness; for, to speak only of the vilest, 
 but, notwithstanding, the most palpable of wants, when 
 I perceive that I am very unable to make my accounts 
 balance with my present appointments, ought I not to 
 clog the down-hill wheel? And what have I to hope from 
 these appointments, when I recollect how much they are 
 in arrear; and that a change of Ministry may increase 
 my personal debts with the sums which my friends have 
 advanced me, for the service of those who cannot be 
 ignorant I am myself incapable of making such advances? 
 Yet, should I stop, is there not an end to all utility 
 from what I have hitherto effected? Shall I then have 
 anything remaining except regret for time lost, and the 
 deep, the rankling affliction of having attached people to 
 
 * The author no doubt refers to his ^Histoire de la Monarchie prus- 
 sienne.*
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 149 
 
 my fortunes for whom I can do nothing but what must 
 be an ill compensation, and at my own expense, for all 
 which they have done for me? 
 
 Pardon these expansions of the heart. To whom may 
 I confide my anxieties, if not to you, my friend, my 
 consolation, my guide, and my support ? To whom may 
 I say, what is all this to me, since it does not produce 
 me even money ? For that I expend in the business I 
 have undertaken, and not in private gratifications. In 
 truth, I should be susceptible of no other, were the 
 hoped futurity come, and I had no dependents. You 
 well know that money to me is nothing, at least when I 
 have any. Where am I going, whither leading others ? 
 Have I made a good bargain by bartering my life, 
 stormy as it was, but so mingled with enjoyments of 
 which it was not in human power to deprive me, for a 
 sterile activity, which snatches me even from the fre- 
 quent and delightful effusions of your friendship ? You 
 are to me but a statesman; you, for the pressure of 
 whose hand I would relinquish all the thrones on earth. 
 Alas, I am much better formed for friendship than for 
 politics. 
 
 Post Scriptum, began at Helmstadt, and finished at 
 Brunswick, October i4th, 1786. 
 
 They write from Silberberg, in Silesia, that the King's 
 carriage has been overturned, and that he has received 
 contusions on the head and on the arm. The coachman, 
 it is added, expired on the place. The news reached me 
 yesterday, at Magdeburg, and the same has been writ- 
 ten to General Prittwitz; it probably exceeds the truth, 
 but is not wholly without foundation. The extreme 
 agitation of the Duke of Brunswick, and my own emo- 
 tions, made me profoundly feel the fortunes that rest on 
 this Monarch's head. The Duke immediately sent off a 
 courier, and, as I shall follow him to Brunswick, where 
 he wishes to speak to me at large concerning Holland, 
 I shall learn more circumstantial intelligence, and such 
 as will be indubitable. I have not time to add a single 
 word; I write while the horses are changed.
 
 150 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 From Brunswick, October i4th, 1786. 
 
 Not having found an opportunity of sending off these 
 few lines, I continue. 
 
 I arrived here two hours before the Duke. As soon 
 as he came to Brunswick, he wrote to me with a pencil, 
 on a slip of paper: 
 
 (< I spoke yesterday evening, before I departed, with 
 the Minister Count Schulemberg, who had left Berlin on 
 the eleventh. He is in absolute ignorance of the alarm- 
 ing intelligence by which we were so much affected, and, 
 as I have heard nothing on the subject since, I begin 
 to have better hopes. I expect my courier will arrive 
 early in the morning. I write you this, Monsieur le 
 Comte, from my mother's, and I hope you will do me 
 the favor to come to me early to-morrow morning and 
 dine with us.* 
 
 It appears to be very probable that no material harm 
 has happened to the Sovereign. 
 
 The splendor of the talents and urbanity of the Duke 
 appeared perfect at Magdeburg. Nothing could be more 
 awful than his manoeuvers, nothing so instructive as his 
 school, nothing so finished, so connected, so perfect, as 
 his conduct in every respect. He was the subject of ad- 
 miration to a great number of foreigners, who had 
 crowded to Magdeburg, and he certainly stood in no 
 need of the contrast which the Duke of Weimar and the 
 Prince of Dessau afforded, the latter the weakest of men, 
 the former industriously laboring to be something, but 
 ill-provided with requisites, if we are to judge him by 
 appearances. He might and ought to become a Prince 
 of importance. According to all probabilities, however, 
 Saxony will devolve on him for want of children in the 
 Electoral branch, and it is an afflicting perspective to 
 contemplate the destruction of all the labors of the worthy 
 Prince who at present governs the country, and who, 
 tormented in his childhood, unhappy in youth, and truly 
 respectable in manhood, will, perhaps, descend to the 
 tomb with the bitter affliction of feeling that all the 
 good he has done will be rendered ineffectual. 
 
 I have learned a fact, which will afford some pleasure 
 to M. de Segur, if he be still living. A foundry has
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 151 
 
 been built at Hanover, at a great expense, which has cost 
 the King of England near one hundred thousand livres. 
 The Duke of Brunswick, not being satisfied with his own 
 foundry, had two cannons cast at Hanover, and they 
 were so ill-cast that they were soon obliged to be laid 
 aside. It is not to be supposed, when we recollect the 
 connections between the Duke and the King of England, 
 that this was occasioned by any trick in the founders; 
 the fact, therefore, is a proof that they are bad work- 
 men. 
 
 By the next courier I hope to send you the exact result 
 of the dispositions of Berlin, and the Duke, relative to 
 Holland. He has promised me a precise statement of 
 the propositions which appear to him necessary, and he 
 did not conceal the extreme desire he had that they 
 should be accepted by France. These Dutch disturbances 
 daily present a more threatening aspect for the repose 
 of Europe if not at the present moment, at least from 
 future contingencies, and the coolness and distrust to 
 which they will give rise.
 
 LETTER XXXV. 
 
 BRUNSWICK, October i6th, 1786. 
 
 THE two conversations I have had with the Duke have 
 hitherto been but vague respecting Holland, and 
 
 indeed almost foreign to the subject. His courier, 
 having brought him the news of hopes of an accommo- 
 dation, and of the retreat of the person who of all those 
 concerned with M. de Veyrac was supposed to be the 
 chief firebrand, having, in fine, brought him details 
 which led him to imagine that his interference will not 
 be necessary, or not yet wanted in Holland, he passed 
 rapidly over the country to come to one which is of in- 
 finitely greater importance to him ; I mean to say Prussia. 
 He only discovered himself to be greatly averse to the 
 party of the Stadtholder, and well convinced that the 
 right of presentation ought to remain such as it was in 
 its origin; that the constitution of Gueldres, Frieseland, 
 and Utrecht evidently was in want of reformation, with 
 respect to the inconceivable regulation of the magistrates, 
 who are revocable ad nutum; that, in a word, the Prince, 
 who from absolute monarchical authority, which he in 
 reality possessed, was sunken into absolute discredit, by 
 conduct the most abject, and the folly of having claimed 
 that as a right, in contempt of all law, all decency, and 
 all popular prejudice, which he effectually possessed, was 
 not deserving of the least support; but that, from re- 
 spect to Prussia, and particularly to retard commotions, 
 it was requisite to restore him the decorum of pageantry, 
 except that watch should be kept over his connec- 
 tions. And here he explained himself on the subject of 
 Harris, and even concerning Prince Louis of Brunswick, 
 nearly in the manner I should have done myself. In 
 conclusion, however, he not only did not inform me of 
 anything on the subject, but he imperceptibly declined 
 that debate which a few days before he had provoked. 
 
 (152)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 153 
 
 I repeat, there is some news arrived of which I am 
 ignorant, that has occasioned this change in his proceed- 
 ings. My information is in general much too confined. 
 Thus, for example, it is very singular, nor is it less 
 embarrassing, and to speak plainly, it is tolerably ridicu- 
 lous, that it should be the Duke who should inform me 
 of the treaty of commerce signed between France and 
 England, not one of the articles of which I am acquainted 
 with, and on which occasion I knew not what face to 
 wear. As my usual method is not to conceal myself 
 behind any veil of mystery, which hides the insignificance 
 of certain Ambassadors, the part I had to act was not a 
 little difficult. I should learn a thousand times more 
 were I myself better informed. In this, as in everything 
 else, fortune follows the successful. 
 
 Returning to Prussia, it was quite a different affair, 
 for of this I know as much as the Duke. His confidence 
 was the less limited, and the more profuse, because I 
 presently set him at his ease with respect to Prince 
 Henry, whom he neither loves nor esteems. I perceived 
 with inquietude that his opinions and fears are similar 
 to my own. He is dissatisfied with most of the proceed- 
 ings and public acts of the King, with that crowd of 
 titles, and that mass of nobility, which has been added 
 so prodigally; insomuch that it will be henceforward 
 much more difficult to find a man than a nobleman in 
 the Prussian States; with the promise made to the Prince 
 of Dessau (whose only merit is such an excess of en- 
 thusiasm for mysticism and visionaries that, when Lavater 
 came to Bremen, he addressed the most earnest suppli- 
 cations to him to come and pay him a visit, in order 
 that he might adore him), and perhaps with that given 
 to the Duke of Weimar (who to the same inclinations, 
 and more lively passions, adds greater understanding; 
 but who is too much in debt for his military projects 
 to be otherwise regarded than as a money speculation), 
 to restore the one and to admit the other into the Prus- 
 sian service ; by which rank in the army will be violated, 
 and the army discouraged and vitiated, a system very 
 opposite to that of Frederick II., who said of the few 
 grandees who were employed in his time, "In the name
 
 154 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 of God, my dear Moellendorf, rid me of THESE PRINCES.* 
 The Duke is equally dissatisfied with that fluctuation 
 which occasions essays to be made on twenty systems at 
 once ; with the most of the persons chosen ; with domestic 
 disorder; with nocturnal rites, and with the anecdotes the 
 augury of which from day to day becomes more inaus- 
 piciously characteristic, etc., etc. In a word, should 1 
 transcribe our conversation, I should but send new copies 
 of old dispatches. 
 
 <( Believe me, " said he, (< I may, in a certain degree, 
 serve you as a thermometer, for if I perceive there are 
 no hopes of a firm and noble regimen, and that therefore 
 the day of the House of Brandenburg is come, I shall 
 not be the last to sound a retreat. I never received 
 money from the King of Prussia, and 1 am well deter- 
 mined never to accept anything from him, though I mean 
 to remain in the service. It has, as you have seen, been 
 a dear service to me. I am independent. I wish to pay 
 a tribute of respect to the memory of the great man 
 who is no more, and am ready to shed my blood, if that 
 might cement his work ; but I will not, even by my pres- 
 ence, become the accomplice of its demolition. Our 
 debts never exceed our abilities. I shall provide in the 
 best manner in my power for my country and my chil- 
 dren; these I shall leave in great order. I keep up my 
 family connections. We perhaps shall be the last who 
 will be smitten by the overthrow of the Germanic body, 
 because of the confraternity which unites us to the Elec- 
 tor of Hanover. I, therefore, shall no further follow the 
 destiny of the Prussian monarchy than as its Govern- 
 ment shall maintain its wisdom, its dignity, etc., etc. w 
 
 At present the Duke despairs of nothing; and in this 
 he is right. He supposes that no person has yet found 
 his proper place. I think like him, and I perceive he 
 hopes his turn will come; of this neither can I doubt, 
 unless the annihilation of the Prussian power has been 
 decreed by fate. 
 
 He has informed me of the very singular fact that M. 
 de Custine, the father, has demanded to be admitted into 
 the service of the King of Prussia, and has pretended to 
 disclose all the hostile plans of the Emperor, whose
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 155 
 
 alliance, nevertheless, this same M. de Custine loudly af- 
 firms will terminate, with France, the day that Prince 
 Kaunitz dies. 
 
 The Duke is very far from being relieved of all his 
 fears concerning- the projects of the Emperor, whose 
 puissance and advisers he holds in infinite dread. True 
 it is that his inconsistency should render his designs and 
 the execution of them abortive; that the irrationality of 
 his personal conduct should hasten his end; that the 
 Archduke Francis appears to be a cipher; that among 
 the persons who have influence there is not one for- 
 midable man, especially in the army; and that Alventzy 
 and Kinsky, the one manufacturer for the infantry, and 
 the other for the cavalry, possess only ambiguous abil- 
 ities, etc. But men start up at the moment when they 
 are least expected; accident only is necessary to rank 
 them in their proper place. Conde", Spinola, and the 
 Duke of Brunswick himself, prove that it is possible to 
 be born a general. There is a Prince of Waldeck in the 
 Austrian army, who, it is said, announces grand tal- 
 ents. 
 
 The numerous, trifling anecdotes, which the Duke and 
 I have mutually related to each other, would be too 
 tedious for insertion, and out of their place also here. 
 An anecdote, merely as such, is equally devoid of pro- 
 priety and information; such will have their turn here- 
 after; but there is one which relates too much to the 
 Russian system for it to be passed over in silence. 
 
 The Czarina has, for some months past, appropriated 
 to herself the possession and the revenues of the posts 
 of Courland, leaving a small part only to the Duke, in 
 order that this branch of administration might not ap- 
 pear to be wholly in the hands of foreigners. Thus does 
 this same Russia, that maintains an envoy at Courland, 
 although there is none at Courland from Petersburg, and 
 that here, as in Poland, proclaims her will to the Duke 
 and to the States, by her Ambassador, who is the real 
 Sovereign of the country, this Russia, that for some 
 years past, has unequivocally and openly declared that a 
 certain canton of Courland appertained to her, and with- 
 out seeking any other pretext than that of giving a more
 
 156 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 uniform line to her limits, makes no secret of not un- 
 derstanding any other code, any other claims, any other 
 manifestoes, than those which the Gauls alleged to the 
 Etruscans " Our right exists in our arms. Whatever 
 the strong can seize upon that is the right of the strong. * 
 She will one of these days declare Courland is hers, that 
 the Polish Ukraine is hers, and that Finland is hers. 
 And, for example, this latter revolution, which will be a 
 very salutary one to her because she will then truly be- 
 come unattackable, and almost inaccessible, to all Europe 
 united, will be effected, whenever she shall make the 
 attempt, if we do not take good heed. Whenever the 
 time may come that I shall be informed of this having 
 taken place, and even of the new system of Sweden 
 being totally overthrown, I shall not feel any surprise. 
 
 The Duke also told me that the Emperor is greatly 
 improving his artillery; that his six-pounders are equiv- 
 alent in force to our former eight-pounders; and to this 
 advantage they add that of lightness, in so great a degree, 
 that only four horses are necessary to draw them, while 
 even in Prussia six are still requisite. As well as I 
 remember he attributes this double improvement to the 
 CONICAL* construction of the chamber. I only relate this 
 that you may verify the truth of the fact by people who 
 are acquainted with such affairs; the diminution of two 
 horses in eight being a thing of infinite importance, and 
 the more so as there would be a servant the less. 
 
 The manner in which I have been received by the 
 Duke was infinitely friendly on his part, though some- 
 what participating, as far as relates to freedom of con- 
 versation, of my equivocal mode of existence at Berlin. I 
 believe I may, without presumption, affirm I am not 
 disagreeable to this Prince, and that, were I accredited 
 by any commission whatever, I should be one of most 
 proper persons to treat with him with efficacy. This 
 able man appears to me to have but one weakness, 
 which is the prodigious dread of having his reputation 
 injured, even by the most contemptible Zoilus. Yet has 
 he lately exposed himself to vexatious blame in deference 
 to his first Minister, M. von Feronce, which I cannot 
 
 * Faite en poire (made in the form of a pear).
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 157 
 
 comprehend. This M. von Feronce, and M. von Mun- 
 chausen, Grand Master of the Court, a man who is 
 reported to have little delicacy concerning money matters, 
 have farmed the lottery, an action shameful in itself, 
 and which I cannot reconcile to Von Feronce, who is 
 really a man of merit. Two merchants, named Oeltz and 
 Nothnagel, have gained a quaterne, which is equivalent 
 to the sum of eighteen thousand crowns. The payment 
 of this has not only been refused, but as it was neces- 
 sary to act with fraud to effect their purpose, the mer- 
 chants have undergone numerous oppressions; they have 
 even been imprisoned; all which acts they have lately 
 published in a printed case, which contains nothing but 
 the facts concerning the suit, and have laid an appeal 
 against the Duke, or against his judges, before the 
 tribunal of Wetzlar; I own I do not understand this 
 absence of firmness, or of circumspection. 
 
 October xyth, 1786. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. I have just received authentic intelli- 
 gence concerning the King of Prussia. It was one of 
 his chasseurs to whom a very serious accident happened ; 
 the Monarch himself is in good health, and will arrive 
 on the eighteenth or the nineteenth at Berlin. 
 
 I learn, at the same time, that Count Finckenstein is 
 dying of an inflammation of the lungs, with which he 
 was seized after a very warm altercation with Count 
 Hertzberg, on the subject of Holland. His life is de- 
 spaired of, and his loss to us will be very great; as well 
 because he was absolutely ours, as because that, being a 
 temporizer by nature, he would have acted as the moder- 
 ator of Prince Henry. He would also have directed the 
 conduct of Mademoiselle Voss, after the fall of virtue; 
 and finally because Hertzberg will no longer have any 
 counterpoise. With respect to the latter point, however, 
 I am not averse to suppose that the time when this 
 presumptuous man shall be in absolute discredit may 
 but be the more quickly accelerated. Yet, not to men- 
 tion the sterility of subjects by which this epoch may be 
 retarded, who shall answer that a man so violent, and 
 wholly imbued as he is with the hatred which the Ger-
 
 158 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 mans in general bear the French, will not venture to 
 make some very decisive false steps ? 
 
 The Duke of York arrived here this evening, and had 
 he been the Emperor he could not have been treated 
 with more respect, especially by the Duchess and the 
 courtiers. She, indeed, is wholly English, as well in her 
 inclinations and her principles as in her manners; inso- 
 much that her almost cynical independence, opposed to 
 the etiquette of the Courts of German Princes, forms 
 the most singular contrast I know. I do not, however, 
 believe that there is any question concerning the mar- 
 riage of the Princess Caroline, who is a most amiable, 
 lively, playful, witty, and handsome lady; the Duke of 
 York, a puissant hunter, a potent drinker, an indefati- 
 gable laugher, destitute of breeding and politeness, 
 and who possesses, at least in appearance, much of the 
 Duke de Lauzun, as well in mind as in person, is in- 
 spired with a kind of passion for a woman married to a 
 jealous husband, who torments him, and will not suffer 
 him to fix his quarters. I know not whether he will go 
 to Berlin. The versions relative to him are various. 
 Some affirm that, after having been an unbridled liber- 
 tine, he feels a returning desire of doing his duty. For 
 my own part, I find in him all the stiffness of a German 
 Prince, with a double dose of English insolence, but 
 wanting the free cordiality of that nation.
 
 LETTER XXXVI. 
 
 BRUNSWICK, October 27th, 1786. 
 
 I HERE send you the continuation and conclusion of the 
 preceding dispatch, to which I add the translation of 
 a pamphlet, the singularity of which is increased by 
 its having appeared at Vienna, with the permission of the 
 Emperor ; who, to the communication made by the censor, 
 has added these very words, <( Let this pass among 
 others. w 
 
 This is but a trifle compared to that caprice which 
 three days afterwards induced him to release the un- 
 fortunate Szekely, whom the most powerful remonstrances 
 could not save, and whose cause is here * ill enough de- 
 fended. For what conclusions might he not have drawn 
 from the confidence with which he imparted to the 
 Emperor the situation of his accounts, from the disorder 
 by which they had been brought into this state, from 
 the ardent supplications he made him to purchase for the 
 public a well-tried chemical secret at such a price as 
 would have completed the deficiency in his accounts ( I 
 say completed, for Szekely and his family had paid the 
 greatest part of the deficiencies), and from the answer 
 of the Emperor himself, <( Do you address yourself to 
 me as to a friend, or as to the Emperor? If to the 
 former, I cannot be the friend of a man who has not 
 been faithful to his trust. If as Emperor, I would ad- 
 vise you to go in person and make your declaration to 
 the Courts of Justice. 8 
 
 This fact, which I have learned since my arrival at 
 Berlin, attended with most aggravating circumstances, is 
 one of the most odious I can recollect, yet might I re- 
 late fifty of the same species. 
 
 *By the word HERE, the author means in the pamphlet, to which 
 the reader will immediately come. 
 
 (159)
 
 i6o SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Free Observations on the Crime and Punishment of Lieu- 
 tenant-Colonel SZEKELY, of the Guards, by a Friend of 
 Truth, 1786. 
 
 LET the voice of Truth be heard, let her at present be 
 seen without disguise, without veil, in all her awful 
 nakedness. Hear, ye incorrupt* judges. I am about to 
 speak of the crime and punishment of Szekely. My 
 heart melts, but my words shall be impartial. Hear and 
 pronounce sentence on me, on Szekely, and on those 
 who pronounced sentence on him. 
 
 Szekely announces a deficiency in the regimental chest 
 of the guards, and the disorder of his accounts; and 
 after some pretended examinations is brought before the 
 Council of War. Ninety-seven thousand florins of the 
 Empire have disappeared; but Szekely had placed his 
 whole confidence in the Sieur Lakner, who is deceased, 
 and who was the only keeper of the keys of the chest. 
 Szekely had more than once declared that he himself 
 was a very improper person to have pecuniary matters 
 committed to his charge, and that he never had revised 
 nor verified the accounts of the regimental chest con- 
 fided to his care. He therefore cannot be suspected of 
 personal fraud, especially when his regiment renders just- 
 ice to the goodness of his manners, and unanimously 
 points out the cashier Lakner as a person who was debased 
 by meanness, and rendered suspicious by incurring ex- 
 penses infinitely above his fortune. 
 
 This, it is very true, was an exceedingly culpable neg- 
 ligence, but such was the only crime of Szekely; and it 
 was for this reason that the Council of War condemned 
 him to be imprisoned six years in a fortress. The punish- 
 ment was doubtless in itself sufficient, since Szekely, in 
 
 * From the life of Baron Trenck, from the present fact, and from 
 numerous others, it appears that the appeal and the apostrophe are 
 absurd. Trenck informs us that his judges, after having held their 
 offices for a succession of years, were at last condemned to be common 
 scavengers of Vienna. The picture he gives of their intrigues, their 
 corruption, and their vices, is beyond conception horrible. How can 
 man dare to vaunt of the wisdom of the age, which has not yet dis- 
 covered that justice, in its most extensive sense, is the most neces- 
 sary, as well as the sublimest, attribute of man.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 161 
 
 effect, and according to the language of the civilians, 
 was Nee confessus nee convictus of any prevarication ; yet was 
 it aggravated by the Aulic* Council of War, which was 
 commanded to make a revision of the process, and which 
 increased his detention to a duration of eight years. Was 
 this tribunal ignorant, then, that it is a custom with our 
 MOST GRACIOUS Monarch himself to increase the severity 
 of all sentences pronounced against criminals ? Let us, 
 therefore, believe that the judges, on this occasion, were 
 only obedient to the rigor of the laws; but the after 
 decision of the Emperor will most assuredly appear in- 
 conceivable. The following is the judgment which this 
 Monarch uttered Yes! uttered, yet did not blush: 
 
 (< Szekely must, without hesitation, be broken, declared 
 incapable of military service, and delivered over to the 
 civil officer, who shall convey him to the place where the 
 crime was committed in Vienna, where he shall stand in 
 the pillory for three successive days, and remain two 
 hours each day on a scaffold, in the high market place, 
 that his example may be of public utility. As a favor 
 and in consequence of his age, I limit the eight years' 
 imprisonment to which he is condemned to four, during 
 which he shall be confined at Segedin, a penal prison of 
 the civil power of the Hungarian States, where he shall 
 receive the same allowance for food as is granted to 
 other criminals. * 
 
 The Court of Justice made remonstrances to the Em- 
 peror, in which it proved that the punishment was much 
 too severe, and entirely contrary to law and to equity; 
 but the Emperor continued inflexible, and thus confirmed 
 his sentence: 
 
 "All superintendents of military chests might, like 
 Szekely, plead that they knew not what was become of 
 the money, even though it should have been stolen by 
 themselves. Whenever there is a deficiency in any 
 chest, and especially of a sum so considerable as ninety- 
 seven thousand florins, there is no necessity for the 
 judge to prove that the money has been taken by the 
 accused person, but the accused person must show that 
 
 * We cannot find a better parallel to this AULIC Council than the for- 
 merly infamous Court of Star Chamber. 
 ii
 
 162 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 it has not been taken by him; and whenever he cannot 
 demonstrate this he himself is the thief. As soon as 
 Szekely shall have been broken, and shall be no longer 
 an officer, the sentence against him shall be put in exe- 
 cution, and a paper shall be fixed round his neck on 
 which shall be written AN UNFAITHFUL STEWARD.* 
 
 Let us take an attentive retrospect of these supreme 
 decisions. 
 
 Szekely is punishable for having been exceedingly neg- 
 ligent; he is the same for having bestowed his whole 
 confidence on a dishonest cashier, of whose pompous 
 luxury he could not be ignorant, since it gave offense to 
 the whole corps of the guards. It was easy to conclude 
 that such a man could not live at an expense so great 
 on his paternal income. It is even probable that Szekely 
 himself, perceiving the disorder of his accounts, and the 
 deficiency in his chest, and terrified by the infamy and 
 punishment inflicted on such crimes, sacrificed much to 
 alchemy and the occult sciences, in the hope of making 
 gold, and of thus freeing himself from his embarrass- 
 ments. This, no doubt, was a folly at which all men of 
 sense would grieve; it is not, however, the less possible. 
 It is certain that the love of chemistry was the ruling 
 passion of Szekely, and that he indulged his inclinations 
 the more because he expected sometime thus to recover 
 his losses. To this excuse let us add the extreme igno- 
 rance of which he accused himself in all that related to 
 pecuniary affairs. 
 
 True it is that, with such a conviction of his own in- 
 capacity, he never ought to have taken charge of a regi- 
 mental chest; but were all those who are in possession 
 of places, the duties of which are far beyond their abil- 
 ities, obliged to abdicate them, what vast deserts would 
 our public offices afford! Rabner encourages three dif- 
 ferent species of men,* by saying, * On whom God be- 
 stows an office he also bestows a sufficient degree of 
 understanding for the exercise of that office." Szekely 
 would not indubitably have adopted this opinion, could 
 he have foreseen the evil consequences of his presumption. 
 
 * I know not why three different species, or what three ; I can but 
 follow my author.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 163 
 
 Was not that flattering letter which was addressed to 
 him by Maria Theresa, of glorious memory, in which, 
 while she gave the highest praises to his probity and 
 loyalty, this august Sovereign confided to his care, 
 without any caution, the regimental chest of the guards, 
 an authentic testimony in behalf of his honor? Has it 
 been meant by the forgetfulness of this distinction to 
 add a new outrage to all the ingratitudes with which 
 some have sullied themselves, relative to this immortal 
 Empress? Was it intended to tax her with that levity, 
 that silly credulity, which blind confidence produces? 
 Alas! in despite of all the defects which envy so gra- 
 tuitously imputes to her, Maria Theresa never was sur- 
 rounded by such an army of knaves as those from whom 
 all the rigor of the present Sovereign cannot preserve us. 
 So true is it that gentleness and love, from a Prince to- 
 ward his subjects, are more efficacious means, to preserve 
 them within the bounds of duty, than all the violent acts 
 tyranny can commit. 
 
 I return to Szekely and affirm it is impossible that this 
 letter from the Empress Queen, though in some sort the 
 pledge of the fidelity of Szekely, can serve as an excuse 
 to the Prince of Esterhazy, whose personal negligence 
 cannot be justified. Did not his right, as chief of the 
 guards, impose it on him as a law to examine the regi- 
 mental chest of Szekely? And is not such an infraction 
 of the duties of his place most reprehensible? 
 
 Still less can be offered in defense of the fault com- 
 mitted by the Hungaro-Transylvanian Chancery; since 
 according to its instructions, it was in like manner bound 
 to inspect the administration of Szekely. But none of 
 the acts of this superior Court ought to inspire astonish- 
 ment, since it is no longer distinguished, except by dis- 
 order and ill faith; since its responsibility is no longer 
 anything but a word; and since its ideas of exact calcu- 
 lation, and of receipt and expense, are exactly as just as 
 those of Brambille* are on physic. 
 
 *This Brambille is first surgeon to the Emperor, by whom he has 
 been ennobled, and who has made him inspector of the medical and 
 chirurgical academies. He is said to be an ignorant quack, and a vio- 
 lent satire has lately been written against him, which, if report speaks
 
 164 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Judges, ye have condemned Szekely. Be it so. Act 
 worthy of your office. Punish his superintendents also, 
 who have by a non-performance of their duty placed 
 him on the brink of that abyss into which you headlong 
 plunged him, without humanity, and void of shame. 
 
 The Kings of Europe have all reserved to themselves 
 the most benevolent of prerogatives; that of pardoning 
 the guilty, or of softening the pains the sentence inflicts 
 by which they are condemned. Joseph alone persists in 
 other principles, more conformable to the feelings of his 
 heart. He aggravates the punishment of the wretched. 
 Alas! this no doubt is but to enjoy the ecstatic pleasure 
 of terrifying his people, by the exercise of the most 
 unlimited despotism. Unfortunate Szekely! Ill-starred 
 man! I pity thee. Thou fallest a victim to the splen- 
 etic temper of the Monarch! Perhaps, at the very 
 instant when he pronounced thy doom, a troublesome fly 
 stung his brow, and thy dishonor was his vengeance. 
 Deplorable sacrifice of a tyrannical and barbarous heart, 
 yes, I pity thee! Men of worth, men of justice, what 
 must the Monarch be who can ADD to the rigor of the 
 Judge? A tyrant! What can the Monarch be who 
 tramples under foot the rights of humanity? A tyrant!! 
 What can the Monarch be who can make the laws and 
 the justice of his kingdom his sport? A tyrant!!! 
 What can the Monarch be who in criminal decisions 
 shall act only according to his caprice? A Joseph!!!! 
 
 A Joseph! Oh, God! Great God! What then is man? 
 A poor and feeble creature, whom an imperious op- 
 pressor may at any moment reduce to dust ; or may rend 
 his heart, extort his last sigh, by the seven thousand 
 raging torments which the Hydras with seven thousand 
 heads in sport inflicts. < 
 
 Dreadful image! Ignominious to humanity, yet woe- 
 fully true, woefully exact, woefully confirmed by expe- 
 rience ! Does not a Sovereign who increases the rigor of 
 sentences openly proclaim : <( Ye Judges, whom I have 
 
 truth, is very pleasant. This satire has been licensed and publicly sold 
 at Vienna, which is another singular fact, and tends to prove that pas- 
 quinades will be much rather suffered in Austria than instructive and 
 free works.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 165 
 
 appointed to judge according to law and equity, ye are 
 prevaricators; ye have betrayed your trust, falsified 
 your consciences, and have endeavored to practice deceit 
 upon me ? w Such magistrates, therefore, ought not to be 
 continued in office ; for, to suffer them still to be Judges 
 is to approve their conduct, and confirm their judgment. 
 But, destructive as the thunderbolt, the Monarch, ad- 
 dressing them, exclaims : * Your sentence is too mild ! It 
 is my will arbitrarily to increase punishment, that I may 
 prove myself the master of life and death ! M What lan- 
 guage, oh, God! from the mouth of a King whom thou 
 hast, appointed to be our protector, and not our ty- 
 rant! 
 
 Szekely would never have been condemned, had he 
 not been intimately connected with the Freemasons. 
 When the Emperor pronounced sentence against this un- 
 fortunate man, he forgot himself so far as to say, (< I will 
 let those gentry (the Freemasons) understand there is no 
 efficacy in their protection." 
 
 Where, then, is the equity of a Monarch who thus pros- 
 titutes the power he is in possession of, to the destruc- 
 tion of one of the members of a society which he 
 detests ? Who would not smile contemptuously at the 
 poor malice of a peasant who should go in search of his 
 neighbor, after twilight, that he might unseen give him 
 a fillip on the nose, run away, and divert himself with 
 having played him so cunning a trick. Oh, Justice! 
 Justice! Shalt thou forever have eyes that thou mayst 
 not see? 
 
 Yes, debased, corrupted was the mouth which increased 
 the rigor of the sentence of Szekely, who previously had 
 been destined to languish eight years in prison. Joseph 
 has diminished the term of his detention. And are these, 
 then, thy favors, sceptered executioner ? Yes, this favor 
 granted to a man of quality, who was for three succes- 
 sive days exposed in the pillory, resembles that which a 
 criminal, condemned to the gallows, should receive from 
 thee, whom thou shouldst permit to be racked upon the 
 wheel, because he was too feeble to mount the ladder. 
 
 Couldst thou have survived the shame of such a crime, 
 had not thy people themselves applauded thy fury ? The
 
 166 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 curiosity with which all Vienna enjoyed the spectacle the 
 wretched Szekely afforded, proves that the manners of 
 thy subjects already partake of thine own barbarity. 
 But let them tremble, slaves as they are, bowed beneath 
 the yoke. A new Nero promises new crimes, new hor- 
 rors!
 
 LETTER XXXVII. 
 
 BRUNSWICK, October i8th, 1786. 
 
 I FEAR there are some waverings in the mind of the 
 King, relative to Holland; for the Duke, after the ar- 
 rival of his courier, and receiving information of the 
 danger of Count Finckenstein, again spoke to me on the 
 subject, with a degree of inquietude which was far from 
 dissembled. The following were his precise words: 
 <( Holland will certainly occasion a war, especially should 
 the death of the Elector of Bavaria intervene; do you 
 act, therefore, as mediators to smother the rising flames. 
 Come, come, the Stadtholder must have a council, with- 
 out which he can perform nothing; and how shall this 
 council be selected ? }> 
 
 I replied to the Duke that I was not sufficiently ac- 
 quainted with those affairs to give any opinion on the 
 subject, but that I was going to make him a proposition 
 which he must regard as only ideal, and as coming 
 from myself, although it might by no means be imprac- 
 ticable. 
 
 (< Now that I know how far I can depend upon your 
 prudence and your principles, w I continued, (< I am certain 
 that you will see the affairs and the conduct of the 
 Stadtholder in their true light ; that you will not imagine 
 friendship in politics can have any other basis than in- 
 terests; or that we ought to renounce our alliance with 
 Holland, in order that the Princess of Orange may nightly 
 enjoy more agreeable dreams; that you cannot but com- 
 prehend how much it is impossible for us to place any 
 confidence in Count Hertzberg, who, relative to us, is 
 frantic, and how much our distrust may be increased 
 should our sole counterpoise to this violent Minister dis- 
 appear by the death of Count Finckenstein. I shall, 
 therefore, thus far, willingly step forward to say that it 
 appears to me very probable that France will be inclined 
 to treat on this affair with you singly, should the King 
 
 (167)
 
 168 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 of Prussia consent that you should be solely trusted with 
 the business on his behalf; and, as I may say, should 
 you be made arbitrator. I feel how important it is to 
 you, to us, and to all, that you should not endanger 
 yourself in the opinion of his Majesty. There are al- 
 ready but too many causes of distance existing between 
 you, and the country is entirely lost if the necessities of 
 the times do not oblige you to take the helm. But, 
 should you find the crisis so alarming as to dread de- 
 cisive events should be the consequence, it appears to me 
 that then it will no longer be proper to keep beating against 
 the wind. For, if the King of Prussia be fated to commit 
 irreparable faults, it would be as well for all parties 
 that he should begin to-morrow, in order that we might 
 the sooner augur what his reign shall be, and choose 
 our sides in consequence. It is for you, therefore, to 
 know in what degree of favor you are with the King. 
 He cannot love you; for never yet did the weak man 
 love the strong. He cannot desire you should be his 
 Minister, for never yet did a vain and dark man desire 
 to possess one who was himself illustrious and luminous. 
 But it is neither his friendship nor his inclination that 
 are necessary to you; it is power. You ought to acquire 
 that ascendency over him which a grand character and 
 a vast genius may ever acquire over a confined under- 
 standing and an unstable mind. If you have enough of 
 this ascendency to inspire him with fears for his situa- 
 tion; to convince him that he is already betrayed to 
 danger; that the sending of Goertz, in your despite (or, 
 rather, without your knowledge, for you were not then 
 at Berlin), is a blunder of magnitude, which has been 
 committed without possessing the least pledge of docility 
 on the part of the Stadtholder; that the inconsiderate let- 
 ters of Hertzberg form another equal blunder; that this 
 Minister pursues his PERSONAL INTERESTS, and those only, at 
 the hazard of depriving his master of PERSONAL RESPECT, 
 even from the commencement of his reign ; since it is very 
 evident that, if he persist in his thoughtless interference (be 
 suppositions as favorable, nay, almost as romantic, as you 
 please ), he will only have played the cards of the Eng- 
 lish, although they have spoiled their own game if you
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 169 
 
 can make him sensible of all this, you will easily be able 
 to persuade him that he will but be too fortunate in ac- 
 cepting your mediation. And, although mediation is 
 not exactly the phrase which may be employed, because 
 it does not exactly square with the rule of proportion, 
 such is the esteem in which you are held by the Cabinet 
 of Versailles that, should this negotiation once be com- 
 mitted to your care, all difficulties will vanish of them- 
 selves. Such a measure, therefore, would have the 
 double advantage of accommodating the affair, which you 
 regard as the brand of discord, and of teaching the King 
 to feel that he presumes too much if he imagines that, 
 by the sole magic of the abrupt and tudescan * French of 
 Count Hertzberg, he will be able to preserve the same 
 respect for his Court which a succession of great acts, 
 heroical prosperity, vigilant activity, and perseverence, 
 even to a miracle, for forty-six years, have procured it; 
 that he has need of a man whose name abroad and whose 
 influence at home should attract confidence and serve as 
 the keystone to an arch which, according to its dimen- 
 sions, has but little solidity; or, to speak without a 
 metaphor, a kingdom, ill-situated, ill-constituted, ill-gov- 
 erned, and which possesses no real strength, except in 
 opinion, since its military position is wretched and its 
 resources precarious. For, with respect to the treasury, 
 it will vanish if a hand of iron, yet not a hand of 
 avarice, should not guard it; and, as to an army, who 
 can be more convinced than you are, that years scarcely 
 are sufficient for its formation; but that six months of 
 relaxed discipline may degrade it so that it shall no 
 longer be cognizable? 
 
 This discourse, which fixed the attention of the Duke, 
 and which was particularly intended to divine what he 
 himself imagined he might be able to accomplish, and 
 what he might become, appeared to produce a very 
 great effect. Instead of beginning, as he always does, 
 by ambiguous and dilatory phrases, which may serve any 
 purpose he shall please, he immediately entered into the 
 spirit of my discourse, and, after having felt and owned, 
 with an effusion of heart and a penetrating tone, that I 
 
 * German.
 
 170 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 presented him a prospect of the greatest honor his imag- 
 ination could conceive, and which he should prefer to 
 the gaining of six victories, he joined with me in en- 
 deavoring to find some means of making the overture to 
 the King. 
 
 * I do not imagine, }> said he, (< my situation will author- 
 ize the attempt without previous measures. I am more 
 afraid of injuring the cause than of injuring myself, but 
 it is certainly necessary the project should be conveyed 
 to him, and, should he afford the least opportunity, I will 
 explain everything. Cannot you speak to Count Finck- 
 enstein, should he recover?" 
 
 (< No, for he strictly confines himself to his depart- 
 ment. Neither is this anything more than an idea of 
 my own, and of small diplomatic value, since I have no 
 credentials. w 
 
 You have but few opportunities of speaking in private 
 to Werner ? 
 
 Very few. Besides, how can that man ever be de- 
 voted to you ? He determines to act the principal part 
 himself. He is industrious for his own interest, being 
 very sensible that, because of his obscurity, he has an 
 immense advantage over you, not to mention that he is 
 the intimate friend of your brother, who does not wish 
 your company at Berlin." 
 
 In fact, this brother hates the Duke, by whom he is 
 despised, and hopes for favor and influence under the 
 reign of mysticism. 
 
 We had proceeded thus far in our discourse when the 
 whole Court, leaving the opera for supper, and the Duke 
 of York, by entering without any precursor, obliged us 
 to break off. He has appointed to meet me this morn- 
 ing, the day of my departure, at nine o'clock, and to him 
 I am now going. 
 
 The Duke, as I expected, was shaken to-day in his 
 resolution of having himself named to the King. I say 
 as I expected, for his brilliant imagination and ambitious 
 energy easily catch fire at his first emotions, although he 
 should betray no exterior symptoms except those of tran- 
 quillity. But the rein he has so long put upon his 
 passions, which he has eternally had under command, and
 
 171 
 
 in which habit he has been most persevering, reconducts 
 him to the hesitation of experience, and to that super- 
 abundant circumspection which his great diffidence of 
 mankind, and his foible, I mean his dread of losing his 
 reputation, incessantly inspire. He made a circumstantial 
 display of the delicacy with which the petty glory, or, 
 to speak plainly, said he, the vainglory of the King must 
 be managed. 
 
 Taking up the conversation at the point where we had 
 left it, he assured me that, with respect to Welner, I 
 was deceived; that he was one of the persons in Berlin 
 on whom he depended, and who rather wished to see 
 him in power than any other; that I might easily speak 
 with him at the house of Moulines (his Resident, an 
 artful man, but too ostensibly artful, ready to serve that 
 he may better perform his office of spy, but proffering 
 his services with too much facility; appointed to take 
 part in the education of the Prince of Prussia, but, 
 hitherto, without any title; a deserter from Prince 
 Henry, since it has become pretty evident the Prince will 
 never be in power; inclined to serve France, in general, 
 and, indeed too visibly, for he is styled the Privy Coun- 
 selor of Comte d'Esterno, but, in his heart, solely 
 attached to himself); that Welner goes there very often; 
 that he certainly would not speak openly, at first, but 
 that he would at length repeat to the King whatever I 
 should say. 
 
 The Duke often reiterated that he thought it useless 
 and dangerous for him to be named, and, in fine, although 
 with difficulty, and, as I may say, against his inclination, 
 he gave me the true reason. In a fortnight, he was to 
 be at Berlin, or, perhaps, sooner, for (take particular 
 notice of what follows) IT APPEARS THAT THE HOPE 
 AFFORDED BY SIR JAMES HARRIS (the English Ambassador 
 at The Hague) OF A POWERFUL AND EFFICACIOUS SUCCOR, 
 SHOULD THE KlNG OF PRUSSIA RESOLVE, WITH AN ARMED 
 FORCE, TO CREATE HIMSELF UMPIRE OF THE AFFAIRS OF 
 HOLLAND, HAS INSPIRED THE KING WITH A WISH TO CONFER 
 WITH HIS SERVANTS. I literally repeat the words the 
 Duke pronounced, who fixed his eyes upon me, but whom 
 I defy not only to have observed the least trait of emo-
 
 172 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 tion in my countenance, but still more not to have been 
 struck with a smile, almost imperceptible and very iron- 
 ical, as if I had known and contemned the fact. My 
 only reply at the end of his sentence was, shrugging 
 up my shoulders: 
 
 <{ There is little need I should remark to you, mon- 
 seigneur, that the conquest which Louis XIV., Turenne, 
 De Conde", De Luxembourg, De Louvois, and two 
 hundred thousand French, could not make of Holland, 
 will never be effected by Prussia, watched by the Em- 
 peror, on that same country, now that it is supported 
 by France."* 
 
 The Duke therefore is going, or wishes to make us 
 believe he is going, to Berlin; where deliberations are 
 to be held on the propositions of England. 
 
 So be it. So much the better. Do not be alarmed. 
 The Duke is rather German than Prussian, and as good 
 a statesman as he is a great warrior. He will prove such 
 a proposition to be so absurd that it is probably no more 
 than the personal conception of the audacious and artful 
 Harris, who wishes, at any expense, to make his fortune, 
 and in a fit of madness to poniard his nation, which is 
 more able than sage. 
 
 Still, however, I think my journey to Brunswick is a 
 lucky accident; for I confess, and with great pleasure, I 
 found the principles of the Duke to be moderate, pru- 
 dent, and, politically speaking, wholly French. I depicted 
 the affair, or rather affairs, as a whole, under new points 
 of view; and if, as I persist in believing, or rather as I 
 have believed more strongly since I have known that he 
 depends upon Welner for strengthening his party, his 
 measures have long been taken (for Welner has been a 
 canon at Halberstadt, where the regiment of the Duke 
 remains), if, I say, the necessity of accident should oblige 
 him to take the helm, I shall have acquired the greatest 
 advantages to treat with and make him a party in our 
 designs. 
 
 He has desired I would give Comte d'Esterno the very 
 good advice, should Count Finckenstein die, or even 
 
 *Here, it must be confessed, the traveler was a false prophet, but 
 whether it was precisely his fault still remains to be inquired.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 173 
 
 should he not, to demand to treat on the affairs of Hol- 
 land, and on all that relates to them, immediately with his 
 Majesty. This is the most certain means of battering 
 Hertzberg in breach, who certainly has been controverted 
 with great firmness in these affairs by the King, and to 
 obtain that which we shall seem only to expect from the 
 judgment and personal will of the Monarch. It is a 
 proceeding which is successful with all Kings, even with 
 the greatest. Vanswieten obtained from Frederick II. 
 himself the most important concessions by acting thus; 
 and this is certainly a much more safe, as it is a more 
 noble mode, than all the deceitful efforts which flattery 
 can employ with Prince Henry, whose glaring protection 
 is more injurious to the French Embassy than it ever 
 can be productive of good, under the most favorable 
 contingencies. For I am not very unapt to believe, as 
 the Duke affirms without disguise, that this PARTITION 
 PRINCE,* were he master of affairs, would be the most 
 dangerous of the enemies of Germanic freedom. I must 
 conclude, for I have not time to cipher; the remainder 
 of this inestimable conversation will be sent you hereafter. 
 Inform me, with all possible expedition, how I ought to 
 act under the present circumstances, and be persuaded 
 that, if you can find any means whatever of giving me 
 secret official credit with the King, or even with the 
 Duke, you will act very wisely. 
 
 Additional Note 
 
 If you do not imagine I am totally doting, mark me. 
 I conjure you to read, and cause this to be read, with 
 the utmost attention; and not to suffer me to wait a 
 single moment for an answer, even though it should be 
 absolutely necessary, for this purpose, to borrow some 
 few hours from the levity of the country, or to be con- 
 sistent for a whole day together. 
 
 * Ce Prince partageur: alluding, no doubt, to the dismemberment 
 of Poland, in which he was as LAUDABLY active as the just, the 
 philosophic, the GREAT King, his brother, and from motives EQUALLY 
 PURE, as will be seen from the anecdote of the statue.
 
 LETTER XXXVIII. 
 
 BERLIN, October 2ist, 1786. 
 
 I ARRIVED at half-past five in the morning. The King 
 was to exercise his cavalry at six. I immediately 
 mounted my horse, that I might discover the state 
 of his health, observe what aspect he wore, and if possi- 
 ble to find some person to whom I might address myself. 
 His health is good, his brow cloudy; the troops were 
 obliged to wait a considerable time, and after two charges 
 he very abruptly and very ridiculously retired. Nothing 
 sufficiently new or important has come to my knowledge 
 to prevent my employing the few remaining moments 
 before the departure of the courier, and which are greatly 
 abridged by your eight pages of ciphers, in resuming the 
 consequences which I have drawn from the very inter- 
 esting conversation, an account of which I gave you in 
 my last dispatch. It is impossible I should send you a 
 complete and circumstantial narrative of all that passed, 
 because that the Duke, an hour after I had left him, hav- 
 ing sent me his Minister for Foreign Affairs (M. von 
 Ardensberg von Reventlau), I have too much to add. 
 Four particulars appeared to me evident: 
 i. That, during the confidential conference with the 
 Duke, a great complication of sensation, emotion, and 
 design was mingled. He wishes we should aid him in 
 becoming Prime Minister of Prussia, but that we should 
 act with caution. He is not convinced that we desire to 
 see him in that post ( I did everything in my power to 
 persuade him of it), yet perfectly satisfied that any in- 
 terference in the affairs of Holland would be a stupid 
 error, he is anxious that Prussia should act with propri- 
 ety, and that, in this affair at least, we should acquire 
 influence. He, therefore, while he informed me, en- 
 deavored to discover if I already had any information, 
 and whether we were determined in the pursuit of our 
 projects. To the same purport were the after commen- 
 
 (174)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 175 
 
 taries of Ardensberg, his deceptive confidences, and 
 Gazette secrets, the recall, not only of M. de Coetloury, 
 but also of M. de Veyrac, our desertion of the patriotic 
 party, etc., etc., to all which particulars I replied with a 
 smile. 
 
 2. That the great inquietude of the Duke arises from 
 not knowing whether we are or are not Austrians, or 
 whether we are merely so undecided on the subject that 
 the errors, or the cold distance, of the Cabinet of Berlin 
 will be sufficient to induce us, at the hazard of all that 
 can happen, to second the Emperor in his designs against 
 Germany. In my opinion, were the Duke freed from 
 his apprehensions on this very capital article, he would 
 be French, for he is strongly German, and the English 
 can only set Germany in flames; we alone have the 
 power of maintaining it in peace. Should his connections 
 with England appear to be strengthened, it is but, as I 
 think, because he distrusts the destiny of Prussia, for he 
 well knows that his -English calculations are rather 
 specious than solid, and that the Prussian, though per- 
 haps somewhat more subaltern, are much less hazardous. 
 
 3. He and his Minister have so often demanded, and 
 redemanded, on what basis I imagined the pacification 
 of Holland might be established, that I have supposed 
 the Duke probably thinks, should we exclude the Prince 
 of Prussia from the Nassau alliance, there might be a 
 necessity of choosing his daughter, the Princess Caroline 
 of Brunswick, as a consort for the Prussian heir. The 
 supposition is founded on circumstances so fugitive that 
 it is impossible to give them written evidence, or per- 
 haps probable, especially because, not having received 
 any instructions on such a subject, I have not dared to 
 make any advances. I therefore only give it for what it is 
 worth. The being but little informed of the affairs of 
 Holland has, in every respect, been highly injurious to 
 me on this occasion. Might I have spoken more freely 
 I might even have drawn the well dry. The only posi- 
 tive proposal which he made on the subject was a kind 
 of coalition-council of regency, without which the Stad- 
 tholder could effect nothing, and in which should be in- 
 cluded Gislaer, Vanberckel, etc., etc., but among whom
 
 176 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 also must be seated M. Van Lynden, the governor of 
 the children of the Stadtholder, etc. , etc. To my eternal 
 objection, <( How will you support those measures which 
 shall be taken under the pledge of your aid ? w he con- 
 tinually replied : * Should the Stadtholder counteract these 
 arrangements, we will abandon him. w <( But how far ? " I re- 
 plied. <( And, if but amicably, how will he be injured, 
 should he be thus abandoned ? " In a word, I continued 
 with a kind of mysterious obstinacy, to maintain that the 
 Stadtholder would never be brought to reason, unless it 
 should be declared to him that the King of Prussia 
 would forsake his party, though his consort might be 
 secretly informed such was not the real intent. 
 
 4. It appeared to me that the Duke was ruminating 
 on some grand project for the reconstruction of the Ger- 
 manic edifice, for this able Prince perceives the antique, 
 ruinous building must be propped in order to be pre- 
 served, and even in many parts repaired. The sole wish 
 which he clearly testified was the separation of the Elec- 
 torate of Hanover from the English Monarchy, and the 
 secularization of certain provinces, which might one day 
 form an equivalent for Saxony. He supposes the first 
 point might be gained, and even without any great dif- 
 ficulty, should our politics become Anglicized, and that 
 the second might be accomplished, though contrary to 
 the confederation of the Princes, because, at the death 
 of the Elector of Mayence, there will be an opportunity 
 of retouching the league, as well as a natural and proper 
 occasion of coming to an explanation with the ecclesias- 
 tical Princes, who, more interested than any others in the 
 liberties of Germany, are always the first to tergiversate, 
 etc., etc. Hence, we at least may learn that, however 
 attached he may appear to be to the confederation, means 
 may be found of inducing him to listen to reason con- 
 cerning modifications. 
 
 The instructions which are necessary for me, at pres- 
 ent, are: 
 
 i. Whether we ought, on this occasion, to bring him 
 on the stage, which would be the real means of driving 
 him from it; and I certainly do not think the latter to 
 be our interest, for he is more prudent, more able, and
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 177 
 
 less susceptible of prejudice and passion, than any other 
 who can be made Minister. 
 
 2. Whether his party ought to be encouraged and 
 strengthened, which will be to act directly contrary to 
 the party of Prince Henry; for the plan of the Duke is 
 exclusive; and, to confess the truth, he appears tacitly 
 so convinced that the Prince can effect nothing, that he 
 has greatly fortified my own opinion on this subject. 
 
 3. What is the degree of confidence I ought to place 
 in him ? For it is impossible to obtain the confidence 
 of, without placing confidence in, such a man; and in 
 my apprehension he had better be told than suffered to 
 divine. 
 
 Count Finckenstein is recovering. 
 
 The King arrived on the eighteenth, at eight in the 
 morning, after having left Breslau, on the seventeenth, 
 at seven in the morning. This was incredible diligence; 
 no person could keep pace with him. He went on the 
 same day to visit the Queen Dowager, and thus gave oc- 
 casion to attribute the rapidity and danger of the jour- 
 ney to Mademoiselle Voss. She is said to be pregnant; 
 but, in the first place, this cannot be known, and, in the 
 second, I do not believe the haste would have been so 
 great, had it been truth. According to report, she has 
 demanded two hundred thousand crowns. Should this be 
 so, the circle of her career will not be very ample. 
 
 The King made a multitude of nobles in Silesia, as 
 elsewhere. But, without loading my letter, the Gazettes 
 will tell you enough of their names. He is to remain a 
 week at Potsdam, which is to be dedicated to his mili- 
 tary labors. Great changes in the army are spoken of, 
 such as will be favorable to the subalterns, and the re- 
 verse to the captains. 
 
 The Dantzickers, who, according to appearances, sup- 
 posed Kings were hobgoblins, were so enraptured to 
 meet with one who did not eat their children that, in 
 the excess of their enthusiasm, they were willing to put 
 themselves without restraint under the Prussian Govern- 
 ment. The Magistrates eluded the folly of the populace 
 as well as they could, under the pretence that Dantzic 
 was dependent on Poland; but so great and so violent 
 
 12
 
 178 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 was the tumult, that Prussian and Polish couriers were 
 sent off. This event will no doubt rouse the Emperor 
 and Russia; a favorable circumstance to our affairs in 
 Holland. 
 
 Count Hertzberg, who has indulged himself in very 
 headlong acts in Silesia, and particularly in his discourse 
 on the day of homage, in which he really braved the 
 Emperor in a very indecent manner, as if it was not in 
 his nature to accommodate himself to a peaceable order 
 of affairs; Hertzberg, I say, has had the influence to re- 
 tard the nomination of Alvensleben for the French Em- 
 bassy, which had been announced by the King at supper. 
 How might I have expected to be thus deceived, since, 
 when I sent you the intelligence, I supposed it to be an 
 affair so public that I did not even write it in a cipher ?
 
 LETTER XXXIX. 
 
 October 24th, 1786. 
 
 I SHALL begin my dispatch with an anecdote, the truth 
 of which is undoubted, and which appears to me the 
 most decisive of all I have learned concerning the new 
 reign. Recollect that, in Number XVIII., August zpth, I 
 wrote : 
 
 "The King apparently intends to renounce all his old 
 habits. This is a proud undertaking. He retires before 
 ten in the evening, and rises at four. Should he perse- 
 vere, he will afford a singular example of habits of 
 thirty years being vanquished. This will be an indubi- 
 table proof of a grand character, and show how we have 
 all been mistaken. * 
 
 When I spoke thus, I, like the rest of the world judged 
 by appearances. The truth is that at half after nine the 
 King disappeared, and was supposed to be gone to rest; 
 whereas, in the most retired apartments of the palace, 
 like another Sardanapalus, he held his orgies till night 
 was far advanced. Hence it is easy to understand why 
 hours of business were obliged to be inverted. Health 
 would not allow him to be equally active upon the stage 
 and behind the scenes. 
 
 Prince Henry regards himself as kept at a distance as 
 well from system as from inclination. He is, or believes 
 himself to be, persuaded that the innumerable follies which 
 will result from his absence, for in his opinion the coun- 
 try without his aid is undone, will occasion recourse to 
 be had to his experience and his abilities, and he then 
 intends to refuse that tardy succor which his genius will 
 be implored to yield. Even granting him the truth of 
 all these vain dreams, he does not recollect that the ex- 
 pression of an undone country is only true relative to a 
 certain lapse of time and that therefore in all probabil- 
 
 (179)
 
 i8o SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 ity, he will be dead before the want of his assistance 
 will be perceived. He comes to reside four months at 
 Berlin, there, according to him, to suffer martrydom, 
 that it may not be supposed he has deserted the public 
 cause. His places of asylum are afterward to be Rheins- 
 berg, the Lake of Geneva, and France ; but such he will 
 easily find everywhere. Consolation will not be wanting 
 to him, since consolation can be found at playing at 
 blind man's buff, or hot cockles, with actresses more 
 insipid than the very worst of our provincial companies 
 can afford. 
 
 The distribution of influence continues the same. 
 Hertzberg violently seizes on the King, who probably 
 has more esteem for Count Finckenstein ; but whom, not 
 being so eternally hunted by him, he leaves in a sub- 
 altern degree of credit, which from apparent may become 
 real, the easy temper of the master considered. The re- 
 maining Ministers are held to be so many ciphers. 
 
 Welner daily increases his jurisdiction, and Bishops- 
 werder his influence, but he does not appear to exercise 
 this influence either as a man of ostentation or a dupe. 
 He neither asks for titles, ribbons, nor places. At most 
 he will but make Ministers ; he will never be one. Three 
 hundred thousand livres for each of his daughters, an ex- 
 cellent fief for himself, with military rank ( he is said to 
 be a good officer), these are what he wishes, and these 
 he most probably WILL obtain. In the meantime no per- 
 son HAS anything; neither he nor Welner nor Goertz, 
 who lives by borrowing. 
 
 Bowlet? The influence of a mason engineer, and no 
 other; for of no other is he capable. 
 
 Goltz the Tartar? Artful, sly, dexterous ; perhaps am- 
 bitious, but very selfish and covetous. Money is his 
 ruling passion, and money he will have. He will prob- 
 ably have the greatest influence over military affairs, un- 
 less the Duke of Brunswick should take them to himself. 
 The memorials relative to fortification are transmitted 
 to him. 
 
 Colonel Wartensleben is evidently kept at a distance, 
 and probably because of his family connections with 
 Prince Henry; who, to all his other disadvantages, adds
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 181 
 
 that of having every person who is about the King for 
 his enemy. 
 
 Subalterns ? Their kingdom is not come. It should 
 seem that having long, while Prince of Prussia, been de- 
 ceived by them, the King knows and recollects this; al- 
 though from compassion he wishes not to notice it, at least 
 for a time. 
 
 The master? What is he ? I persist in believing it 
 would be rash, at present, to pronounce, though one might 
 be strongly tempted to reply KING LOG. No understand- 
 ing, no fortitude, no consistency, no industry ; in his pleas- 
 ures the Hog of Epicurus and the hero only of pride; 
 which, perhaps, we should rather denominate confined 
 and vulgar vanity. Such hitherto have the symptoms 
 been. And under what circumstances, in what an age, 
 and at what a post ? I am obliged to summon all my 
 reason to divine, and to forget it all again to hope. The 
 thing which is really to be feared is lest the universal 
 contempt he must soon incur should irritate him, and de- 
 prive him of that species of benevolence of which he 
 shows signs. That weakness is very formidable which 
 unites an ardent thirst after pleasures, destitute of choice 
 or delicacy, with the desire of keeping them secret in a 
 situation where nothing can be kept secret. 
 
 Not that I here am writing a second part to Madame 
 de SeVigne"; 1 do not speak ill of Frederick William be- 
 cause he overlooks me, as she spoke well of Louis XIV., 
 because he had lately danced a minuet with her. 
 
 Yesterday, at the Court of the Queen, he three times 
 addressed himself to me, which he never before did in 
 public. (< You have been at Magdeburg and Brunswick. w 
 
 * Yes, Sire. w (< Were you pleased with the manoeuvers ? * 
 <( Sire, I was in admiration. w <( I ask to be informed of 
 the truth, and not to be complimented. B <( In my opinion, 
 Sire, there was nothing wanting to complete the splendor 
 of this exhibition, except the presence of your Majesty.* 
 
 * Is the Duke in good health ? w w Exceedingly good, 
 Sire. * <( Will he be here soon ? w (< Your Majesty, I imag- 
 ine, is the only person who knows.* He smiled. 
 
 This is a specimen. You will well imagine it was, per- 
 sonally, very indifferent to me what he should say to me
 
 i82 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 before the whole Court, but it was not so to the audi- 
 ence ; and I note this as having appeared to make a part 
 of the arranged reparation to France, which reparation 
 was as follows. (From this, imagine the wit of the Court 
 of Berlin; for I am convinced there was a real desire of 
 giving satisfaction to Comte d'Esterno.) 
 
 First, it was determined the Queen should have a 
 Lotto, and not a private party, in order that the com- 
 pany at her table might be the more numerous. After 
 all the Princesses, Prince Henry, Prince Frederick of 
 Brunswick, and the Prince of Holsteinbeck, had been 
 invited, and taken their places, Mademoiselle Bishops- 
 werder, the maid of honor, who regulated the party, 
 named Comte d'Esterno. The Queen then, perceiving 
 Lord Dalrymple, beckoned him, and at the same mo- 
 ment desired him to sit down. The Ambassadors of 
 France and England were the only foreign ministers that 
 were of the party, so that Princes Reuss and Roman- 
 zow were now excluded, as they before had appeared to 
 have been favored. It would be difficult to imagine any- 
 thing more awkward, or more inconsistent; and this in- 
 creases my regret at remembering that Comte d'Esterno 
 thought himself obliged to take offense on the first Court 
 day of the Queen; for, after the absurdity of yesterday, 
 I can see no possible hope of reparation which would not 
 be slovenly daubing. 
 
 I am certain, however, that, far from wishing to 
 wound, they were desirous to heal; and, to treat the 
 subject less petitely, I am persuaded it is wrong to af- 
 firm the King hates the French. He hates nothing; he 
 scarcely LOVES anything. He has been told that he must 
 become wholly German, in order to pursue a new and 
 glorious track, and he descends to the level of his na- 
 tion, instead of desiring to elevate his nation superior 
 to himself. His conduct is the result of the narrowness 
 of his views. If he have a cordial dislike to anything, 
 it is to men of wit; because he imagines that, in their 
 company, it is absolutely requisite he should hear wit, 
 and be himself a wit. He despairs of the one, and 
 therefore hates the other. He has not yet learned that 
 men of wit only are the people who can appear not to pos-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 183 
 
 sess wit. He seems to have made a determination to treat 
 all persons in an amicable manner, without haughtiness 
 or threat. The Stadtholder always receives two very dif- 
 ferent accounts from Berlin, and does not fail to believe 
 that which flatters his ruling passion. 
 
 A mile from this place some very secret experiments 
 are making on the artillery, which are confided to Major 
 Tempelhoff. A small number of superior officers are 
 admitted; captains are excluded. The ground is covered 
 by tents, and guarded by sentinels, night and day. I 
 shall endeavor to learn the particulars. 
 
 I forgot to write you word, from Brunswick, that the 
 Duchess informed me the Prince of Wales was consult- 
 ing the most able civilians in Europe, to learn whether, 
 by marrying a Catholic, the positive laws of England, 
 the laws of any other nation, or the maxims of the civil 
 laws of Europe, would disinherit an heir, and particularly 
 an heir apparent. There appears to be much imprudence 
 in this appeal of an heir apparent from the opinions of 
 Great Britain to those of the civilians. 
 
 An anecdote less important, but perhaps more poign- 
 ant, is that the Margrave of Baden-Baden has sent M. 
 von Edelsheim here as his complimentary envoy, the 
 brother of one of his ministers who is called the Choi- 
 seul of Carlsruhe. The following is the history of this 
 complimentor, who has arrived long after all the others. 
 
 At a time when the prolific virtues of the father of 
 the five royal children were held in doubt, there was a 
 wish to bestow a lover on a lady (the afterward divorced 
 Queen, banished to Stettin), who, had they not done so, 
 would have made bold to have bestowed one on herself. 
 The care of choosing was committed to the brothers of 
 the Duke of Brunswick. They descended a little too 
 low, and in consequence an eye was cast on Edelsheim, 
 who was publicly enough charged with this great work. 
 He was afterward sent to Paris to execute another com- 
 mission, of which he acquitted himself ill. I have been 
 assured he was thrown into the Bastille. On his return 
 he was disgraced, but afterward employed, and sent to 
 various courts of Germany in 1778. And this is the man 
 whom, in his high wisdom, the Margrave selected for
 
 184 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 his envoy to the King of Prussia. The Monarch himself, 
 when he saw him, could not forbear laughing. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. Yesterday, at eleven in the morning, the 
 King, hidden in a gray coach, went alone to Mon-Bijou, 
 where he remained an hour, whence he returned in a 
 great glow. What does this mean? Is this the triumph 
 of the Lady Voss ? It is impossible at present to know. 
 Neither has anything transpired concerning the letters 
 which M. von Calenberg has brought from the Stadt- 
 holder. 
 
 Muller and Landsberg, private secretaries of the Cabi- 
 net, demanded their dismission with considerable chagrin, 
 their services not being apparently necessary, said they, 
 since they were not thought worthy of being instructed 
 concerning the answers they had to return, and since 
 the letters were sent ready composed to the King. They 
 remain in their places, and the accommodation was 
 effected by Bishopswerder. It appears that he is in 
 league with Welner against Hertzberg, which he does 
 not take any great precautions to conceal. The King 
 will not go to Potsdam to make the military arrange- 
 ments before Friday, in order, as it is supposed, to give 
 the Duke time to arrive. The attempting to account for 
 all the caprices of kings is a strange kind of frenzy.
 
 LETTER XL. 
 
 October 28th, 1786. 
 
 I PASSED yesterday evening with Prince Henry. The 
 King had dedicated almost the whole afternoon of the 
 day before to this palace, for, after having been with 
 the Prince, he visited the Princess, where he played, and 
 drank tea with Mademoiselle Voss, among other ladies 
 of honor. This kind of reconciliation with the Prince 
 (which, however, is nothing more than a simple act of 
 courtesy, as is evident from the succeeding visit to the 
 Princess, whom the Prince regards as his most cruel 
 enemy), this reconciliation (which is nearly an accurate 
 phrase, for the coolness between them was very great) 
 appears to be the political work of Welner, who wishes, 
 in his struggle against Hertzberg, if not the support, at 
 least the neutrality of the Prince ; and the hatred of this 
 feeble mortal is so blind in effect that, united with the 
 hopes of his ambition, of which he is not easy to be 
 cured, it was sufficient to induce him once more meanly 
 to offer his services to the King, consequently to cast 
 himself, if possible, to a greater distance. Not that he 
 himself places any great dependence on this type of 
 peace, which is the more suspicious because it happened 
 on the eve of a succeeding fortnight's absence, after 
 which it will not be difficult to find pretenses not to meet 
 again for some time longer, should the King think 
 proper. But the Prince imagines his enemy dead, and he 
 enjoys himself, and chuckles like a child, without recol- 
 lecting that this is the very way to promote his resur- 
 rection. 
 
 In reality, Count Hertzberg appears to have cast his 
 own die. He had a tolerable run of ill luck in Silesia, 
 abrupt disputes, contradictions, the chagrin of seeing 
 the name of the brother of his former mistress struck off 
 from the list of Counts ; he ought, even while in Prussia, 
 to have perceived that his sounding speeches gave no 
 
 (185)
 
 186 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 pleasure. On the day of receiving homage, he read over 
 the names of the Counts, and when he came to his own 
 stopped, that the King, seated on his throne, might pro- 
 nounce it himself, and the Monarch was malicious enough 
 to remain silent, so that the inauguration of Count 
 Hertzberg did not take place till the day after, and in 
 the antechamber. 
 
 But what probably has occasioned his downfall, if 
 fallen he has, was his haughty behavior to Welner, the 
 least forgetful of men, and who, amid his ambitious 
 projects, needed no such cause of rancor to occasion 
 him to hate and injure the Minister. Hertzberg has 
 made him wait for hours in his antechamber, has re- 
 ceived and kept him standing, spoken to him but a very 
 short time, and dismissed him with airs which are only 
 proper to give offense. Welner vowed his destruction, 
 and he is seconded by Bishopswerder. 
 
 Such at least are probabilities, according to every 
 acceptation of the word influence; and I should have 
 divined them to-day from the very politeness of Hertz- 
 berg. He gave a grand dinner to foreigners, among 
 whom, for once, Comte d'Esterno and myself were invited. 
 His attention seemed all directed to us. Such proceed- 
 ings are awkward and mean. This mixture of stiffness 
 and twining is a strange singularity by which half -formed 
 characters ruin themselves. Machiavel rightly affirms 
 that * all the evil in the world originates in not being 
 sufficiently good, or sufficiently wicked." Whether my 
 conjectures are or are not true, still it is certain Count 
 Hertzberg has been very dryly and positively forbidden 
 all interference, direct or indirect, in the affairs of Hol- 
 land, from which country Callenberg does not appear to 
 have brought any remarkable intelligence. He is really 
 come to obtain admission into the Prussian service, and 
 his letters were only recommendatory. 
 
 It is not the influence of Hertzberg that prevents the 
 recall of Thulemeyer, but that of Count Finckenstein. 
 The mother of the envoy has had a lasting and tender 
 friendship for the Count ; and indeed it was her husband 
 who procured the Count a place in the Ministry. In fact 
 it appears to me to be a matter of little moment, for
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 187 
 
 the present, whether Thulemeyer should or should not 
 be recalled. His embassy ended on the arrival of Goertz, 
 nor do I believe he sends any dispatches. 
 
 The destiny of Launay was decided the day before 
 yesterday by a very severe letter. He is no longer al- 
 lowed to act, and they offer him a pension of only two 
 thousand crowns to retire on, with the proviso that he 
 shall remain in the Prussian States. It must be owned 
 his estimate is a chef-d'oeuvre of egotism and folly, and 
 that he might be completely refuted; although the me- 
 morial of the commissioners who have undertaken his 
 refutation is a pitable performance. He has proved two 
 facts, the one of which is curious, and the other decisive 
 against his own administration. First, that, in the space 
 of nineteen years, he has brought into the King's coffers 
 a surplus of 42,689,000 crowns of the empire, exclusive 
 of the fixed revenue, which annually amounted to five 
 millions of crowns. What dreadful oppression! The 
 second, that the collecting of the customs is an annual ex- 
 pense of more than 1,400,000 crowns, which, on a first 
 view of the business to be transacted, and of local cir- 
 cumstances, might at least be reduced two-thirds. But 
 not one man is at this moment employed who appears to 
 understand the elements of his profession. It is a fact that 
 they have not yet been able to make any general state- 
 ment of debtor and creditor, nor to class any single 
 branch of the revenue; so that there is not one object, 
 not even the King's dinner, which is yet regulated. 
 
 This is a chaos, but it is a chaos at rest. Finance, 
 military and civil, are each alike in a state of stagnation ; 
 and such a state in general would indeed be better 
 than the rage of governing too much, in a country 
 with a fixed constitution, in which individual prudence 
 might preponderate over public folly. But men are here 
 so accustomed to see their King active, or rather exclu- 
 sively active; they are so little in the habit of doing 
 what he leaves undone, though, having once issued his 
 orders, they very well understand the art of deceiving 
 him; they even think so little of laying any proposals 
 before him, that the stagnation is a real clog on the 
 machine. But how injurious may this clog become in a
 
 i88 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 kingdom which rests on so brittle a basis, though in- 
 habited, indeed, by a people so tardy, so heavy, so 
 unimpassioned, that it is scarcely possible a sudden shock 
 should happen ? The vessel, however, must continue to 
 sink, more or less sensibly, if some pilot does not come 
 on board, although she will not suddenly founder. 
 
 Wait we must; it would be an act of temerity to 
 attempt to look into this darkness visible. I repeat, we 
 must wait before we can know whether the King will, 
 or will not, have the courage to take a Prime Minister. 
 Such an appointment would be equal to a revolution; 
 and, well or ill, would change the whole face of affairs. 
 
 The Duke of Brunswick is the person who ought to 
 be narrowly watched, if we wish to foretell the fate of 
 this Government; although he should not be the person 
 appointed, and should there be any appearance of a ship- 
 wreck. This Prince is only fifty, and is indisputably 
 ambitious. Should he ever resolve on hazardous and 
 daring designs, and should he no longer depend on 
 Prussia, he would shake all the German combinations as 
 the north wind shakes the reed. His manners and his 
 prudence are incompatible with the English party. 
 Neither can England act on the Continent, except acci- 
 dentally. But I can imagine circumstances under which 
 I think him capable of going over to the Emperor, who 
 would receive him with open arms. And what might 
 not the Duke of Brunswick perform at the head of the 
 Austrian army ? How great would be the danger of Ger- 
 many ! How vast a prospect for him whose passions might 
 be unbridled, should he be obliged to act a desperate part ; 
 for he almost hates his sons, unless it be his youngest, who 
 promises not to be so stupid as the others. 
 
 The best manner of securing him has been missed, 
 which would have been to place him unconditionally at 
 the head of the Germanic Confederation. Should he de- 
 sert it, I greatly fear he will be its destroyer. 
 
 Baron H is arrived, and has not been received 
 
 by the King in a manner equal to his expectations. A 
 certain musical demoniac, named Baron Bagge, is also 
 at Berlin. I imagine they are all in too much haste. 
 The King is in the high fervor of the German system,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 189 
 
 and anxious to have it known that the ship is to be dif- 
 ferently trimmed. Since his accession, the banker of La 
 Valmour has received orders to send in his account, that 
 it may be discharged, and to stop all future payments 
 to that girl who had formerly so much power over him. 
 It is said he is to return from Potsdam on the third, and 
 I imagine it will be found that he goes there to the 
 chase. The Prince of Dessau is to arrive there to- 
 morrow evening, and I have no doubt there is to be a 
 calling of the faithful.
 
 LETTER XL I. 
 
 October 3oth, 1786. 
 
 AT THE request of Struensee, I have sent him the fol- 
 lowing information: First, on the possibility of 
 public loans to France, and, secondly, on the treaty 
 of commerce, and on the manner of placing money in 
 the French funds. 
 
 There are two species of public funds in France : those 
 the interest of which is fixed and certain, and which 
 does not vary with circumstances; and those which pro- 
 duce dividends, or a participation of gain, subject to 
 vicissitudes and to rise or fall. 
 
 The public and favored companies principally appertain 
 to this last class, such as the Caisse d'Escompte, the 
 Paris waterworks, and French East India Company; the 
 prices of stock in which have successively, or all together, 
 been agitated by every frenzy of stockjobbing. All true 
 estimate of their real value and their effective gains has 
 been, as it were, lost, that men might yield to the rage 
 of gambling in funds which never could be reduced to 
 any exact valuation. These jobbers have been less oc- 
 cupied by endeavors to reduce the price of shares to 
 their true value than artfully to affect their price, by dis- 
 putes and pretended reasonings on the impossibility of 
 delivering all the shares that had been sold. Monopoly 
 has succeeded to monopoly, association to association ; some 
 to raise, others to lower the price; to effect which every 
 imaginary species of deceit, cabal, and cunning has been 
 practiced; and, though this gambling mania has not con- 
 tinued more than two years, many people have already 
 been ruined, and many others dishonored, by taking shel- 
 ter under the laws to elude their engagements. 
 
 The other species of public funds, and the only one 
 
 perhaps which merits the name, consists in contracts, and 
 
 royal effects, properly so called. The contracts yield an 
 
 interest of from five and a half to six per cent at the 
 
 (190)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 19! 
 
 utmost. One only fund, the stock of which is paid at 
 sight, is more productive. This is the loan of one hun- 
 dred and twenty-five millions. Shares are sold, at present, 
 at an advance of but two per cent, although there are 
 nine months' interest due, and the real interest amounts 
 to nearly seven per cent. The stock cannot remain long 
 at this price, and, whether the purchasers wish to be per- 
 manent stockholders, or only to speculate for some months, 
 this loan merits a preference to any other. Its advan- 
 tages annually increase, since, while receiving a uniform 
 interest of five per cent, a part of the capital is to be 
 periodically repaid. In January, 1787 and 1788, these re- 
 imbursements are to be made at the rate of fifteen per 
 cent on the capital advanced. They are afterward to 
 proceed to pay off twenty per cent, and, at intervals of 
 three years to twenty-five, thirty, thirty-five, forty, forty- 
 five, fifty per cent, till, in the last year, the whole will 
 be repaid, independent of the interest of five per cent 
 to, and including, the years of reimbursement, the last 
 year of payment only excepted. The stockholders may 
 either have bills payable at sight, according to the origi- 
 nal plan, or, if they please, may receive contracts in 
 their stead, without any change taking place in the order 
 of reimbursement. 
 
 Those who buy in with a design of remaining stock- 
 holders, must prefer contracts, because these are liable 
 neither to be stolen, burned, nor destroyed. Those who 
 purchase stock on speculation, intending to sell out, 
 should rather receive bills, because the transfer would 
 then be subject to none of the delays of office. 
 
 We ought to regard the public loans of France as at 
 an end, all the debts of the war being paid, so that if any 
 loans henceforth should take place, they can probably be 
 only for small sums* to pay off the annual reimburse- 
 ments with which the finances will, for five or six years 
 to come, be burdened. But these loans can only offer 
 trifling advantages to the moneyed men. The rate of 
 interest must have a natural tendency to fall, because of 
 the general prosperity of the kingdom, and, consequently, 
 
 * The world at that time was ignorant of, nor could it divine, the 
 sublime invention of gradual and successive loans.
 
 192 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the loan of one hundred and twenty-five millions pre- 
 sents the probability of rising in price, which rise is each 
 day liable to take place, and which variation cannot be 
 profited by, unless stock is immediately purchased. This 
 probability might even be called a certainty, when, on 
 the one part, we recollect the nature of the loan, which 
 is the most wise, solid, and advantageous to the moneyed 
 men, and in every respect the best that has ever been 
 imagined; and, on the other, the concurrence of circum- 
 stances, which, all uniting, lead us to presume that the 
 credit of France, and the public confidence in its royal 
 effects, must daily increase. 
 
 ON THE COMMERCIAL TREATY. 
 
 It appears that the Treaty of Commerce is highly ac- 
 ceptable to both parties. The English perceive in it a 
 vast market for their woolen cloths, wrought cottons, and 
 hardware; we depend on the great exportation of our 
 wines, linens, and cambrics, and probably both nations 
 are right, but under certain modifications, the value of 
 which can only be taught by time. 
 
 The Treaty, in general, seems to have held a principle 
 as sacred which has too often been misunderstood, which 
 is, that moderate duties are the sole means of preserving 
 the revenue, and preventing illicit trade. Thus the Eng- 
 lish merchandise is rated at from ten to twelve per cent. 
 Should the advantage for some years appear to be wholly 
 on the side of the English, still it is evident the French 
 trade will gain ground, since nothing can prevent our 
 manufacturers gradually imitating the products of Eng- 
 lish industry, whereas, Nature having refused soil and 
 climate to England, our wines cannot be made there, and, 
 in this respect, the English must always depend on us. 
 
 True it is that the wines of Portugal will continue to 
 be drunk in England in great quantities, but the rising 
 generation will prefer the wines of France. Of this, Ire- 
 land affords a proof, in which ten times the quantities of 
 French wines are drunk in comparison with the wines of 
 Portugal. The French wines, henceforth, are only to pay
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 193 
 
 duties equivalent to those which the wines of Portugal at 
 present pay in England, that is to say, forty pounds 
 sterling per ton, or about one shilling per bottle. Our 
 wines of Medoc may there be sold cheap, and will be 
 preferred to the wines of Portugal. The English, it is 
 true, are allowed to lower the present duties on the wines 
 of Portugal, but they will fear to diminish them too sen- 
 sibly, lest they should injure the revenue arising from 
 their beer, which is the most essential of their excise 
 duties, and annually produces more than 1,800,000 pounds 
 sterling. 
 
 The Treaty, in fact, will incontestably be advantageous 
 to both countries. It will procure an increase of enjoy- 
 ment to the people, and of revenue to their respective 
 monarchs. Its tendency is to render the English and 
 French more friendly, and in general it is founded on 
 those liberal principles which are worthy two such great 
 nations, and of which France ought to be first to give an 
 example since, of all countries on earth, it would, from 
 its natural advantages, be the greatest gainer, should 
 such principles be universally established in the commer- 
 cial world. 
 
 13 
 
 \
 
 LETTER XLII. 
 
 October jist, 1786. 
 ******* 
 
 THEY have also affirmed (that is, Prince Ferdinand has) 
 that it was I who refuted the estimate * of Launay. 
 From that moment I have daily left my card at 
 the house of Launay, and have declared that to torment 
 people seemed to me to be a thing- so unnecessary that, 
 exclusive of the cowardice of wantonly striking a man 
 under misfortunes, none but a fool could have invented 
 so silly and malicious a tale. 
 
 On the reply to the refutation of his estimate, Launay 
 received so severe a letter that he immediately demanded 
 permission to retire. The King answered this should be 
 granted him, when the commission should have no more 
 need of his assistance. 
 
 It is loudly rumored here, after having been long 
 whispered, that a treaty is concerting between Russia, 
 Austria, and Prussia; the pretext for which is the paci- 
 fication of Holland. I own that at present I do not see 
 the least probability of truth in the report. Neither the 
 King, nor any one of his Ministers, appears to me to 
 have an understanding sufficiently enlarged for such a 
 project. Not but we most assuredly ought to pay very 
 serious attention to the rumor. 
 
 As I was finishing my phrase, I received information 
 that Dr. Roggerson, the favorite physician of the Czar- 
 ina, the same whom she sent to Vienna, and of whom I 
 spoke to you in my former dispatches, is just arrived. 
 Now or never is the time for an EYE WAR; but this kind 
 of tilting can be performed only by ambassadors; they 
 alone possess the means, were we to exclude every other 
 except the all-puissance of supper parties, which are the 
 very sieves of secrets. 
 
 * Compte rendu. 
 (194)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 195 
 
 Roggerson returns from England by way of Amster- 
 dam, and Berlin is directly in his road. Still, I repeat, 
 we ought, watchfully to observe Vienna and Petersburg, 
 convinced as I am at present that the Emperor is 
 only spreading nets for this country. I must further add 
 that I imagine I very clearly perceive the Gallomania of 
 Prince Henry is on the decline. But this to him will be 
 of no advantage, for it is to oppose the Prince that they 
 are Anti-Gallican here. It is not to oppose the French 
 that he is opposed. Prince Henry is turbulent, false, and 
 perfidious. He formerly was successful at Petersburg. 
 He may flatter himself that, should there be any need of 
 that Court, he may be employed; and never will there 
 be a better resemblance of the morality of the late 
 Erostratus. * 
 
 The Duke of Brunswick arrived on Saturday at Pots- 
 dam. This is a kind of secret at Berlin. Nothing had 
 been done on Sunday, except listening to music and 
 looking at reviews; but two couriers were certainly sent 
 off, from the Sunday to the Tuesday. I know nothing 
 more. I am in want of pecuniary and other aid. The 
 domestic disorder is a thing so inconvenient, some of the 
 favorites are so interested to put an end to it, or to cer- 
 tain parts of it, since they have not a sixpence, and it is 
 carried to such excess in the palace, that I cannot help 
 supposing there is some grand object which employs the 
 whole attention of the King, and the few moments he 
 can prevail on himself to dedicate to business. 
 
 There has been a quarrel in the household, in which 
 the master has committed some violence on himself. One 
 of his favorite ushers, Rumpel, a man naturally very in- 
 solent, insomuch that at a review he once struck a gentle- 
 man without any serious notice being taken of the affair, 
 has had a very passionate brawl with Lindenau, the new 
 first usher, who is a Saxon, and the friend of Bishops- 
 werder, who procured him the place. Lindenau put the 
 insolent favorite under arrest, and gave an account of his 
 
 * Meaning the late King, who fired not only temples, but would 
 have willingly extended the conflagration to the universe, could he 
 have thrown on the oil without being scorched by the gust of the 
 flames.
 
 196 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 proceeding to the King. The Monarch started with as- 
 tonishment; but, after a momentary silence, he not only 
 approved of the act of Lindenau, but confirmed the arrest 
 in a very cool manner, and for an indefinite term. By 
 this he has given some energy to the head servants, and 
 somewhat tempered the insolence of the subalterns. 
 
 Discord, on the other hand, reigns among the favorites. 
 Goltz and Bishopswerder had a very serious dispute in 
 Silesia. The King, having made some new appointments, 
 in favor of I know not whom, Goltz kept so cool a silence 
 that the King insisted on knowing the reason of this tacit 
 disapprobation. Goltz replied: "Your Majesty is over- 
 flowing the land with Saxons, as if you had not a subject 
 of your own." Bishopswerder came in, a few moments 
 afterward, and proposed another Saxon, on which the 
 King very abruptly exclaimed, <( Zounds! you never pro- 
 pose anybody but Saxons." Probably, in the explanation 
 which succeeded this pettishness, the King told what 
 Goltz had said. Certain it is that Bishopswerder and 
 Goltz have been very warm. The wall is whitewashed 
 over, but we may with good reason conclude that Goltz, 
 the Tartar, and Bishopswerder, the debonair, neither do, 
 nor ever will, cordially esteem each other. It was the 
 latter who brought the insignificant Duke of Holsteinbeck 
 hither, and who is endeavoring to advance him to the 
 command of the guards, that he may deprive the former 
 favorite, Wartensleben, of the place. 
 
 To descend a step lower, it appears that Chauvier is 
 regaining credit. He imagined, at the beginning of the 
 reign, that the surliness of the secretary would promote 
 his interest. It did the reverse. Apparently he has altered 
 his route, and is in the pandar department, submits to 
 subaltern complaisance, and even to act the spy, in which 
 he finds his account. 
 
 The King returns on Wednesday, as it is said, to 
 depart again on Thursday. I cannot understand what 
 this means, unless it should be to keep Prince Henry at 
 a distance, without openly quarreling. The Prince will 
 remain ignorant of affairs by not knowing where to find 
 the King. The Minister, Blumenthal, has rather reso- 
 lutely demanded his dismission, complaining that his
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 197 
 
 Majesty, having bedizened some of his servants, who 
 were not of so long a standing as himself, with ribbons, 
 had not bestowed on him that mark of honor. His 
 retreat, which is not granted, is a matter of little 
 moment; though it is affirmed the King could not be 
 better pleased, for he would then have a place to bestow. 
 I have heard, and from a good quarter, that this place, 
 or rather a place of principal trust, will very soon be 
 given to a remarkable man to the dissatisfaction of 
 everybody. I can neither divine who this man is, nor 
 believe the King has the fortitude to dissatisfy every- 
 body. The credit of Hertzberg, if not ruined, is still on 
 the decline. It is certain that he has not dined with the 
 King since the return from Silesia. 
 
 Welner is at Potsdam. 
 
 Do not suffer your Ambassador to persuade you that 
 there is nothing to apprehend from Austria; I am con- 
 vinced the King is undetermined, that the Emperor is 
 sounding him, and that there is something in agitation 
 with which we are unacquainted. For my own part, 
 nothing would appear less extraordinary to me. I own 
 I am surprised at all the intelligence I obtain, however 
 little that may be. But nothing can here be kept secret 
 from a French Ambassador, who is in want of neither 
 money nor industry. 
 
 I have just been told that General Rodig has sent a 
 challenge to Count Goertz. I have not learned what was 
 the cause of quarrel, and the truth of the news scarcely 
 appears to be probable ; yet it comes from a person who 
 should know, though he is a young man.
 
 LETTER XLIII. 
 
 November 4th, 1786. 
 
 ANEW letter, excessively rigorous, and tolerably 
 incoherent, has suspended Launay in the exercise 
 of all his functions. Yet I scarcely can believe it 
 is intended to sully the beginning of a reign by useless 
 cruelty. The victim is immolated to the nation the 
 moment the man is no longer in place. The remainder 
 would only be the explosion of gratuitous hatred, since 
 the unfortunate Launay no longer can give umbrage to 
 anyone. Verder is placed at the head of the customs. 
 We shall see what the new established order will pro- 
 duce ; or rather, whether they will know how to establish 
 any new order. In the meantime the discharge of forty 
 Frenchmen is determined on, in petto. But I cannot 
 perceive that these kind of Sicilian vespers are likely 
 even to gain the public favor. The theater here is not 
 sufficiently vast to conceal from the pit what is passing 
 behind the scenes. There is scarcely any illusion pos- 
 sible, except that of actually doing good. I shall endeavor 
 to save Launay, by causing Prince Henry to say, who 
 has at least preserved the privilege of uttering all he 
 pleases, that hitherto the King has really acted in this 
 business as the man of the nation; but that, should he 
 go further, he will become the man of the persecutors 
 of Launay; that there are public murmurs which affirm 
 he has espoused their hatred, etc. Certain it is that the 
 repetition of the self-important /, in Launay's estimate, 
 has put the King out of humor, and even in a passion. 
 His Majesty arrived yesterday, and returned this morn- 
 ing. This seems to be an episode in the romance of 
 Voss which approaches the denouement, and which is sus- 
 pended to obtain the three following articles: (i) two hun- 
 dred thousand crowns for her portion. The King refuses 
 (or will only count out a thousand crowns per month, so 
 that the payment will not be completed in less than six- 
 (198)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 199 
 
 teen years and eight months, which will render the sum 
 a little problematic) ; (2) a left-handed marriage (to this 
 he consents, but the lady finds that a very equivocal 
 kind of circumstance), or (3) to marry her to a man 
 who shall depart on the bridal day as Ambassador to 
 Sweden (there is no certainty of finding a man suffi- 
 ciently base, in that class which should rank him among 
 ambassadors). Mademoiselle avows that, without being 
 amorous, she is rendered exceedingly sensible by a three 
 years' siege. But what shall become of her, of her uncle, 
 her family ? What place shall she hold in the public 
 opinion, in city, and Court ? Such is the purport of the 
 negotiation conducted by Bishopswerder. I do not sup- 
 pose him young enough to be the King's substitute; so 
 that the speculation does not appear to be very certain. 
 
 As to the King, there is, indeed, some little curiosity, 
 a degree of obstinacy, and somewhat of vanity, but still 
 greater want of a companion with whom he may be as 
 much of a gossip, may loll, and dress as slovenly as he 
 pleases. The circumstance that shackles the negotiation 
 is that Rietz and her tribe must evacuate the country, 
 and the King is exceedingly attached to her son. It is 
 necessary, however, to add to all this that Mademoiselle 
 Voss relates herself all the tales repeated in public, and 
 even of the most secret courtiers, which concern herself; 
 and this may render the probability of these conjectures 
 suspicious. 
 
 The King, it is said, returns to Potsdam till the 8th. 
 He is not there so entirely occupied by business or secret 
 pleasure as to exclude all company. M. Arnim is one of 
 his society; a kind of unfinished man of the world, who 
 has acquired many friends by the affability and amenity 
 of his manners and his great fortune, and whose under- 
 standing, sufficiently upright and little brilliant, being 
 timid and wavering, neither gives umbrage to the King 
 nor inspires him with fears. In all despotic countries, 
 one grand means of good fortune is mediocrity of talents. 
 If it be generally true that no positive assertions ought 
 to be made in the presence of princes, and that hesita- 
 tion and deliberation always please them, I think it pe- 
 culiarly so applied to Frederick William II.
 
 200 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 It is affirmed the assignments are made out, and that 
 this has been the labor of Welner alone. For this rea- 
 son all the ministers, Schulemburg excepted (perhaps 
 because of his connections with Count Finckenstein, whom 
 the inauguration of Mademoiselle Voss must render power- 
 ful), are restless and terrified. Some of them have not 
 yet given in the least account to the King. Estimate by 
 this the state of a country in which everything depends 
 on the industry of the King. Be not astonished that so 
 little mention is made of business, for no business is 
 transacted; the affair of Launay is the only one which 
 is pursued with activity and hatred ; everything else slum- 
 bers. 
 
 A person who comes from Russia assures me that the 
 Empress has long omitted going any more to the Senate, 
 and that she habitually intoxicates herself with Champagne 
 and Hungary wine (this is contradictory to every account 
 I have hitherto received) ; that Potemkin elevates his 
 ambition to the grandest projects, and that it is openly 
 affirmed he will either be made Emperor or be beheaded, 
 at the accession of the Grand Duke. This artful and 
 decisive man, possessed of uncommon fortitude, has not a 
 single friend; and yet the number of his creatures and 
 creditors who with him would lose their all, is so great 
 in every class of the people, that his party is extremely 
 formidable. He amasses immense treasures, in a country 
 where everything is venal. Accustomed never to pay his 
 debts, and disposing of everything in Russia, he does not 
 find any difficulty in accumulating enormous sums. He 
 has an apartment, the key of which he keeps himself, 
 partitioned out from top to bottom, and divided into a 
 great number of boxes, filled with bank bills of Russia, 
 Denmark, and particularly of Holland and England. A 
 person in his employment proposed to him the purchase 
 of a library, appertaining to a great lord that had lately 
 died. Potemkin took him into his bank-bill apartment, 
 where the only answer he made was asking whether he 
 imagined this library was of equal value with the one 
 proposed. Possessed of such pecuniary aid, he has no need 
 of any other to perform whatever he shall dare to under- 
 take at Petersburg.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 201 
 
 I must here mention that Doctor Roggerson, who yes- 
 terday departed on his return to Petersburg, affirms that 
 no person in Europe leads a more sober or regular life 
 than Catherine II. He, however, has been eight months 
 absent. 
 
 I have collected some particulars that are rather 
 Curious, relative to the usurpation made on the ducal 
 rights of postage in Courland, of which I have spoken 
 to you in my former dispatches. This is an object of 
 some importance, in so small a State, independent of the 
 inquisition that thence results, and of the infraction of 
 the rights of nations. This branch of revenue does not 
 annually amount to less than a hundred and sixty thou- 
 sand livres. But the following is a singular circumstance, 
 which characterizes Russian politics. 
 
 Not to commit an act of violence too openly, and to 
 avoid marching troops, which always draws the attention 
 of neighboring Powers, the Court of Russia proposed, or 
 rather demanded, an amicable conference between the 
 deputies of Courland and commissaries, named to that 
 effect; and appointed their sittings to be at Riga, a 
 Russian fortress on the frontiers of Courland, under the 
 presidency of the Governor of that town. Four deputies 
 from Courland repaired thither at the time appointed; 
 and the Governor signified to them that he had received 
 orders from his Sovereign to arrest them if they did not 
 sign an act, which he produced ready drawn up, by 
 which the ducal rights of the postage of Courland were 
 transferred to Russia. The deputies, should they refuse, 
 having no other prospect before their eyes but Siberia, 
 purely and simply affixed their signatures: after this, 
 several stipulations, which alienated lesser rights and 
 even portions of the borders of Courland, were in like 
 manner presented and sanctioned. One of the most art- 
 ful, and the most important, of these stipulations is that 
 which relates to reclaiming the subjects of Russia, who 
 may be found in Courland, and in which the Cabinet of 
 Petersburg have included the very descendants of those 
 who may have been naturalized for ages. It is very 
 evident that this concession leads to unlimited abuse, and 
 innumerable disputes, which will be more injurious to
 
 202 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Courland than the most burdensome tax could be; for 
 nothing can prevent the Russian superintendents from 
 feigning, whenever they please, the existence of one or 
 of several of such or such Russian subjects, in such or 
 such a part of Courland, or from taking the refusal of 
 restitution for granted, in order to lay the country under 
 the contribution of an equal number of hundreds of 
 ducats (the sum fixed by the stipulation for each Mus- 
 covite whom the Courlanders shall refuse to deliver up), 
 whenever the Russian treasury, or the Russian delegate, 
 shall stand in need of, or whenever the country shall be 
 enabled to pay, such sums of money. I again repeat 
 that similar practices, openly in Courland, in other parts 
 more secretly, similar projects I say, are carried on in all 
 the countries that border upon Russia. Let us return to 
 Berlin. 
 
 Trumpel, the groom whom I mentioned to you in my 
 last, is discharged. This exertion has excited much 
 astonishment. The King certainly rouses himself as 
 much as he can, that he may not be governed, and this 
 is the most distinct act of self-will which has hitherto 
 been discernible in the Monarch. 
 
 On Thursday evening he supped at the confidential 
 table, at which there are no servants, but the guests are 
 supplied by tours.'* The supper was more than gay. 
 Ten persons were present. When it was over, the ladies 
 of honor were visited, one after the other. 
 
 Prince Henry, who has this week given grand dinners 
 to the civil and military officers of the Court, a thing he 
 never did before, supped on Monday with the reigning 
 Queen and her whole Court. This proves nothing, 
 except a desire to keep up the appearance of politeness. 
 I forgot to say that he is to give a dinner to-morrow to 
 all the subalterns of the regiment of Braun. This is 
 gratuitous and ridiculous affectation, and will never make 
 his peace with the army, by which he is truly de- 
 spised. 
 
 * Dumb-waiters, or rather a kind of machinery, of French invention, 
 made to ascend through the floor, or pass through apertures in the 
 wall, that the unobserved guests may indulge in the most detestable 
 licentiousness.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 203 
 
 Baron Bagge, after refusing to pay any visits here, 
 even those that common decorum required, saying that, 
 according to the manner in which he had lived with the 
 Heir Apparent, it was for the King to send him an in- 
 vitation, yesterday received this invitation to Potsdam. 
 The incident proves that music still is a passion. 
 
 That infamous C has written to Chauvier, affirming 
 
 that he knew, past all dispute, it was to him he was 
 indebted for the obligation of not being permitted to see 
 the King; that he was going into a country in which he 
 should find it easy to injure; and that he would use 
 every exertion to effect his ruin; exclusive of the means 
 with which he has been furnished by Chauvier himself. 
 Chauvier has acted with propriety, and laid the letter 
 before the King. 
 
 The nocturnal jaunts continue. I still remain ignorant 
 of the object of the grand motions toward Austria, and 
 reciprocally.
 
 LETTER XLIV. 
 
 November yth, 1786. 
 
 King himself has interfered to produce a reconcil- 
 iation between Bishopswerder and Goltz, the Tartar. 
 Peace for the present, therefore, is concluded; and 
 the more firmly, because that war, open and avowed, 
 is hotly carried on between the first favorite and Count 
 Goertz. There has been great difficulty in preventing 
 them coming to blows. What may be argued of a King 
 for whom they thus openly contend ? Probably a regi- 
 ment will be given to Goertz to send him out of the 
 way; but the payment of his debts is the difficulty, for 
 it appears that the last thing the King will part with is 
 money. The treatment of the aids-de-camp is at length 
 determined on. Bishopswerder has two thousand crowns ; 
 Goltz, the Tartar, and Bowlet each seventeen hundred. 
 The head groom, Lindenau, also has two thousand 
 crowns, with eight places of forage, which may be esti- 
 mated at six hundred crowns, and fire and candle. Be- 
 hold how the sandy plains of Brandenburg, with the aid 
 of Silesia, be it understood, are capable of maintaining 
 an army of two hundred thousand men. 
 
 The thermometer of business remains still at the same 
 fixed point. There is no riddance of letters; one cham- 
 ber is full of packets that remain unopened. The State 
 Minister, Zedlis, has not been able to obtain an answer 
 to his reports for more than three weeks. Everything is 
 in arrear. Yet the mode of living at Potsdam appears 
 to have been tolerably well regulated, though Madame 
 Rietz has been there. The latest hour at which the 
 King has risen has been six o'clock. The Prince of 
 Dessau has never seen him before half-past twelve, and 
 perhaps not half an hour each day, dinner time excepted. 
 It is at supper that the women make their appearance, 
 and that wrinkled cares are discarded. 
 (204)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 205 
 
 Welner has not quitted Potsdam, and two men are con- 
 tinually writing in his apartment. Hitherto he may be 
 regarded as the monarch of domestic affairs. That he is 
 neither deficient in talents nor information is a point un- 
 disputed; and the eternal disorder of the accounts, added 
 to suspicion of the financiers in power, must have im- 
 pelled the King to have abandoned himself wholly to 
 Welner, whose obscurity is his recommendation. 
 
 I say the ETERNAL DISORDER; because in effect Fred- 
 erick William I., with whom all domestic regulations 
 originated, in which no alterations were made by his son, 
 kept no general and exact accounts, and acted thus, 
 systematically: being acquainted himself with the whole 
 of his affairs, as he would not suffer any one of his Minis- 
 ters to divine what the state of them was, he made out 
 imperfect, over-charged, and false accounts. Frederick II., 
 who never understood anything of finance, but who very 
 well knew that money is the basis of all power, confined 
 his views to the amassing of large sums; and he was so 
 certain that his savings were enormous that he was satis- 
 fied with partial accounts. Such an interpretation is cer- 
 tainly more probable, in my opinion, than the imputation 
 of having burned the general state of debtor and creditor, 
 with the malicious intention of embarrassing his suc- 
 cessor. The present King wishes for order, and he has 
 reason so to do; but it is an Augean stable, and I see no 
 Hercules, at least among those by whom he intends to 
 be served. 
 
 Count Finckenstein has written in very warm terms to 
 the King, to inform him that the provocations of Count 
 Hertzberg are so frequent that they are become insup- 
 portable ; and that his great age and his last illness made 
 him sincerely desirous of retreat. The King returned a 
 very mild answer, very obliging, and what may be called 
 apologetic; in which he earnestly requested him to re- 
 main in office, and promised that the cause of his com- 
 plaints should cease. He promised, perhaps, more than 
 he can perform. Men of the most opposite tempers 
 served together under Frederick II., and this is one of 
 the characteristic traits of his reign. But it is no small 
 presumption to imitate his manner ; it cannot be expected
 
 206 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 that such imitation should succeed; for, in spite of the 
 servility of the country, liberties are taken that were not 
 permitted under the late King, of whom the world spoke 
 very freely, but with whom no person was familiar. The 
 very Academicians now make encroachments. Three new 
 members have been proposed one Boden, an astrono- 
 mer; one Meierotto, the rector of a college; and one 
 Ancillon, a minister of the Holy Gospel. Admirable 
 choice! The King testified his surprise with asperity at 
 this unusual proposition, made without its being even 
 known whether he did or did not intend to increase the 
 number of Academicians. The indiscretion will probably 
 occasion some regulation. He has, however, signed a 
 large YES to the proposal for I know not what Druid of 
 the name of Erman, author of a multitude of vile ser- 
 mons, and a refugee history, of which four volumes are 
 already written, that might be reduced to thirty pages; 
 and who has been proposed by the curator only, Count 
 Hertzberg, without the question having been put to the 
 vote. 
 
 The Boden of Paris seems to be forgotten, or worse. 
 The King was told that he had written three letters to 
 his Majesty without having received any answer. w I 
 have no answer to give; the fellow came here without 
 orders. 8 Such was the royal decision! The King re- 
 turns to-morrow for a few days. He has been so ac- 
 customed to run from place to place, and to make only 
 a momentary stay, that the habit seems to have become 
 
 one of his wants. M. de H wrote to him, three days 
 
 ago, to know when he might take his leave, but has 
 received no answer. 
 
 The grand dinner of Prince Henry to the regiment of 
 Braun was given yesterday, as I before wrote. All the 
 officers and forty subalterns, who had served under him 
 at the battle of Prague, sat at the Prince's table. He 
 gave a medal worth fifteen ducats to each officer, a ducat 
 to each subaltern, and a crown to each private. It would 
 be difficult to be more awkwardly ostentatious. Had 
 there been any need to have further injured himself in 
 the King's opinion, he could not have found a better 
 method; but this was completely done before, and it
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 207 
 
 must be well known too, for Roggerson, who had often 
 visited Prince Henry during his two journeys into 
 Russia, has not been to pay him his respects. The 
 King gave him an audience, it is said, but only for a 
 few moments. 
 
 I do not at this instant recollect the name of the per- 
 son who is arrived from Vienna, and who at the King's 
 table was very pleasant at the Emperor's expense, which 
 occasioned a coolness in the King and some gloominess, 
 so as to denote marks of disapprobation silent but 
 strong. 
 
 The new ribbons are preparing. Moral coin seems to 
 cost the King least. Never was the remark of Frederick 
 II. to Pritwitz more true than at present. The latter 
 complained that the ribbon had been bestowed on Braun 
 before himself. <( My ribbon,* said the King, (< is like 
 saving grace; it may be given, cannot be merited. w 
 
 Count Arnim has been appointed master of the hounds 
 and a Minister of State, with a vote and a seat in the 
 grand directory. In one of my former dispatches I have 
 spoken of him circumstantially. This is a pure choice 
 of favor (and is the more marked because that the place 
 of master of the hounds, taken from Schulemburg, had 
 continually been solicited by Colonel Stein, who was rather 
 in the King's good graces), but of favor founded, as I 
 imagine, merely on the pleasure taken in the company 
 of Arnim who is irreproachable in mind and manners. 
 It is only another person of incapacity added to the 
 Ministry. 
 
 ROTTEN BEFORE RIPE. Such I greatly fear will be the 
 motto of the Prussian power. But their millions are 
 good. It will, therefore, be of use to remit new prop- 
 ositions for a loan, if it be really intended to erect a 
 bank, as all packets, gazettes, and private letters affirm, 
 so that, myself excepted, everybody is informed of the 
 project; for in my opinion these would be of more im- 
 portance than the loan of a hundred and twenty-five 
 millions, which the bank apparently will be able to bor- 
 row on its own credit. Struensee, who doubtless will be 
 glad of this occasion of rendering himself useful to the 
 King, has in plain terms asked what he is to think of
 
 208 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the disorder of the Caisse d'Escompte ; of the letter of the 
 Comptroller General to his administrators; of the project 
 of a bank ; of its approaching realization ; of the principles 
 on which it is to be established ; and especially what kind 
 of directors shall have the management. He thinks the 
 plan good, but is convinced that everything depends on 
 those who shall have the direction. To all these ques- 
 tions, as you must be sensible, I know not what to reply ; 
 yet it is requisite I should soon know, because not to 
 mention that any negotiation of this kind cannot succeed 
 here except by his aid, for not one of the others under- 
 stands anything of such affairs, he has a right to inter- 
 rogate me, since I made the first advances.
 
 LETTER XLV. 
 
 November 2oth, 1786. 
 
 UNFORTUNATELY, I cannot be blind to what is here 
 daily confirmed by traits which are each more pitia- 
 ble than the others, concerning the opinion that I 
 have so long forborne to take of the man and of affairs. 
 
 The King has just bestowed the ribbon of the Black 
 Eagle on Anhalt. This gentleman is the son of a cook- 
 maid, and of a multitude of fathers. He was originally 
 a groom; he next sold smuggled coffee to the officers. 
 I know not by what means he became what he is, but I 
 know that his principal function was that of a spy. He was 
 afterward placed in the service of the present King 
 while Prince of Prussia; and, as he mingled poisonous 
 advice and odious tales, THEY destined him, as it is 
 said (and the word THEY is in this case the most bitter 
 of the enemies of the late King), to execute a crime 
 which THEY neither had the address to color nor the 
 courage to consummate. Anhalt possesses more military 
 talents than his native folly could promise. His warlike 
 vocation seems to be remarkable by this singular char- 
 acteristic, that he never possesses coolness except when 
 heading his men. He has arrived, whether by these or 
 other means, at the rank of Lieutenant General. As he 
 is without understanding (the little he had he was de- 
 prived of by a dreadful fall, for which he was obliged 
 to be trepanned), he continued in favor. 
 
 He was detested at Konigsberg, where he commanded, 
 and this was a kind of recommendation to him at Pots- 
 dam, where the kingdom endured forty-six years of dis- 
 grace.* 
 
 Some days before the King's death, General Anhalt 
 was sent for to Sans Souci. <( You have lately married 
 one of your daughters, w said the King. <( Yes, Sire, I 
 
 * By the kingdom, Prussia Royal is meant, for which province the 
 late King had a fixed aversion. 
 
 14 (209)
 
 2io SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 feel I have." <( How much did you give with her? w <( Ten 
 thousand crowns. " * That is a large sum for you, who 
 have nothing.* On the morrow they were sent him by 
 the King. Anhalt returned into Prussia. His benefactor 
 died; he beheaded his portrait, and substituted the head 
 of his successor. The new King repairs to Konigsberg 
 to receive homage, and bestows a superb box on An- 
 halt; but, indeed, gives him notice he must quit 
 the government of Prussia in two months' time, that is to 
 say, at present. Anhalt, being at an auction some days 
 since and seeing a portrait of the late King sold at a low 
 price, very coolly said, <( Right, I'll give you the other * 
 into the bargain." He retires with a pension of five 
 thousand crowns, a ribbon, and a promise of being em- 
 ployed in war. This prostitution of reward, apparently 
 extorted from weakness, is endeavored to be excused by 
 alleging the fear that Anhalt should pass into the service 
 of the Emperor, as he threatened in the following speech, 
 which does not want dignity : <( If you refuse me this 
 favor, I must then go elsewhere, and prove that it is not 
 because of my want of merit. w I do not think this a suf- 
 ficient reason, for the estates he had purchased near 
 Magdeburg were a sufficient pledge for his person. 
 
 Be this as it may, and, however singular the choice 
 may appear, which has made a strong impression upon 
 the public, it must be allowed that Anhalt is a great 
 commander, an officer worth preserving, and that some 
 recompense was due to him for the loss of his govern- 
 ment of Prussia, with which, mad as he was, and often 
 furious, he could not be intrusted. 
 
 But none of these reasons can be alleged in behalf of 
 Manstein, a simple captain, a common and even ignorant 
 officer, but a devout mystic; who, without any pretext, 
 has been sent for and is destined, as it is said, to be 
 the governor of the young Princes, with the title of 
 Lieutenant Colonel. To those who look into futurity, this 
 is fearful. The whole army is offended. Indeed, it is prob- 
 ably not true; but the very suspicion speaks the public 
 opinion. 
 
 A singularity which has not excited less murmuring is 
 
 * Meaning the present King.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 211 
 
 that Heynitz, Minister of State for the department of the 
 mines, is placed at the head of the commission against 
 Wertenberg, a kind of disagreeable man who has long 
 had the clothing of the troops; a subaltern knave, and 
 perhaps nothing more ; or perhaps less so than his prede- 
 cessors. This species of inquisition, which appears to be 
 the adopted method, and which will not easily be made 
 familiar to the people, whom it will be difficult to per- 
 suade that the late King was negligent and a bad econ- 
 omist, this species of inquisition, I say, seems to indicate 
 suspicions of the commanding officers, since the direction 
 of such trials is taken from these officers, to whom they 
 entirely appertained. There are great complaints, and 
 still greater contempt. This must be an ill symptom, 
 especially after a reign of only two months. 
 
 Indolence and stagnation, its necessary result, continue 
 to be felt. In consequence of not having the letters 
 sent after him, as was the custom of Frederick II., the 
 King is prodigiously in arrear. He found thousands on 
 his return from Silesia, his journey through which is a 
 striking contrast to the incredible activity of the late 
 King ; who, however, did not devote more time, or rather 
 who devoted less, than another to his trade of King. 
 He only set apart an hour and a half each day on ordi- 
 nary occasions for this purpose ; but he never put off the 
 business of the present day to the morrow. He knew, 
 so well was he acquainted with man, that a bad reply 
 was better than none. A heap of memorials and pro- 
 jects are on the table of the present King, most of which 
 relate to military changes, on which he has never cast 
 his eyes, and which have been productive of nothing, 
 except for his vehement aversion for memorials. He re- 
 gards them as a tax on his sovereign authority; and 
 supposes advice of any kind to be an avowal of an 
 opinion of his incapacity. Among the useless writings 
 which have been remitted to him, there is said to be a 
 memorial from Baron Knyphausen, on foreign politics. 
 There are indications which lead me to believe it is 
 favorable to our system, and this has given him particu- 
 lar displeasure; its fate, therefore, was to be thrown 
 aside, without hesitation, as the reveries of dotage. The
 
 212 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Baron, however, has disowned to me that he is the author 
 of this memorial. 
 
 To the same sensation, apparently, which makes him 
 so much detest advice, we must attribute the following 
 singularity: Welner has only had a stipend of three 
 thousand crowns, deducted from the pensions formerly 
 paid to the head officers of the commercial departments; 
 the smallest of which pensions only is granted him, so 
 that he is but the equal of those who have least influ- 
 ence, and have not the same industry. As the few prep- 
 arations which are made are all made by him his labor 
 must be very great. A single statement of the money 
 accounts is said to have given him much trouble. At 
 present, the exceedings of the receipts over the expend- 
 iture, at least the civil, are known. The sum is greater 
 than was supposed by near one -quarter, which is much. 
 It is imagined that the chief part of this surplus will be 
 applied to increase the pay of subalterns. Private soldiers 
 undoubtedly deserve no greater honor than that of dying 
 with hunger. But I scarcely can believe they will dare 
 to offend the corps of the captains. 
 
 If the King give but little to those who seem to be 
 his greatest favorites, there yet are indications that he 
 bestows secret largesses; or that he has secret reasons 
 for conferring such on some persons. The chamberlain 
 Doernberg, an insignificant person in my opinion, who 
 quitted the service of the Princess Amelia with ingrati- 
 tude, she having paid his debts, to enter into that of 
 the Queen, has twice within five days had his salary 
 considerably augmented. At present he has two thou- 
 sand crowns as chamberlain, a sum hitherto unheard of. 
 What does this denote ? Have they at length determined 
 on the scheme of marrying Mademoiselle Voss ? Have 
 they cast their eyes on this fortunate mortal, who resem- 
 bles a baboon ? Do they intend insensibly to make his 
 fortune ? A captain in the Gendarmes said to me yester- 
 day, (< Since royal munificence is so amply showered on 
 Doernberg, I for my part expect an annual gratification 
 of fifty thousand crowns." This must be either an affair 
 of mysticism, pimping, or marriage. But, if the last, 
 why make so ridiculous a choice ? What courtier is there
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 213 
 
 who would refuse Mademoiselle Voss, with plenty of 
 money ? I did them too much honor in supposing such 
 were to be found in this Vandalian Court. Not in 
 places where men are accustomed to walk double will 
 any be found who shall stand erect when such temp- 
 tations are thrown in their way. Besides, what cannot 
 money effect in a nation so poor ! I not long since saw 
 Brederic, late lackey to Prince Henry, become a kind of 
 favorite, because of his art as a CHAMBER COUNSELOR, 
 and ostentatiously display the cross and ribbon of a 
 canonry of Magdeburg (Prince Henry is provost of this 
 chapter). Seven thousand crowns, lent by the Prince, 
 have purchased the stall; and the Prince's well-beloved 
 groom bears the sacred insignia, in a country where 
 there is so much delicacy pretended on the article of 
 birth. 
 
 Apropos of his patron. For a week past I have not 
 heard this musical Prince mentioned, the height and 
 depth of whose thermometer are the greatest that ever 
 fell under my observation. The Count of Brandenburg 
 requested permission of him to be present at the banquet 
 he gave to that part of the regiment of Braun who 
 fought under him at Prague. The Prince granted the 
 child permission; and, after highly caressing him, said, 
 tt It is difficult, my little friend, to converse with you 
 here, but ask your father leave to come to my palace, 
 and I shall be very glad to see you." Thus artful are 
 his politics. He must employ a quantity of such strata- 
 gems to reimburse himself for his grand dinners. One 
 of his table-confidants and admirers said to me the other 
 day, "Is it not very singular that the Prince is so little 
 esteemed, after all he has done for the army ? w and 
 he meant by this to criminate the army! It appeared 
 to me a notable speech. 
 
 The anecdote respecting the Academy is still more 
 curious than according to the manner in which I related 
 it in my last. The Academician Schutz has written a 
 very violent letter to the King, against Count Hertzberg, 
 and concerning the arbitrary manner in which he governs 
 the Academy. The King sent the letter to Hertzberg, a 
 marked token of disapprobation in this country. Busching,
 
 214 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the geographer, on the same day, refused a seat in the 
 Academy, unless a pension should be granted him of a 
 thousand crowns. The only answer given to the com- 
 plaints of Schutz was the nomination of Erman, by 
 Hertzberg, without consulting any person; and the King 
 signed his YES, without objecting to this nomination. 
 Schutz wrote another letter, still more violent; what the 
 consequences were I do not know. 
 
 The disgrace of Launay is not so mild as it appears. 
 It is openly avowed that Government only waits till he 
 has furnished Silesia with coffee, and that then he is to 
 be displaced. He very rashly undertook this contract, 
 which he has bargained with traders to fulfill, who are 
 emboldened by his downfall to disown or break their en- 
 gagements at the moment when, all the navigable canals 
 being frozen, there are such few means of repairing so 
 great a deficiency. But the truth is the commission is 
 suspended, because that they are secretly sending, through 
 different parts of the kingdom, in search of proofs; a 
 truly cruel and tyrannical inquisition, which shows that 
 they are rather desirous of the guilt of Launay than of 
 the public benefit. 
 
 A man named Dubosc, formerly an eminent merchant 
 at Leipsic, where, if I do not mistake, he failed, and 
 well known for his visionary adherence to mysticism, 
 has been sent for, and is at present employed, as is 
 supposed, to give in a plan of commercial regulations 
 as a substitute for exclusive privileges. It should seem 
 they meditate a sally against the Splittgerbers,* and that 
 means are seeking to deprive them of the monopoly of 
 sugar; a very just and salutary, but a very difficult and 
 delicate act. 
 
 An article of intelligence still more important is that 
 Baron Knyphausen has had a secret conversation with 
 the King; but, though it comes from a good quarter, I 
 will not warrant it to be true. Not that this would much 
 astonish me. I know past doubt that the King, enraged 
 at being obliged to send Count Goertz to Holland, at 
 the very moment when the House of Orange itself com- 
 
 * Splittgerber is a sugar baker at Berlin, who has for many years 
 enjoyed a monopoly of that commodity.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 215 
 
 plains of this Ambassador, wished after venting a tor- 
 rent of passion and abuse, to recall both Goertz and 
 Thulemeyer; but that he was stopped short, because of 
 the impossibility of finding a MAN in a country where 
 there are none; and particularly none fit for Ambassa- 
 dors, a part of administration that was highly neglected 
 by the late King. His successor, perhaps, will be taught 
 that fools are not good for any one purpose. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. Nothing new since I wrote this long let- 
 ter. Various particulars assure me that the Princess 
 Frederica, the daughter of the King, gains great influ- 
 ence, and never meets with any refusal. This doubtless 
 appertains to the history of Voss.
 
 LETTER XLVI. 
 
 TO THE DUC DE L- 
 
 November izth, 1786. 
 
 I FLATTERED myself that M. de H would bring me 
 a packet from Your Grace. He informed me you had 
 intended to intrust him with one, and I am exceed- 
 ingly grateful for the intention, although I have not 
 profited by it ; this I attribute to unforeseen circumstances, 
 which, while I pray for you, have my hearty maledictions. 
 
 I hope that the Abbe" de P has sent you the news 
 
 of the country, concerning which I have not neglected 
 occasionally to remit anecdotes tolerably characteristic of 
 the moment. I feel the poverty of my own harvest more 
 forcibly than any person; but it ought not to be for- 
 gotten that I am neither provided with the pecuniary 
 nor the ministerial means. It is impossible anything 
 should escape the man of France* if he be adroit, active, 
 liberal, and has the art to invite proper guests to his 
 DAILY dinners and suppers; for these are the efficacious 
 means, and not PUBLIC dinners. He is, besides, a kind 
 of register office, to which all the discontented, the 
 babblers, and the covetous resort. Besides that, his 
 intercourse with subalterns is natural to him and per- 
 mitted; I, on the contrary, have need of great art and 
 circumspection, in order to speak without offense or in- 
 trusion on public affairs. I rarely can address my 
 discourse to persons in power. My very aspect terrifies 
 them too much. The King never deigns to look at me 
 but their countenances lengthen and grow pale. I have 
 acted however, to the best of my abilities, and, as 
 I believe, done all I could with means that are very 
 mutilated, very ungracious, and very sterile; nor can I 
 tell whether the person on whom the King bestows a 
 
 *The author undoubtedly means the Ambassador. 
 (216)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 217 
 
 salary of sixty thousand livres, and a post of honor 
 here, sends much more information than I do. But I 
 well know that I, under the same circumstances, would 
 have penetrated many clouds through which, stationed 
 as I am, I have very dark views; and that I would not 
 discredit my nation, as he is accused of doing, by his 
 haughty behavior, his bittersweet aspect and idleness 
 that greatly resembles ignorance. 
 
 M. de H will more fully relate, as I suppose, the 
 
 particulars I have sent. He will tell you our cause is a 
 lost one here, unless a change should take place among 
 the Judges; that the way to re-establish our affairs is 
 not to be over hasty; since this would but prolong re- 
 sistance among men naturally phlegmatic, and whose 
 phlegm we may safely conclude will not suffer them to 
 continue long impassioned; that he himself was too 
 hasty to come to a country which at the beginning of 
 the present reign, when each is looking for advance- 
 ment, is too restless and jealous to suppose that a gen- 
 eral officer and an inspector in the service of France 
 could really wish to be in the service of Prussia ; that the 
 chaos (for so affairs at present may well be called) must 
 be suffered to subside, and from the nature of things 
 acquire consistency (if on the contrary it should not suf- 
 fer destruction), though it be but the consistency of 
 apathy, before attempts should be made to interfere; 
 that no person is at present firmly placed ; that the grand 
 question <( Will the King, or will he not, have the cour- 
 age to take a first Minister ? )J is far from being re- 
 solved, even by the calculation of probabilities; that on 
 this determination, however, the fate of the country de- 
 pends, and even the ultimate capacity of the King, whose 
 inability will be of little import if this remedy should 
 be found to be a substitute for his indecision; that the 
 symptoms are vexatious, and indeed disagreeable, but 
 that we must not pronounce too hastily, because our in- 
 formation is the reverse of complete. 
 
 It appears to me indubitable that Prince Henry is 
 ruined past resource; and I fear (in his behalf) that, on 
 this occasion as on many others, chance has arranged 
 affairs better than our precaution. But, whether or no,
 
 218 
 
 his cunning, his boasting, his inconsistency, the intemper- 
 ance of his tongue, and the vileness of his creatures, 
 seconded by the most universal discredit, have added to 
 personal antipathy, and the general and habitual fear of 
 appearing to be governed. 
 
 The destiny of the Duke of Brunswick is far otherwise 
 uncertain; nor do I believe it will be decided before 
 there is an open rupture. But it is peculiar to him, and 
 to him alone, that, should he once grasp power, it will 
 not afterward escape him; for a better courtier, a man 
 of deeper views, more subtle, and at the same time 
 more firm and more pertinacious, does not exist. 
 
 You may well imagine, Monseigneur, that, if I suppose 
 facts are too partial, and hitherto not sufficiently numer- 
 ous to be reduced to system, on which conjectures may 
 be formed respecting the King and politics, I am still 
 much farther from thinking I can, with any appearance 
 of probability satisfactory for a wise man, divine what 
 will be the grand foreign connections, and political in- 
 fluence of Prussia, under the present reign. I have 
 sketched my ideas on the subject in a memorial, which is 
 a work of labor; but which (except the proofs the country 
 affords, and which here, as I imagine, will be found united 
 and compared more accurately than anywhere else) is 
 only a succession of conjectures. It contains many things 
 which may, and perhaps not one of which will, happen. 
 I am fortunate if, in this calculation of the arithmetic of 
 chances, I have so far succeeded as to describe things as 
 they are, and as they may be. From this memorial, 
 accompanied by three or four others, on parts of Ger- 
 many which lucky chance has given me opportunities of 
 perfectly knowing, a plan may be formed according to 
 which the Germanic edifice may be reconstructed, a work 
 that ought to be begun, if its ruin is not desired. And 
 here, I confess, the indecision of man, the complication of 
 incidents, and the obscurity of future contingencies arrest 
 me at each step ; and I have no other guide than what is 
 offered by your grand and noble project of coalition, be- 
 tween France and England, the end of which is to give 
 happiness to the world, and not afford amusement to 
 orators and newswriters.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 219 
 
 M. de H has informed me that Your Grace intends 
 
 coming hither in the spring. This certainly would be 
 the only means of rendering my stay here supportable. 
 But I hope you will not so long be left in inactivity so 
 unworthy of your talents. As to myself, after having 
 paid a tribute for six months, during which I have the 
 satisfaction conviction gives of having employed uncom- 
 mon assiduity and research, in compensation for the want 
 of natural talents, I think I have a right to shake off an 
 equivocal and doubtful existence, every way embarrass- 
 ing, requiring dexterity and fortitude seldom found to 
 preserve personal respect, and in which I consume my 
 time and my strength in a species of labor that has no 
 charms for me, or in the languor of etiquette and com- 
 pany still worse than this labor. Of this I have informed 
 the Abb de P in express terms.
 
 LETTER XLVII. 
 
 November 24th, 1786. 
 
 HE most distressing incident possible has just hap- 
 pened to me. It is a very extraordinary story. 
 
 Madame de F the famous Tribade, * coming from 
 
 the waters of Schwalback, has dropped here as if from 
 the clouds, under a borrowed name, with an immense 
 train, and not a single letter of recommendation except to 
 bankers. Can you imagine what project this profoundly 
 audacious and indeed capable woman has entertained ? 
 The conquest of the King! And as, in punishment for 
 my sins, I have known her long and well, the damnable 
 siren has addressed herself to me, to lay down a chart 
 of the country for her; and, in return, receive, as a de- 
 posit, that high confidence which I should most willingly 
 have bequeathed to Beelzebub. However, as she is a 
 demon of seduction, as she does not ask for money, at 
 least not at present, and as her qualities of body and 
 mind in many respects correspond with those of the 
 Monarch, if this be not an opportunity to be sought 
 after neither is it one to reject. Besides, as the design 
 is begun, and as it will be better to undertake the direc- 
 tion than be exposed to ridiculous broils, I am at pres- 
 ent in search of means to afford her a decent pretense 
 of remaining here a fortnight; taking care to draw my 
 stake, or rather taking care not to put it down. 
 
 If the Comte d'Esterno were not in every respect one 
 and the same, the affair might presently be managed. 
 She might be going to Petersburg, through Warsaw, 
 waiting here till she could travel in a sledge, which from 
 the setting in of the frost cannot be long delayed; might 
 give a few select suppers; excite curiosity, etc., etc. 
 But this mode is not to be depended on ; it is too subtle 
 for his understanding. 
 
 *A woman-lover. 
 
 (220)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 221 
 
 Were not Prince Henry indiscretion itself, nothing 
 could be more easy than by his aid to introduce her to 
 the Court. She might have brought him letters. But 
 in an hour's time the aide-de-camp, Tauensien, would be 
 informed of everything; as would his aunt, Madame Knib- 
 beck, in five minutes afterward; and her I suspect to 
 be the go-between of Mademoiselle Voss. We must de- 
 pend on our resources. I shall take care not to entan- 
 gle myself; though, indeed, her very first step has 
 entangled me. It is a kind of fatality; and how might 
 I escape ? 
 
 I have made many reflections on this odd adventure. 
 Our plan must be not to abandon our purpose, and not 
 to be too scrupulous concerning the means. The few we 
 have are, in truth, impracticable. 
 
 If she remain in her present situation, there will be 
 no means of seeing the King. The mystics, the Voss party, 
 and the anti-French in general, will all be her enemies. 
 If she conceal her intentions, she will be opposed by the 
 party of the Rietz, and the subalterns. Either I must 
 often visit her, which will render her suspected; or I 
 must not, and she will conduct herself improperly. 
 
 If this partake of the adventurer, I voluntarily engross 
 the blame. 
 
 Nothing can be done in haste, with a German prince. 
 Should her stay be long, that stay will of itself divulge 
 the secret. 
 
 It is not possible but that, in a week, her true name 
 must be known. The reputation she has acquired will then 
 spoil everything, in a country where seductive qualities 
 will not excuse vice, and where a trip is not the less a 
 trip because made by a woman. 
 
 The follies most inexcusable are those which expose 
 to ridicule without compensation, of the number of 
 which this is one. D'Esterno will relate his trifling tales; 
 Boden his trifling scandal; Tauensien propagate his 
 trifling intrigues ; before appearance, it will be necessary 
 
 to let the crowd go by, who will come and endeavor 
 
 I will, therefore, send her to Warsaw, and procure her 
 letters. She may return with other letters, if you do 
 not inform me by what means she may be prevented,
 
 222 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 should such be your wish; for, though I can delay, how 
 may I forbid her return? Such I have thought the 
 least hazardous proceeding in this fantastic farce, which 
 I, with good reason, think of greater importance than 
 you may be tempted to do, because at Paris Madame de 
 
 F is, like many others, little more than a courtesan ; 
 
 while here, the niece of an Ambassador and the widow 
 
 of a P G , etc , will never be supposed not to 
 
 have been sent by Government, or, at least, not to have 
 come hither under its protection. She, therefore, must 
 not be suffered to commit any great folly. 
 
 The King has lately terminated a suit which had been 
 in contest for three-and-twenty years. The Duke of 
 Mecklenburg-Schwerin formerly borrowed a hundred 
 thousand crowns of Frederick II., and gave some bail- 
 liages (or districts) as a security. Hither Frederick im- 
 mediately sent a regiment of hussars into quarters. The 
 regiment, as you may well suppose, raised recruits. 
 The people of Mecklenburg were shocked by this act of 
 despotism, and offered to repay the late King; who, 
 during twenty-three years, always found pretenses to 
 avoid receiving the money. His successor has withdrawn 
 the troops. It is true he loses an opportunity of enlist- 
 ing some of the country people, but he will annually 
 save thirty thousand crowns; and there is likewise a 
 new member gained for the Germanic confederation, and 
 what that might be valued at, this is worth. 
 
 On Sunday (the i2th), at the principal inn in Berlin, 
 the marriage of the Countess Matuska and a Prussian 
 officer named Stutheren, was celebrated. The Countess 
 is a sister of Mademoiselle Hencke ( Madame Rietz ). 
 She thought to have married a Polish gentleman, who 
 some months since withdrew. Once deceived, she next 
 made choice of a young officer. The King has given 
 money, and money enough. It is supposed that Made- 
 moiselle Hencke, who now is said not to be married to 
 Rietz, will retire and live with her sister, that she may 
 not impede the projects formed to enjoy the maid of 
 honor in peace. 
 
 There are whisperings of a very remarkable and very 
 secret supper, at which the shade of Caesar was taken.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 223 
 
 The number of mystics increases. They affirm that the 
 credit of Bishopswerder declines. I do not believe a 
 word of it. 
 
 No new act of finance. Depositions against poor Lau- 
 nay are poured in, and in all probability his fortune 
 must purchase his freedom. 
 
 Nothing new, or at least nothing certain, from Holland, 
 except that Count Goertz has found the way to displease 
 the States, the House of Orange, and the principal per- 
 sons who are enumerated among the French faction. I 
 well know what a philosopher would deduce from this: 
 the politician will perceive there are commissions, the 
 discharge of which he never ought to undertake.
 
 LETTER XLVIII. 
 
 November i8th, 1786. 
 
 IT is every day more apparent that the King does not 
 forget those who were attached to him before his 
 accession to the throne; and this propensity, which 
 is successively developed, proves him, at least, an honest 
 man. Count Alexander Wartensleben, an officer in the 
 guards, whom I have several times mentioned, had been 
 educated with him. Hence that intimacy which will not 
 admit of secrets. The late King sent for Wartensleben, 
 and said to him, <( I am pleased to see you so very 
 intimate with my nephew ; continue your friendship. But 
 it is also necessary you should serve the State. I ought 
 to be informed of the proceedings of my successor. 
 Mein liebes Kind, * you will come and let me know what 
 passes at your parties of pleasure. I shall not forbid 
 them. I shall only warn you when there is any danger ; 
 and of this you yourself will inform the Prince of Prussia. 
 Depend upon me, mein Schatz. *f Wartensleben, who knew 
 the old fox, replied <( that he was the friend of the Prince, 
 the friend of his heart, and that he would never become 
 his spy. w The King then assumed his furious counte- 
 nance. <( HERR LIEUTENANT, since you will not serve me, 
 I will at least take care that you shall obey." On the 
 morrow he was sent to Spandau, where he was impris- 
 oned three months, and after that ordered to a garrison 
 regiment in the very farther part of Prussia. J On the 
 new King's accession he was recalled. After a momen- 
 tary displeasure, which Wartensleben's refusal to go to 
 Sweden occasioned, and which perhaps was the contriv- 
 
 * My good child. 
 
 f This corresponds very well with the Irish phrase, MY JEWEL or MY 
 
 HONEY. 
 
 \ This was a mode of punishment with the late King, and a very dis- 
 agreeable one to the sufferers ; for, besides confinement, little pay, and 
 no hopes of preferment, it was a public mark of contempt. 
 (224)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 225 
 
 ance of the other favorites, the King has bestowed a 
 prebendary on him, the income of which is valued at 
 twelve thousand crowns; and, according to all ap- 
 pearance, intends to give him the command of the 
 guards. 
 
 The following is a second example of a like kind. 
 When the suit was carried on against the Minister Goern, 
 who was superintendent of the College of Commerce, 
 among his papers was a bill on the Heir Apparent for 
 thirty thousand crowns. The money must be procured 
 within twenty-four hours. Arnim went in search of the 
 Prince, and offered him the sum, which was most joy- 
 fully accepted. This probably is the origin of the favor 
 which the new Minister enjoys; I cannot conjecture any 
 other, except what may be deduced from the King's easi- 
 ness of character, his indecision and mediocrity of mind ; 
 which, however, is just and clear, as I have said in my 
 former dispatches. 
 
 The King has done a third humane and generous act. 
 His first wife, the Princess Elizabeth of Brunswick,* has 
 received an increase of allowance, consisting of the rev- 
 enues of the bailliage of Ziganitz, which amount to twelve 
 thousand crowns, with liberty to retire whenever she 
 pleases. Certain of not being received by her family, 
 she will remain at Stettin. But the news has transported 
 her with joy. She has publicly declared that the lady 
 of General Schwerin, her gouvernante, has no more right 
 to give her any orders; and, for the first time these 
 eighteen years, she took an airing on horseback with 
 Mademoiselle Plates, that she might immediately enjoy 
 that liberty to which she was restored. 
 
 A trait which we ought to add, in proof of the King's 
 morals, is his having given up the letters to Prince 
 Henry, which passed in his correspondence with Fred- 
 erick. Their number amounts to five hundred and 
 eighty-seven, on State affairs, from the year 1759 to the 
 year 1786. It had been unseasonably reported that the 
 Prince was privately of his brother's opinion concern- 
 ing their nephew. These letters, however, have proved 
 
 * Divorced, banished the Court, and confined at Stettin, for her 
 incontinence. 
 15
 
 226 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 that he did not wish it should be known. He even ren- 
 dered him services; and, for example, when Count War- 
 tensleben of whom I have just spoken, was imprisoned, 
 he sent him a grant of a pension of a hundred a year, 
 which he still enjoys. 
 
 The famous chamber hussar, Schoening, the confiden- 
 tial man of the deceased King, has lately been appointed 
 assistant to the cashier of the military chest, with a sal- 
 ary of three thousand crowns. This certainly is not a 
 rancorous act. Schoening, indeed, is not a man with- 
 out intelligence; and he is the depositary of numerous 
 secrets, which ought not at present to be made public, 
 perhaps never. 
 
 In opposition to all these good actions, we must place 
 the apathy of the King, on the subject of his personal 
 debts. He is in no haste to pay those that are not of the 
 household, and there is a very considerable sum apper- 
 taining to the latter which remains unsettled. 
 
 It is determined that the King is to discharge all the 
 persons employed as taxgatherers on the French finance 
 system, which in itself is a laudable act; for were there 
 a necessity for some years to prolong the farming of the 
 customs, yet, either the French collectors already have, 
 or never will have, taught the Germans the mode of 
 transacting the business. And is not the Prussian Mon- 
 arch the King of Germans? But innovation is a very 
 delicate thing; and I see no preparations made to lessen 
 the shock that must be received. The farmers of tobacco 
 and snuff have been informed that their administration 
 must cease on the ist of June, 1787. All persons thence- 
 forward will be allowed to cultivate tobacco, and to make 
 and sell snuff. This is a very important object; for the 
 tobacco that grows on these barren sands is some of the 
 best in Germany, and formerly was a very considerable 
 branch of trade. On the ist of July grants are to be 
 delivered, gratis, to whoever shall make the requisition. 
 (Nay, freedom is promised for coffee, too.) From 1783 
 to 1786, the duties on snuff and tobacco had yielded 
 about sixteen hundred thousand livres more than the 
 sum they had been estimated at by the King; so that 
 these formed a revenue of something more than a million
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 227 
 
 of crowns, and sometimes a million four hundred thou- 
 sand. Yet the collectors had not the right of buying the 
 leaf tobacco; they were obliged to purchase it from the 
 warehouses of the Maritime Company, by whom it was 
 sold at a profit of cent per cent. These collectors com- 
 mitted infinite vexations on the subject, to obtain a sur- 
 plus, with which it was necessary to come before the King 
 when they delivered in their accounts ; otherwise, he could 
 neither find wisdom in their proceedings nor talents in. 
 themselves. The King leaves the collectors their salaries- 
 till they can be provided for, and this is humane ; for the 
 change will affect not less than twelve hundred families. 
 But how will they find a substitute for this revenue? A 
 capitation tax is spoken of, and is certainly under deliber- 
 ation. The subjects are to be comprised in twelve classes; 
 the rich merchants are to pay twenty-four crowns ; the rich 
 inhabitants twelve crowns; two crowns for obscure citi- 
 zens; and the peasants something less than two francs. 
 What a manner of beginning a reign it is, to tax persons 
 before property! In the collection of this odious tax, 
 which sets a price on the right of existence, the tobacco ex- 
 cisemen are to be employed. The capitation, however, is 
 somewhat softened by being paid by the family and not 
 by the head. But the proselytes to, and even the apostles 
 of, this project do not estimate the tax at more than two 
 millions of crowns annually ; which sum is the product of 
 tobacco and coffee united, but which scarcely will supply 
 the deficiency; and those who understand calculation in 
 finance will be careful not to estimate a tax equally pro- 
 ductive in figures and reality. I am surprised that he 
 does not first gain a better knowledge of substitutes ; and 
 that he should begin by operations which I have pointed 
 out as things to prepare, and should defer those with 
 which I thought he ought to commence.* 
 
 Heinitz, Minister for the department of the mines, 
 and president of the commission commanded to examine 
 the administration of General Wartenberg, warned no 
 doubt by universal clamor, has remonstrated to the 
 King that it is requisite to add some military men to 
 
 * The author doubtless alludes to his memorial, which will be found 
 at the end of this volume.
 
 228 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the commissioners. His Majesty has in consequence 
 appointed General Moellendorf. 
 
 To give a specimen of the malversations attributed to 
 the Jew Wartenberg, which it is said were highly sur- 
 passed by his predecessors, the following trait is cited. 
 He made up clothing for a regiment of foot, without 
 having shrunk the cloth. The coats were so tight that 
 they scarcely would button on the men. The first day 
 they were worn by the regiment there happened a heavy 
 shower. The quartermaster said that, if the soldiers 
 pulled off their regimentals, they never could put them 
 on again; accordingly they were commanded to lie all 
 night in their clothes, and dry them upon their backs. 
 
 The next is an example of another kind, and char- 
 acteristic of Frederick II. One of the cash keepers of 
 Wartenberg stole eighty thousand crowns. The General 
 informed the King, and waited his commands. Fred- 
 erick replied he had nothing to say to the matter, for he 
 was for his own part determined not to lose the money. 
 Wartenberg understood this jargon, assembled all the 
 army clothiers, and requested they would divide the loss, 
 under pain of being no more employed. The cloth- 
 iers cried, cursed, lamented their wretched destiny, 
 and subscribed. Wartenberg wrote to the King that the 
 money was again in the military chest. Frederick sent 
 a very severe answer, and concluded his letter by telling 
 him "this was the last time he should be pardoned.* 
 
 Private anecdotes continue much the same. The gen- 
 eral report is that the King is to espouse Mademoiselle 
 Voss with the left hand, a German mode of ennobling 
 courtesans, invented by pliant courtiers and complaisant 
 priests to save appearances, say they. This lady still 
 continues a mixture of prudery and cynisme* affectation 
 and ingenuousness. She can find understanding only in 
 the English, whose language she speaks tolerably well. 
 
 Manstein is suspected to be the author of some of the 
 intended changes in the army, the purport of which is 
 to better the condition of the soldier and the subaltern, 
 at the expense of the captain. I repeat, this last is a 
 
 *We know no such word. Perhaps from KVU, or from KVUV; the met- 
 aphorical and least offensive translation of which may be COQUETRY.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 229 
 
 formidable cohort; and that innovations of such a kind 
 require great foresight and inflexible fortitude. Prince 
 Henry, who is profoundly silent, in public, concerning 
 all operations, will very warmly take part with the army, 
 should it find cause of complaint; and hopes thus to 
 regain what, by his excessive haughtiness, he has lost. 
 But the army aristocracy know him too well to confide 
 in him; they know that the Gitons* have been, and will 
 always continue, with him, the sovereign arbiters; that, 
 when circumstances have obliged him to seek the aid of 
 men of merit, he has always found their presence a 
 burden, which his crazy frame has shaken off as soon as 
 possible, that, in fine, his day is ended, with respect to 
 war, and that he is odious to the Ministry. 
 
 It seems one Count Briihl is chosen governor of the 
 Prince Royal; and nothing better proves the influence 
 of Bishopswerder than this eternal preference of Saxons. 
 Count Briihl, son of the ostentatious satrap of the same 
 name,f brother of the Grand Master of the Saxon Artil- 
 lery, amiable, well informed, really or pretentedly be- 
 lieving in the reveries of the mystics, with little of the 
 soldier, yet willing to profit by circumstances and to 
 enter the military career with gigantic strides this 
 Count, I say, demands to enter the service as a lieuten- 
 ant general; a thing unheard of in the Prussian army, 
 and which will cause infinite discontent. 
 
 An interdict has lately been issued, prohibiting the 
 discount of bills at the bank; which is very wise in 
 theory, but here accompanied by great inconveniences in 
 practice; for either the bank or the King must pay the 
 interest of two and a half per cent for about seventeen 
 millions of crowns, which is the amount of the capital of, 
 and the money brought into, the bank, in a country 
 where moneyed men find no means of employing their 
 
 *This word has a meaning too offensive to be translated. If the 
 reader has unfortunately ever heard of the most contemptible of 
 wretches, and the most unnatural of crimes, he may then be his own 
 interpreter. 
 
 f Who was page to Augustus II. of Saxony, Prime Minister to Au- 
 gustus III., favorite to his Consort, hated by the late King of Prussia, 
 and who had a greater number of coats, waistcoats, etc., than any 
 other man in the world.
 
 230 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 capitals. The bank cannot pay this two and a half per 
 cent without becoming burdensome to the King, except 
 by discounting bills of exchange; and it will hereafter 
 be the less able, if the Maritime Company, founded as I 
 have before said, on so frail a basis, and obliged to give 
 at least ten per cent to the proprietors, should lose any 
 one of its most beneficial exclusive privileges, that of 
 wood, for example, and should not be able to afford 
 the bank, to which the Maritime Society pays five per 
 cent for all the money it there borrows, the same sources 
 of profit which have hitherto been open. 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. The Minister Schulemburg has re- 
 signed; his resignation is not yet accepted. 
 
 The King yesterday supped with his daughter, Made- 
 moiselle Vierey the intimate friend of Mademoiselle 
 Voss, and placed by her in his daughter's service since 
 his accession to the throne and the well-beloved. Hence 
 it should seem that the romance draws toward a con- 
 clusion. 
 
 It is more than ever certain that the King transacts 
 no business, and that he is mad after pleasure. The 
 secrets of the palace on this subject are very ill-kept 
 indeed; and nothing, as I think, can better prove the 
 feebleness of the master, the little awe in which he is 
 held, and the worthlessness of his creatures. 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. The King is so terrified by the 
 universal clamor which the capitation tax has excited, 
 that it is renounced. Some of his intimates to-day spoke 
 to me of substitutes; but what can be expected from an 
 avaricious and weak Prince, whom two days' murmurings 
 have caused to retreat, and to whom we can only say, 
 <( Tax the estates of the nobility, and lend out some of 
 your millions; that you may procure the interest which 
 nations in debt are obliged to pay."
 
 LETTER XLIX. 
 
 November 2ist, 1786. 
 
 THERE are suspicions which are daily strengthened 
 of a secret negotiation between the Emperor and 
 Prussia; or at least that propositions have been made, 
 either by the first or reciprocally, on which deliberations 
 are held. I neither have the money nor the requisite 
 means to discover what they are. An Ambassador can 
 effect anything of this kind, and with impunity. But, 
 though I even possessed the great engine of corruption, 
 what danger should I not be in, should I set it in mo- 
 tion ? I have no credentials, direct or indirect. An act 
 of authority might dispose of me and my papers in an 
 instant; and I should be ruined, here and elsewhere, for 
 my too inconsiderate zeal. Spur on your Ambassador, 
 therefore, or hasten to oppose to this puissant coalition, 
 which nothing could resist on this side of the Rhine, the 
 system of union with England, the basis of which you 
 have traced out, and which shall be the salvation of the 
 world. Think on Poland, I conjure you. What they have 
 done (if they did not extend their acquisitions it was in 
 fact because they would not) they will again do, and 
 that even without the intervention of Russia; of that 
 sleeping giant, who, waking, may change the face of 
 the globe. 
 
 In truth, it is the coolness between the two Imperial 
 Courts which most confirms the suspicions of a new sys- 
 tem. All that I can imagine, concerning its foundation, 
 is that its pretext is the election of a King of the 
 Romans, and its purport a strict alliance, which shall de- 
 stroy the Germanic confederation. As this confederation 
 was the work of the King while Prince of Prussia, or as 
 he wishes to believe it his, and as he regards it as a 
 masterpiece, it may be doubted whether the Emperor will 
 succeed. But, if the news of yesterday be true, there is 
 
 (231)
 
 232 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 a great point gained. Advice is received that the Elect- 
 ress Palatine is beyond hope. Should she die, the Elector 
 would marry again on the morrow, and affairs may and 
 must assume a different face. If I am not mistaken, it 
 is difficult to reflect too seriously on this subject. For 
 my own part, unless my instructions and my means are 
 amplified, I only can observe, according to the best of 
 my power, the internal acts of government and the 
 Court. 
 
 The reason that Count Schulemburg, one of the Min- 
 isters of State, has demanded to retire is, in part, that 
 he was charged to carry the capitation tax into execu- 
 tion, which he neither conceived nor approved, and 
 which he truly regarded as a very unpopular, if not a 
 very odious, office. This Minister, a man of understand- 
 ing, and who would have again been at the head of af- 
 fairs if, at his first cause of disgust, he had determined 
 to resign his place, is infinitely disagreeable to the do- 
 mestic agents. The long favor he has enjoyed, his rapid 
 fortune, and his watchful perspicacity, have angered or 
 disturbed all his rivals. Neither is he one of those 
 pliant instruments that will bend into any form. The 
 incapacity of most of the other Ministers afforded him 
 the pretense of being obstinate in opinion. The ab- 
 surdities of the courtiers, not to say their extravagant 
 follies, emboldened him to return that contempt which 
 the reputation of his abilities incites with usury. For 
 what will not such a reputation eradicate, especially in a 
 country where men are so scarce? But if, as it is said (I 
 have not yet had time to verify the fact), there be a coali- 
 tion between Struensee and Welner, Schulemburg is un- 
 done, for they will no longer stand in need of him. As he 
 made illness his pretense, the King, in a very friendly 
 letter, only accepted his resignation per interim and on 
 condition that his signature should sanction whatever re- 
 lated to his department. 
 
 Meantime the Aulic * systems, that of mysticism, and 
 the favor of the mystics, are continued, or, rather, 
 increased and adorned. The Duke of Weimar arrived 
 here last night. He has the apartments of the Duke of 
 
 * AULIC, that is, Court.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 233 
 
 Brunswick at the palace. This Prince, the great apostle 
 of the fashionable sect, and of whom I spoke in my 
 dispatches from Brunswick and Magdeburg, had long had 
 the character of being only an arbiter elegantiarum; a 
 zealous promoter of letters and arts; an economist by 
 system; and a spendthrift by temperament. I some 
 months since suspected him of military enthusiasm. It 
 is now avowed. He comes to enter into the Prussian 
 service. Such generals will never renew the War of 
 Seven Years. 
 
 In other respects affairs continue the same. The King 
 invited himself to sup with Prince Henry to-day. The 
 Prince, who continues his awkward plans, stifling his 
 pent-up rage, has informed the foreign ambassadors that 
 the doors of his palace would be opened every Monday, 
 and that, if they thought proper to form card parties 
 there, he should receive them with pleasure. He wishes 
 to change the custom which hitherto has prohibited all 
 who appertain to the corps diplomatique from eating 
 with princes of the blood, and insensibly to invite them 
 to suppers. His credit is at the lowest ebb ; yet I still 
 believe, would he persevere in silence, abstain from all 
 pretensions, impatience, and avidity of power, he would 
 highly embarrass the opposite party, and would at length 
 be triumphant. 
 
 Murmurs become general against the obscure agents 
 of the Cabinet ; and the nobility, now neglected to make 
 room for the Saxons, would be better pleased to behold 
 a prince at the head of administration than obscure 
 clerks, who never can acquire great and acknowledged 
 fortunes, except by great changes. Yet the aristocracy 
 is little dependent on such subalterns, and holds them 
 in little dread. 
 
 The Duke of Courland is soon to arrive. As he is to 
 be reimbursed considerable sums, it is to be presumed 
 that the whole of the debts of the Heir Apparent, which 
 it is not decent to have left unpaid for several months 
 after his accession, will then be discharged. This fact, 
 combined with the suppers of the procuresses, the num- 
 ber of which suppers increases at the Princess Frederica's, 
 and for which purpose her establishment has evidently
 
 234 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 been granted, seriously attaint the moral character of 
 the King. 
 
 Madame de F , who would not depart for Warsaw 
 
 without making some attempt, yesterday had a very gay 
 audience of the King; an audience of anecdote, at which 
 he complained of his tiresome trade, and was earnest in 
 his desires that she should remain at Berlin; reproached 
 her with having stolen the portrait of Suck from him; 
 and complained to her of the impoliteness and blunders 
 
 of the Prince de P , who thought his very daughter, 
 
 the Princess Frederica, ugly and slatternly. This con- 
 tinued an hour, and probably if Madame de F had 
 
 come hither with greater precaution and for a longer 
 time, she might have had some success. But it is a be- 
 ing so perverse, so avaricious, and so dangerous, that it 
 is perhaps best she should travel with her talents else- 
 where; to Paris, for example, where she is known, where 
 she would not increase licentiousness, and never could 
 obtain any important influence; whereas, if admitted to 
 the privy council of Kings, she might set Europe in 
 flames to obtain money, or even for her own private 
 diversion. I took advantage of the moment that she 
 thought proper to depart from the route I had traced 
 out, to reiterate my information that her proceedings 
 might have consequences much more serious than result 
 from wounded vanity, and to declare I no longer should 
 be a party concerned. 
 
 1. Because it did not become me to risk my character, 
 in an affair where my advice was not followed. 
 
 2. And because the ambition of ladies has not, can- 
 not have, the same motives, principles, proceedings, and 
 conclusions, as that of a man who has a respect for 
 himself. 
 
 Should she succeed, which appears to me impossible, 
 she is too much in my power to escape my influence. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. Lord Dalrymple, it is reported, is recalled, 
 and Ewart remains at the head of the embassy without 
 a superior. Dalrymple is a man of honor and sense; 
 sometimes wearisome, because he is continually wearied, 
 but endowed with more understanding than will be
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 235 
 
 believed by those who have not carefully observed him; 
 and also with generous, liberal, and fixed principles. If 
 pacific coalition be sincerely intended, it is necessary to 
 bring Dalrymple Ambassador to Paris. With respect to 
 Ewart, I believe the Cabinet at St. James's finds it con- 
 venient to maintain a spy here, who is the intimate 
 friend of one Minister and the son-in-law of another. 
 But what can be alleged in excuse of the Cabinet of 
 Berlin, that shall tolerate such an encumbrance ? This 
 is but public report, which I suspect. 
 
 Commissions of inquiry begin to be fashionable; one 
 has lately been appointed to examine the monopoly of 
 sugars. The people of Hamburg offered to supply the 
 same articles at less than half price. 
 
 Another to examine the cloth manufactory. 
 
 Another the wood monopoly, which is to be reduced 
 to half its present price (independent of the suppression 
 of the company, by which it is furnished). But how ? 
 By what means ? The change is assuredly one of the 
 most urgent, and the most profitable that could be made 
 for the country ; but the abolition of all these monopolies, 
 sugar excepted, which is granted to an individual,* sup- 
 poses the destruction of the Maritime Company, that 
 strange firm, which has promised the proprietors a div- 
 idend of ten per cent, be circumstances what they may. 
 This fantastic superstructure cannot be pulled down, 
 unless by a very able hand, without risk of danger from 
 its ruins. Therefore, in his letter to the Minister 
 Schulemburg, the King renounces this project, and com- 
 mands that it should be contradicted in all the public 
 papers. What a fluctuation of plans, orders, and in- 
 tentions! What poverty of power and of means! 
 
 * Splittgerber and Co., who had not only the monopoly of all the 
 refining houses, but also a foundry for muskets, small arms, sword 
 blades, etc., etc.; a manufactory for hardware, cutlery, etc., etc., and 
 another for braziery ; all monopolies that have existed for many years, 
 and all granted by Frederick II., the King who is so emphatically and 
 so falsely, held up as the mirror of wisdom, and the demigod to whom 
 future ages are to erect statues, build temples, burn incense, and fall 
 down in adoration.
 
 LETTER L. 
 
 November 24th, 1786. 
 
 COUNT HERTZBERG has made a new attempt to inter- 
 fere in the affairs of Holland, which had been 
 interdicted him by the King, and has presented a 
 memorial on the subject, in which he pretends to prove 
 that crowned heads have several times stood forth as 
 mediators between the States and the Stadtholder; and 
 that the insidious reply of France stated that as fact 
 which was in dispute. Prince Henry believes this me- 
 morial has produced some effect. I have my reasons for 
 being of a different opinion; however, I informed him 
 that, if he could procure me a copy, its futility should 
 soon be demonstrated. I doubt whether he has even 
 thus much power. 
 
 Here let me remark, we are reconciled. I refused 
 two invitations, and he has made every kind of advance 
 to me, which decorum requires I should receive with 
 politeness. 
 
 The journey of the Duke of Weimar certainly had no 
 other end but that of his admission into the Prussian 
 service, which is to strengthen the rising fame of the 
 Germanic confederation. This prince in reality warmly 
 protects the system of those who find, in the depth of 
 their mystical abilities, rules for governing a kingdom. 
 The favor in which these systems are held continually 
 increases in fervor; or rather, is become visible, for it 
 never was cool. The brother of the Margrave of Baden, 
 a fashionable enthusiast, has a natural son, for whom 
 he wishes to provide. This is the great affair of which 
 he is come hither personally to treat, and he has met a 
 miraculously kind welcome. 
 
 Business is not quite so well. There is so much con- 
 fusion in domestic affairs that the King only issues 
 (236)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 237 
 
 money on account to the various officers of the house- 
 hold. It is determined that all his debts, while Prince 
 of Prussia, are to be paid; that the Prince Royal shall 
 have an establishment, and a table of ten covers; that 
 the Princess Frederica shall have another, equal to the 
 establishment of the Queen; and that the period when 
 these arrangements are to take place is to be after the 
 statements of expense have been formed. 
 The army is discontented. 
 
 1. Because the King appears on the parade only once 
 a week. 
 
 2. Because commissions of major and lieutenant colonel 
 are multiplied to satiety (for example, all the captains 
 who have been in actual service have obtained them; 
 this is the second chapter of titles, and patents of no- 
 bility, by scores); a favor which never was formerly 
 granted, not even at the solicitation of the greatest 
 princes. * 
 
 3. Because much is talked of, little done; because 
 few are punished, and little is required; and, in a word, 
 because the army does not now, as formerly, absorb the 
 whole attention of the Sovereign. 
 
 It does not appear that Manstein diminishes the credit 
 of the aid-de-camp Goltz, who has become a count, and 
 who, in what relates to military affairs, has evidently 
 more influence than his rivals. He has great abilities, 
 without having such as are necessary to that place, 
 which, in fact, is equivalent to that of minister for the 
 war department. 
 
 It is subject of astonishment to the few men of 
 observation who are attentive to whatever may lead to 
 a knowledge of the moral character of the new King, 
 that he should behave so coldly to one of his aids-de- 
 camp named Boulet, whom I have before several times 
 mentioned. Boulet is a French refugee of no superior 
 understanding; an honest man, with little ambition; a 
 very ordinary engineer, though here a distinguished one, 
 because here there are none. He has been twenty years 
 attached to the Monarch, but never was admitted a party 
 in his secret pleasures, which were formerly almost neces- 
 
 * Rank in the Prussian service was formerly confined to seniority.
 
 238 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 sary to support the solitude of Potsdam and the hatred 
 of the late King. He neither increases nor diminishes 
 in favor, and his influence is almost a nullity. Such a 
 repugnance for a man of some consequence in his pro- 
 fession, and who neither can offend nor disgust, is 
 enigmatical. 
 
 It is nearly certain that the capitation plan will be 
 rejected. This hasty expedient would not have been a 
 substitute equal to their wants. But you must feel how 
 much so many variations will diminish all confidence in 
 the subaltern and concealed administrators, who act in- 
 stead of ministers ; and how every circumstance concurs to 
 render a prime minister necessary. Nothing seems deter- 
 mined on except a desire to change. There is no system ; 
 for I cannot call the vague desire of easing the people 
 by that term ; nor any regular plans, formed from knowl- 
 edge, examination, and reflection. 
 
 None of the difficulties, for example, had been fore- 
 seen that arise from the suppression of the monopoly 
 and administration of tobacco, which afforded an asylum 
 to twelve hundred invalids, army subalterns, and even 
 lieutenants. These invalids must live, and be maintained 
 by the King. Nor is this all. Shares in the tobacco 
 company originally cost a thousand crowns, and brought 
 in eleven per cent; the price afterward rose to fourteen 
 hundred crowns. The contract granted by the late King 
 was to be in force to the year 1793. Should the King 
 buy in these shares, at a thousand crowns each, this 
 would be unjust; since they have been purchased at 
 fourteen hundred, on the faith of a contract of which 
 seven years are unexpired. If he should pay interest for 
 them, at the rate of eight per cent till the year 1793, 
 he must then himself become a loser. Would it not 
 have been better not to have made any change till the 
 contract should expire of itself, or till he had found a 
 proper substitute ? The effects which are the represent- 
 atives of the capital, consist in utensils, warehouses, 
 houses, carriages, etc., etc. These cannot all be sold 
 without loss, which must likewise fall on the King. The 
 monopoly was burdened with pensions, bestowed on per- 
 sons by whom they had been merited; or, if you please,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 239 
 
 obtained for that very affair which paid those pensions.* 
 They must hereafter be discharged by some other fund, 
 etc. 
 
 Heaven forbid I should pretend such difficulties ought 
 not to be surmounted! Improvement would then be ac- 
 complished. But they ought to have been foreseen, 
 which they have not; so that the public only perceives, 
 in this suppression, a real evil in return for an unasked 
 good. This mania to undersell the smugglers, or to de- 
 stroy illicit trade, if great care be not taken, will be 
 more injurious to the people than the trade itself was to 
 the State. Opposition to contraband trade ought to be 
 the consequence of one comprehensive system; and those 
 are short-sighted views which endeavor to correct partial 
 abuses, that appertain to the general vices of administra- 
 tion. The refining of sugar, the fabricating of arms, 
 silk, gauze, stuffs, cloths, in a word, whatever relates to 
 industry, all are directed by regulations destructive 
 to commerce. But may all this vanish by a single act of 
 volition ? Impossible ; without producing convulsions in 
 the State. And thus are truth and benevolence discred- 
 ited, and kings discouraged. Woe to him who pulls 
 down without precaution! 
 
 The principles of the two Kings, concerning their per- 
 sonal dignity, appear to be so different as to give room 
 for reflection, relative to this country. When Frederick II. 
 established the coffee monopoly, the citizens of Potsdam 
 were daring enough to load a cart with coffeepots and 
 coffeemills, to drive it through the town and overturn 
 it into the river. Frederick, who was a spectator of this 
 burlesque procession, opened his window and laughed 
 heartily. Here we have an anecdote of him whom they 
 call the Tiberius of Prussia. The following is another 
 of the Prussian Titus: 
 
 The day before yesterday, the clerk of a merchant, 
 named Olier, was imprisoned ; and he was not informed, 
 till the morning after, that the cause of his imprison- 
 ment was some trifling speech relative to the King; and 
 
 * The author is here, as in many other places, obscure. The mean- 
 ing most probably is that they were pensions granted in return for 
 the sums that were risked at the establishment of the monopoly.
 
 24 o SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 that, should he commit a similar offense, the dungeon 
 would give a good account of him! Such are the first 
 fruits of a gloomy internal administration, of which the 
 vanity and poverty of mind of the King have been pro- 
 ductive. What a foreboding of tyranny, whether it be 
 royal, or, which is worse, subaltern! Under what cir- 
 cumstances, and in what a country! There, where the 
 master, whose vanity is so irascible, wishes to appear 
 good; and where there is no counterpoise to his power, 
 in the public opinion; for the public has no opinion! 
 
 The commission of inquiry, sitting on Launay, remains 
 silent, retards its proceedings, forces or seeks for facts, 
 and decides on nothing. Du Bosc is very industrious. 
 Two merchants are arrived from each province, who are 
 to give their advice, relative to the best manner of ren- 
 dering trade flourishing. It is not yet known here that, 
 though merchants only should be trusted with the execu- 
 tion of a commercial plan, they never should be consulted 
 concerning a general system; because their views and 
 their interests are always partial. One of them, however, 
 has given advice which is very sage, in the present state 
 of affairs; and that is to forbid the silk manufactories, 
 which are all on the royal establishment, to make any 
 but plain silks. Should they determine so to do, the 
 King of Prussia may supply Sweden, Poland, and a part 
 of Russia. 
 
 The Princess Elizabeth, the divorced consort of the 
 King, has requested to have a place five miles from Ber- 
 lin, and that his Majesty would appoint the ladies and 
 gentlemen who shall be her attendants. It is supposed 
 that the attempts this Princess makes have been suggested 
 to her by an adroit and intriguing officer; but it is not 
 she who will become formidable to the Queen, though I 
 really dare not say so much for Mademoiselle Voss. What 
 must be the destiny of a country which soon is to be 
 divided among priests, mystics, and prostitutes ? 
 
 In despite of all my diligence to divine what is in 
 treaty with the Court of Vienna, I can only form conjec- 
 tures. However, when I reflect that the Prussian Am- 
 bassador to Austria is an incapable person, Count Podewils ; 
 and that the Emperor's Ambassador, Prince Reuss has
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 241 
 
 not altered his conduct; that Prince Henry, though gen- 
 erally ill-informed, would have some positive intelligence, 
 if anything positive had been done, and that he has only 
 vague suspicion, I scarcely can believe any important 
 or probable revolution is on the tapis. Did the Prince 
 (Henry) possess but one of the twenty wills of which he 
 is composed, and which do not all form the equivalent 
 of a whole, so that he could expend his money properly, 
 and act with consistency, his superior information must 
 give him a great ascendency in the Cabinet. 
 
 But why do we not rid ourselves of this complication 
 of political affairs, by at once changing our foreign sys- 
 tem, and breaking down the only opposing barrier ? I 
 mean to say, by respectable arrangements and sincere 
 advances. Why do we not stifle commercial jealousy, 
 that mother of national animosity, which has silenced 
 good sense, and pompously predicted, supported by the 
 sophisms of mercantile cupidity, that total ruin, whether 
 it be for France or England, must be the result of the 
 unfavorable balance to which a freedom of trade could 
 not fail to give birth ? Is it, then, so difficult to demon- 
 strate that the trade of France might be much more ad- 
 vantageous to Great Britain than that of any other 
 country, and vice versa ? Who that will but open his eyes 
 will not see the reason ? It is in the will of Nature, 
 by which those monarchies are nearer each other than 
 they are to other countries. The returns of the trade 
 which might be carried on between the southern coast 
 of England and northwest of France might take place 
 five or six times a year, as in the more internal com- 
 merce. The capital employed in this trade might there- 
 fore, in both countries, be productive of five or six times 
 its present quantity of industry, and might afford employ- 
 ment and subsistence to six times as many inhabitants 
 as the same capital could effect in most other branches 
 of foreign trade. Between those parts of France and 
 Great Britain which are most distant from each other, 
 the returns might at least be made once a year; and 
 would consequently be thrice as profitable as the trade, 
 formerly so much vaunted, with North America; in which 
 the returns usually took place only once in three, and 
 
 16
 
 242 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 very frequently only once in four or five years. The 
 sage Smith asks, <( If we consider its population, wants, 
 and wealth, is not France at least a market eight times 
 more extensive (for England), and, by reason of its quick 
 returns, twenty-four times more advantageous than ever 
 was that of the English colonies of North America ? }> * 
 It is not less, or rather, it is more evident that the trade 
 with Great Britain would be in an equal degree useful to 
 France, in proportion to the wealth, population, and 
 proximity of the two countries. It would eventually have 
 the same superiority over that which France has made 
 with her colonies. Oh, human folly! What labors do 
 we undertake to deprive ourselves of the benefits of Na- 
 ture! How prodigious a difference between that trade 
 which the politics of the two nations have thought it 
 right to discourage, and that which has been the most 
 favored! It appears to me that a work which should 
 develop these ideas, and which begin no longer to be 
 thought monstrous by the English, would be very useful, 
 and could not be intrusted to a man of too great 
 abilities. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. I have circumstantial evidence that the 
 King is more than ever indolent. Letters are answered 
 in eight or ten days, and in a more long and careful 
 manner than under the late King; which sufficiently 
 proves that secretaries have great interference. Yet 
 what must we say of a Cabinet in which the King never 
 acts, although it is impossible to cite any minister whose 
 influence has effected such or such a thing ? Even into 
 the assembly of the general directory, which sits twice a 
 week, the King never comes. And this is the King who 
 wishes to change the fiscal system ! None but a Hercules 
 can cleanse the Augean stables. 
 
 * Either we have not been fortunate enough to find the passage the 
 author quotes, or he has taken the sense of various passages. Smith 
 says, (< A capital employed in the home trade will sometimes make 
 twelve operations, or be sent out and returned twelve times, before a 
 capital employed in the foreign trade of consumption has made one. 
 If the capitals are equal, therefore, the one will give four-and-twenty 
 times more encouragement and support to the industry of the country 
 than the other. Smith's Wealth of Nations,* vol. ii., p. 61, edit. 1786.
 
 LETTER LI. 
 
 November z8th, 1786. 
 
 PEOPLE are not agreed concerning the kind of services 
 which the committee of merchants, convoked from 
 the different provinces, may render Government. 
 These good folks are highly astonished to hear them- 
 selves consulted on affairs of State; for there is as great 
 a distance between them and Mont-Audouin and Pre"- 
 mores, as there is between the Prussian Ministers and 
 our Sully and Colbert. The question should be to reverse 
 the general and fundamental system, and they seek only 
 palliatives. The blood is infected, and instead of purify- 
 ing it, they endeavor but to heal this or that ulcer. 
 They will inflame the gangrene, and render the virus 
 more envenomed. 
 
 There are great disputes concerning the manufactures. 
 But, good God ! ought they to begin with these ? And, 
 should they well and clearly have determined which 
 were necessary to preserve, and which to neglect, ought 
 they not, before they prescribe rules, to assume as a 
 datum that Berlin is not a place for manufacturers; 
 because that the dearness of the labor, local, and national 
 inconveniences, etc., etc., are there united; and because 
 that the establishment of manufactures must there be- 
 come a disastrous extravagance ? for which reason the 
 manufacturers themselves carry on a contraband trade, 
 and sell French for Prussian stuffs. As they have no 
 competitors, they affix what price they please on their 
 merchandise; and, as nothing is easier than to smuggle, 
 they take a part of their goods to the fairs of Frank- 
 fort, which they sell or do not sell, as it shall happen, 
 and purchase Lyons silks, to which they affix Berlin 
 stamps, and enter them without any other precaution, 
 or the least risk: since the customhouse officers of the 
 barriers, who are invalids either of the Court or army, 
 
 (243)
 
 244 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 cannot distinguish whether what is shown them is taffeta 
 or satin; still less, whether it be woven at Lyons or 
 Berlin. This city neither possesses industry, emulation, 
 taste, genius, nor money, to effect such changes. Another 
 age, and I know not how many transitions among the 
 Germans, are necessary for them to imitate that luxury 
 of embellishment for which they have the folly to wish. 
 Incapable of choosing between that which is possible 
 and proper, and that which is chimerical and injurious, 
 without means, principles, or system, the present at- 
 tempts of these men, to which they owe their ephemeral 
 existence, will have no other effect than that of leading, 
 the King first, and afterward the vulgar and the foolish, 
 to believe that the evil is irreparable. 
 
 The inheritance of the margraviate of Schwedt is an 
 affair at this moment, which, in other hands, might 
 have important consequences. The Margrave approaches 
 his end. After the partition of Poland, the late King 
 wrote to his brother, Prince Henry, that he was desirous 
 of bestowing on him a peculiar mark of his friendship 
 and gratitude, for the service he had rendered the State. 
 Frederick thought he should have rid himself of his 
 promise by a statue; but he was privately given to 
 understand that fame was left to the care of posterity, 
 and that the present question was an increase of pos- 
 session. A few months afterward, the Margrave of 
 Schwedt, brother of the present Margrave, died ; the King 
 seized the occasion to release himself from his word. In 
 a very authentic patent, and at a long term, he conferred 
 on Prince Henry the reversion of the margraviate, on 
 condition that he should discharge all the burdens with 
 which this great fief is loaded. Frederick dies, and his 
 successor declares that all survivances, and donations in 
 future, etc., are null, and that he will not confirm them. 
 Prince Henry finds himself among the number of those 
 on whom reversions were bestowed. There is little 
 probability these lands will be given him. The question 
 is, will he or will he not have any compensation ? 
 
 Prince Henry certainly has pretenses to exclaim against 
 ingratitude, and exclaim he will. There it will end. 
 Melancholy mad at one moment, he will rave the next;
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 245 
 
 and thus, giving vent to his griefs, will save his life ; for 
 mute affliction only is dangerous. 
 
 Those, however, who are not among his partisans, will 
 observe this proceeding with the greatest inquietude, 
 because it begins to appear that even the personal prom- 
 ises of the King are susceptible of wavering. I spoke 
 to you in one of my dispatches of the restitution of 
 some bailliages to the Duke of Mecklenburg, which had 
 been promised to the envoy of the Duke by the King 
 himself. He has since withdrawn, or at least suspended, 
 his promise. So much facility in departing from recent 
 engagements, combined with the clamors of the people, 
 and the exclusive contracts that are trodden under foot 
 without pity, appear to be but ill omens. It has been 
 inserted, for example, BY COMMAND, in the public papers, 
 <( that the King declares to all the army clothiers that, 
 from paternal motives,* all of which have been an- 
 nounced with emphasis, as you will see in every gazette, 
 the King annuls their contracts ; even those that have 
 been recently confirmed.* Which clause is the more 
 gratuitously odious and absurd, as he had not confirmed 
 anyone; he, therefore, need not have taken the trouble 
 SOLEMNLY to inform his subjects that he knew very well 
 how, when occasion should serve, SOLEMNLY to break his 
 word. 
 
 The King spoke to me yesterday concerning the woolen 
 manufactory. I endeavored to make him understand 
 that, before we pulled down our house, we should know 
 where to find a lodging, or how we might dispose of the 
 ruins. He answered me, laughing, * Oh ! Schmits is your 
 banker.* (He is the contractor for this manufactory.) 
 Very true, Sire,* replied I; "but he has not hitherto 
 made me a present of the money which has been remit- 
 ted me through his hands.* This may show you what 
 engines are set at work to keep me at a distance. The 
 following is a more circumstantial proof: 
 
 I was six days very ill, and did not make my appear- 
 ance at Court, which I the less regretted because that 
 nothing is learned in such grand company. The day be- 
 fore yesterday, the King said at his Lotto, (< Where is the 
 Comte de Mirabeau ? It is an age since I saw him. *
 
 246 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 <( That is not astonishing, Sire," said one of the house- 
 hold. w He passes his time at the house of Struensee, 
 with Messrs. Biester and Nicolai. w You must understand 
 that Biester and Nicolai are two learned Germans, who 
 have written much against Lavater and the mystics; 
 that they never enter the house of, nor are they, as I 
 believe, personally acquainted with, Struensee. The in- 
 tention was to lead the King to suppose I was an anti- 
 mystic. 
 
 The appointment of Count Charles Briihl to the place 
 of Governor of the Prince Royal has made the party 
 more than ever triumphant. To the merit of appertaining 
 to that honorable sect, Count Leppel, the most incapable 
 and ridiculous of men, is indebted for his Swedish Em- 
 bassy ; as are Baron Doernberg for favors of every kind, 
 Prince Frederick for his intimacy, the Duke of Weimar, 
 the brother of the Margrave of Baden, and the Prince 
 of Dessau for their success, and the courtiers that sur- 
 round the King for their influence and favor. It looks 
 like a tacit confederacy, and that there is a determina- 
 tion to admit none but proved and fervent sectaries into 
 administration. No one dares combat them; everybody 
 bows before them. The slaves of the Court and the 
 city, who were not the first to yield, mutter disapproba- 
 tion, and, by degrees, will range themselves on the side 
 of the prevailing party. 
 
 There is no parasite, however great, that attempts to 
 excuse the prostitution of titles, patents of nobility, ribbons, 
 academical places, and military promotions, which daily 
 is aggravated. Seventeen majors, for example, have been 
 made, merely in acquittal of vague and inconsiderate 
 promises ; and that there may be the semblance of recol- 
 lecting, at LITTLE expense, hopes that had been given 
 when every LITTLE aid was acceptable. 
 
 The King makes himself too public not to talk very 
 idly. It would be better that, at the commencement of 
 a reign, the Prussian Monarch should not find time daily 
 to have a tiresome concert, or a more languid Lotto; 
 especially when the world knows the nothings, or the 
 worse, that employ his mornings. He more and more 
 every day, constitutes himself the redressor of the wrongs
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 247 
 
 committed by his uncle. Those colonels or generals that 
 were dismissed return to the army with promotions or 
 appointments that recompense their sufferings. The 
 counselors that formerly were degraded, concerning the 
 affair of the miller Arnold, have been reinstated in their 
 functions. To say the truth, their punishment was one of 
 the most iniquitous of the acts* of Frederick II. But his 
 principal victim, the Chancellor Ftirst, has hitherto been 
 forgotten. His great age, indeed, will not permit him 
 to occupy any post. But some solemn mark of good will 
 some flattering recompense of strict justice, while so 
 many other recompenses are granted, which are favors 
 that are often more than suspicious would this be im- 
 possible ? 
 
 Under the late reign, the mines solely depended on the 
 minister of that department. An arrangement has just 
 been made, according to which four tribunals, erected in 
 the provinces, greatly moderate his authority; and this 
 was very necessary in a country where the public right 
 of the mines was the most revolting tyranny. But the 
 
 *We ought to read PRIVATE acts. Arnold held a mill of Count 
 Schmettau ; and, being in arrear for several years' rent, the mill was 
 seized and sold. Arnold laid a false complaint against one Gersdorf, for 
 having robbed him of the water by which his mill had been supplied and 
 his family maintained. The King ordered the sentence, that had con- 
 demned Arnold to lose his mill for the payment of arrears, to be revised. 
 His orders were obeyed. The judgment was confirmed. Without proper 
 examination the King sent for the judges, deprived them of their places, 
 condemned them to pay the costs of Arnold, sentenced Gersdorf to re- 
 store the water or build a windmill, sent them to the prison for malefac- 
 tors, ordered Baron Zedlitz to see punishment inflicted or to beware of 
 punishment himself, ruined them all, and, without hearing him, com- 
 manded his Grand Chancellor Furst, who came to prove that he could 
 not be guilty because he had no concern in the trial, TO MARCH ! and de- 
 graded him from all his dignities. The facts were, that the pond of 
 Gersdorf, which Arnold affirmed had been dug to his detriment, had been 
 a pond for ages ; that Gersdorf was neither his landlord nor his prose- 
 cutor, but Schmettau ; that Arnold actually paid no rent; and that the 
 proofs of the legality of the sentence, by which he had been cast, were 
 evident to all the judges, none of whom could have any interest in giv- 
 ing a false judgment. This act of tyranny was echoed with applause 
 through all Europe, and, among others, by the English newspapers, 
 magazines, annual registers, etc. , most of which, with equal piety and 
 patriotism, hoped in good time to see justice thus righteously adminis- 
 tered in England.
 
 24 8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 arrangement does not announce the disgrace of Heinitz. 
 He has, on the contrary, had several new departments 
 committed to his charge within this fortnight ; and partic- 
 ularly some that belonged to Schulemburg. It is a part 
 of the plan to restore all things to the state in which 
 they were left by Frederick William in 1740. This crit- 
 icism on the last reign may be vengeance dearly pur- 
 chased. At least it is necessary to be consistent; and, 
 since the grand directory has been restored according to 
 its first institution, it ought not to be left in indolence, 
 and in a state of humiliating insufficiency. The dismis- 
 sion of the Minister Gaudi is reported, who is the man 
 by whom Government might best profit, if he were em- 
 ployed. This conspiracy against capacity and knowledge, 
 with good reason, alarms those who know the persons 
 that inspire predilection. 
 
 If I am not mistaken, there is here, at this moment, 
 an acquisition to be made, worthy of the King of 
 France, and M. de Calonne is the very man who ought 
 to lay the proposal before his Majesty. The illustrious 
 La Grange, the greatest mathematician that has ap- 
 peared since Newton, and who, by his understanding and 
 genius, is the man in all Europe who has most astonished 
 me; La Grange, the most sage, and perhaps the only 
 true practical philosopher that has ever existed; worthy 
 to be commended for the pertinacious calmness of his 
 mind, his manners, and his conduct; in a word, a man 
 affectionately respected by the small number of men 
 whom he would admit to be of his acquaintance ; this La 
 Grange has lived twenty years at Berlin, whither 
 he was invited, in his youth by the late King, to suc- 
 ceed Euler, who had himself pointed him out as the 
 only man proper to be his successor. He is much dis- 
 gusted, silently but irremediably disgusted, because that 
 his disgust originates in contempt. The passions, bru- 
 talities, and lunatic boastings of Hertzberg; the addition 
 of so many as Academicians with whom La Grange can- 
 not, without blushing, associate; the very prudent dread 
 of seeing himself held in painful suspense, between the 
 philosophic repose which he regards as the first good, 
 and that respect which he owes himself, and which he
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 249 
 
 will not suffer to be insulted; all induce him to retire 
 from a country where the crime of being a foreigner is not 
 to be forgiven, and where he will not support an existence 
 which will only be tolerated. It cannot be doubted but 
 that he would willingly exchange the sun and the coin 
 of Prussia for the sun and the coin of France, the only 
 country on earth where men pay homage to the genius 
 of science, and confer lasting fame; the only country 
 where La Grange, the grandson of a Frenchman, and 
 who gratefully recollects that we have made him known 
 to Europe, would delight to live, if he must renounce 
 his old friends and the abode of his youth. Prince Car- 
 dito di Laffredo, Ambassador from Naples to Copenha- 
 gen, has made him the handsomest offers, in the name 
 of his Sovereign. He has received pressing invitations 
 from the Grand Duke and the King of Sardinia. But all 
 these proposals would easily be forgoten, if put in com- 
 petition with ours. And will not the King of France 
 likewise, aided by a worthy comptroller general, at 
 the time when he would extend that empire of benevo- 
 lence which appertains to him alone would not the 
 King of France endeavor to acquire a man whose merit 
 is known to all Europe? La Grange here receives a pen- 
 sion of six thousand livres. And cannot the King of 
 France dedicate that sum to the first mathematician of 
 the age? Is it beneath Louis XVI. to invite a great 
 man, from a miserable academy, who is there misunder- 
 stood, misallied, and thus, by the most noble warfare, to 
 extirpate the only literary corps that has wrestled against 
 his proper academies? Would not this act of generosity 
 be superior to those that are usually performed? France, 
 with pernicious policy, has been the asylum of Princes, 
 with whose necessities she was burdened. Why will she 
 not welcome a great man who would but add to her 
 worth? Has she so long enriched others with her losses, 
 and will she not enrich herself by others' errors? In 
 fine, to speak of the Minister I love, one De Boynes has 
 given eighteen thousand livres a year, for a useless place, 
 to one Boscovich, a man despised by all the learned 
 of Europe, as a literary quack of poor abilities ; and why 
 will not M. de Calonne grant a pension of two thou-
 
 250 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 sand crowns to the first man in Europe of his class, and 
 probably to the last great genius the mathematical 
 sciences shall possess; the passion for which diminishes, 
 because of the excessive difficulties that are to be sur- 
 mounted, and the infinitely few means of acquiring fame 
 by discovery? 
 
 I have the hope exceeding!}* at heart, because I think 
 it a noble one, and because I tenderly love the man. I 
 entreat I may have an immediate answer; for I own I 
 have induced M. de la Grange to suspend his declara- 
 tions on the propositions that have been made him, till 
 he has heard what ours may be. I need not repeat 
 that he whose hands are tied must call for help.
 
 LETTER LII. 
 
 December 2d, 1786. 
 
 ON THE 29th, between one and two o'clock, a person 
 from Courland came to me and asked for the Baron 
 de Nold6. He said he was charged with some secret 
 commission, and delivered him a letter from M. Rum- 
 mel, his brother-in-law, a Syndic of the nobility, and 
 fifty Prussian gold Fredericks. The letter desired Nolde" 
 would give faith to what the bearer should relate, and 
 informed him that the regency of the Republic in- 
 tended to confer on him the place of assessor, if he would 
 repair to Courland that he might be put in nomination; 
 and that the appointment was to be made at the begin- 
 ning of the year. The bearer of the letter said he had 
 known the Baron Nolde" when a boy. The Baron sup- 
 posed him to be an advocate, or a notary, of whom he 
 had some confused idea. He neither told his name, 
 where he lodged, how he traveled, when he came to 
 Berlin, nor where he was going. Hamburg, Liibeck, 
 Vienna, Munich, etc., are places through which he has 
 passed, or means to pass. His journey has been very 
 secret, very enigmatical, very mysterious. He only gave 
 it to be understood that great changes would soon be 
 seen in Courland, and that Woronzow was there to enact 
 a grand part, of which he spoke so as to make it sus- 
 pected he might become Duke. Such are the chief points 
 of this odd interview. 
 
 We must combine this with the return of the Duke, 
 who arrived three days ago, and with innumerable indi- 
 cations which demonstrate that a revolution is either in 
 agitation or preparing in Courland. Consternation has 
 seized on the Duke. It is only whispered, but it appears 
 evident that the States have stopped the payment of his 
 revenues, because he does not expend the money in the 
 
 (251)
 
 252 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 country; and this is the least of the griefs, entertained 
 at Petersburg, against this detested man. Certain it is 
 that he has sent his wife, who is far advanced in her 
 pregnancy, to Mittau, whither he dares not return him- 
 self; hoping she shall be delivered of a male child, and 
 that this presumptive heir will reconcile him to his 
 country. 
 
 Add, further, that Baron Nolde" is of one of the first 
 houses of Courland; that his uncle, the Chamberlain 
 Howen, a capable and enterprising man, is at present 
 first Minister or Land Marshal; that all affairs pass 
 through his hands, and that he is in the greatest credit ; 
 which, to say truth, may be reduced to this : that he has 
 the power of selling, with more or less meanness, this fine 
 but unfortunate province; which, however, should it be 
 abandoned by all its neighbors, cannot act otherwise than 
 to bestow, rather than suffer itself to be seized upon. 
 It is very possible that the family of Nolde", which knows 
 how much this studious young Baron has continually pre- 
 ferred a civil to a military life, has only thought of 
 placing 1 him advantageously. (The post of assessor, 
 which is worth from four to five thousand livres of 
 Courland, per annum, is the post of preferment.) But 
 it is equally possible, and, all circumstances considered, 
 very probable, that his assistance is wished for in effect- 
 ing a revolution. 
 
 This young Baron is possessed of honor, information, 
 and understanding; has a great respect for the rights of 
 mankind, an utter hatred for the Russians, and an ardent 
 desire his country should rather appertain to any other 
 Power. From his infancy the sport of chance, ruined by 
 misfortunes of every kind, which all had a worthy origin ; 
 disgusted with the gloomy rank of subaltern officer, 
 which impedes the progress of his studies, and moderate 
 in his desires, he would accept a place which should be- 
 stow on him the otium cum dignitate; but he would 
 not be the slave of Russia. He loves France, and is 
 attached to me, to whom he thinks himself obliged. He 
 is desirous of serving his country, the Cabinet of Ver- 
 sailles, and his friend. The indecision of his mind must 
 have been afflicting, especially under circumstances when,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 253 
 
 laboring for these six months like a galley slave, and 
 certainly in a manner more useful than had he been 
 mounting guard, you have even neglected to prolong 
 his furlough. This, at least, was perplexing. I have 
 decided for him. 
 
 Making myself responsible for this prolongation, which 
 it would be so iniquitous to refuse, and which surely 
 will be granted if it be only out of respect to me, who 
 find his coadjutorship necessary; imagining he still has 
 the right of returning into Courland by throwing up his 
 commission, or even without throwing it up, by suffer- 
 ing another nomination to take place; convinced that no 
 one can inform us more exactly of the situation of the 
 country in which he has so many relations; persuaded 
 that this is an important step for several reasons, the 
 principal of which I shall presently demonstrate, and not 
 believing (independent of the expense of a journey of 
 more than four hundred leagues) that I should be justi- 
 fied in absenting myself without having received express 
 orders; confiding in the honor of this affectionate young 
 gentleman, as well because of the recommendations of 
 those to whom he is intimately known, as from having 
 myself proved his principles and his conduct; and still 
 farther convinced that confidence is the most powerful 
 of motives with men of honor, I have thought it the 
 most prudent mode to suffer him immediately to depart 
 on his promise of sending me information of whatever 
 passes, and of returning to Berlin within two months. 
 It has seemed to me that this will conciliate his interest 
 and ours, the latter because we shall be perfectly in- 
 formed of whatever we wish to know concerning Cour- 
 land, of which many things are to be learned, and by 
 which step, at all events, we shall make a party in the 
 country, where the simple title of consul, or the permis- 
 sion only of wearing our uniform, with a small pension, 
 will secure to us a man of merit, should he determine to 
 accept the offers of the regency; first, because Baron 
 Nolde" will inform himself, by this journey, what is the 
 degree of stability and profit of the place they propose 
 for him, and because, if he be not satisfied with this, he 
 may again return to the service of France, with the rec-
 
 254 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 ommendation of additional labors and strong zeal in her 
 behalf; and, should he be satisfied with the offers of 
 Courland, he may accept them, while we may better his 
 situation and augment his respect and safety, by suffer- 
 ing him to wear our uniform, etc., etc. 
 
 Summarily, this young gentleman, who has served at 
 the sieges of Port-Mahon and Gibraltar; who is esteemed 
 and beloved by his commanders ; who for six months has 
 labored, under my direction, with uncommon zeal, and 
 assiduity not less uncommon; 1 repeat, this gentleman 
 would certainly merit such a mark of favor, though it 
 had been on his own business solely that he had made 
 a journey into Courland. But the truth is I send him 
 thither because I am strongly invited by circumstances, 
 and am convinced of two things. First, that were it 
 only perfectly to understand this part of the politics of 
 Russia, it is of importance to us at once to know at 
 what to estimate the worth and destiny, as well as the 
 changes of which this country is susceptible; which, in- 
 dependent of all interior circumstances, stands by situa- 
 tion the sentinel of Poland and of the Baltic, now that 
 Sweden, our arm of the north, is so seriously menaced. 
 My second conviction is that Baron Nold is the most proper 
 of men faithfully to send us this information. Where- 
 fore not afford him aid ? Wherefore not preserve such 
 persons ? 
 
 You must have seen, but perhaps you have not re- 
 marked, in the thirty-second abstract from the gazettes, 
 that Springporten, formerly a colonel in the service of 
 Sweden, has lately entered into the service of Russia, 
 with the rank of major general; that he is the man who 
 best knows Finland; that the Empress has granted him 
 three thousand roubles for his equipment, an estate of 
 six hundred peasants, in White Russia, and the key of 
 chamberlain; that he is incessantly to make a journey 
 into the Crimea, etc., etc. Though by acquiring such 
 men, with the knowledge and connections which they 
 bring with them, preparations are made for the execution 
 of the greatest projects, still, by the same methods, such 
 projects are rendered abortive. 
 
 There was not time, last post, to write the postscript
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 255 
 
 in cipher, which contains a curious fact, of which 
 Panchand will probably make use and application.* 
 
 I informed you in No. VI. that "they have lately 
 interdicted discounting bills of exchange at the bank, 
 etc. This fact has not been verified. The merchants 
 indeed required it might be done, but their request has 
 not been granted, and it was opposed by Struensee. But 
 to the news of the day. 
 
 There are two versions concerning Mademoiselle Voss. 
 Both are derived from excellent sources, and probably 
 the real one will be that which may be composed from 
 the two. 
 
 1. There will be no marriage. Mademoiselle will depart 
 in a month, for I know not where; and afterward will 
 return to Potsdam. * I know, B said she, "that I dishonor 
 myself. All the compensation I ask is not to see any 
 person; leave me in profound solitude; I neither wish 
 for riches nor splendor.* It is certain that, if she can 
 keep him thus, she will lead him much the farther. 
 
 2. Wednesday, the 2 ad of last month, was the re- 
 markable day on which Mademoiselle Voss accepted the 
 King's hand, and promised him her own. It was de- 
 termined the Queen should be brought to approve the 
 plan of the left-handed marriage as a thing of necessity, 
 should she obstinately display too much repugnance. It 
 is singular that, for the consummation of this rare 
 business, the arrival of the Duke of Saxe- Weimar was 
 waited for, who is the brother-in-law of the Queen. The 
 King thus will be father to four sorts of children, f The 
 priests, who have been consulted on the manner of 
 reconciling the claims of heaven with the pleasures of 
 earth, have decided that it will be better to concentrate 
 his enjoyments by an extraordinary marriage than in- 
 cessantly to wander from error to error. Nothing has 
 
 *The last letter has no postscript. The author probably means 
 the fact contained in the paragraphs to be found a few pages forward, 
 which begin with the words POSTSCRIPT MENTIONED IN THE BODY OF 
 
 THE LETTER. 
 
 j- Those of his first Queen, Elizabeth, from whom he was divorced, 
 as before mentioned ; those of his present Queen ; his natural children, 
 by Madame Rietz ; and his half -bastard, half -legitimate, by Mademoiselle 
 Voss, had this marriage taken place.
 
 256 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 transpired concerning the manner in which this arrange- 
 ment is to be made known to the uncles ; of the name the 
 new Princess is to bear; or of her future establishment, etc., 
 etc. In all probability she soon will interfere in public 
 affairs ; and, should she do so, the credit of Bishopswerder 
 will diminish. She loves neither him nor his daughters. 
 Her party is, besides, very opposite t9 that of the 
 mystics, which gains ground in a very fearful manner. 
 I am going to relate a recent anecdote on that subject 
 which happened in the last months of Frederick II., and 
 which it is infinitely important, at least for my security 
 while I remain here, to keep secret; of the irrevocable 
 authenticity of which you yourself will judge ; and which 
 will show you whither tends this imaginary theory of 
 the mystics connected with the Rosicrucian- Freemasons, 
 whom among us some look upon with pity, and others 
 treat as objects of amusement. 
 
 There is a rumor whispered about which terrifies 
 worthy people, and which, true or false, is a faithful in- 
 dication of the public opinion. It is affirmed that Prince 
 Henry, the Duke of Brunswick, and General Moellen- 
 dorf, mean to quit the army. The two first probably do 
 not yet think of such a step ; but the latter is indubitably 
 the most discontented of the three. Rich, loyal, simple, 
 firm, he possesses virtues which would do honor to a soil 
 on which virtue is more fruitful. He certainly has not 
 been treated either as he himself expected, or as good 
 citizens have wished. They were desirous, indeed, to cre- 
 ate him a count; but among so many counts, what need 
 had he of such a title? For which reason this respect- 
 able man replied, <( WHAT HAVE i DONE? * This artless, 
 noble question was too severe on the herd of nobles 
 and the multitude of titles that have sprung up, warmed 
 by the breath of royal munificence to be agreeable. 
 His modest and antique manners are become reproachful 
 to the Court; yet is the only reform truly beneficial and 
 universally approved, under the new reign, the work of 
 this general. I mean the abolition of that iniquitous 
 contribution called GRASS FORAGE, which subjected the open 
 country to pillage, during three months of the year,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 257 
 
 under the pretense of accustoming the cavalry to forage. 
 He has not since been consulted on any subject, or he 
 has had no influence. I should not be surprised should 
 he retire to his country seat ; and it is impossible to ex- 
 aggerate the unamiable light in which such a tacit pro- 
 fession of faith would place the King and his Government. 
 
 Three months more of similar proceedings, and he will 
 have no respect to lose, at least, in his own country. 
 Every corrupt symptom is manifest. Rietz, a rascal, 
 avaricious, chief pimp, and an avowed Giton, insomuch 
 that ipse confitetur, sibi cum Rege, dum princeps Borussia 
 esset, apud eius amicam stupri commercium futsse. In a 
 word, Rietz, the vilest and the most debased of men, 
 manages the royal household, and enjoys a great part of 
 the Court favor. Here it ought to be noted that he is 
 very susceptible of being bought ; but he must be dearly 
 bribed, for he is covetous and prodigal, and his fortune 
 is to make, should ever France have occasion to direct 
 the Cabinet of Berlin. So long as the King shall have 
 any power, Rietz and Prince Frederick of Brunswick are 
 the two men most liable to temptation. 
 
 The following is an anecdote of a very low species, 
 but very characteristic for those who know the country. 
 The Italian and French dancers have received orders to 
 dance twice a week, at the German theater. The pur- 
 port of such a capricious injunction was to give disgust 
 to this species of people, who are expensive enough, and 
 to find a pretense for dismissing them. They have been 
 well advised, and will dance; but such is the low spirit 
 of cunning which presides over the administration. Poli- 
 tics are treated as wisely as theatrical matters. 
 
 I this moment learned that Heinitz, one of the Minis- 
 ters of State, a man of mediocrity, but laborious, has 
 written a letter to the King, of which the following is 
 nearly the sense : <( Being a foreigner, not possessed of 
 any lands in your States, my zeal cannot be suspected 
 by your Majesty. It is consequently my duty to inform 
 you that the projected capitation tax will alienate the 
 hearts of Your Majesty's subjects; and proves that the 
 new regulators of the finances are, at present, little versed 
 in public business. }> The King said to him two days 
 17
 
 258 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 after, <( I thank you, w and made no further inquiries. 
 Irresolution does not exclude obstinacy, although obsti- 
 nacy is far from being resolution. I should not be aston- 
 ished were the tobacco and snuff company to remain on 
 its former footing. As for the respect which govern- 
 ment should preserve, that must take care of itself. 
 
 It was an attempt similar to that of Heinitz which 
 produced the last military promotion, to the disadvantage 
 of General Moellendorf. The General wrote, with re- 
 spectful but firm dignity, against the nomination of 
 Count Briihl, and entreated the King would show less 
 indifference for the army. Thanks were returned, 
 accompanied with these words: "The place has been 
 promised a year and a half*; and two days after seven- 
 teen majors were created. Since this time, coldness 
 toward the General has increased, and civility has been 
 substituted for confidence. The letter is not thought 
 well of. It is said that he ought to have reserved this 
 vigorous blow for some occasion on which he should 
 not appear to be personally interested ; and it is he him- 
 self who seemed most proper to fill the place of gov- 
 ernor. 
 
 The Duke of Weimar is preparing to make a very 
 pompous wolf hunt, on the frontiers of Poland. The 
 orders and adjustments for this party of pleasure do not 
 very well agree with the projects and ceremonials of 
 economy. Twelve hundred peasants are commanded to 
 be in readiness; sixty horses have been sent, and eight 
 baggage wagons, with the masters of the forests, gentle- 
 men, huntsmen, and cooks for this hunt, which is to 
 continue six days. 
 
 At present, I am nearly certain that my second ver- 
 sion, relative to Mademoiselle Voss, is the true one ; and 
 that the Queen is coaxed into the measure. The King 
 never lived on better terms with her. He has often 
 visited her within this week, pays her debts, and has 
 given her a concert. Probably she has made a virtue of 
 necessity. It appears evident that this connection of the 
 King highly deranges the plan of the mystic administra- 
 tors. The family of Mademoiselle Voss wishes to profit 
 by her elevation; and their advice no way agrees with
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 259 
 
 that of the present favorites. Bishopswerder, far 
 from gaining upon the King, declines in his esteem. In 
 a word, revolution may come from that side. Will pub- 
 lic affairs be the gainer ? This question it is impossible 
 to answer. We can only turn the telescope toward the 
 spot; or rather the microscope; for, in truth, we are in 
 the reign and the country of the infinitely minute. 
 
 [Postscript ', mentioned in the body of the letter. ~\ 
 
 The current coins in Poland were formerly as follows: 
 The mark of fine silver of the Cologne weight was 
 coined at 13-3 r. or 80 fl. of Poland. 
 
 As to gold coins, there were none but Dutch ducats 
 that had any nominal value; that is to say 
 
 At the royal treasuries, they were taken for 16^ k. 
 
 By the public, for 18 k. ; both of which rates were 
 fixed by decrees of the Diet. 
 
 In the Diet of 1786, the ducats were universally raised 
 to 1 8 k. each. 
 
 The assay of the silver consequently cannot any longer 
 be maintained; and it is affirmed there is a determina- 
 tion, hereafter, to coin the fine mark at 14 r. or 84 fl. 
 
 But neither can this coinage support itself; for, should 
 Berlin coin at 14 r., Poland will be obliged to keep up 
 an equal value at a greater expense, because of carriage. 
 
 Under the present circumstances, it might be advan- 
 tageous to draw on Poland for ducats at 3 r. if the assay 
 of silver is at 14 r. 
 
 But, if the relative value of gold should fall, compara- 
 tively to that of silver, silver may be there bought with 
 profit. 
 
 Generally speaking, it appears to me that the recent 
 operations on gold should lead us to reflect on the state 
 of the silver, especially in Spain, should that power per- 
 sist in the folly which, with the greatest part of Europe, 
 it has given into, of keeping two species of coin, and 
 hoarding the gold. 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. The King, attended by a single 
 lackey and much disguised, has been to the corn and
 
 260 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 straw warehouses, where he inquired of the soldiers who 
 worked there what their wages were. (< Five groschen. " 
 A moment after he put the same question to the super- 
 intendents. (< Six groschen. w Three soldiers being called 
 to confront the superintendents, and the fraud being 
 proved, a subaltern and three soldiers were ordered to 
 conduct the two superintendents to Spandau, a civil 
 prison ; and there they are to be tried. The fact is very 
 praiseworthy. He makes evening peregrinations almost 
 unattended, and addicts himself to the minute inquiries 
 of a justice of the peace. At least this is the third time 
 he has acted thus. Some of his attendants imagine 
 he means to imitate the Emperor. After what has passed 
 between them, this perhaps would be the most severe 
 symptom of absolute incapacity.
 
 LETTER LIII. 
 
 December 5th, 1786. 
 
 THE news of the cabals, which the Emperor again 
 wishes to excite at Deux- Fonts, and which our 
 Cabinet has published here, seem to have produced 
 a very good effect upon the King, in despite of those who 
 exclaim, Ne crede Teucris an adage which is become the 
 signal of rallying among the English, Dutch, anti-French, 
 etc., etc. May we conduct ourselves so as never to 
 admit of any other reproach. This discovery will prob- 
 ably, both at Berlin and Deux-Ponts, counteract the 
 Emperor. It was very ill-judged of him not to suffer 
 that torpor to increase, which is the infallible conse- 
 quence of the langour of labor, or of the confusion which 
 doing nothing produces. 
 
 But I resign these foreign politics to your ambassadors, 
 to whom they are known, because I gained this intelli- 
 gence by that means only by which I gain all other; 
 because Comte d'Esterno did not say a word on the sub- 
 ject to me; because it would have been weak and little 
 decent to have put many questions on a matter which I 
 ought to have known; and because I, therefore, satisfied 
 myself with vague annotations on our fidelity. I am not, 
 and probably shall not be, circumstantially informed of 
 the affair. You, perhaps, may feel on this occasion how 
 important it is that better intelligence should be sent 
 me from Versailles; but you will doubtless acknowledge 
 I perform all I can, all I ought, when I trace the out- 
 lines of internal since I have not the key to external 
 politics ; though assuredly I shall not neglect the latter 
 whenever lucky chance shall afford opportunities. 
 
 The libelist Crantz, who was expelled the country by 
 Frederick II. for theft, and for having sold the same 
 horse three times, is recalled, with a pension of eight 
 hundred crowns. The King wrote to Count Hertzberg to 
 
 (261)
 
 262 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 give him some post. The Minister replied that the abilities 
 of the gentleman were great, and that he was very 
 estimable, but that he had too little discretion to be em- 
 ployed in foreign affairs. The King proposed him to the 
 Minister Werder, who answered, the gentleman was ex- 
 ceedingly intelligent, exceedingly capable, but that there 
 was money in his office, which, therefore, M. Crantz must 
 not be suffered to enter. At last, the King has thrown 
 the illustrious Crantz, praised by all and by all rejected, 
 upon the States; and he receives a pension of eight 
 hundred crowns for doing nothing. 
 
 The Minister Schulemburg, after having twice demanded 
 his dismissal, has finally obtained it, without a pension. 
 This is severe; but the ex-Minister is adroit. He has 
 cast all the burden upon the first branch of his depart- 
 ment, which has been retrenched. If there are any 
 means of being restored, this was well done. You are 
 acquainted with the qualities of this man. He had 
 understanding, facility, and sagacity in the choice of his 
 coadjutors; was indifferent concerning the means he em- 
 ployed; vain in prosperity; despairing in misfortune, of 
 which his feelings are the sport; ready to serve others; 
 susceptible of affection, and believing in friendship after 
 having been fifteen years Minister of Frederick II. He 
 thought himself immovable because he was necessary, and 
 hopes that this necessity will surmount the cabals by 
 which he has been driven from his post. Perhaps he 
 deceives himself; for, while we are not difficult in our 
 choice, and when the business is not of itself beyond 
 vulgar capacities, agents may at any time be found. If 
 monarchs wish for a Newton, they certainly must employ 
 a Newton, or the place must remain vacant. But who is 
 there who does not think himself capable of being a 
 minister, and of whom may it be demonstrated he is not 
 capable ? 
 
 I am assured, from a good quarter, that Count Hertz- 
 berg regains confidence. He has bowed to the new 
 agents, who have had the weakness to bring him again 
 into favor because Mademoiselle Voss is the niece of 
 Count Finckenstein, and because, her family being unable 
 to obtain any advantage by her promotion except by the
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 263 
 
 overthrow of those who surround the King, who are not 
 ignorant that the lady detests them, it is requisite some 
 one should be opposed to her. But, if she be a dame of 
 mettle, change must be looked for on that side, which 
 more or less address will hasten or retard. Whether or 
 no, Hertzberg has advised Count Goertz to take part 
 with Renneval, of whose prudence he has spoken in the 
 highest terms to the King. 
 
 A new blunder has been committed in the military. 
 All the first lieutenants have been made captains; and 
 the captains, whether on whole or half pay, of the regi- 
 ment of guards, are advanced to the rank of major. 
 Except the war chancery, I do not see who will be the 
 gainer by this arrangement. It is said the King intends 
 to pay his personal debts, the payment of which, by the 
 way of parenthesis, is more than ever eluded, with the 
 produce of the commissions of officers, and the diplomas 
 of counts, barons, chamberlains, etc. 
 
 The plan for the capitation tax was represented to the 
 King as a kind of voluntary act, and which the people 
 themselves would meet half way; but informed of the 
 public disgust this project had occasioned, alarmed by the 
 rumor, and heated by the letter of Heinitz, he told 
 Werder, " People ought not to meddle with matters they 
 do not understand.* (Take good note that this be said 
 to his Minister of Finance.) "Launay should have been 
 consulted* (now under the fetters of the commission of 
 inquiry). Werder excused himself in the best manner 
 he could, by saying the plan did not originate with him 
 (in fact, the project was Beyer's), as if he had not appro- 
 priated by approving it. 
 
 The general directory, that species of Council of State 
 at which the King is never present, has projected re- 
 monstrances concerning the humiliating inactivity in 
 which it is held; but Welner opposed them, giving the 
 invincible repugnance of his Majesty for every species of 
 advice to be understood. This arises from the strange 
 supposition that those who give him advice have adopted 
 the sentiments of his uncle, relative to his capacity. He 
 is yet to learn that no one ventures to advise among the 
 great, except such persons as they esteem.
 
 264 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 In the meantime the mystics continue in the same de- 
 gree of favor. Their conspiracy was denounced by the 
 great person whom I spoke of to you in my last, to Gen- 
 eral Moellendorf, the intimate friend of the brother of 
 Mademoiselle Voss (a man esteemed for his moral char- 
 acter; in other respects obscure, at least hitherto, yet 
 who probably will soon appear upon the stage), in order 
 that he might terrify his sister, and by her intervention 
 the Sovereign, concerning the crimes of a sect who 
 would sacrifice all whom they cannot rule. Biester the 
 same, to say the least, to whom it has been insinuated 
 that he should spare the mystics has a lawsuit in which 
 they are interested, which it is said he will lose. He 
 has accused M. Starck of being a Catholic. Starck is a 
 Professor of Jena, a man celebrated for the gift of per- 
 suasion, as well as for his understanding and knowledge, 
 a Lutheran born, and a Lutheran minister, but a known 
 professor of the Catholic religion. He has, notwithstand- 
 ing, instituted a criminal action against Biester, for 
 having said this, and has summoned him to prove his 
 calumnious assertion. Never would such a suit have 
 been heard of under Frederick II. Starck has recently 
 published a book entitled <( Nicaise," in which he attacks 
 Freemasonry. The Freemasons have replied by another, 
 entitled (< Anti-Nicaise, * in which are inserted authentic 
 letters from several princes, and, among others, from 
 Prince Charles of Hesse Cassel, and Prince Ferdinand of 
 Brunswick; which well prove, what all know who have 
 conversed with him, should they not likewise know his 
 creatures, Bauer and Wetsall, that a great general, or 
 rather a FAMOUS general, may be a very little man. 
 
 The statement of the expense is at length made out, 
 and the result is that the King may increase his treas- 
 ury by two millions of crowns, and still reserve a con- 
 siderable sum for his pleasures or his affections. But, 
 in this calculation, it is supposed that following receipts 
 will equal the preceding, which certainly is doubtful. 
 One paternal act has been performed; the country peo- 
 ple have been freed from the obligation of lodging the 
 cavalry gratis, and supplying forage at a very low price. 
 This reform will cost the King two hundred and seventy
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 265 
 
 thousand crowns per annum. But it was extremely nec- 
 essary. It is the result of the plan of Moellendorf for 
 the abolition of the GREEN FORAGE. 
 
 One M. Moulines is the editor of the manuscripts of the 
 late King. I have before given you his political character ; 
 and, as a literary man, he is destitute of taste and dis- 
 cernment, and without any profound knowledge of the 
 language. But he is the friend of Welner; of that Wel- 
 ner to whom the King, at seven o'clock in the morning, 
 sends the letters and requests of the day before, and 
 who at four o'clock goes to give in his account, or rather 
 to instruct the King. As for the Ministers, they receive 
 orders, and do not give advice. Welner has had the wit 
 to refuse the title of Minister, and to satisfy himself with 
 that of superintendent of the buildings ; but he is already 
 fawned upon by the whole Court. These manuscripts 
 are to be printed in eighteen volumes octavo. The two 
 parts most curious are the History of the Seven Years' 
 War, " and the * Memoirs of My Own Times. w * In the 
 former, Frederick has rather recounted what he ought to 
 have done than what he did; and this is itself a trait of 
 genius. He praises or excuses almost everybody; and 
 blames only himself, f 
 
 The Marquis of Lucchesini, who had been, not the 
 friend, not the favorite of Frederick, but his LISTENER, 
 is, though he does not own it, highly piqued at the 
 choice made of Moulines. He has demanded leave of 
 absence for six months, to make a journey into his own 
 country, from which, no doubt, he will no more return. 
 How did it happen that he did not feel that the personal 
 respect in which he would have been held would have 
 been immense had he quitted Prussia a week after the 
 death of the King, with this only reply to all the offers 
 which would have been made him ? tf I was ambitious 
 
 * The publication has proved the author was mistaken. The letters 
 are the most curious part of the work. There are few things in the his- 
 tory that were not known before, except that it exhibits the character 
 of this extraordinary man, as drawn by himself, to those who are capa- 
 ble of discovering that character ; and in this particular the letters are 
 perhaps still superior. 
 
 f It is plain the author had never read the work, which was not then 
 published.
 
 266 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 only of a place which all the Kings on earth could not 
 take from me, cannot restore; that of being the friend 
 of Frederick II. 
 
 Two successors have been appointed to Count Schu- 
 lemburg; for, as the King of France has four Ministers, 
 twenty are necessary to the King of Prussia. One of 
 these successors is M. Moschwitz, a magistrate ; of whom 
 neither good nor harm is spoken. The other is a Count 
 Schulemburg von Blumbert, the son-in-law of Count 
 Finckenstein. The latter possesses knowledge, an ardent 
 and gloomy ambition, and a moral character that is sus- 
 pected. He is studious, intelligent, assiduous, and is 
 certainly a capable man. But he is supposed to want 
 order; to possess rather a heated brain than an active 
 mind; and to have more opinions of his own than dex- 
 terity to blend them with the opinions of others and 
 render them successful. Neither is he at all accustomed 
 to business; and is an absolute stranger to banking and 
 commercial speculations, that is to say, to the principal 
 branches of his department. 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. The King, who is paying off the 
 debts of his father, has granted twenty thousand crowns 
 for the maintenance and privy purse of his two eldest 
 sons. Their household is a separate expense. 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. I did not believe I was so good 
 a prophet. The brother of Mademoiselle Voss has the 
 place of the President Moschwitz. This is the foot in 
 the stirrup. 
 
 The course of exchange on Amsterdam is so exceed- 
 ingly high that, there being no operation of finance or 
 of commerce by which it may be accounted for, I have 
 no doubt but remittances are made there to pay off the 
 personal debts of the King. Struensee is of the same 
 opinion; but he has no positive intelligence on the 
 subject.
 
 LETTER LIV. 
 
 December 8th, 1786. 
 
 You may take it for granted that there are three prin- 
 cipal shades in the character of the King deceit, 
 which he believes to be art; irascible vanity, when- 
 ever the least remonstrance is made to him; and the 
 accumulation of money, which is not so much avarice in 
 him as the passion of possessing. The first of these 
 vices has rendered him suspicious; for he who deceives 
 by system continually imagines he is deceived. The 
 second induces him to prefer people of middling, or in- 
 ferior abilities; and the latter contributes to make him 
 lead an obscure and solitary life, by which the two 
 former are strengthened. Violent in private, impenetra- 
 ble in public, little animated by the love of fame in 
 reality, and making this love to consist chiefly in lead- 
 ing the world to suppose he is not governed; rarely 
 troubling himself with foreign politics; a soldier from 
 necessity, and not from inclination; disposed to favor 
 the mystics, not from conviction, but because he believes 
 he shall, by their aid, examine the consciences and 
 penetrate the hearts of men such is the outline of the 
 man. 
 
 His debts will be paid by the surplus money. Under 
 the late King there was annually a considerable sum 
 which was not brought to the Treasury, but was kept 
 apart to raise new regiments, to increase the artillery, or 
 to repair the fortresses. Now, as the artillery was not 
 increased, as new regiments were not raised, and as the 
 fortresses were not repaired, the money consequently ac- 
 cumulated. It is now employed in liquidation. 
 
 The revenues are upward of twenty-seven millions of 
 crowns, including the customs; or about a hundred and 
 eight millions of French livres. The expense of the 
 army is twelve millions and a half of crowns ; of the civil 
 
 (267)
 
 268 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 administration, two millions three hundred thousand 
 crowns; of the King's, the Queen's, and the Princes' 
 household, one million two hundred thousand crowns; 
 and a hundred and thirty thousand for the payment of 
 pensions. I am not acquainted with all the inferior 
 expenses ; but when, for example, we know that the lega- 
 tion chest does not absorb more than seventy-five thou- 
 sand crowns, and that the supplements amount on an 
 average to twenty-five thousand crowns (on which I have 
 to remark that the same object in Denmark costs three 
 millions of crowns; and in Russia, a country almost un- 
 known to the greatest part of Europe, three hundred 
 thousand rubles), it is easy to understand that the sum 
 total of the annual surplus, the expense being deducted 
 from the receipt, is about three millions and a half 
 of crowns. 
 
 The manufacturers have presented a petition, in which 
 they supplicate to be informed whether any alterations 
 are intended to be made in the privileges granted them 
 by the late King, or his predecessors, that they may not 
 be exposed to the buying of materials, or contracting 
 agreements which they shall be unable to fulfill. Fred- 
 erick William has given his word of honor not to make 
 any change, at present, of this kind. 
 
 I have already said that the King intended to have 
 made Welner a Minister, which dignity it is affirmed he 
 refused. This for many reasons was a master stroke, by 
 which he will be no loser; for he has lately been granted 
 an augmentation of three thousand crowns, that he may 
 enjoy the same pension as the Ministers of State. The 
 King not only places no confidence in the latter, but he 
 affects never to mention them, unless it be to Count 
 Finckenstein, the uncle of the well-beloved; or to Count 
 Arnim, who interferes in the negotiations of the so much 
 desired marriage, and who is at present too much a 
 stranger to business to be suspected of any system. The 
 supposition that he has one will, at least for some time, 
 be the rock on which the new Schulemburg is liable to 
 be wrecked. He is supported by strength of character 
 and ardor of ambition. As to the new President, to whom 
 already is attributed a depth of design which probably
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 269 
 
 he never possessed, I believe him little capable of enact- 
 ing any great part. 
 
 The Sieur du Bosc, who is become a counselor of 
 finance and of commerce, is also desirous of making his 
 entrance. He has petitioned to be employed in the cus- 
 toms, and his request has been granted, but without an 
 increase of respect. Speculators, joining this symptom 
 to some others, have drawn a conclusion that this is 
 some diminution in the credit of Bishopswerder, his pro- 
 tector. The party of the mystics, however, does but 
 augment and flourish. To own the truth, the crowd of 
 candidates may injure individuals. One of the most zeal- 
 ous members, Drenthal, is lately arrived. No office was 
 found for him under the King ; but he has in the interim 
 been placed with the Princess Amelia, in quality of Mar- 
 shal of the Court, with a promise of not being forgotten 
 at the death of this Princess, whose end approaches. 
 
 Our knowledge of the new Sovereign may be increased 
 by a sketch of the most distinguished people at his 
 Court. Among these are an old count (Lendorf), gentle 
 as Philinta, obliging as Bonneau, a shameless flatterer, 
 an unfaithful talebearer, and, when need is, a calumnia- 
 tor. A prince in his pupilage (Holsteinbeck), smoking 
 his pipe, drinking brandy, never knowing what he says, 
 ever talking on what he does not understand, ready at 
 any time to fly to the parade, to hunt, to go to church, 
 to go to brothels, or to go to supper with a lieutenant, 
 a lackey, or Madame Rietz. Another prince (Frederick 
 of Brunswick), famous for the pains he took to dishonor 
 his sister, and particularly his brother-in-law, the present 
 King; a libertine under the Monarch who was called an 
 atheist; at present a mystic, when the Monarch is sup- 
 posed a devotee; a pensioner of the Freemason lodges, 
 from which he annually receives six thousand crowns; 
 talking nonsense from system ; and, for the secrets which 
 he wrests, returning a multitude of half secrets, which are 
 partly invented, and partly useless. A kind of mad 
 captain (Grothaus), who has seen all, had all, done all, 
 known all; the intimate friend of the Prince of Wales; 
 the favorite of the King of England, invited by Congress 
 to be their president, on condition of conquering Canada;
 
 270 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 master at pleasure of the Cape of Good Hope; the only 
 man capable of settling the affairs of Holland ; an author, 
 a dancer, a runner, a jumper, a farmer, botanist, physi- 
 cian, chemist, and lieutenant colonel in the Prussian 
 service, with an income of seven hundred crowns per 
 annum. A minister (Count Arnim), who dreams instead 
 of thinking, smiles instead of replying, reasons instead 
 of determining, regrets at night the liberty he sacrificed 
 in the morning, and wishes at once to remain indolent 
 on his estate, and to acquire the reputation of a minis- 
 ter. A reigning prince (the Duke of Weimar), who 
 imagines he has wit because he can interpret a rebus; is 
 cunning, because he pretends to swallow his own sar- 
 casms; a philosopher, because he has three poets at his 
 Court; and a species of hero, because he rides full speed 
 in search of wolves and boars. Such being his favorites, 
 judge of the man. 
 
 Do you wish to estimate his taste by his diversions ? 
 Tuesday was the great day on which he went to enjoy 
 the pleasures of the imagination at the German theater. 
 Here, in grand pomp, he was accosted by a dramatic 
 compliment, which concluded with these words : <( May 
 that kind Providence that rewards all, all great and good 
 actions, bless and preserve our most gracious King, that 
 august father of his people; bless and preserve all the 
 royal house ; and bless and preserve us all ! AMEN ! * 
 The King was so highly enchanted with this dramatic 
 homily that he has added another thousand crowns to 
 the five thousand which he had granted the manager, 
 and has made him a present of four chandeliers, and 
 twelve glasses to decorate the boxes. Sarcasms innumer- 
 able, on the French theater, accompanied this act of 
 generosity. 
 
 Would you judge him by military favors ? A pension 
 of three hundred crowns has been granted to Captain 
 Colas, who had been eight-and-twenty years imprisoned 
 in the citadel of Magdeburg; and the rank of lieutenant 
 general bestowed on Borck, his Majesty's Governor, who 
 is eighty-two years of age. 
 
 Or by his Court favors ? The chamberlain's key sent 
 to that extravagant Baron Bagge; who indeed presented
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 271 
 
 a hundred louis to Rietz, and forty to the person who 
 brought him this gift of royal munificence. 
 
 It has been insinuated to his Majesty that he had 
 displeased the citizens, on his return from Prussia; the 
 army, from the first day of his reign; the general direct- 
 ory, by rendering it null; his family, by being polite 
 instead of friendly ; the priests, by his project of a third 
 marriage; the pensioners, by the suppression of the 
 tobacco monopoly; the Court, by the confusion or the 
 delay in the statement of the accounts; and that, there- 
 fore, it might perhaps be imprudent, for the present, in 
 the moment of effervescence, to accept the statue that 
 had been proposed by the city of Konigsberg. 
 
 Are you desirous of an index to the respect in which 
 he may be held by foreign nations ? The Poles have 
 refused a passage to the horses, for remounting the cav- 
 alry, coming from the Ukraine. I need not tell you 
 such a refusal would never have been made to Frederick II. 
 
 Count Hertzberg pretends he has received letters 
 written against himself, to persons in France, by Prince 
 Henry. He showed them to the King, who made him 
 no reply. I scarcely can believe there is not some fraud 
 in this affair. I know the persons to whom the Prince 
 writes in France; and, treachery out of the question, 
 they certainly are not interested in favor of Count Hertz- 
 berg. But whether or no, there are rumors that Hertz- 
 berg and Blumenthal are soon to resign; that the latter 
 will be replaced by M. Voss; and the first, who has im- 
 agined himself too necessary to be taken at his word, 
 "by a man who will astonish the whole world.* (This, 
 it is affirmed, is the phrase of the King himself.) Hertz- 
 berg has the knowledge of a civilian, and is well read 
 in archives, because his memory is prodigious. He also 
 knows something of practical agriculture. But, on the 
 reverse, he is violent, passionate, abundantly vain, and 
 explains himself as he conceives, that is to say, with 
 difficulty and confusion; is desirous but incapable of do- 
 ing that good by which reputation is acquired; rather 
 vindictive than malignant; subject to prejudices; disposed 
 to injure those against whom he is prejudiced; and de- 
 void of dignity, address, and resource.
 
 272 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Blumenthal is a faithful accountant, an ignorant Min- 
 ister; ambitious, when he recollects ambition, and to 
 please his family; and full of respect for the Treasury, 
 which he places far above the State ; and of indifference 
 for the King, whom he more than neglected while he was 
 Prince of Prussia. 
 
 The duty has been taken off beer, which yielded five 
 hundred and fifty thousand crowns per annum, and a 
 substitute, it is said, will be found by an additional tax 
 on wines ; but wines are already too much taxed, and can- 
 not bear any such increase. The expenses of this part of 
 the customs amount to twenty thousand crowns; sixty- 
 nine persons employed have been dismissed; but their 
 salaries are continued till they shall be replaced. 
 
 FIRST POSTSCRIPT. Count Totleben (a Saxon), who has 
 been appointed major in the regiment of Elben, was pre- 
 ceded by a letter the import of which was that he was 
 sent to the regiment TO LEARN THE SERVICE. The equi- 
 voque of the expression is stronger in the German. The 
 regiment wrote in a body to the King: <( If Count Tot- 
 leben be sent to instruct us, we have not merited, nor 
 will we endure, such humiliation. If he come for instruc- 
 tion, he cannot serve as major. Some pretend that the 
 dispute is already settled, and others that it will have 
 consequences. 
 
 The King about a month since was reminded of Cap- 
 tain Forcade, who was formerly a favorite of the Prince 
 of Prussia. His Majesty replied : <( Let him write what 
 his wishes are." Forcade requested the happiness of 
 being one of his attendants. The King answered : <( I 
 have no need of useless officers ; they only serve to make 
 a dust." 
 
 SECOND POSTSCRIPT. By the last courier I sent you 
 some calculations on the coins of Poland. Here follow 
 others more absurd, relative to those of Denmark. 
 
 Denmark has adopted, according to law, the nominal 
 value of its currency at u crowns for the fine mark of 
 Cologne; yet it has for several years paid from thirteen 
 to fourteen crowns the fine mark. Hence there are no
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 273 
 
 silver coins in Denmark, and business is all transacted 
 in bank bills, the value of which is never to be realized. 
 
 When the evil began to be evident, Schimmelmann 
 wished it might be remedied. He coined crowns in specie 
 9^ of which contained the fine mark, and calculated that 
 the crown in specie was equal to one crown g-fo sols 
 currency tubs. The fact would have been true, if the 
 silver currency had existed at n per mark; but as none 
 such were to be found, each person willingly accepted 
 the crowns in specie at one crown nine sols currency; 
 but no one was willing to give a crown in specie for one 
 crown nine sols currency. The result was that all these 
 fine crowns in specie were melted down. 
 
 At present, now the evil is excessive, there is a wish 
 to repeat a similar operation, after the following manner. 
 
 1. Crowns in specie are to be coined of 9^ to a fine 
 mark. 
 
 2. Bank bills are to be issued, which are to represent 
 crowns in specie, and are to be realized or paid in specie. 
 
 3. It is wished to fix the value of these current 
 crowns, in specie, by an edict; and, as they could not 
 coin the crown at the assay of a crown nine sols without 
 loss, it is intended to raise their value. 
 
 If, therefore, the present currency of Denmark, that 
 is to say, the bank bills, have no real value, but their 
 value consists in the balance of payment of this king- 
 dom (or the rate of exchange) as it shall be for or 
 against Denmark, this operation will be equally absurd 
 with the former; for, if the bank shall pay crowns in 
 specie, in lieu of the ideal value of the currency, it will 
 rid itself of its crowns in specie, which will pass through 
 the crucible, and the former confusion will continue to 
 exist, or perhaps be increased to greater extravagance, 
 by a new creation of bank bills representing the specie, 
 which in like manner will, in a few months, be incapable 
 of being realized. 
 
 THIRD POSTSCRIPT. The new establishment of the bank 
 of specie still appears to be obscure. It is intended to 
 coin one million four hundred thousand crowns in specie, 
 the silver for which should be at Altona. 
 18
 
 274 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 There have been great debates, in the Council of 
 State, between the Prince of Augustenborg, and the 
 Minister of State, Rosencranz. The first requires the 
 money should be coined at Altona, and the latter at 
 Copenhagen. It is said that the Minister intends on this 
 occasion to give in his resignation. 
 
 Bank bills equal to the value of one million four 
 hundred thousand crowns are to be fabricated. This 
 bank is to exchange the old bills of the Danish bank 
 for the new bank bills, at a given rate. 
 
 Should this rate, as is very probable, be lower than 
 the course of exchange, it would be an excellent 
 maneuver to buy up bank bills, at present, and after- 
 ward convert them into specie.
 
 LETTER LV. 
 
 December i2th, 1786. 
 
 THE true reason why the Duke of Weimar is so feasted 
 is because he has undertaken to bring the Queen 
 to consent to the marriage of Mademoiselle Voss. 
 The Queen laughed at the proposal, and said : <( Yes, they 
 shall have my consent; but they shall not have it for 
 nothing; on the contrary, it shall cost them dear.* And 
 they are now paying her debts, which amount to more 
 than a hundred thousand crowns; nor do I believe this 
 will satisfy her. While the King of Prussia is absorbed 
 by meditations on this marriage, to me it appears evi- 
 dent that, if the Emperor be capable of a reasonable 
 plan he is now wooing two wives, Bavaria and Silesia. 
 Yes, Silesia ; for I do not think that so many maneuvers 
 on the Danube can be any other than the domino of the 
 masquerade. But this is not the place in which he will 
 make his first attempt. Everything demonstrates (and 
 give me credit for beginning to know this part of Ger- 
 many) that he will keep on the defensive, on the side 
 of Prussia, which he will suffer to exhaust itself in efforts 
 that he may freely advance on Bavaria; nor is it prob- 
 able that he will trouble himself concerning the means 
 of recovering Silesia, till he has first made that immense 
 acquisition. 
 
 I say that he may freely advance ; for, to speak openly, 
 what impediment can we lay in his way? Omitting the 
 million and one reasons of indolence or impotence which 
 I could allege, let it be supposed that we should act 
 we should take the Low Countries, and he Bavaria; we 
 the Milanese, and he the republic of Venice. What of 
 all this would save Silesia? And what must soon after 
 become of the Prussian power? It will be saved by the 
 faults of its neighbors. It will fall! This grand fairy 
 palace will come to the earth with a sudden crush, or its 
 Government will undergo some revolution. 
 
 (275)
 
 276 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 The King- appears very tranquil concerning future con- 
 tingencies. He is building near New Sans Souci, or 
 rather repairing and furnishing a charming house, which 
 formerly belonged to the Lord Marshal, and which is 
 destined for Mademoiselle Voss. The Princess of Bruns- 
 wick has requested to have a house at Potsdam; and the 
 King has bestowed that on her which he inhabited as 
 Prince Royal, which he is furnishing at his own expense. 
 It is evident that this expiring Princess, crippled by 
 David's disease, and consumed by inanity, is to be lady 
 of honor to Mademoiselle Voss. 
 
 The debts of the Queen Dowager, the reigning Queen, 
 the Prince Royal, now become King, and of some other 
 complaisant people, male and female, are paid ; and, if we 
 add to these sums the pensions that have been bestowed, 
 the houses that have been furnished, and the officers 
 that have been created, we shall find the amount to be 
 tolerably large. This is the true way to be prodigal 
 without being generous. To this article it may be added 
 that the King has given to Messieurs Blumenthal, Gaudi, 
 and Heinitz, Ministers of State, each a bailliage. This is 
 a new mode of making a present of a thousand louis. 
 Apropos of the last of these Ministers, the King has re- 
 plied to several persons employed in the Department of 
 the Mines, who had complained of being superseded, that 
 hereafter there shall be no claims of seniority. 
 
 He has terminated the affair of the Duke of Mecklen- 
 burg with some slight modifications. 
 
 He has given a miraculous kind reception to General 
 Count Kalckreuth; who was aid-de-camp to and princi- 
 pal agent of Prince Henry ; who quarreled with him out- 
 rageously for the Princess; and whom Frederick II. 
 kept at a distance that he might not too openly embroil 
 himself with his brother. Kalckreuth is a man of great 
 merit, and an officer of the first class; but the affecta- 
 tion with which he has been distinguished by the King 
 appears to me to be directed against his uncle; perhaps, 
 too, there may be a mingled wish of reconciling him- 
 self to the army ; but should Count Briihl persist in assum- 
 ing, not only the rank which has been granted him, but 
 that likewise of seniority, which will supersede all the
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 277 
 
 generals, with Moellendorf at their head, I believe the 
 dissatisfaction will be past remedy. All that is of little 
 consequence while peace shall continue; and perhaps 
 would be the same, were war immediately declared, for 
 a year to come; but in process of time, that which has 
 been sown shall be reaped. It is a strange kind of cal- 
 culation which spreads discontent through an excellent 
 army by favors and military distinctions, bestowed on a 
 race of men who have always been such indifferent war- 
 riors. 
 
 Not that I pretend to affirm there are not brave and 
 intelligent men in the service of Saxony. There are, 
 for example two at present, very much distinguished 
 Captain Tielke of the artillery,* whom Frederick wished 
 to gain but could not, though he offered him the rank of 
 lieutenant colonel and an appointment of two thousand 
 crowns; and Count Bellegarde, who is said to be one of 
 the most able officers in the world. But these are not 
 the persons whom they have gained for the Prussian serv- 
 ice. Hitherto, in all the Saxon promotions, the thing 
 consulted was the noble merit of being devoted to THE 
 SECT, or that of being recommended by Bishopswerder. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. I forgot to mention to you that Comte 
 d'Esterno had, at my intercession, addressed the Comte 
 de Vergennes on the proposition of inviting M, de 
 la Grange into France. It will be highly worthy 
 of M. de Calonne to remove those money difficulties 
 which M. de Briihl will not fail to raise. 
 
 *Well known to officers for his military history of the war of 1756, 
 which has been translated from the German into several of the Euro- 
 pean languages.
 
 LETTER LVI. 
 
 December i6th, 1786. 
 
 GENERAL COUNT KALCKREUTH continues to be in favor. 
 It is a subject worthy of observation, that, should 
 this favor be durable, should advantage be taken 
 of the very great abilities of this gentleman, and should 
 he be appointed to some place of importance, the King 
 will then show he is not an enemy to understanding ; he 
 is not jealous of the merit of others; nor does he mean 
 to keep all men of known talents at a distance. This 
 will prove the mystics do not enjoy the exclusive privi- 
 lege of royal favor. But all these deductions, I imagine, 
 are premature; for, although Kalckreuth is the only 
 officer of the army who has hitherto been thus distin- 
 guished; although he himself had conceived hopes he 
 should be ; although his merit is of the first order ; Moel- 
 lendorf having placed himself at the head of the mal- 
 contents, which the King will never pardon; Pritwitz 
 being only a brave and inconsiderate soldier, the ridicu- 
 lous echo of Moellendorf ; Anhalt a madman ; Gaudi almost 
 impotent, because of his size, and lying likewise under 
 the imputation of a defect in personal bravery, which 
 occasioned Frederick II. to say of him, <( He is a good 
 professor, but when the boys are to repeat the lessons 
 they have learned, he is never to be found." Although 
 his other rivals are too young, and too inexperienced, to 
 give him any uneasiness; in spite of all this, I say, I 
 scarcely can imagine but that the principal cause of the 
 distinction with which the King has treated him was the 
 desire of humbling Prince Henry. At least I am very 
 intimate with Kalckreuth, of whom I made a tolerably 
 sure conquest at the reviews of Magdeburg, and I have 
 reason to believe that I know everything which has 
 passed between him and the King; in all which I do not 
 perceive either anything conclusive, or anything of great 
 promise. 
 (278)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 279 
 
 The King supports his capitation tax. It is said it will 
 be fixed according to the following rates: A lieutenant 
 general, a Minister of State, or the widow of one of 
 these, at about twelve crowns, or forty-eight French 
 livres; a major general, or a privy councilor, at ten 
 crowns; a chamberlain, or colonel, eight; a gentleman, 
 six ; a peasant, who holds lands in good provinces, three ; 
 a half-peasant (a peasant who holds lands has thirty 
 acres, a half -peasant, ten), a crown twelve groschen. 
 In the poor provinces, a peasant two crowns, a half- 
 peasant, one. 
 
 Coffee hereafter is only to pay one groschen per pound, 
 and tobacco the same. The general directory has re- 
 ceived a memorial on the subject so strongly to the pur- 
 pose that, although anonymous, it has been officially 
 read, after which it was formally copied to be sent to 
 the tobacco administration, in order to have certain facts 
 verified. The step appeared to be so bold that the for- 
 mal copy, or protocol, was only signed by four ministers 
 Messieurs Hertzberg, Arnim, Heinitz, and Schulem- 
 berg von Blumberg. 
 
 The merchants deputized by the city of K6nigsberg 
 have written that, if salt is to continue to be monopo- 
 lized by the Maritime Company, it will be useless for 
 them to come to Berlin ; for they can only be the bearers 
 of grievances, without knowing what to propose. It is 
 asserted, in consequence, that the Maritime Company 
 will lose the monopoly of salt. This intelligence, to say 
 the least, is very premature. Salt is an exceedingly im- 
 portant article ; and Struensee, who has exerted his whole 
 faculties to secure it to himself, has been so perfectly 
 successful that he sells five thousand lasts of salt, twenty- 
 eight muids constituting nine lasts. (The muid is one 
 hundred and forty-four bushels.) 
 
 I ask once again, if the Maritime Company is to be 
 deprived of its most lucrative monopolies, how can it 
 afford to pay ten per cent for a capital of twelve hun- 
 dred thousand crowns ? When an edifice, the summit of 
 which is so lofty and the basis so narrow, is once raised, 
 before any part of it should be demolished, it were very 
 necessary to consult concerning the props by which the
 
 280 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 remainder is to be supported. The King has declared 
 that he will render trade perfectly free, if any means 
 can be found of not lessening the revenue. Is not this 
 declaration pleasantly benevolent ? I think I hear Job on 
 his dunghill, exclaiming, (< I consent to be cured of all 
 my ulcers, and to be restored to perfect health, provided 
 you will not give me any physic, and will not subject 
 me to any regimen. w 
 
 The munificence is somewhat similar to that which 
 shall restore freedom to all the merchandise of France, 
 by obliging it to pay excessive heavy duties, the produce 
 of which shall be applied to the encouragement of such 
 manufactures as shall be supposed capable of rivaling 
 the manufactures of foreign nations. I know not whether 
 the King imagines he has conferred a great benefit on 
 trade ; but I know that throughout Europe all contraband 
 commerce is become a mere article of insurance, the 
 premium of which is more or less according to local 
 circumstances; and that therefore a heavy duty (with 
 respect to the revenue) is equivalent to a prohibi- 
 tion. 
 
 The King has ordered his subjects to be numbered, 
 that he may not only know their number, but their age 
 and sex. Probably, the changes which are projected to 
 be made in the army are to be the result of this enu- 
 meration. But we know how difficult all such numberings 
 are in every country upon earth. Another affair is in 
 agitation, of a much more delicate nature, and which 
 supposes a general plan and great fortitude; which is a 
 land tax on the estates of the nobles. The project begins 
 to transpire, and the provincial counselors have received 
 orders to send certain informations, which seem to have 
 this purpose in view. I will believe it is accomplished 
 when I see it. 
 
 Single and distinct facts are of less importance to you 
 than an intimate knowledge of him who governs. All 
 the characters of weakness are united to those I have so 
 often described. Spies already are employed; informers 
 are made welcome; those who remonstrate meet anger, 
 and the sincere are repulsed or driven to a distance. 
 Women only preserve the right of saying what they
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 281 
 
 please. There has lately been a private concert, at 
 which Madame Hencke, or Rietz, for you know that this 
 is one and the same person, was present, and stood be- 
 hind a screen. Some noise was heard at the door. A 
 valet de chambre half opened it, and there found the 
 Princess Frederica of Prussia and Mademoiselle Voss. 
 The first made a sign for him to be silent. The valet de 
 chambre disobeyed. The King instantly rose, and intro- 
 duced the two ladies. Some minutes afterward, a noise 
 was again heard behind the screen. The King appeared 
 to be embarrassed. Mademoiselle Voss asked what it 
 was. Her royal lover replied, <( Nothing but my people. M 
 The two ladies, however, had quitted the Queen's card 
 table to indulge this pretty whim. The King was mak- 
 ing a joke of the matter, on the morrow, when one of 
 the ladies of the palace who was present said to him, 
 <( The thing is very true, Sire ; but it were to be wished 
 that it were not.* Another lady asked him, the other 
 day, at table, <( But why, Sire, are all the letters opened 
 at the post office? It is a very ridiculous and very odious 
 proceeding. * 
 
 He was told that the German plays, which he protects 
 very much, are not good. (< Granted, * replied he ; <( but 
 better these than a French playhouse, which would fill 
 Berlin with hussies, and corrupt the manners of the peo- 
 ple.* From which, no doubt, you would conclude that 
 the German actresses are Lucretias. You must also 
 especially admire the morality of this protector of morals, 
 who goes to sup in the house of his former mistress, 
 with three women, and makes a procuress of his 
 daughter. 
 
 He troubles himself as little with foreign politics as if 
 he were entirely secure from all possible tempests. He 
 speaks in panegyrics of the Emperor, of the French al- 
 ways with a sneer, of the English with respect. The 
 fact is, the man appears to be nothing, less than nothing; 
 and I fear lest those diversions which may be made in 
 his favor are exaggerated. I shall, on this occasion, notice 
 that the Due de Deux Ponts escapes us; but he unites 
 himself the closer to the Germanic league, which has so 
 high an opinion of itself that it really believes it does not
 
 282 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 stand in need of our aid. Under the standard of what 
 chief it has acquired this presumption Heaven knows! 
 
 There is an anecdote which to me is prophetical, but 
 the force of which you will not feel, for want of know- 
 ing the country. Prince Ferdinand has received the fifty 
 thousand crowns which were due to him, according- to 
 the will of the King, on the simple order of Werder, 
 conceived in these words : <( His Majesty has given me his 
 verbal command to lay down the fifty thousand crowns 
 to Your Highness, which will be paid to you or your 
 order, by the Treasury, at sight. Welner." An order 
 for fifty thousand crowns, to be paid down, signed by any 
 other than the King, is a monstrosity in the political 
 regulations of Prussia. 
 
 Erect a bank, and blessings be upon you; for it is the 
 sole resource for finance which would not be horribly 
 burdensome; the only money-machine which, instead of 
 borrowing with dearness and difficulty, will cause you 
 to receive; the only corner stone on which, under present 
 circumstances, the basis of the power of the Minister of 
 Finance can be supported. Struensee, who is more stiff 
 in the stirrups than ever, since he must necessarily be- 
 come the professor of the new Ministry, has charged me 
 to inform you that the King will probably purchase 
 shares to the amount of several millions, if you will send 
 him (Struensee) an abstract of the regulations of the 
 bank, according to which he may make his report and 
 proposals. 
 
 Apropos of Struensee, with whom I am daily more in- 
 timate. He has desired me to inform you that the change 
 of the commandite* for the dealing in piastres will very 
 powerfully lower your exchange ; and the following is his 
 reasoning to prove his assertion: 
 
 <( The remonstrances of the Bank of St. Charles to pre- 
 serve the remittances of the Court, on commission, at the 
 rate of ten per cent, have been entirely rejected; it has 
 only been able to obtain them on speculation, and on the 
 conditions proposed by the Gremios ;\ that is to say, at 
 an interest of six per cent for the money advanced. 
 
 * Money agents. 
 
 fA company of Spanish merchants so called.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 283 
 
 <( The same bank has lately changed the commandite at 
 Paris for the piastre business, and has substituted the 
 house of Le Normand to that of Le Couteulx. As the 
 former does not at present possess so extensive a credit 
 as the latter, many people foresee that the Spanish bank 
 will be under the necessity of keeping a greater supply 
 of ready money with their commandite. 
 
 <( In the interim, it has found itself extremely dis- 
 tressed. Desirous of settling its accounts with the House 
 of Le Couteulx, and other houses in France, it was in 
 want of the sum of three millions of French livres. To 
 obtain this, it addressed itself to Government, and en- 
 deavoring to call in sixty millions of reals which were 
 its due. Government having, under various pretenses, 
 declined payment, the bank declared itself insolvent, and 
 that it must render the state of its affairs public. This 
 means produced its effect; Government came to its aid, 
 and gave it assignments for twenty millions of reals, 
 payable annually.
 
 LETTER LVII. 
 
 December ipth, 1786. 
 
 THE comedy which Prince Henry had promised the 
 world every Monday had its first representation on 
 yesterday evening. The King came, contrary to 
 the expectation of the Prince, and highly amused him- 
 self. I was a close observer of royalty, as you may 
 suppose. It is incontrovertibly the cup of Circe which 
 must be presented, in order to seduce him, but filled 
 rather with beer than tokay. One remark sufficiently 
 curious, which I made, was that Prince Henry amused 
 himself for his own personal pleasure, and was not sub- 
 ject to the least absence of mind, neither of politics nor 
 of attention to his guests. All the foreign ministers 
 were present, but I was the only stranger who stayed 
 to supper; and the King, who, when the comedy was 
 over, behaved all the evening with great reserve, except 
 when some burst of laughter was forced from him by 
 the obscene jests of Prince Frederick of Brunswick, con- 
 templated me with an eye more than cold. He is inces- 
 santly irritated against me by speeches which are made 
 FOR ME; and the most harmless of my acquaintance are 
 represented as personally offensive to his Majesty. For 
 my own part, I am perfectly the reverse of disconsolate 
 on the subject. I only notice this that I may describe 
 my present situation, exactly as it is, without any hy- 
 pocrisy. 
 
 It is true that Count Hertzberg has been on the point 
 of losing his place, the occasion of which was what fol- 
 lows: He had announced the promised arrangement to 
 the Duke of Mecklenburg, notwithstanding which, the 
 affair was not expedited. Driven beyond his patience, 
 and impatience in him is always brutal, he one day said 
 to the members of the General Directory, <( Gentlemen, 
 you must proceed a little faster; business is not done 
 thus; this is a State which can only proceed with activ- 
 (284)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 285 
 
 ity. * An account was given to the King of this vehement 
 apostrophe. The Sovereign warmly reprimanded his 
 Minister, who offered to resign. Blumenthal, it is said, 
 accommodated the affair. 
 
 Apropos of the Duke of Mecklenburg, the King, when 
 he received his thanks for the restitution of his bailliages, 
 said to him, <( I have done nothing more than my duty; 
 read the device of my order* (Suum cuique*). The 
 Poles, when the Prussian arms were erected to denote 
 the limits of the frontiers, after dismemberment by the 
 late King, added rapuit to the motto, f I do not imagine 
 Frederick William will ever give occasion to a similar 
 epigram. 
 
 A very remarkable incident in the history of the 
 human heart was the following: After various retrench- 
 ments had been made upon this Duke, especially in the 
 promises that had been given him, one of the courtiers 
 represented to the King that he would not be satisfied. 
 w Well, M said his Majesty, (< then we must give him a 
 yellow ribbon;" and, accordingly, yesterday the yellow 
 ribbon was given. The vainglorious Duke at this moment 
 found the arrangement of the bailliages perfectly satis- 
 factory, and this was the occasion of his coming to re- 
 turn thanks. 
 
 Would you wish to obtain a tolerably just idea of the 
 manner of living, in this noble TENNIS COURT, J called 
 the Court of Berlin ? If so, pay some attention to the 
 following traits, and recollect that I could collect a hun- 
 dred of the same species. 
 
 The Princess Frederica of Prussia is now nineteen, and 
 her apartment is open at eleven every morning. 
 
 The Dukes of Weimar, Holstein, and Mecklenburg, all 
 ill-bred libertines, go in and out of it two or three times 
 in the course of the forenoon. 
 
 The Duke of Mecklenburg was recounting I know not 
 
 *To every one his own. 
 
 t Suum cuique rapuit. He took from every one his own. 
 
 \Tripot. The just value of the author's word seems to be show booth. 
 Tennis courts were formerly hired in France by ropedancers, tumblers, 
 and showmen ; in which we must not omit the allusion to the debauchery 
 of manners of such people in France.
 
 286 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 what tale to the King. The Prince of Brunswick, awk- 
 wardly enough, trod on the toe of a person present, to 
 make him take notice of something which he thought 
 ridiculous. The Duke stopped short in his discourse 
 w I believe, sir, you are diverting yourself at my ex- 
 pense.* He went on with his conversation to the King, 
 and presently stopped again W I have long, sir, been 
 acquainted with the venom of your tongue; if you have 
 anything to say, speak it to my face, and I shall answer 
 you. * More conversation and other interruptions. <( When 
 I am gone, Sire, the Prince will paint me in charming 
 colors; I beg Your Majesty will recollect what has just 
 passed. * 
 
 This same Prince Frederick is, as I have very often 
 told you, the chief of the mystics, against whom he ut- 
 tered the most horrid things to Baron Knyphausen. 
 
 <( But how is this, my Lord ? * replied the Baron ; (< I 
 understood you were the Pope of that Church.* (< It is 
 false. * <( I have too good an opinion of your honesty to 
 imagine you can be of a sect which you disavow ; I, there- 
 fore, give you my promise everywhere to declare you 
 despise the mystics too much to be one of them; and 
 thus you will recover your reputation.* The Prince beat 
 about the bush, and called off his dogs. 
 
 A courtier, a grand marshal of the Court, petitions for 
 a place promised to five candidates. I remarked to him, 
 <( But how, monsieur, if the place be engaged? * <( Oh, 
 engagements are nothing at present,* answered he, 
 gravely ; <( for this month past we have left off keeping 
 our word.* 
 
 Welner, the real author of the disgrace of Schulem- 
 burg, went to see him, pitied him, and said, (< You have 
 too much merit not to have many enemies. * <( I, many 
 enemies, monsieur! * said the ex-Minister; (< I know of 
 but three Prince Frederick, because I would not give 
 his huntsman a place ; Bishopswerder, because I dismissed 
 one of his dependents; and you, because I know not 
 why. * Welner began to weep, and to swear that detrac- 
 tion was everywhere rending his character. <( Tears are 
 unworthy of men,* said Schulemburg; <( and I am unable 
 to thank you for yours.*
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 287 
 
 In a word, all is sunken to the diminutive, as all was 
 exalted to the grand. 
 
 It is asserted that the Prussian merchants will be al- 
 lowed a free trade in salt and wax. I cannot verify the 
 fact to-day ; Struensee will be too much occupied, it being 
 post day; but if it be true, the Maritime Company, 
 which at once will be deprived of salt, wax, coffee, to- 
 bacco, and probably of wood, cannot longer support the 
 burden of eighteen per cent at the least; a profit which 
 no solid trade can afford, and which, perhaps, Schulem- 
 burg himself, with all his lucrative exclusive privileges, 
 could not have paid, but by perplexing the treasury ac- 
 counts, so that the gains of one branch concealed the 
 deficiencies of another. 
 
 As to the silk manufactures, which are proposed to be 
 laid aside, I do not perceive that any inconvenience what- 
 ever will result from this. An annual bounty of forty 
 thousand rix-dollars divided among the master weavers 
 of Berlin, added to the prohibition of foreign silks, will 
 never enable them to maintain a competition. Nay, as I 
 have before explained to you, the very manufacturers 
 themselves smuggle, and thus supply more than one-third 
 of the silks that are used in the country; for it is easy 
 to conceive that purchasers will prefer the best silks, 
 which have more substance than, and are of superior 
 workmanship to, those which monopoly would oblige them 
 to buy. Not that the raw materials cost the manufac- 
 turer of Berlin more than they do the manufacturer of 
 Lyons. They both procure them from the same coun- 
 tries, and the former does not pay the six per cent en- 
 trance duty to which the Lyons manufacturer is subject; 
 besides that, the German workman will labor with more 
 diligence than the French ; nor is labor much dearer here 
 than at Lyons. The one receives eighty centimes an ell 
 for making, and the other ninety-five centimes for the 
 same quantity, of equal fineness, which scarcely amounts 
 to one and a half per cent, on the price of the silk, es- 
 timated at five livres the French ell. The Berlin manu- 
 facturer has likewise, by a multitude of local calculations 
 of trade, to which I have paid severe attention, an ad- 
 vantage of thirty per cent over the Lyons trader, at the
 
 288 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 fair of Frankfort on the Oder. And, whether it proceed 
 from a defect in the Government, the poverty of the 
 workmen, or the ignorance of the manufacturer, he still 
 cannot support the competition. Of what use, therefore, 
 are so many ruinous looms, of which there are not less 
 than sixteen hundred and fifty, at Berlin, Potsdam, Frank- 
 fort, and Koepnic ? the product of which, however, is 
 far from being equivalent to the same number of looms 
 at Lyons. The Berlin weaver will not, at the utmost, 
 do more than two-thirds of the work turned out of hand 
 by the weaver of Lyons. Of these sixteen hundred and 
 fifty looms, we may reckon about twelve hundred in 
 which are weaved taffetas, brocades, velvets, etc. The 
 remainder are employed in fabricating gauze, about nine 
 hundred and eighty thousand Berlin ells of which are 
 annually produced. (The French ell is equal to an ell 
 three-qiiarters of Berlin measure.) The twelve hundred 
 silk looms only produce about nine hundred and sixty 
 thousand ells; which in the whole amount to one million 
 nine hundred and forty thousand ells. The sum total 
 of the looms consume about one hundred and fourteen 
 thousand pounds weight of raw silk, at sixteen ounces 
 to the pound. (You know that seventy-six thousand 
 pounds weight of wrought silk will require about one 
 hundred and fourteen thousand pounds weight of un- 
 dressed silk.) There are also twenty-eight thousand pair, 
 per annum, of silk stockings fabricated at Berlin; which 
 consume about five thousand pounds weight of raw silk. 
 It is principally in the stocking manufactory that the 
 silk of the country is employed; which, in reality, is supe- 
 rior in quality to that of the Levant; but they so ill 
 understand the art of spinning it, in the Prussian States, 
 that it is with difficulty worked in the silk loom. The 
 stocking manufacturers use it to a greater advantage, 
 because, being cheap, and of a strong quality, stockings 
 are made from it preferable to those of Nismes and 
 Lyons, in which cities the rejected silk alone is set apart 
 for stockings. From eight to twelve thousand pounds 
 weight of silk is annually obtained in the Prussian States, 
 in which there are mulberry trees enough to supply thirty 
 thousand pounds weight. This constitutes no very for-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 289 
 
 midable rivalship with the silk produced in the States of 
 the King of Sardinia. 
 
 The commission of inquiry has written to inform Launay 
 that it has no further demand to make from him ; and in 
 consequence he has addressed the King- for permission to 
 depart. The King replied, <( I have told you to wait here 
 till the commission shall be closed.* There is either 
 cunning or tyranny on one side or the other. 
 19
 
 LETTER LVIII. 
 
 December 23d, 1786. 
 
 MADEMOISELLE HtNCKE, or Madame Rietz, as you think 
 proper to call her, has petitioned the King to be 
 pleased to let her know what she is to expect, 
 and to give her an estate on which she may retire. The 
 Sovereign offered her a country house, at the distance 
 of some leagues from Potsdam. The lady sent a posi- 
 tive refusal, and the King, in return, will not hear any 
 mention made of an estate. It is difficult to say what 
 shall be the product of this conflict between cupidity 
 and avarice. The pastoral, in the meantime, proceeds 
 without relaxation. * Inez de Castro* has several times 
 been performed at the German theater, imitated from 
 the English, and not from the French. In the fourth 
 act, the Prince repeats with ardor every oath of fidelity 
 to a lady of honor. This has been the moment of each 
 representation which the Queen has chosen to leave the 
 house. Was it the effect of chance, or was it intendedly 
 marked? This is a question that cannot be answered, 
 from any consideration of the turbulent and versatile, 
 but not very feeble, character of this Princess. 
 
 When her brother-in-law, the Duke of Weimar, arrived, 
 the King gave him a very gracious reception; and, by 
 degrees, his countenance changed to icy coldness. Con- 
 jectures are that he has been lukewarm, or has wanted 
 address in his negotiation with the Queen, on the sub- 
 ject of the marriage, which is far from being determined 
 on. Two private houses have been bought at Potsdam, 
 and have been furnished with every degree of magnifi- 
 cence. And to what purpose, if marriage be intended ? 
 May not the wife be lodged in the palace ? Speaking of 
 arrangements, let me inform you that the King has sent 
 a M. Paris, his valet de chambre, into France, to pay his 
 personal debts there, and to purchase such things as are 
 (290)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 291 
 
 wanting to these newly bought houses which are conse- 
 crated to love. 
 
 The relations of Mademoiselle Voss, who four months 
 since pressed her to depart for Silesia, there to marry a 
 gentleman who asked her hand, are at present the first 
 to declare that the projected royal marriage would be 
 ridiculous, and even absurd. In fact, its consequences 
 might be very dangerous; for, should disgust succeed 
 enjoyment, a thing which has been seen to happen, Ma- 
 demoiselle Voss must separate with a pension ; instead of 
 which, in her rank of favorite, she might rapidly make 
 her own fortune, that of her family, and procure the 
 advancement of her creatures. 
 
 Be this as it may, the time is passed at Potsdam in 
 projecting bowers for love; and, though the Sovereign 
 might not perhaps be exactly addressed in the words of 
 LA HIRE to Charles VII. *I assure you, Sire, it is im- 
 possible to lose a kingdom with greater gayety," it may 
 at least be said, <( It is impossible to risk a kingdom 
 more tenderly.* But whatever tranquillity may be 
 affected, there are proceedings and projects which, with- 
 out alarming, for he certainly has valor, occupy the Mon- 
 arch. The journey of the Emperor to Cherson, the very 
 abrupt and very formal declaration of Russia to the city 
 of Dantzic, the intended camp of eighty thousand men in 
 Bohemia, for the amusement of the King of Naples, are 
 at least incidents that may compel attention, if not re- 
 mark. There are doubts concerning the journey of the 
 Empress into the Crimea, Potemkin being unwilling to 
 make her a witness of the incredible poverty of the peo- 
 ple and the army, in this newly acquired garden. 
 
 The discouragement of the Ministry of Berlin still con- 
 tinues to increase. The King, for these two months has not 
 acted in concert with any single Minister. Hence their 
 torpor and pusillanimity are augmented. Count Hertz- 
 berg is progressive in his descent, and Werder begins to 
 decline. The King remains totally unconcerned; and 
 never was the mania of reigning in person and of doing 
 nothing carried to greater excess. Instead of the capi- 
 tation, a tax on houses is talked of as a substitute. I 
 begin to think that neither of these taxes will take place.
 
 292 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 There is an inclination to retract without disgrace, if that 
 be possible ; and the pretext will be furnished by the ad- 
 vice of the provincial presidents. It is the more extraor- 
 dinary that this capitation tax should be so much persisted 
 in, since , under the reign of Frederick William I. , a sim- 
 ilar attempt was made, and which on the second year was 
 obliged to be renounced. 
 
 The Prussian army has made a new acquisition, of the 
 same kind with those by which it has been enriched for 
 these four months past. I speak of Prince Eugene of 
 Wurtemberg. He began his career by an excess of lib- 
 ertinage. He since has distinguished himself in the trade 
 of corporal-schlag* and by stretching the severity of 
 discipline to ferocity. He, notwithstanding, has not 
 acquired any great reputation by these means. He has 
 lived at Paris, and plunged into mesmerism. He after- 
 ward professed to be a somnambulist, and next contin- 
 ued the farce, by the practice of midwifery. These 
 different masquerades accompanied and concealed the 
 real object of his ambition and his fervor, which is to 
 give credit to the sect of the mystics, of whom he is one 
 of the most enthusiastic chiefs. A regiment has lately 
 been granted him, which brings him to Berlin. His 
 fortune will not permit him to live wholly there ; but his 
 situation will allow him to make journeys to that city, 
 where he will be useful to the fathers of the new church. 
 Singular, ardent, and active, he delivers himself like an 
 oracle and enslaves his hearers by his powerful and 
 ecstatic elocution, with his eyes sometimes haggard, always 
 inflamed, and his countenance in excessive emotion. In a 
 word, he is one of those men whom hypocrites and jug- 
 glers make their successful precursors. 
 
 23d, at Noon. 
 
 I have just had a very deep and almost sentimental 
 conversation with Prince Henry. 
 
 He is in a state of utter discouragement, as well on 
 his own behalf as on behalf of his country. He has 
 confirmed all I have related to you, and all I shall now 
 
 * The flogging-corporal ; from schlagen, to strike or whip.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 293. 
 
 relate, torpor in every operation, gloom at Court, 
 stupefaction among Ministers, discontent everywhere. 
 Little is projected, less still is executed. When it is 
 noticed that business is suffered to languish, the King's 
 being in love is very gravely given as the reason, and 
 it is affirmed that the vigor of administration depends 
 on the compliance of Mademoiselle Voss. Remarks at 
 the same time are made how ridiculous it is thus to 
 suspend the affairs of a whole kingdom, etc, etc. 
 
 The General Directory, which should be a Council of 
 State, is nothing more than an office to expedite com- 
 mon occurrences. If Ministers make any proposition no 
 answer is returned; if they remonstrate they meet with 
 disgust. What they ought to do is so far from what 
 they actually do that the debasement of their dignity 
 occasions very disagreeable reflections. Never was a 
 public opinion produced more suddenly than it has been 
 by Frederick William II., in a country where the seeds 
 of such opinion did not appear to exist. 
 
 Prince Henry can find no remedy for domestic vices, 
 but he has no apprehensions concerning foreign affairs; 
 because the King is at present wholly decided in favor 
 of France, and still more destitute of confidence for the 
 favorers of the English faction. Pray take notice that 
 this is the version of the Prince ; not that I am very in- 
 capable of believing it, if we do not throw up our own 
 chances. 
 
 What the public papers have announced respecting the 
 journey of Prince Henry, is without foundation. Some 
 wish to go to Spa and France, but no plan is yet deter- 
 mined on; a vague hope, which he cannot suffer to ex- 
 pire, notwithstanding the blows he receives, will detain 
 him at Rheinsberg. Year will succeed to year; the 
 moment of rest will arrive, and habit will enchain him 
 in his frosty castle, which he has lately enlarged and 
 rendered more commodious. To these different motives, 
 add a nullity of character, a will unstable as the clouds, 
 frequent indisposition, and a heated imagination, by 
 which he is exhausted. That which we desire without 
 success, gives more torment than that which is executed 
 with difficulty.
 
 294 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 A second Minister is to be appointed for Silesia; one 
 singly is a kind of viceroy. It is dangerous, say they, 
 to see with the eyes of an individual only. Divide et 
 impera. Thus far have they advanced in their politics. 
 
 Prince Frederick of Brunswick is ardently active in 
 his intrigues against Prince Henry, and the Duke his 
 brother. What he wishes is not known; but he wishes, 
 and hence he has acquired a certain importance among 
 the tumultuous crowd, who cannot perceive that a con- 
 temptible Prince is still more contemptible than an ordi- 
 nary man. He neither can be of any durable utility, 
 nor in the least degree agreeable or estimable ; but, under 
 certain given circumstances, he may be a very necessary 
 spy.
 
 LETTER LIX. 
 
 December 26th, 1786. 
 
 A GRAND list of promotions is spoken of, in which Prince 
 Henry and the Duke of Brunswick are included, as 
 field marshals. But the first says he will not be 
 a field marshal. He continually opposed that title being 
 bestowed on the Duke, under Frederick II., who refused 
 to confer such a rank on the princes of the blood. This 
 alternative of haughtiness and vanity, even aided by his 
 ridiculous comedy, will not lead him far. He intends to 
 depart in the month of September for Spa; he is after- 
 ward to visit our southern provinces, and from thence is 
 to continue his journey to Paris, where he is to pass the 
 winter. Such are his present projects, and the proba- 
 bility is sufficiently great that not anything of all this 
 will happen. 
 
 The King has declared that he will not bestow any 
 places on persons who are already in office under the 
 Princes. This may perhaps be the cause that Count 
 Nostitz has forsaken Prince Henry. The Count is a very 
 strange kind of being. 
 
 First sent into Sweden, where he erected himself a 
 chief of some envoys of the second order, finding him- 
 self dissatisfied with the severe laws of etiquette, he 
 passed a slovenly life in an office, which he exercised 
 without abilities. On his return he procured himself the 
 appointment of one of the gentlemen who accompanied 
 the Prince Royal into Russia, but the consent of the 
 Prince he had forgotten to ask. He \was consequently 
 regarded as an inconvenient inspector, and was but spar- 
 ingly produced on public occasions. Hence arose ill- 
 humor, complaints, and murmurs. The late King sent 
 him into Spain, where he dissipated the remainder of his 
 fortune. The merchants of Embden, and of Konigsberg, 
 requested the Spaniards would lower the duties on I know 
 not what species of merchandise. Count Nostitz solicited, 
 
 (295)
 
 296 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 negotiated, and presently wrote word " that the new regu- 
 lations were wholly to the advantage of the Prussian sub- 
 jects. a The King ordered the Court of Spain to be 
 thanked. Fortunately, Count Finckenstein, who had not 
 received the regulations, delayed sending the thanks. 
 The regulations came, and the Prussian merchants were 
 found to be more burdened than formerly. His Majesty 
 was in a rage. Nostitz was suddenly recalled, and ar- 
 rived at Berlin without the fortune that he had spent, desti- 
 tute of the respect that he had lost, and deprived of all 
 future hopes. Prince Henry welcomed him to his palace, 
 an asylum open to all malcontents. Here he remained 
 eighteen months, and here displayed himself in the same 
 manner that he had done everywhere else inconsistent 
 in his imaginations, immoral in mind, ungracious in 
 manners, not capable of writing, not willing to read, as 
 vain as a blockhead, as hot as a turkey cock, and unfit 
 for any kind of office, because he neither possesses prin- 
 ciples, seductive manners, nor knowledge. Such as here 
 depicted, this insipid mortal, the true hero of the Dun- 
 ciad, is in a few days to be appointed envoy to the Elect- 
 orate of Hanover. In excuse for so capricious a choice, 
 it is alleged that he will have nothing to do in the place. 
 But wherefore send a man to a place where he has noth- 
 ing to do? 
 
 Madame Rietz, who of all the mistresses of the Sovereign 
 has most effectually resisted the inconstancy of men, and 
 the intrigues of the wardrobe,* has modestly demanded 
 the margraviate of Schwedt from the King, to serve as 
 a place of retreat; and four gentlemen to travel with 
 her son as with the son of a Monarch. This audacious 
 request has not displeased the King, who had been 
 offended by the demand made of an estate. He, no 
 doubt, has discovered that he is highly respected, now 
 that he receives propositions so honorable. 
 
 His former friends no longer can obtain a minute's 
 audience; the gates to them are gates of brass. But a 
 comedian, whose name is Matron, at present an innkeeper 
 at Verviers, lately came to solicit his protection. He 
 chose the moment when the King was stepping into his 
 
 * La garde-robe. <( An ounce of civet, good apothecary.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 297 
 
 carriage. The King said to him, "By and by; by and 
 by." Marron waited; the King returned, sent for him 
 into his apartments, spoke with him a quarter of an hour, 
 received his request, and promised everything for which 
 he petitioned. Never, no, never will subaltern influence 
 decline ; footmen will be all-puissant. Welner has publicly 
 obtained the surname of VICEROY, or of PETTY KING. 
 
 The Monarch has written to the General of the gen- 
 darmes (Pritwitz), noticing that several of his officers 
 played at games of chance; that these games were for- 
 bidden ; that he should renew the prohibitions under pain 
 of being sent to the fortress for the first offense, and of 
 being broken for the second. The information and the 
 threat were meant at the General himself, who has lost 
 much money with the Duke of Mecklenburg. 
 
 It is affirmed that the Duke of Brunswick will be here 
 from the eighth to the fifteenth of January. But Archi- 
 medes himself demanded a point of support, and I see 
 none of any kind at Berlin. There are numerous wishes, 
 but not one will ; and the wishes themselves are incoher- 
 ent, contradictory, and rash; he does not know, nor will 
 he ever know, how to connect a single link in the chain: 
 he will more especially never know how to lop off the 
 parasitical and avaricious sucker. Agriculture is what is 
 most necessary to be encouraged, particularly as soon as 
 commercial oppression shall be renounced; though this 
 oppression has hitherto been productive of gold, thanks 
 to the situation of the Prussian States. But how may 
 agriculture be encouraged in a country where the half 
 of the peasants are attached to the glebe ? For so they 
 are in Pomerania, Prussia, and in other parts. 
 
 It would be a grand operation in the royal domains, 
 were they divided into small farms, as has so long since 
 been done by the great landholders in England. It is a 
 subject of much greater importance than regulations of 
 trade ; but there are so many interested people to be con- 
 troverted, and the habit of servitude is so rooted, that 
 strength of understanding, energy, and consistency, not 
 one grain of which I can find here, are necessary to make 
 the attempt. More knowledge likewise is requisite than 
 will here be found, for a long time to come, for it to be
 
 298 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 supposed that there is no town, no province, which would 
 not most gladly consent to pay the King much more than 
 the neat revenue he at present obtains, if he would suffer 
 the inhabitants to assess themselves; taking care, how- 
 ever, continually to watch over the assessments, that the 
 magistrates and nobles might not oppress the people; or 
 for it to be imagined that the subject would not gain 
 three-fourths of the expenses of collecting, and would be 
 free of all those unworthy restraints which are at present 
 imposed upon them by the fiscal treasury. 
 
 It is also necessary to recollect that it is not here as 
 with us, where the body, the mass, of national wealth 
 is so great, because of the excellence of the soil and the 
 climate, the correspondence between the provinces, etc., 
 etc., that we may cut as close as we will, provided we 
 do not erect kilns to burn up the grass; and that in 
 France the expenses of collecting only need be diminished ; 
 that no other relief is necessary; nay, that we may still 
 prodigiously increase the load, provided that load be well 
 poised. Here, two or three provinces at the utmost ex- 
 cepted, the basis is so narrow and the soil so little 
 fruitful, so damp, so impoverished, that it is only for 
 tutelary authority to perform the greatest part of all 
 which can reconcile Nature to this her neglected offspring. 
 The division of the domains itself, an operation so pro- 
 ductive of every kind of resource, requires very powerful 
 advances; for the farmer's stock and the implements of 
 husbandry are, perhaps, those which, when wanting, the 
 arm can least supply. 
 
 Independent of this grand point of view, we must not 
 forget THE MILITARY POWER, which must here be respected, 
 for here there are neither Alps nor Apennines, rivers 
 nor seas, for ramparts; here, therefore, with six millions 
 of inhabitants, Government is desirous, and, to a certain 
 point, is obliged, to maintain two hundred thousand men 
 in arms. In war there are no other means than those of 
 courage or of obedience, and obedience is an innate idea 
 in the SERF peasant; for which reason, perhaps, the 
 grand force of the Prussian army consists in the union 
 of the feudal and military systems. Exclusive of that vast 
 consideration, which I shall elsewhere develop, let me
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 299 
 
 add it will not be sufficient here to act like such or such 
 a Russian or Polish lord, and say, * You are enfran- 
 chised, * for the serfs here will reply, <( We are very much 
 obliged to you for your enfranchisement, but we do not 
 choose to be free w ; or even to bestow land gratuitously 
 on them, for they will answer, * What would you have 
 us do with lands ? w * Proprietors and property can only 
 be erected by making advances, and advances are ex- 
 pensive; and, as there are so few governments which 
 have the wisdom to sow in order that they may reap, 
 this will not be the first to begin. It is little probable 
 that the morning of wholesome politics should first break 
 upon this country. 
 
 At present it is almost publicly known that the Comte 
 d'Esterno is to depart in the month of April for France. 
 I shall submit it to your delicacy, and to your justice, 
 to pronounce whether I can remain here the overseer of 
 a charg^ d'affaires. During his absence, functions might 
 be bestowed on me; here I certainly would not remain 
 under an envoy per interim ; nor would this require more 
 than the simple precaution of sending me secret creden- 
 tials. But, as no such thing will be done, you will per- 
 ceive that this is a new and very strong reason for my 
 departure about that time. Those who would make me 
 nothing more than a gazetteer are ill-acquainted with 
 
 * It is a melancholy truth that such is, and indeed such must nec- 
 essarily be, the spirit of serf peasants ; nay, in Russia this error is more 
 rooted than in Prussia. The peasants have no examples of the 
 possibility of existing in a state of independence ; they think themselves 
 certain of an asylum against hunger and old age in the domains of their 
 tyrants, and, if enfranchised, would imagine themselves abandoned to 
 an inhospitable world (which indeed, locally speaking, they would be), 
 in which they must be exposed to perish with cold and hunger. Men 
 in a body must be led to act from motives of interest, which, when well 
 understood, are the best of motives. Nothing would be more easy than 
 to convince the peasantry of the largest empire, in a few years, of what 
 their true interest, and the true interest of all parties is, were not the 
 majority of men, unfortunately, incapable of looking far beyond the 
 trifling wants and the paltry passions of the moment. It is a melancholy 
 consideration that so many ages must yet revolve before truths so 
 simple shall be universally known, even now that the divine art of 
 printing is discovered.
 
 300 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 mankind; and still more so those who hope to oblige me 
 to consent tacitly or perforce. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT The Count de Masanne, a fervent mystic, 
 is the grand master of the Queen's household. Welner 
 supped with her yesterday, and had the place of honor; 
 that is to say, he sat opposite her. If he cede to wishes 
 of such indecent vanity, he will presently be undone.
 
 LETTER LX 
 
 December soth, 1786. 
 
 YESTERDAY was a memorable moment for the man of 
 observation. Count Briihl, a Catholic, a foreigner, 
 assuming his rank in the Prussian army, was in- 
 stalled in his place as Governor, and the capitation tax 
 was intimated. This capitation, so openly contemned, 
 supported with so much obstinacy, demonstrated to be 
 vicious in its principle, impossible of execution, and 
 barren in product, at once announces the disgraceful 
 inanity of the General Directory, by which it was loudly 
 opposed, and the sovereign influence of the subaltern by 
 whom its chiefs have been resisted. How can we sup- 
 pose the King has been deceived respecting the public 
 opinion of an operation so universally condemned? How 
 may he be excused, since his Ministers themselves have 
 informed him that he was in danger of, perhaps forever, 
 casting from him, at the very commencement of his 
 reign, the title of well-beloved, of which he was so am- 
 bitious ? Here we at least behold the ambiguous morning 
 of a cloudy reign. 
 
 The Queen is not satisfied with the choice that has been 
 made of Count Briihl, neither is she with the regulations 
 of her household, and therefore she is again contracting 
 debts. She is allowed, for expenses of every kind, only 
 fifty-one thousand crowns per annum. It will be difficult 
 for her to make this sum supply her real wants, her 
 generous propensities, and her numerous caprices. Blind 
 to the amours of the King, she can see the disorder of his 
 domestic affairs. The day before yesterday there was no 
 wood for the fires of her apartments. Her house steward 
 entreated the steward of the royal palace to lend him 
 his assistance. The latter excused himself because of 
 the smallness of his remaining stock. How, you will ask, 
 can disorder so indecent happen ? Because the quantity 
 
 (301)
 
 302 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 consumed was regulated by the late King, on the sup- 
 position that the Queen and her children resided at 
 Potsdam. Since his death no person has thought of the 
 necessary addition. Such incidents, trifling as they are 
 in themselves, prove to what excess carelessness and the 
 defects of inconsistency are carried. 
 
 Count Briihl was waited for in order to furnish the 
 house of the Princes. As he is overwhelmed by debts, 
 and is a Saxon nobleman ruined, it was requisite the 
 King should cause the sum of twenty thousand crowns 
 to be paid at Dresden, to satisfy the most impatient 
 of his creditors. Opinions concerning him are di- 
 vided. 
 
 The only points on which people are unanimous are, 
 that he is one of the flock of the elect (the mystics), and 
 that he plays exceedingly well on the violin. Those who 
 have been acquainted with him fifteen years ago speak 
 in raptures of his amenity. Those whose knowledge of 
 him is more recent are silent. Those who are totally 
 unacquainted with him say he is the most amiable of 
 men. His pupil smiles when he is praised. It is affirmed 
 that the Grand Duke has sent him here, and that it is 
 his intention to take him to himself whenever he shall 
 have the power. 
 
 The Prince Royal will soon be worthy the trouble of 
 observation; not merely because Frederick II. drew his 
 horoscope in the following terms (< I shall reign again 
 in him," for perhaps he only meant by that to testify 
 his contempt for the present King ; but because all things 
 in him proclaim greatness, but ungraciousness of charac- 
 ter; awkwardness, but a speaking countenance; unpol- 
 ished, but sincere. He asks the wherefore of everything, 
 nor will he ever be satisfied with a reply that is not 
 reasonable. He is severe and tenacious, even to ferocity, 
 and yet is not incapable of affection and sensibility. He 
 already knows how to esteem and contemn. His disdain 
 of his father approaches hatred, which he is not very 
 careful to conceal. His veneration of the late King par- 
 takes of idolatry, and this he proclaims. Perhaps the 
 youth is destined to great actions ; and, should he become
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 303 
 
 the engine of some memorable revolution, men who can 
 see to a distance will not be surprised. 
 
 Launay at length departs; and, as I believe, solely 
 from the fear which the Ministry, or rather which Wel- 
 ner, has that the King should, in some weary or embar- 
 rassed moment, restore him to his place. His dismission 
 has been granted to him only on condition that he would 
 give up twenty-five thousand crowns of arrears, which 
 are his due. This is a shameful piece of knavery. They 
 have exacted an oath from him that he will not carry off 
 any papers that relate to the State. This is pitiable 
 weakness. For of what validity is such an oath? He 
 may afford you some useful, or rather curious, annota- 
 tions. In other respects, the man is nothing, less than 
 nothing. He does not so much as suspect the elements 
 of his own trade. His speech is perplexed, his ideas are 
 confused; in a word, he could only act a great part in a 
 country where he had neither judges nor rivals. But he 
 is not, as he is accused of being, a malicious person. He 
 is a very weak and a very vain man, and nothing more. 
 He has acted the part of an executioner, no doubt; but 
 where is the financier who has not? Where would be 
 the justice of demanding the hangman to be racked be- 
 cause of the tortures he had inflicted in pursuance of the 
 sentence which the judge had pronounced? 
 
 He will predict deficiencies in the revenue, and in 
 this he will not be wrong; but he perhaps will not in- 
 form you, although it is exceedingly true, that econom- 
 ical principles, which are the guardians of this country, 
 are already very sensibly on the decline. The service 
 is more expensive, the houses of princes more numer- 
 ous, the stables are better filled, pensions are multi- 
 plied, arrangements more costly, salaries of ambassadors 
 almost doubled, the manners more elegant, etc. The 
 greatest part of these expenses was necessary. The real 
 misfortune is that there is no care taken for the pro- 
 portionate increase of the revenue by slow, but certainly 
 productive, means; and that they seem not to suppose 
 there will be any deficiency, which will at length make 
 an immense error in the sum total; so that, without
 
 304 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 war, a long reign may see the end of the Treasury, 
 should the present measures be pursued. It is not the 
 prodigality of pomp which excites murmurs. It is a 
 prodigality in contrast to the personal avarice of the 
 King which is to be dreaded. It is an insensible, but a 
 continual wasting. Hitherto the evil is inconsiderable, 
 and, no doubt, does not strike any person; but I begin 
 to understand the country in the whole, and I perceive 
 these things more distinctly than I can describe. 
 
 It was a custom with the late King, every year, on 
 the twenty-fourth of December, to make presents to his 
 brothers and sisters, the whole sum of which amounted 
 to about twenty thousand crowns. This custom the 
 nephew has suppressed. A habitude of forty years had 
 led the uncles to consider these gratuities as a part of 
 their income; nor did they expect that they should have 
 SET the first examples, or rather have BEEN MADE the 
 first examples, of economy. Faithful to his peculiar 
 mode of making presents, the King has gratified the 
 Duke of Courland with a yellow ribbon. It would be 
 difficult more unworthily to prostitute his Order. 
 
 To this sordidness of metal, and this debauchery of 
 moral, coin, examples of easy prodigality may be op- 
 posed. The house of the Jew Ephraim had paid two 
 hundred thousand crowns, on account, for the late King, 
 at Constantinople, during the Seven Years' War. The 
 money was intended to corrupt some Turks, but the pro- 
 ject failed. Frederick II. continually delayed the repay- 
 ment of the sum. His successor yesterday reimbursed the 
 heirs of Ephraim.* 
 
 A saddler who had thirty years been the creditor of 
 the late King, who never would pay the debts he had 
 contracted while Prince Royal, demanded the sum of 
 
 *It is curious to read, in the History of the Seven Years' War 
 (Chap, ix.), the account which this conscientious King gives of the 
 CORRUPTION he attempted and the profusion with which he scattered the 
 money of the uncircumcised Jew, but whom he takes good care never to 
 mention. It was the treasure of THE STATE, and the State, with all its 
 goods and chattels, flocks and herds, biped and quadruped, serfs and 
 Jews included, were his for was he not every inch a King ?
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 305 
 
 three thousand crowns from his present Majesty. The 
 King wrote at the bottom of the petition : w Pay the bill 
 at sight, with interest at six per cent." 
 
 The Duke of Holsteinbeck is at length to go to 
 Kb'nigsberg, to take command of a battalion of grenadiers. 
 I have elsewhere depicted this insignificant Prince, who 
 will be a boy at sixty, and who will neither do harm to 
 the enemies of the State nor good to his private friends. 
 
 20
 
 LETTER LXI. 
 
 January ist, 1787. 
 
 THE King has lately bestowed his Order on four of his 
 subjects. The one is the keeper of his treasury (M. 
 von Blumenthal), a faithful but a dull Minister. 
 The second is the master of his horse, M. von Schwerin, 
 a silly buffoon under the late King, a cipher during his 
 whole life, a perplexed blockhead, and on whom the first 
 experiment that was made, after the accession, was to de- 
 prive him of his place. The third is his Majesty's Gov- 
 ernor, a man of eighty, who has been kept at a distance 
 for these eighteen years past, and who is destitute of 
 talents, service, dignity, and esteem for his pupil, which 
 perhaps is the first mark of good sense he ever betrayed. 
 The last who is not yet named, is Count Bruhl, who is 
 thus rewarded by titles, after receiving the most effective 
 gratifications before he has exercised any office. What 
 a prostitution of honors! I say what a prostitution; for 
 the prodigality with which they are bestowed is itself 
 prostitution. 
 
 Among others who have received favors, a mystic 
 priest is distinguished, a preacher of effrontery, who re- 
 poses on the couch of gratifications, at the expense of 
 two thousand crowns. To him add Baron Boden, driven 
 from Hesse Cassel, a spy of the police at Paris, known at 
 Berlin to be a thief, a pickpocket, a forger, capable of 
 everything except that which is honest, and of whom the 
 King himself said he is a rascal, yet on whom he has 
 bestowed a chamberlain's key. Pensions innumerable 
 have been granted to obscure or infamous courtiers. The 
 Academicians, Welner and Moulines, are appointed di- 
 rectors of the finances of the Academy. 
 
 All these favors announce a Prince without judgment, 
 without delicacy, without esteem either for himself or 
 his favors; reckless of his own fame, or of the opinion 
 (306)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 307 
 
 of the public; and as proper to discourage those who 
 possess some capacity as to embolden such as are 
 natively nothing, or worse than nothing. 
 
 The contempt of the people is the merited salary of 
 so many good works; and this contempt is daily more 
 pointed; the stupor by which it was preceded is now no 
 more. The world was at first astonished to see the 
 King faithful to his comedy, faithful to his concert, 
 faithful to his old mistress, faithful to his new one, find- 
 ing time to examine engravings, furniture, the shops of 
 tradesmen, to play on the violoncello, to inquire into 
 the tricks of the ladies of the palace, and seeking for 
 moments to attend to ministers, who debate in his hear- 
 ing on the interests of the State. But at present 
 astonishment is incited if some new folly or some habit- 
 ual sin has not consumed one of his days. 
 
 The new uniforms invented by his Majesty have this 
 day made their appearance. This military bauble, pre- 
 pared for the day on which men have the ridiculous 
 custom of making a show of themselves, confirms the 
 opinion that the sovereign who attaches so much import- 
 ance to such a circumstance possesses that kind of under- 
 standing which induces him to believe that parading is 
 a thing of consequence. 
 
 Is his heart better than his understanding ? Of this 
 men begin to doubt. 
 
 Count Alexander Wartensleben, a former favorite of 
 the present King, who was imprisoned at Spandau for 
 his fidelity to him, being sent for from the farther part 
 of Prussia to Berlin, to command the guards, has lately 
 been placed at the head of a Brandenburg regiment; 
 and by this arrangement he loses a pension of a hundred 
 guineas, which was granted him by the King while 
 Prince Royal. This frank and honest officer is a stranger 
 to the sect in favor; and, after having languished in a 
 kind of forgetfulness, finally receives a treatment which 
 neither can be called disgrace nor reward. This is gen- 
 erally considered as a deplorable proof that the King, to 
 say the least, neither knows how to love nor hate. 
 
 Mademoiselle Voss has been persuaded that it would 
 be more generous in her to prevent her lover committing
 
 3 o8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 a folly than to profit by such folly; for thus is the mar- 
 riage publicly called, which would have become a subject 
 of eternal reproach whenever the intoxication of passion 
 should have slumbered. The beauty, therefore, will be 
 made a countess, become rich, and perhaps the sovereign 
 of the will of the Sovereign, but not his spouse. Her in- 
 fluence may be productive of great changes, and in other 
 countries might render Count Schulemburg, the son-in-law 
 of Count Finckenstein, first Minister. He has acted very 
 wisely in attaching Struensee to himself, who teaches him 
 his trade with so much perspicuity that the Count imagines 
 his trade is learned. He has besides an exercised under- 
 standing, and an aptitude to industry, order, consistency, 
 and energy. Aided by his tutor, he will find no difficulties 
 too great; and he is the man necessary for this King, 
 whose will is feeble and cowardly. The late King was 
 equally averse to men of many difficulties, but it was from 
 a conviction of his own superiority. Great talents, how- 
 ever, are little necessary to reign over your men of 
 Topinamboo. 
 
 The memorial against the capitation tax, which has been 
 signed by Messieurs Hertzberg, Heinitz, Arnim, and 
 Schulemburg, concludes with these words: "This opera- 
 tion, which alarms all classes of Your Majesty's subjects, 
 effaces in their hearts the epithet of WELL-BELOVED, and 
 freezes the fortitude of those whom you have appointed 
 to your Council. w Struensee, on his part, has sent in two 
 pages of figures, which demonstrate the miscalculations 
 that will infallibly be discovered when the tax has been 
 collected. Messieurs Werder, Gaudi, and probably Werner, 
 persist; and the King, who neither has the power to re- 
 sist a plurality of voices, nor that of receding, dares not 
 yet decide. 
 
 On the i sth of February, he is to depart for Potsdam, 
 where he proposes to continue the remainder of the 
 year; that period excepted when he journeys into Sile- 
 sia and Prussia. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT Evening. The King has to-day advanced 
 the Duke of Brunswick to the rank of field marshal. 
 This is indubitably the first honorable choice he has
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 309 
 
 made; and everybody approves his having singly pro- 
 moted this Prince. 
 
 January zd. 
 
 The Dutch envoy has thrown me into a state of great 
 embarrassment, and into astonishment not less great. 
 He has asked me, in explicit terms, whether I consented 
 that endeavors should be made to procure me credentials 
 to treat with the Princess of Orange, at Nimeguen. If 
 deception might be productive of anything, I should have 
 imagined he only wished to induce me to speak ; but the 
 question was accompanied with so many circumstances, 
 all true and sincere, so many confidential communica- 
 tions of every kind, and a series of anecdotes so rational 
 and so decisive, that, though I might find it difficult to 
 account for the whim he had taken, I could not possibly 
 doubt of the candor of the envoy. After this first con- 
 sideration, I hesitated whether I should mention the af- 
 fair to you, from a fear that the presumption should be 
 imputed to me of endeavoring to rival M. de Renneval; 
 but, besides that my cipher will pass under the inspec- 
 tion of my prudent friend, before it will fall into the 
 hands of the King or his Ministers, and that I shall 
 thus be certain he will erase whatever might injure me 
 to no purpose, I have imagined it was not a part of my 
 duty to pass over a proposition of so singular a kind in 
 silence. I ought to add further, referring to the ample 
 details which I shall give, after the long conference 
 which I am to have with him to-morrow morning, that, 
 if France has no latent intention, and means only 
 to weaken the Stadtholder, in such a manner as that his 
 influence cannot hereafter be of service to the English, 
 the patriots are by no means so simple in their inten- 
 tions. I have proofs that, from the year 1784 to the end 
 of 1785, they were in secret correspondence with Baron 
 Reede; and that they ceased precisely at the moment 
 when the Baron wrote to them : <( Make your proposals ; 
 I have a carte blanche from the Princess, and, on this 
 condition, the King of Prussia will answer for the 
 Prince." I have also proofs that M. de Renneval cannot 
 succeed, and that the affair will never be brought to a
 
 3io SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 conclusion, * so long as negotiation shall be continued 
 instead of arbitration.* These are his words, and they 
 appear to me remarkable. It is equally evident that 
 the implacable vengeance of the Due de la Vauguyon 
 arises from his having dared to make love to the Prin- 
 cess, and his love having been rejected. I shall leave 
 those who are able to judge of the veracity of these al- 
 legations; but it is my duty to repeat verbally the fol- 
 lowing phrase of Baron Reede : <( M. de Calonne is inimical 
 to us, and his enemy opens his arms to receive us. 
 What is it that M. de Calonne wishes ? Is it to be Minis- 
 ter of Foreign Affairs ? A successful pacification of the 
 troubles of Holland would render him more service, in 
 such case, than the continuation of those troubles, which 
 may kindle a general conflagration. I demand a cate- 
 gorical answer to the following question: Should it be 
 proved to M. de Calonne that the Stadtholder is in real- 
 ity come over to the side of France, or, which is the 
 same thing, if he shall be obliged to come over, will he 
 then be against us ? Has he any private interest which 
 we counteract ? Is it impossible he should explain him- 
 self ? The chances certainly are all in his favor against 
 M. de Breteuil, whom we have continually hated and 
 despised. Wherefore will he spoil his own game." 
 
 I necessarily answered these questions in terms rather 
 vague. I informed him that M. de Calonne, in what re- 
 lated to foreign affairs, continually pursued the line 
 marked out by M. de Vergennes; that the former, far 
 from coveting the place of the latter, would support him 
 with all his power, if, which could not happen, he had 
 need of his support; that a comptroller-general never 
 could be desirous of anything but peace and political 
 tranquillity ; that whether M. de Calonne had or had not 
 particular agents in Holland, was a fact of which I was 
 ignorant (this Baron Reede positively assured me was 
 the case, and probably was the reason of his afterward 
 conceiving the idea of making me their substitute) ; but 
 that he would suppose me a madman, should I speak to 
 him of such a thing; and therefore if, as seemed very 
 improbable, it were true that the Princess of Orange, on 
 the recommendation of Baron Reede, should be capable of
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 311 
 
 placing any confidence in me, it was necessary she 
 should give this to be understood, through some medium 
 with which I should be unacquainted, as, for example, 
 by the way of Prussia ; but it scarcely could be supposed 
 that there would be any wish of substituting a person 
 unknown in that walk to those who were already in the 
 highest repute. 
 
 Baron Reede persisted, and further added, not to men- 
 tion that M. de Renneval could not long remain in his 
 station, the parties would undoubtedly come to a better 
 understanding when the Princess could speak with confi- 
 dence; that confidence was a sensation which she never 
 could feel for this negotiator. In fine, he demanded, 
 under the seal of profound secrecy, a conference with me, 
 which I did not think it would be right to refuse ; and his 
 whole conversation perfectly demonstrated two things: 
 the first, that his party supposes M. de Calonne is totally 
 their enemy, and that he is the Minister of influence in 
 this political conflict; and the second, that they believed 
 him to be deceived. I am the more persuaded these sup- 
 positions are true, because he very strongly insisted even 
 should I not receive any orders to repair to Holland, I 
 should pass through Nimeguen, on my return to Paris; 
 that, by the aid of the pledges of confidence which I 
 should receive from him, I might sufficiently penetrate 
 the thoughts of the Princess, so as to be able to render 
 M. de Calonne a true report of the situation of affairs, 
 and what might be the basis of a sincere and stable con- 
 ciliation. It is not, therefore, so much another person, 
 instead of M. de Renneval, that they desire, as another 
 Couette Toury, or some particular confidant of M. de 
 Calonne. I shall conclude with two remarks that are 
 perhaps important. 
 
 i. My sentiments and principles concerning liberty 
 are so known that I cannot be regarded as one of the 
 Orange party. There is, therefore a real desire of ac- 
 commodation at Nimeguen. And would not the success 
 of this accommodation be of greater consequence to M. 
 de Calonne than the machinations of M. de Breteuil? 
 Wherefore will he not have the merit of the pacifica- 
 tion, if it be necessary? And is it not in a certain
 
 3 i2 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 degree necessary, in the present political state of Eu- 
 rope? 
 
 2. The province of Friseland has ever been of the 
 Anti-Stadtholder party, and it now begins to be on bet- 
 ter terms with the Prince. Is it not because there has 
 been the ill address of attacking the Stadtholder in some 
 part hostile to the provinces, and in which neither the 
 nobility nor the regencies do, or can, wish to see the 
 Constitution absolutely overthrown? Has not the pro- 
 vince of Holland drawn others too far into its particular 
 measures? 
 
 These two considerations, which I can support by a 
 number of corroborating circumstances, perhaps are 
 worthy the trouble of being weighed. I shall send you, 
 by the next courier, the result of our conference; but, 
 if there are any orders, information or directions, to be 
 given me on the subject, it is necessary not to leave me 
 in suspense; for my situation relative to Reede is embar- 
 rassing, since I dare neither to repel nor invite advances, 
 which most assuredly I never shall provoke, and which, 
 by the well-avowed state of the Cabinet of Potsdam, it 
 was even impossible I should provoke, had I been pos- 
 sessed of so much temerity. 
 
 Nolde" has already written several letters to me from 
 Courland, and mentions an important dispatch in cipher, 
 which is to be sent by the next courier. But the 
 evident result is that it is too late to save Courland; 
 that everything which ought to have been prevented is 
 done, or as good as done, and that the best physicians 
 would but lose their time in prescribing for the incur- 
 able. The bearer of the letter, which occasioned the 
 departure of Nolde" is a merchant of Liebau, named 
 Immermann. He has been charged with the negotiation 
 of a loan in Holland and elsewhere, but, as it is said, 
 has met with no success. It is supposed in the country 
 that the Duke has thrown impediments in its way. The 
 Diet of Courland is to sit in January. It is worthy of 
 remark that, for two years past, no delegate has been 
 sent from Courland to Warsaw. 
 
 Good information is said to be received that four corps 
 of Russian troops have begun their march, purposely to
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 313 
 
 approach the Crimea at the time that the Empress shall 
 be there ; and this not so much to inspire the Turks with 
 fear, as to remove the greatest and most formidable part 
 of the military from the vicinage of Petersburg and the 
 northern provinces of Russia; and especially from the 
 Grand Duke, that there may not be any possibility of 
 dangerous or vexatious events; for the unbounded love 
 of the Russians for their Grand Duke is apprehended. 
 Yet, if such terrors are felt, wherefore undertake so 
 useless a journey, which will cost from seven to eight 
 millions of rubles ? So useless, I say, according to your 
 opinions, for, according to mine, the Empress believes 
 she is going to Constantinople, or she does not intend to 
 depart. 
 
 The troops are to be divided into four corps, of forty 
 thousand men each. The General of these armies will 
 be Field- Marshal Potemkin, who will have the immediate 
 command of a corps of forty thousand men, and the 
 superintendence of the others who are under him, to be 
 led by General Elvut, Michaelssohn, and Soltikow. 
 Prince Potemkin has under his particular and independent 
 orders sixty thousand irregular troops in the Crimea. It 
 is whispered he entertains the project of making himself 
 King of the country, and of a good part of the Ukraine.
 
 LETTER LXII. 
 
 January 4th, 1787. 
 
 MY CONFERENCE with Baron Reede is over. It con- 
 tinued three hours and a half, and I have not the 
 smallest remaining doubt concerning his intentions, 
 after the confidence with which he spoke and the writings 
 he showed me. He appears to be a good citizen, a con- 
 stitutionalist by principle, a friend of liberty by instinct, 
 loyal and true from character and habit, and rather the 
 servant of the Princess of Orange from personal affec- 
 tion than from the place he holds under her husband; a 
 person desirous of ending tumultuous and disquieting de- 
 bates, because in pacification he contemplates the good 
 of his country, and that of the Princess, whose con- 
 fidence he possesses. He is, further, a Minister of pass- 
 able talents, who has abstained from making advances 
 so long as he presumed our political management of the 
 Court of Prussia would greatly influence its intervention, 
 and that he might prevail on that Court to speak firmly. 
 At present, feeling that the respect in which the Cabinet 
 of Berlin was held is on the decline, and especially per- 
 ceiving the King is disinterested in the affairs of the 
 Stadtholder, because he has no interest in anything, he 
 knocks immediately at the door of reconciliation. 
 You may hold the following as probabilities: 
 
 1. That the Princess, who will finally decide what 
 the catastrophe is to be, at least in a very great meas- 
 ure, is, to a certain point, desirous of accommodation, and 
 to throw herself into the arms of France, because, in 
 fine, she dreads risking a stake too great, to the injury 
 of her family. 
 
 2. That she imagines M. de Calonne to be the Minis- 
 ter who influences the mind of the King, and the per- 
 sonal enemy of her house. 
 
 3. That successful attempts have been made to in- 
 spire her with very strong prejudices against his sincerity. 
 
 (3H)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 315 
 
 4. That still she seeks his friendship, and is desir- 
 ous of a correspondence with him, either direct or in- 
 direct ; and of an impartial trusty friend in Holland, who 
 should possess her confidence. 
 
 5. That not only nothing is more possible than to re- 
 touch the regulations, without some modifications in 
 which the influence of the Stadtholder cannot be re- 
 pressed, but that this is what they expect, secretly con- 
 vinced of its justice, and politically of its necessity; and 
 that Baron Reede, as a citizen, and one of the first of 
 the first rank, would be much vexed were they not re- 
 touched. 
 
 The reason of the sincere return of the Princess of 
 Orange, who indeed was never entirely alienated, is that 
 she seriously despairs of being efficaciously served at 
 Berlin. 
 
 That of her opinion of the enmity of M. de Calonne is 
 solely founded on his intimate connection with the 
 Rhingrave of Salm, which the latter exaggerates; and 
 
 the inconsiderate discourse of M. de C , which really 
 
 surpasses all imagination, and who is supposed to be the 
 particular intimate of the Minister. 
 
 Her prejudices against M. de Calonne arise, in a great 
 part, from the calumny spread by one Vandermey, who 
 had formed I know not what enterprise on Bergue- 
 Saint-Vinox (while this Minister was intendant of the 
 province), in which he failed in such a manner as to 
 cost the Stadtholder more than a hundred and sixty 
 thousand florins; and, that he might excuse himself, he 
 threw the whole blame on the opposition made by M. de 
 Calonne. Add further, that all these causes of discon- 
 tent, suspicion, and animosity are still kept in fermen- 
 tation by a M. de Portail, the creature of M. de 
 Breteuil, the which M. de Portail equally blames M. de 
 
 Veyrac, M. de C , the Rhingrave of Salm, M. de 
 
 Renneval, the Comte de Vergennes, and all that has 
 been done, all that is done, and all that shall be done; 
 but especially M. de Calonne, whom he depicts as the 
 incendiary of the Seven Provinces, which, with all 
 Europe besides, cannot be saved but by the meekness 
 of M. de Breteuil, the gentle, the polished, the pacificator.
 
 316 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 With respect to the desire of the Princess to be on 
 better terms with M. de Calonne, it is, I think, evident. 
 Baron Reede is too circumspect and too artful to have 
 taken such a step with me had he not been authorized. 
 What follows will, perhaps, give you the genealogy of 
 his ideas, which may sufficiently explain the whole epi- 
 sode. He could easily know that I wrote in cipher. He 
 is the intimate friend of Hertzberg. And for whom do 
 I cipher? Whoever is acquainted with the coast and the 
 progress of our affairs must know it can only be for M. 
 de Calonne. On what principle do I act? The Duke of 
 Brunswick, who has had many conferences with him, 
 cannot have left him in ignorance that my views on this 
 subject were all for peace. Having been totally disap- 
 pointed through the ignorance of Comte d'Esterno, which 
 he affirms is complete in this respect, and which 
 must, therefore, on this subject, redouble the native 
 
 surliness of the Count; and by the stupidity of F , 
 
 who painfully comes to study his lesson with him, and 
 returning does not always repeat it faithfully; well con- 
 vinced that the influence of Count Hertzberg is null, the 
 affection of the King cooled, and the credit of his Cabi- 
 net trifling, the Baron has proposed to the Princess to 
 make this experiment. 
 
 With respect to her consent, whether express or tacit, 
 and her serious determination to retouch the regulations, 
 of this I have seen proofs in the letters of the Princess, 
 and read them in the cipher of the Princess (for it will 
 be well to know that she is very laborious, ciphers and 
 deciphers herself, and with her own hand indites answers 
 to all the writings of the contrary party), as I have done 
 in those of Larrey and of Linden. 
 
 I did not think myself justified in disregarding such 
 overtures. After having said everything possible in favor 
 of M. de Calonne, his views, projects, and connections 
 (nor, I confess, do I believe that the manner in which I 
 am devoted to him left me at this moment without 
 address), after having treated as I ought the perfidious 
 duplicity of M. de Breteuil and his agents, and after 
 having uttered what I thought on the prudence of M. de 
 Vergennes, the delicate probity of the King, and the
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 317 
 
 undoubted politics of our Cabinet, which certainly are to 
 render the Stadtholder subservient to the public good, and 
 the independence of the United Provinces, but which 
 cannot be to procure his expulsion, it was agreed that I 
 should write the day after to-morrow to demand a cate- 
 gorical answer from M. de Calonne, to know whether he 
 wishes to begin a correspondence, direct or indirect, with 
 the Princess; and whether he consents that any proposi- 
 tions for accommodation should be made him, for render- 
 ing which effectual his personal word should be accepted, 
 when they shall be agreed on, and to an honorable 
 pacification in behalf of the Stadtholder, suitable to the 
 Sovereign. 
 
 Baron Reede, on his part, who is cautious, and wished 
 to appear to act totally from himself, wrote to the 
 Princess to inform her that this step was taken at his 
 instigation, and to demand her prompt and formal author- 
 ity to act. We are to meet to-morrow on horseback in 
 the park that we may reciprocally show each other our 
 minutes; it being certainly well understood that neither 
 of us is to show the other more than the ostensible min- 
 utes we shall have prepared; and the whole is to depart 
 on Saturday; because, said he, as not more than twelve 
 or thirteen days were necessary for him to have an 
 answer, this would be time enough, before yours should 
 arrive, for us to form the proposed plan at least, so far 
 as to establish confidence. 
 
 This is the faithful abstract of our conversation. With 
 respect to the propositions, I had only to listen; and as 
 to the reflections, I have only to apologize. Should you 
 be tempted to suppose I have been too forward in ac- 
 cepting the proposal to write, I beg the incident may be 
 weighed, and that I may be informed how it may be 
 possible, at the distance of six hundred leagues, ever to 
 be successful, if I am never to exceed my literal instruc- 
 tions. And after all, what new information have I given 
 the Baron ? Who here, who is concerned in diplomatic 
 affairs, has any doubt that I cipher? And on what sub- 
 jects do men cipher? Is it philosophy, literature, or 
 politics ? Neither have I told of what kind my business 
 is; and my constant formulae have been I SHALL
 
 3 i8 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 ENDEAVOR I SHALL FIND SOME MODE I SHALL TAKE AN 
 
 OPPORTUNITY OF LETTING M. DE CALONNE KNOW, ETC. 
 
 At present, send me orders either to recede or to 
 advance ; and in the latter case give me instructions ; for 
 I have only hitherto been able to divine, and that the 
 more vaguely because, as you must easily feel, it was 
 necessary I should appear to the Baron to be better in- 
 formed than I really am, and consequently to ask fewer 
 questions than I should otherwise have done. Ask yourself 
 what advantages might I not obtain, were 1 not obliged 
 to have recourse entirely to my own poor stock. 
 
 In brief, what pledges do you desire of the sincerity 
 of the Princess ? What proofs of friendship will you 
 afford her ? What precaution do you require for the 
 good conduct of the Stadtholder ? What kind of restraints 
 do you mean to lay him under ? Will you in nothing 
 depart from what was stipulated in the commission of 
 the zyth of February, 1766? What are the modifications 
 you propose ? Must mediation be necessarily and form- 
 ally accepted ? Is it not previously requisite that the 
 provinces of Guelderland and Utrecht should send their 
 troops into their respective quarters ? Will the province 
 of Holland then narrow her military line ? In this sup- 
 position, is there nothing to be feared from the Free 
 Corps ? and how may she answer for them ? What will 
 be the determinate constitutional functions of the Stadt- 
 holder ? What the relations of subordination and influence 
 toward the deputy counselors ? What is the reformation 
 intended to be made in the regulations ? 
 
 These, and a thousand other particulars, are of conse- 
 quence to me, if I am to be of any service in the busi- 
 ness; otherwise I need none of them. But it is to me 
 indispensable that you should immediately and precisely 
 inform me how I ought to act and speak, how far I am 
 to go, and where to stop. 
 
 Be kind enough to observe that it is requisite this step 
 should be kept entirely secret from Comte d'Esterno, and 
 that the intentions and proceedings of Baron Reede cer- 
 tainly do not merit that the Baron should be betrayed. 
 
 A curious and very remarkable fact is that the Duke 
 of Brunswick was the first who spoke to Baron Reede of
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 319 
 
 the Prussian troops being put in motion, and asked him 
 what effect he imagined it would have on the affairs of 
 Holland if some regiments of cavalry were marched into, 
 and should it be needful, if a camp were formed in, the 
 principality of Cleves, which might be called a camp of 
 pleasure. Baron Reede replied this was a very delicate 
 step, and it was scarcely possible the Cabinet of Versailles 
 could remain an unconcerned spectator. Does the Duke 
 desire to be Prime Minister, be the event what it may ? 
 And has he unworthily deceived me ? Or was it only 
 his intention to acquire from Baron Reede such in- 
 formation as might aid him to combat the proposition 
 of Count Hertzberg ? The Dutch Ambassador wished to 
 persuade me of the first. I imagine he is sincere; yet, 
 to own the truth, the public would echo his opinion, for 
 the Duke is in high renown for deceit. But here I ought 
 to oppose the testimony of Count Hertzberg himself, who 
 owned that the idea was his own, and who bitterly 
 repeated, more than once, * Ah ! had not the Duke 
 deserted me! w It is necessary to have heard the ex- 
 pression and the accent to form any positive opinion on 
 the subject, which to a certain point may be warranted. 
 
 January 5th. 
 
 I found Baron Reede at the rendezvous, in the same 
 temper of mind; and, if possible, more fervent, more 
 zealous. The only delicacy in acting he required was 
 that I should not say he had written; in order, as he 
 observed, that, should these advances still fail in their 
 effect, a greater animosity might not be the result. He 
 related to me an example of this kind, concerning the 
 success of a confidential proceeding which happened, 
 some years ago, between himself and M. de Gaussin, at 
 that time chargt d' affaires from France to Berlin, and 
 who, having described the business in terms too ardent 
 to be accurate, receives a ministerial answer from M. de 
 Vergennes, of the most kind and amicable complexion, 
 which, passing directly to the Stadtholder, through the 
 medium of the Cabinet of Berlin, was by no means 
 found acceptable, as it might reasonably have been 
 supposed it would have been; and that this produced an
 
 320 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 additional degree of coldness. True it is that the 
 Prince of Orange had not, at that time, experienced the 
 strength of his opponents; but this Prince is so pas- 
 sionate, and his mind is so perverse, that the Princess 
 herself is obliged to take the utmost precautions when 
 she has anything to communicate. 
 
 I promised Baron Reede to act entirely as he wished; 
 yet have not thought it the less my duty to relate the 
 whole affair, well convinced that people only of very 
 narrow minds pique themselves on their policy; that M. 
 de Calonne will think proper to know nothing of all this, 
 except just as much as he ought to know; that in any 
 case he will seem only to regard this overture as the 
 simple attempt of two zealous men, who communicated 
 a project which they supposed was most probable of 
 success. In reality, though it may be the most pressing 
 interest of the Stadtholder to obtain peace, how can our 
 alliance with Holland be more effectually strengthened 
 than by the concurrence of the Stadtholder ? And with 
 respect to the individual interests of M. de Calonne, 
 should we happen to lose M. de Vergennes, through age 
 or ill health, who is there capable of disputing the place 
 with him, who shall have promoted the commercial treaty 
 between France and England, and have accomplished the 
 pacification of Holland ? Enough at present concerning 
 the business in which I am engaged. Let us return to 
 Prussia. 
 
 January 6th. 
 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Goltz has long been on cold terms, 
 and even has quarreled, with Bishopswerder. They had 
 once been reconciled by the King, who felt that the 
 first, being more firm of character, and more enterprising, 
 had great advantages in the execution of affairs over the 
 other, who was more the courtier, and more the humble 
 servant of circumstances. To avoid domestic scandal, he 
 has appointed M. von Hanstein, who possesses dignity, 
 or rather haughtiness, and M. von Pritwitz, a man of 
 mediocrity, and a victim to the caprices of the late 
 King, to be general aids-de-camp. Thus Bishopswerder, 
 after he has done everything in his power to remove all
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 321 
 
 who had more understanding than himself from about 
 the person of the King, having accomplished his pur- 
 pose and secured the Monarch solely to himself, knows 
 not what he shall do with him. 
 
 Count Briihl has found neither arrangements ready 
 prepared, apartments furnished, nor persons placed in the 
 service of the Prince Royal. The consequences were ill- 
 humor, a visit to Welner, not admitted, visit returned 
 late, and by a card, rising discontent, which is encouraged 
 by Bishopswerder, who suspects Welner to have been 
 softened concerning the nomination of the two general 
 aids-de-camp. 
 
 A fact which appears very probable is that Welner, 
 who is christened by the people The Little King, knows 
 not how to perform three offices at once ; and, as he fool- 
 ishly believed he might yield to the eagerness of specu- 
 lators, and has had the meanness to enjoy the despicable 
 flatteries of those who six months ago treated him like a 
 lackey, his days have glided away in these perilous pas- 
 times of vanity. Business has been neglected, every- 
 thing is in arrear, and it is presumed that, when he shall 
 have been sufficiently bandied by the intrigues of the 
 malcontents, the ingratitude of those whom he shall have 
 served, the arts of courtiers, and the snares of his own 
 subalterns, his brain will be entirely turned. 
 
 It is at length determined the capitation tax shall not 
 be enforced. Thus it is withdrawn after having been an- 
 nounced! Without conviction! Without a substitute! 
 What confusion! What forebodings! From the short 
 prospect of the morning of the reign, how portentous are 
 the steps of futurity! 
 
 The sending an envoy to London ; which Court has not 
 yet returned the compliment. 
 
 Another envoy sent to Holland, who, in every step he 
 has taken, has risked the reputation of his Sovereign. It 
 certainly was necessary either to act consistently, or 
 totally to abstain from acting. 
 
 The commission of inquiry on the administration of 
 the finances, which has been productive of nothing but 
 injustice and rigor toward individuals, without the least 
 advantage to the public.
 
 322 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Another commission to examine the conduct of General 
 Wartenberg, appointed with ostentation, and suspended 
 in silence. 
 
 The suppression of the administration of tobacco and 
 snuff, which must be continued. 
 
 The project of the capitation tax, which is obliged to 
 be withdrawn at the very moment it was to com- 
 mence. 
 
 The convocation of the principal merchants of Prussia 
 and Silesia, which has generated nothing but discussion, 
 such as are proper to unveil the absurdity of the rulers, 
 and the wretchedness of the people. 
 
 Do not so many false steps, so many recedings, sup- 
 pose administrators who have reflected but little, who 
 are groping in the dark, and who are ignorant of the 
 elements of the science of governing ? 
 
 Amid this series of follies, we must nevertheless remark 
 a good operation, which is truly beneficial. I speak of 
 the at present unlimited corn trade, and an annual 
 exemption in behalf of that miserable Western Prussia, 
 the amount of which I do not yet know. The domestic 
 fermentation of the palace begins to be so great that it 
 must soon become public. The agent of the wishes, or, 
 more properly speaking, of the secret whims, is in opposi- 
 tion to Bishopswerder and Welner, who are on cold terms 
 with Mademoiselle Voss, who is desirious that Madame 
 Rietz should be discarded, who will agree that Mademoi- 
 selle Voss should be a rich mistress but not a wife. 
 Among this multitude of opposing wills, where each, 
 except the King, acts for himself, we may enumer- 
 ate his Majesty's chamberlain, and the counselor of 
 Mademoiselle Voss, Reuss; and the pacificator, the medi- 
 ator, the counselor, the temporizer, the preacher, Count 
 Arnim. 
 
 The Sovereign, amid these rising revolts, weathers the 
 Storm to the best of his abilities. The jeweler Botson 
 has laid a complaint against Rietz, which occasioned a 
 quarrel that might have had consequences, had not the 
 King recollected that ten years might be necessary to 
 replace a confidant whom he might have discharged in a
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 323 
 
 moment of anger. The birthday of the Count of Bran- 
 denburg was likewise a circumstance which the Rietz 
 party made subservient to their interest. His Majesty 
 sent for the mother to dinner, and peace was the restorer 
 of serenity. 
 
 The master of the horse, who was said to have lost 
 his credit, appears to have risen from the dead. Exclu- 
 sive of his yellow ribbon, which he hung over his shoul- 
 ders on the last Court day, and which excited bursts of 
 laughter from everybody, even from the Ministers, he re- 
 quested his nephew might be created a count, and was 
 answered with a (< So be it.* The creating of a count 
 is but a trifling evil, especially when so many have been 
 created; but never to possess a will of one's own is a 
 serious reflection. 
 
 Would you wish for a picture of the sinews of Govern- 
 ment, and active facilities of the Governors? Take the 
 following feature: 
 
 Various remonstrances had been made to the King- 
 finally to regulate the state of expenditure, and the 
 salaries of his officers. He replied that he intended to 
 keep a Court ; and that, in order to regulate his expenses, 
 he first desired to know the permanent state of his 
 revenues, according as they should be collected and as- 
 certained by his new financiers. After reflecting on 
 various phrases, in all of which was repeated the word 
 ASCERTAINED, the Ministers, under whose charge the excise 
 and the daily expenditure were, began to have their ap- 
 prehensions. Hence followed a multitude of trifling 
 taxes, ridiculous, hateful, and unproductive, which sprang 
 up in a single night. Oysters, cards, and an increase on 
 the postage of letters, on stamps, on wines, eight groschen 
 per ell on taffetas, thirty-three per cent on furs. 
 They even went so far as to suppress the franchises of 
 the Princes of the household. Not one of these new 
 imposts but was most gratuitously odious; for they 
 retard what they are meant to effect, and are produc- 
 tive of nothing but a demonstration of the heavy stupid- 
 ity of those who neither can procure money nor satisfy 
 the public.
 
 324 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. I have received a voluminous dispatch in 
 cipher from Courland, the contents of which it is im- 
 possible I should at present send. I can only confirm 
 former intelligence, that the chamberlain Howen, who is 
 at present Burgrave, disposes of the province, and is 
 wholly Russian; the circumstances by the next courier.
 
 LETTER LXIII. 
 
 January 8th, 1787. 
 
 THE following is the substance of the news from Cour- 
 land, as authentic as can possibly be procured. 
 
 The chamberlain Howen, an able man, the first 
 and the only person of understanding in the country (for 
 the chancellor Taube', who might otherwise counterpoise 
 his influence, is destitute of mind and character) ; Howen, 
 I say, is become Ober Burgrave, by the sudden death 
 of the Prime Minister, Klopman. After this event fol- 
 lowed a torrent of re-placings and de-placings, in none 
 of which you are interested, and concerning which it will 
 be sufficient for you to know that every recommendation 
 of the Duke has been absolutely rejected and contemned. 
 The Baron of Mest-Machor, the Russian envoy by a formal 
 and direct recommendation, occasioned the election to 
 alight on Howen, who once was the violent enemy of 
 the Russians, by whom he had been carried off from 
 Warsaw, where he resided as envoy from Courland, and 
 banished into Siberia. Here he remained several years. 
 By a concurrence of circumstances he is become Russian. 
 It appears that the Cabinet of Petersburg has preferred 
 the gaining of its purpose by gentle measures, and in- 
 tends amicably to accomplish all its designs on Courland. 
 Howen is in reality Duke of Courland, for he executes 
 all the functions of the dukedom, and converts or over- 
 awes all opponents. Woronzow, Soltikow, Belsborotko, 
 and Potemkin are absolute masters of Courland, as 
 they are of Russia; with this only difference, that Po- 
 temkin, who possesses a library of mortgages and bank 
 bills, who pays nobody, corrupts everybody, who sub- 
 jects all by the energy of his will and the extent of his 
 views, soars above Belsborotko, who is politically his 
 friend; above Woronzow, who is capable but timid; and 
 above Soltikow, who is wholly devoted to the Grand 
 Duke. 
 
 (325)
 
 326 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 The Duke of Courland will probably return no more 
 to his country, because he has ruined his affairs in 
 Russia, is unable to alter anything which has been done 
 in his absence, is entangled in lawsuits, and by complaints 
 laid against him without number, and because the regency, 
 which preserves a good understanding with the chiefs of 
 the equestrian order, under the guidance of Howen, 
 reigns with moderation, conformable to the laws of the 
 land, and brings down benedictions on its administration ; 
 insomuch that the people, who were ready to revolt 
 because they were threatened by, and already were suf- 
 fering, famine, wish affairs to continue in their present 
 train. It is to them of little import whether the govern- 
 ment be or be not Russian, if misery be not entailed on 
 them. There is no possibility of reversing a system thus 
 stable. Some sixty considerable estates have been granted 
 as fiefs or farms. All the vacant places have been be- 
 stowed on persons of the greatest influence, abroad and 
 at home; so that we may say the party of the adminis- 
 tration of Howen or of the Russians in Courland, 
 includes everybody. Several millions must be expended 
 to counterpoise such a preponderance ; and, if to counter- 
 poise were to vanquish, victory itself would not be worth 
 expenses so great. 
 
 One of the principal complaints against the Duke is 
 the deterioration of Courland, which has been effected 
 by the total impoverishment of the peasants and the 
 lands, the ruin of the forests, and the exportation of the 
 ducal revenues into foreign countries. But the grand 
 crime, the crime not to be forgiven, is having displeased 
 Russia. The Empress has been so enraged against him, 
 by his an ti- Russian proceedings in Courland, that she 
 herself said : <( The King of France would not have in- 
 jured me as the Duke of Courland has dared to do." 
 She probably meant, bestowing Courland on Prussia. 
 
 I cannot perceive how we can act better, in our pres- 
 ent situation, than to wait with patience. Our young 
 man will certainly have a place in his own country. 
 Should it be thought proper to bestow on him the title 
 of consul, with leave to wear our uniform, and a cap- 
 tain's commission, from which he might derive respect,
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 327 
 
 he asks nothing more; and we should possess an intelli- 
 gent, zealous, and incorruptible sentinel, who, from so 
 well-situated a post, might inform us of whatever was 
 passing in the North, and aid us in what relates to com- 
 merce. 
 
 I need not observe that great changes are not effected 
 in a day. We may, however, depend upon a confirma- 
 tion of the Maritime Company as a symptomatic anec- 
 dote of importance. Struensee has acted in a pleasant 
 manner. "Gentlemen," said he, to the merchants of 
 Konigsberg and Prussia, " nothing can be more excellent 
 than a free trade; but it is very just that you should 
 buy all the salt in our warehouses." "True." "Very 
 good. You must, therefore, give us security for one 
 million, two hundred thousand crowns, as well as pay 
 a hundred and twenty thousand crowns annually to the 
 proprietors, in return for the ten per cent for which we 
 are accountable ; for public good will not admit an injury 
 to be committed on private right." "True." "Very 
 good. And, for the same reason, you must pay five per 
 cent, which has been legally granted on the new shares." 
 " True. " " Very excellent, gentlemen. But who are to 
 be your securities ? Or, at least, where are your funds ? " 
 " Oh, we will form a company ! " "A company, gentle- 
 men ! One company is as good as another. Why should 
 not the King give the preference to the company that 
 actually exists ? " 
 
 All projects for the freedom of trade will, like this, 
 go off in fumo; and, what is still more fatal, if possible, 
 conclusions will be drawn, from the ignorance of the 
 present administration, in favor of the impossibility of 
 changing former regulations. Such are Kings without a 
 will; such is the present, and such will he live and die! 
 The other was all soul; this is all body. The symptoms 
 of his incapacity increase with aggravation. I shall have 
 continual occasion to repeat nearly the same words, the 
 same opinions, the same remarks. But here, however, 
 may be added, what I think a fact of weight, which is 
 that one of the causes of the torpor of interior admin- 
 istration is the misunderstanding which reigns in the 
 Ministry. Four Ministers are in opposition to two, and
 
 328 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the seventh remains neuter. Messieurs Gaudi and Wer- 
 der, who keep shifting the helm of finance, are counter- 
 acted by Messieurs Heinitz, Arnim, Schulemburg, and 
 Blumenthal. The former of the last four is accused of 
 attempting to add the department of the mines to that 
 of the finances. In the meantime the expediting of 
 business continues with Welner, and the impulse of influ- 
 ence with Bishopswerder. 
 
 The latter, either sincerely or insidiously, has become 
 the associate of the plan to bring Prince Henry again 
 into power, at least in military affairs. The Prince, for 
 several years, has not been present at the manceuvers. 
 It is affirmed that he not only will be this year, but 
 that he will be made a kind of inspector general. The 
 negotiation is carried on, with great secrecy, by General 
 Moellendorf and the favorite. 
 
 The marriage of Mademoiselle Voss is again in report. 
 Certain it is that every species of trinkets has been pur- 
 chased, every kind of preparation has been made, and 
 that a journey is rumored. Most of these circumstances 
 are kept very secret; but I am well assured of their 
 truth, because I have them from the Rietz family, who 
 are very much interested in preventing the union being 
 accomplished, under certain formalities, and who conse- 
 quently are very actively on the watch. But I know not 
 what form they will bestow on this half-conjugal, half- 
 concubine state. Yesterday, however, when I supped 
 with the King, I had ocular demonstration there was no 
 longer any restraint laid on speaking together in public. 
 
 The King, at supper, asked me, <( Who is one M. de 
 Laseau?" (< Du Saux, perhaps, Sire.* "Yes, Du Saux." 
 a A member of our academy of inscriptions. w <( He has 
 sent me a large work on gaming. * <( Alas! Sire, you 
 masters of the world only have the power of effecting 
 the destruction of gaming. Our books will accomplish 
 but little. * w But he has embarrassed me by paying me 
 a compliment which I by no means merit. * * There are 
 many, Sire, which you are too prudent to be in haste to 
 merit. " w He has congratulated me on having abolished 
 the Lotto; I wish it were true, but it is not. w <( A wish 
 from Your Majesty will effect much." "I am some
 
 THE COURT OP BERLIN 329 
 
 thanks in your debt, on this subject, for this is one of the 
 good counsels you gave me in a certain writing."* (I 
 made a low bow.) "But you must excuse me for a time. 
 There are funds assigned on that vile Lotto ; the military 
 school, for example. w <( Fortunately, Sire, a momentary 
 deficiency of fifty thousand crowns is not a thing to in- 
 spire the richest King on earth, in ready money, with 
 any great apprehensions.* "True; but agreements * 
 "Will not be violated when the parties are reimbursed, 
 or have any proportionate remuneration. Surely, since 
 despotism has so often been employed to do ill, it might 
 for once effect good. * " Oh, oh ! then you are some- 
 what reconciled to despotism. w (< Who can avoid being 
 reconciled to it, Sire, where one head has four hundred 
 thousand arms ? w He laughed with a simple kind of 
 grin, was informed the comedy was going to begin, and 
 here ended our conversation. You perceive, there is still 
 some desire of being praised in this lethargic soul. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. Launay this night departed incognito. I 
 imagine you will give very serious offense to the Cabinet 
 of Berlin if you do not prevent him going to press, as is 
 his intention. 
 
 * Meaning the Memorial.
 
 LETTER LXIV. 
 
 January isth, 1787. 
 
 I BELIEVE I have at length discovered what the Emperor 
 was hatching here. He has, sans circumlocution, pro- 
 posed to suffer Prussia to appropriate the remainder 
 of Poland to itself, provided he might act in like manner 
 by Bavaria. Fortunately, the bait was too gross. It was 
 perceived he offered the gift of a country which he had 
 not the power to bestow, and the invasion of which would 
 be opposed by Russia, that he might, without impediment, 
 seize on another which had been refused him, and of 
 which, if once acquired, he never after could have been 
 robbed. Your Ambassador, probably, has discovered this 
 long before me, from whom you will have learned the cir- 
 cumstances. To him the discovery has been an affair of 
 no difficulty; for confidence is easily placed, in politics, 
 when it is determined that the proposal shall be rejected ; 
 besides that it is a prodigious step in advance to have 
 the right of conferring with Ministers, from whom that 
 may be divined which is not asked. For my own part, 
 I can only inform you intrigues and machinations are 
 carried on, and the very moment I discover more, I shall 
 consider it as my duty to send you intelligence. But I do 
 not suppose I can give you any new information of this 
 kind. I have only promised to supply you with the cur- 
 rent news of the Court and the country. The rest is out 
 of my sphere. I want the necessary means effectually to 
 arrive at the truth. God grant it never should enter the 
 head of the Emperor to allure the King of Prussia more 
 adroitly, and to say to him, (< Suffer me to take Bavaria, 
 and I will suffer you to seize on Saxony; by which you 
 acquire the finest country in Germany, a formidable 
 frontier, and near two millions of subjects ; and by which, 
 in a word, you will extend, round, and consolidate your 
 dominions. Neither shall we have any great difficulties 
 to combat. All of them may be obviated by making the 
 (330)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 331 
 
 Elector King of Poland. The Saxon family possess the 
 mania of royalty; and even should the kingdom become 
 hereditary, wherein would be the inconvenience ? It is 
 good, or at least it very soon will be good, to possess a 
 strong barrier against Russia." 
 
 Should they ever conceive such a project, it would be 
 executed, with or without the consent of all Europe. 
 But this they have not conceived. One is too incon- 
 sistent, the other too incapable ; and after some disputes, 
 more or less serious, the Emperor will filch a village, 
 perhaps, from Bavaria, and the King of Prussia continue 
 to crouch under his nullity. 
 
 The misfortune is that to treat him thus is to treat 
 him with indulgence. The following is a fact entirely 
 secret, but certain; and which, better than all those my 
 preceding dispatches contain, will teach you to judge 
 the man. Within this fortnight he has paid a debt of a 
 million of crowns to the Emperor. And what was this 
 debt? The Empress-Queen had lent the Prince Royal, 
 now King of Prussia, a million of florins; which by ac- 
 cumulating interest, had become a million of crowns. 
 And when? In the year 1778, during the Bavarian cam- 
 paign, under the fatigues of which they imagined them- 
 selves certain that Frederick II. would sink. Thus was 
 Frederick William base enough to accept the money of 
 Austria, which he has had the imbecility to repay.* 
 He had not the sense to say, <( Mv SUCCESSOR WILL REPAY 
 YOU." No; he sanctions the act of the Imperial Court 
 when lending money to the Princes Royal of Prussia. 
 He imagines he has fulfilled his duties as a sovereign 
 when he has had the honesty to pay his debts as an in- 
 dividual. 
 
 The sum total of these debts amounted to nine mil- 
 lions of crowns; and, though I do not indeed suppose 
 that the agents are any losers, it is nevertheless true that 
 
 * If it be a crime for a prince to pay his debts, even though indebted 
 to an enemy, it is a crime which no man but a politician can discover. 
 It is not unpleasant to remark that Frederick II., when Prince Royal, 
 eagerly negotiated a loan in Russia to promote which, his letters to 
 Count Suhm inform us, he sent the Grand Duke a dried salmon. Vol- 
 taire expected the largest diamond in the crown ; he received a keg 
 of wine.
 
 332 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the first months of his reign will cost Prussia thirty-six mil- 
 lions, exclusive of common expenses, gifts, gratifications, 
 pensions, etc. The extraordinaries of the first campaign, 
 in which it was necessary to remount all the cavalry, did 
 not cost Frederick II. more than five millions, or five 
 millions and a half, of crowns. 
 
 I have not yet depicted the Monarch as a warrior; the 
 trade gives him the spleen, its minutice fatigue him, and 
 he is weary of the company of generals. He goes to 
 Potsdam, comes on the parade, gives the word, dines and 
 departs. He went on Wednesday to the house of exer- 
 cise at Berlin, uttered a phrase or two, bade the troops 
 march, and vanished. And this is the house in which 
 Frederick II., loaded with fame and years, regularly 
 passed two hours daily, in the depth of winter, in dis- 
 ciplining, grumbling, cursing, praising, in a word, in 
 keeping the tormented troops in perpetual action, who 
 still were transported to see the Old One, for that was 
 the epithet they gave him, at their head. 
 
 But a more important point is the new military regula- 
 tions, which have been conceived, planned, approved, 
 and, as it is said, are going to be printed, without either 
 having been communicated to Prince Henry or the Duke 
 of Brunswick. The tendency of this new plan is noth- 
 ing less than the destruction of the army. The seven 
 best regiments are converted into light troops, and among 
 others that of Wunsch. I am yet unacquainted with the 
 particulars of the changes made, but, according to the 
 opinion of General Moellendorf, had Lascy himself been 
 their promoter they would have been just as they are. 
 The worthy Moellendorf is humbled, discouraged, afflicted. 
 All is under the direction of Goltz, who is haughty, in- 
 capable of discussion, and who holds it as a principle 
 that the army is too expensive, and too numerous, in 
 times of peace. He is perpetually embroiled with 
 Bishopswerder, often obliged to attend to business of 
 this kind, and in some manner under the necessity of 
 interfering in affairs in the conduct of which he is not 
 supposed to be equally well versed. 
 
 The Duke of Brunswick does not come. He replied to 
 some person who had complimented him on his promo-
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 333 
 
 tion, and who, in a letter, had supposed he was soon ex- 
 pected to arrive at Berlin, that he had been exceedingly 
 flattered by receiving a title, which, however, he did not 
 think he had merited; that he never had, and never 
 should, come to Berlin, unless sent for; and of this he 
 saw no immediate prospect. I have very good informa- 
 tion that he is exceedingly disgusted, and will doubtless 
 be so more than ever, should the constitution of the 
 army be reversed without his opinion being asked, who 
 is the only field marshal of Prussia. 
 
 I do not scruple to affirm that, by the aid of a thou- 
 sand guineas, in case of need, the whole secrets of the 
 Cabinet of Berlin might be perfectly known. The papers 
 which continually are spread upon the tables of the King 
 might be read and copied by two clerks, four valets de 
 chambre, six or eight footmen, and two pages, the women 
 not included. For this reason the Emperor has an exact 
 and daily journal of the proceedings of the King, and 
 would be acquainted with all his projects, were he really 
 to project anything. 
 
 Never did kingdom announce a more speedy decline. 
 It is sapped on every side at once. The means of re- 
 ceipt are diminished, the expenses are multiplied, princi- 
 ples are despised, the public opinion sported with, 
 the army enfeebled, the very few people who are capable 
 of being employed are discouraged. Those even are dis- 
 gusted, to please whom all others have been offended. 
 Every foreigner of merit is kept at a distance, and the 
 King is surrounded by the vulgar and the vile, that he 
 may be thought to reign alone. This fatal frenzy is the 
 most fruitful cause of all the evil which at present exists, 
 and of that which is preparing for the future. 
 
 Were I to remain here ten years longer, I might fur- 
 nish you with new particulars, but could not draw any 
 new consequence. The man is judged ; his creatures are 
 judged; the system is judged. No change, no possible 
 improvement, can take place, so long as there shall be 
 no first Minister. When I say no change, I do not, by 
 any means, wish you to understand no person shall be 
 dismissed. Sand shall succeed to sand, but sand it still 
 shall be, and nothing better, till piles shall be sunken
 
 334 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 on which a foundation may be laid. What, therefore, 
 should I do here henceforth ? I can be of no use ; yet 
 nothing but utility great, direct, immediate utility 
 could reconcile me to the extreme indecency of the pres- 
 ent amphibious existence which has been conferred upon 
 me, should this existence be prolonged. 
 
 I am obliged to repeat that my abilities, what I merit 
 and what I am worth, ought at present to be known to 
 the King, and to the Ministry. If I am capable of noth- 
 ing, and merit nothing, I am, while here, a bad bargain. 
 If I am of some worth, and may effect some good pur- 
 pose, if nine months (for nine months will have passed 
 away before I shall return), if, I say, a subaltern test of 
 nine months, most painful in itself, and during which I 
 have encountered a thousand and a thousand impediments 
 without once being aided, have enabled me to acquire 
 some knowledge of men, some information, some sagac- 
 ity, without enumerating the precious contents of my 
 portfolio, I am, then, in duty bound to myself to ask, 
 and either to obtain a place or to return to a private 
 station, which will neither be so fatiguing to body nor 
 mind, nor so barren of fame. 
 
 For these reasons I undisguisedly declare, or rather 
 repeat, I cannot remain here, and I request my return 
 may be formally authorized; whether it be intended to 
 employ me hereafter or to restore me to myself. I cer- 
 tainly shall not revolt at any kind of useful occupation. 
 My feelings are not superannuated, and though my en- 
 thusiasm may be benumbed, it is not extinct. I have 
 in my sensations at this moment a strong proof to the 
 contrary. The day which you inform me you have fixed 
 for the convocation of the notables I shall regard as one 
 of the most glorious days of my life. This convocation, 
 no doubt, will soon be followed by a national assembly, 
 and here I contemplate renovating order, which shall 
 give new life to the monarchy. I should think myself 
 loaded with honors were I but the meanest secretary of 
 that assembly, the project of which I had the happiness 
 to communicate, and to which there is so much need 
 that you should appertain, or rather that you should be- 
 come its soul. But to remain here, condemned to the
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 335 
 
 rack, in company with fools, obliged to sound and to 
 wade through the foetid meanderings of an administra- 
 tion, each day of which is signalized by some new trait 
 of cowardice and stupidity, this is beyond my strength; 
 for I perceive no good purpose it can effect. Send me, 
 therefore, my recall, and let me know whether I am to 
 pass through Holland. 
 
 There, for example, I would accept a secret commis- 
 sion ; because pacification there demands, as an indispen- 
 sable preliminary, a secret agent, who can see and speak 
 the truth, and who is capable of captivating confidence. I 
 do not believe foreign politics afford any opportunity of 
 rendering greater service to France. I fear, since it is 
 necessary I should confess my fears, we rely too much 
 on the ascendency which the aristocracy has gained, of 
 late years, over the Stadtholdership. I think I perceive 
 the system of the patriots has not acquired any decided 
 superiority, except in the province of Holland, which 
 does but disturb its coestates, or at least inasmuch as it 
 excites their animosities. Nay, at Amsterdam itself, the 
 very hotbed of anti-Stadtholder Sentiments, was not the 
 Grand Council though the first to rise against the con- 
 cession of the Scotch brigade to England, the first to 
 plead in favor of military convoys, and to demand the 
 dismission of the Duke Louis of Brunswick ? Was it not 
 also the first to vote for a separate peace with England, 
 and for the acceptance of the mediation of Russia? 
 Was not its admiralty, several of the members of which 
 depend on the regency, highly involved in the plot which 
 occasioned the failure of the Brest expedition ? How can 
 it be otherwise ? The Sovereign Council is only in pos- 
 session of an imaginary authority. It is the burgomas- 
 ters, who are annually changed; or even the president 
 of the burgomasters, who is changed once in three months; 
 or rather, in fine, such among the burgomasters as gain 
 some influence of understanding or character over the 
 others, who issue those orders that direct the important 
 vote of the city of Amsterdam, in the Assembly of the 
 States. When we recollect that the college of sheriffs, 
 old and new, from which the burgomasters are elected, 
 contains a great number of English partisans, and
 
 336 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 depends in some manner on the Stadtholder, who chooses 
 those sheriffs, I know not how we can depend upon the 
 future system of that city. 
 
 It is for such reasons that I cannot understand why it 
 should not be for our interest to bring these disputes to 
 a conclusion, if we do not wish to annul the Stadthold- 
 ership, which cannot be annulled without giving birth to 
 foreign and domestic convulsions. And is it possible we 
 should wish for war? We ought not, doubtless, to suf- 
 fer the family of the Stadtholder to remain possessed of 
 legislative power, in the three provinces of Guelderland, 
 Utrecht, and Over-Yssel, by what is called the rules of 
 the regency; for this, added to the same prerogative in 
 the provinces of Zealand and Groningen, inclines the 
 balance excessively in his favor. Neither can it be 
 doubted but that the power of the Stadtholder ought 
 to be subservient to the legislative power of the States. 
 It is of equal importance to our system, or rather to the 
 regular system of foreign politics, that the legislative 
 power of the States should be directed and maintained 
 by the uniform influence of the people. But the preten- 
 sions and passions of individuals, and the private inter- 
 ests of the members of an aristocracy, have, in all 
 countries, too often been supposed the public interest; 
 which is peculiarly true here, where the union of the 
 Seven Provinces was formed in troublesome times, and 
 by the effect of chance, since the people did not think 
 of erecting a republican government till the sovereignty 
 had first been refused by France and England. Hence 
 it resulted that the regents and the people never were 
 agreed concerning the limitation of their rights and re- 
 ciprocal duties. The regents have necessarily labored to 
 render themselves independent of the people; and the 
 people, supposing themselves absolute, since they never 
 consigned over the sovereignty to the regents, nor have 
 had any interest to support them, have on all critical 
 occasions counteracted their attempts This was the ori- 
 gin of the Stadtholder party, and that of fluctuation 
 which has happened between the despotic will of an in- 
 dividual, the perfidious tergiversations of the wavering, 
 the feeble aristocratical colleges, and the impetuosity of
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 337 
 
 an enraged populace. Should ever a link of union exist 
 between the citizens and the regents, the despotism of 
 the Stadtholder and the caprices of the oligarchy will 
 have an end; but, while no such union does exist, while 
 the mode in which the people influence the Government 
 remains undetermined, so long must the system of 
 France remain insecure. 
 
 Preserve the confederate constitution, between the 
 provinces and the republican form, in its reciprocal 
 state. Or, to reduce the proposition to the most simple 
 terms, INSTEAD OF THE ODIOUS AND ILLEGAL RECOMMENDA- 
 TIONS OF THE STADTHOLDER, OR OF A BURGOMASTER, SUBSTI- 
 TUTE THE REGULAR AND SALUTARY RECOMMENDATIONS OF 
 
 THE CITIZENS.* Such should be the palladium of the 
 republic; such the pursuit of our politics. 
 
 This restriction rather demands a concurrence of cir- 
 cumstances than the shock of contention. And shall we 
 be able to effect it by those acts of violence which are 
 attributed to us, even though they should not be ours, 
 or by increasing fermentation on one part, and on the 
 other suspicion? Have we not made our influence and 
 our power sufficiently felt? Is it not time to show that 
 we wish only for the abolition of the Stadtholder regu- 
 lations, and not that of the Stadtholdership ? And how 
 shall we conclude without making the conclusion tragi- 
 cal, since it is not in human wisdom to calculate all 
 possible consequences, if we cannot effectually persuade 
 the persons at Nimeguenf that such is our real and sole 
 system. 
 
 Such is the rough draft of my profession of faith, 
 relative to the affairs of Holland. From what I have 
 said, and according to these principles, which I shall 
 more circumstantially develop, if required, in a written 
 memorial, it may be estimated whether I can or cannot 
 be useful in the country; further supposing me pos- 
 sessed of local information, which I shall with facility 
 acquire. 
 
 * Recommendations implies elections or appointments, 
 f The Princess of Orange and her party.
 
 LETTER LXV. 
 
 January i6th, 1787. 
 
 TN THE opinion of those who know that revolutions 
 effected by arms are not often those that overturn 
 States, it is truly a revolution in the Prussian mon- 
 archy to behold an example for the first time of a titled 
 mistress, who is on the point of sequestrating the King, 
 of forming a distinct Court, of exciting cabals which 
 shall be communicated from the palace to the LEGIONS, 
 and of arranging affairs, favorites, administration, and 
 grants, after a manner absolutely unknown to these cold 
 and phlegmatic countries. The moment of the disgrace, 
 and the consequent elevation of Mademoiselle Voss ap- 
 proaches. Hence intrigues, sarcasms, opinions, and con- 
 jectures, or rather predictions. Amid this mass of 
 suppositions, true or false, the following is what I can 
 collect, which seems to have most probability. My 
 translation is according to the text of one of the former 
 friends of Mademoiselle Voss, to whom she has opened 
 her heart. 
 
 This new Joan of Arc, on whose head devotion would 
 invoke the nuptial benediction, has been persuaded that 
 it is her duty to renounce marriage, and sacrifice herself, 
 first to her country; in the second place, to her lover's 
 glory; and, finally, to her family's advantage. The 
 country, say her advisers, will gain a protectress, who 
 will remove covetous and perverse counselors; the glory 
 of the Monarch will not be tarnished by a double mar- 
 riage; and her family will not be exposed to the danger 
 of beholding her a momentary princess, and presently 
 afterward exiled to an old castle, with some trifling pen- 
 sion. They affirm favor will be the more rapturous 
 should rapture not be secured by the rites of Hymen, 
 and that the instant this favor commences she will rain 
 gold on her relations, with dignities and gratuities of 
 every kind. Religious motives have been added to 
 (338)
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 339 
 
 motives of convenience. It has been demostrated that 
 there was less evil in condescension than in contracting 
 a pretended marriage while the former one remained in 
 full force. At length it was concluded that this VICTIM 
 TO HER COUNTRY'S GOOD should be taken to Potsdam and 
 offered up at Sans Souci. A house has been prepared, 
 sumptuously furnished, say some, and simply, according 
 to others, and at which are all the paraphernalia of a 
 favorite. 
 
 An anecdote, truly inconceivable, which requires con- 
 firmation, and which I am still averse to believe, is cir- 
 culated: that the King prostitutes his daughter, the 
 Princess Frederica, to be the companion of his mistress. 
 
 Mademoiselle Voss has a kind of natural wit, some in- 
 formation, is rather willful than firm, and is very obvi- 
 ously awkward, which she endeavors to disguise by 
 assuming an air of simplicity. She is ugly, and that 
 even to a degree; and her only excellence is the good- 
 ness of her complexion, which I think rather wan than 
 white, and a fine neck, over which she threw a double hand- 
 kerchief the other day, as she was leaving Prince Henry's 
 comedy to cross the apartments, saying to the Princess 
 Frederica, w I must take good care of them, for it is 
 after these they run. w Judge what must be the manners 
 of princesses who can laugh at such an expression. It 
 is this mixture of eccentric licentiousness (which she 
 accompanies with airs of ignorant innocence) and vestal 
 severity, which, the world says, has seduced the King. 
 Mademoiselle Voss, who holds it ridiculous to be German, 
 and who is tolerably well acquainted with the English 
 language, affects the Anglomaniac to excess, and thinks 
 it a proof of politeness not to love the French. Her 
 vanity, which has found itself under restraint when in 
 company with some amiable people of that nation, hates 
 those it cannot imitate, more especially because her sar- 
 casms sometimes are returned with interest. Thus, for 
 instance, the other day, I could not keep silence when I 
 heard an exclamation, (< Oh, Heavens! when shall I see, 
 when shall we have an English play ? I really should 
 expire with rapture!* (< For my part, Mademoiselle, w said 
 I, dryly, " I rather wish you may not, sooner than you
 
 340 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 imagine, stand in need of French play.* All those who 
 began to be offended by her high airs smiled, and Prince 
 Henry, who pretended not to hear her, laughed aloud. 
 Her face was suffused with blushes, and she did not 
 answer a word; but it is easy to punish, difficult to cor- 
 rect. 
 
 She has hitherto declared open war against the mys- 
 tics, and detests the daughters of the chief favorite, who 
 are maids of honor to the Queen. 
 
 But, as amid her weaknesses she is transported by 
 devotion even to superstition, nothing may be depended 
 on for futurity. Should ambition succeed primary sen- 
 sations, it is to be presumed her family will govern the 
 State. At the head of this family stands Count Finck- 
 enstein, whose tranquillity would not be disturbed by the 
 fall of the empire, but who would with inexpressible joy 
 contemplate his children enacting great parts. Next in 
 rank is Count Scbulemburg, who has newly been brought 
 into the Ministry; an active man, formerly even too 
 busy, but who seems to perceive that those who keep 
 most in the background become the principal figures. 
 This family preserves an inveterate hatred against Wel- 
 ner, who formerly carried off or seduced one of their 
 relations, who is at present his wife. To these we may 
 add the president Voss, the brother of the beauty; who 
 at least possesses that spirit of calculation, and that Ger- 
 man avidity, by which such persons profit whenever for- 
 tune falls in their way. Should Mademoiselle Voss 
 render her situation in any degree subservient to such 
 purposes, she must, while at Potsdam, prepare the dis- 
 mission of Bishopswerder and Welner, or render them 
 useless; for it is more the mode in Germany to dis- 
 pense with service than to dismiss. She herself may 
 possibly be ill-guided, and may confide in the first who 
 shall happen to be present, for she is indiscreet. She 
 depends on the constancy of her lover; for she is yet 
 inexperienced in the GRATITUDE of mankind. Having 
 never yet obliged anybody, she never yet has rendered 
 anyone ungrateful. 
 
 Should this happen, affairs will remain in their pres- 
 ent state, or grow worse. The King will shut himself
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 341 
 
 up at Potsdam; whence, however, he will frequently 
 make excursions to Berlin, because he has contracted a 
 habit of restlessness, and because his favorite seraglio 
 will always be at a brothel. He will then be totally 
 idle, will tolerate rapaciousness, and, as much as he is 
 able, hasten the kingdom's ruin, toward which it tends 
 as rapidly as present circumstances and the vis inertia 
 of the German character will allow; which does not per- 
 mit madmen to commit anything more than follies, and 
 preserves men from the destructive delirium of the 
 passions. 
 
 Add to this, the Emperor dares attempt nothing, is con- 
 sistent in nothing, concludes nothing, that he approaches 
 his end, and that all his brothers are pacific. I should 
 not be astonished were the hog of Epicurus, who, at 
 least, is not addicted to pomp, and consequently will not 
 of himself ruin the Treasury, to acquire, thanks to cir- 
 cumstances and interested men, a kind of glory during 
 his reign. 
 
 Military regulations are again mentioned. The regi- 
 ments of the line are not to be ruined, but it seems 
 there is an intention to form a certain number of bat- 
 talions of chasseurs, who, under good regulations, may 
 become useful; and this, indeed, was the design of Fred- 
 erick II. Nothing ) r et can be affirmed on the subject, 
 except that it is exceedingly strange that Frederick 
 William should imagine himself able to effect any reform, 
 the economical part excepted, in the military system and 
 in the army of Frederick II. 
 
 Prince Henry probably will have some influence in the 
 army. His name stands the first on the list, although a 
 field marshal has been appointed. The King sent him 
 the list yesterday to assure him it was so, by M. von 
 Goltz himself. They have given the child a bauble. 
 What his military influence is to be must remain a secret 
 till the appearance of the new regulations. He is often 
 visited by the general aids-de-camp. Whether this is or 
 is not known to the King is doubtful, and, if known, it 
 is evident deceit only is meant, which, indeed, is a very 
 fruitless trouble. He has no plan contrary to the poli- 
 tics of the kingdom. I do not say of the Cabinet, for
 
 342 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Cabinet there is none. Indeed, he has no plan what- 
 ever. 
 
 Count Goertz is recalled, of which Count Hertzberg 
 was, this morning, ignorant. There cannot be a better 
 proof that there is no desire to interfere in the affairs of 
 Holland, or not openly; nor simply to expose the nation 
 to a war, to promote the interests of the Stadtholder. Of 
 this, unfortunately, the House of Orange is not persuaded, 
 but of the contrary, if I may judge from the letter of 
 the Princess, which came by the courier of this morning, 
 a part of which I read as soon as it was deciphered. It 
 is in this point of view that my journey to Nimeguen, 
 under a borrowed name, and with secret authority, known 
 only to her and me, may become useful. In this same 
 letter I have read that the patriots are endeavoring to 
 effect a loan of sixteen millions of florins, at three per 
 cent, although the province of Holland has never given 
 more than two and a half per cent, and that they find 
 difficulty in procuring the money. 
 
 There are three Bishops here: the Bishop of Warmia, 
 the Bishop of Culm (who is of the House of Hohenzol- 
 lern), and the Bishop of Paphos. The first, whom I men- 
 tioned to you in my account of the King's journey into 
 Prussia, is the same whom Frederick II. robbed of near 
 eighty thousand crowns per annum, by reducing the 
 revenues of his bishopric to twenty-four thousand from a 
 hundred thousand crowns ; for such was its value previous 
 to the partition of Poland. The Monarch one day said 
 to him : <( I have not, in my own right, any great claims 
 on Paradise ; let me entreat you to take me in under your 
 cloak.* "That I would willingly,* replied the prelate, 
 *if your Majesty had not cut it so short.** He is a 
 man of pleasure and of the world, and who is only 
 acquainted with the fine arts, without other views or 
 projects, religious or political. 
 
 The second has been in the service of France. He has 
 the rage of preaching upon him and of being eloquent; 
 and the desire of doing good; but as he has also the 
 
 *This is better told in the Anecdoten aus dent Leben Friedrichs des 
 Ziveiten* where the Bishop says he had cut his coat too short for it to 
 hide SMUGGLED GOODS.
 
 THE COURT OF BERLIN 343 
 
 rage of running in debt, and getting children, his ser- 
 mons make no proselytes, and his charities relieve no 
 distress. The latter is a suffragan of Breslau, formerly 
 a great libertine, and a little of an atheist; at present 
 impotent and superannuated. 
 
 These three prelates, who are to be reinforced by the 
 Bishop of Lujavia, and the new coadjutor, the Prince of 
 Hohenloe, Canon of Strasburg, will hold no council; nor 
 will they justify the fears the orthodox Lutherans, and 
 all Saxony, who suppose the corner stone of the Protes- 
 tant religion to be laid here, have entertained concerning 
 the inclination of the King to popery. The one came to 
 obtain the order of the Black Eagle, and is gratified; 
 the other for a benefice, vacant by the death of the 
 Abbe" Bathiani; the Prince Bishop of Wannia for a 
 money loan, at two per cent, which may be sufficient to 
 satisfy his creditors. 
 
 Prince Henry, after having given a comedy and a grand 
 supper, concluded the banquet with a ball, which began 
 gloomily enough, and so continued. While some were 
 dancing in one room, others were gambling at the Lotto 
 in another. The King neither danced nor gambled; his 
 evening was divided between Mademoiselle Voss, and the 
 Princess of Brunswick. He spoke a word to M. von 
 Grotthaus, but not a syllable to anybody else. Most of 
 the actors and spectators departed before him. The 
 Bishop of Warmia and the Marquis of Lucchesini were 
 not so much as remarked. I would have defied the most 
 penetrating observer to have suspected there was a King 
 in company. Langor and restraint were present, but 
 neither eagerness nor flattery. He retired at half past 
 twelve, after Mademoiselle Voss had departed. It is too 
 visible that she is the soul of his soul, and that the soul 
 which is thus wrapt up in a covering so coarse is very 
 diminutive. You must expect this continual repetition; 
 the place of the scene may change, the scene itself never. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. The news of the recall of Goertz is false; 
 and, from the manner in which it was conveyed to me, 
 either Comte d'Esterno wished to lay a snare for me, or 
 has had a snare laid for himself. I am acquainted with
 
 344 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 circumstances which make me believe it possible the 
 negotiation should again be resumed. I have not time 
 to say more. 
 
 The Duke of Brunswick is sent for, and will be here 
 in a few days. 
 
 Count Wartensleben, who had for five months been 
 forgotten, yesterday morning was presented with between 
 five and six hundred crowns per annum, and the com- 
 mand of the regiment of Roemer at Brandenburg.
 
 LETTER LXVI. 
 
 January ipth, 1787. The day of my departure. This will 
 not be sent off sooner than to-morrow, but it ought to arrive 
 before me. 
 
 COUNT SCHMETTAU, the complaisant gentleman of the 
 Princess Ferdinand, the indisputable father of two 
 of her children, had eight years quitted the army, 
 which he left in the midst of war, angered by a disdain- 
 ful expression from Frederick II., and holding the rank 
 of captain. He has lately been appointed a colonel, with 
 the pay of fifteen hundred crowns per annum. The 
 nomination has displeased the army, and particularly the 
 General Aid-de-camp Goltz, who has been in harness 
 five-and-twenty years, and still only enjoys the rank of 
 lieutenant colonel. Count Schmettau has served with 
 honor, has received many wounds, nor does he want in- 
 telligence, particularly in the art of fortification. He has 
 drawn a great number of plans which are much es- 
 teemed. A military manual is also mentioned with 
 praise, in which he teaches all that is necessary to be 
 done from the raw recruit to the field marshal. In fine, 
 this infringement on rank might have been supportable, 
 but there has been another which has excited the height 
 of discontent. 
 
 The commission of one Major Schenkendorff, the gov- 
 ernor of the second son of the King, who gives up his 
 pupil, has been antedated, by which he leaps over six-and- 
 thirty heads. This dangerous expedient, which Frederick 
 II. never employed but on solemn occasions, and in favor 
 of distinguished persons, and which his successor had be- 
 fore practiced in behalf of Count Wartensleben, does but 
 tend to spread incertitude over the reality of military 
 rank, and to be destructive of all emulation. It is, be- 
 sides, infinitely dangerous when employed by a feeble 
 prince, absurd when resorted to at the commencement of 
 his reign, and must finally deprive the Monarch himself 
 of one of his greatest resources, the point of honor. 
 
 (345)
 
 346 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 He has deposited five hundred thousand crowns in the 
 provincial treasury, and has sent the transfer to Made- 
 moiselle Voss. Thus happen what may, she will always 
 have an income of a thousand a year, besides diamonds, 
 plate, jewels, furniture, and a house that has been pur- 
 chased for her at Berlin; which is a pleasure house, for 
 she does not intend to inhabit it. Her royal lover has 
 himself imagined all these delicate attentions, and the 
 consequence is that the most disinterested of mistresses 
 has managed her affairs better than the most artful of 
 coquettes could have done. Time will show us whether 
 her mind will aspire to the rank of favorite Sultana. 
 
 New taxes are intended to be laid on cards, wines, 
 foreign silks, oysters, coffee, sugar, contemptible re- 
 sources! As the Ministry are proceeding blindfold on 
 all these matters, they are kept in a kind of secrecy. It 
 seems they will rather make attempts than carry them 
 into execution. 
 
 To-day, the birthday of Prince Henry, the King has 
 made him a present of a rich box, estimated to be worth 
 twelve thousand crowns, has set out the gold plate, and 
 has done everything which Frederick II. used to do, if 
 we omit the rehearsal of a grand concert, the day before, 
 in his chamber; for he has time for everything except 
 for business. 
 
 <( Let there be bawdyhouses on the wings, and I will 
 easily beat him in the center." Beware that this say- 
 ing of the Emperor does not become a prophecy. The 
 prophet himself, fortunately, is not formidable ; though I 
 should not be astonished were he to be animated by so 
 much torpor and baseness ; but if he do not wait two years 
 longer, the energy which the King wants may be found 
 in the army. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. The Duke of Weimar is at Mayence, as 
 it is said, for the nomination of a coadjutor; but, as he 
 visits all the Courts of the Upper and Lower Rhine, it 
 would be good to keep a watchful eye over him, in my 
 opinion. 
 
 END OF THE SECRET HISTORY.
 
 LETTER OR MEMORIAL 
 
 PRESENTED TO 
 
 FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 
 KING OF PRUSSIA 
 
 (347)
 
 LETTER OR MEMORIAL 
 
 PRESENTED TO 
 
 FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 
 
 KING OF PRUSSIA 
 ON THE DAT OF His ACCESSION TO THE THRONE 
 
 BY 
 
 COMTE DE MIRABEAU 
 
 Arcus et statuas demolitur et obscurat oblivio, negligit carpitque 
 Posteritas. Contrk contemptor ambitionis et infinita potestatis 
 domitor animus ipsd vetustate florescit; nee ab ullis magis 
 laudatur gudm quibus minime necesse est. 
 
 PLIN., Panegy. 
 
 (349)
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 SOME imputations are at once so odious and absurd, 
 that a person of sense is not tempted to make them 
 any reply. If he be a worthy man, silence is his 
 only answer when his calumniators are anonymous. 
 
 But, amid the abuse lately vented against me, and 
 which I have enumerated rather among the rewards of 
 my labors than estimated as a part of my misfortunes, 
 there is one species of scandal to which I have not been 
 insensible. 
 
 I have been accused of presenting the reigning King 
 of Prussia with a libel against the immortal Freder- 
 ick II. 
 
 Frederick II. himself sent for me, when I hesitated 
 (much as I regretted, having lived his contemporary, to 
 die unknown to him) lest I should disturb his last 
 moments, during which it was so natural to desire to 
 contemplate a great man. He deigned to welcome and 
 distinguish me. No foreigner after me was admitted to 
 his conversation. The last time he thus honored me he 
 had refused the just and eager request which some of 
 my countrymen, who had repaired to Berlin to see his 
 military manoeuvers, testified to be admitted to his 
 presence. And could I, in return for so honorable a 
 distinction, have written a libel? 
 
 Frederick is of himself too great for me ever to be 
 tempted to write his panegyric. The very word is, in 
 my apprehension, highly beneath a great King; it sup- 
 poses exaggeration and insincerity, the wresting or dis- 
 simulation of truth; a view of the subject only on the 
 favorable side. Panegyric, in fine, is to disguise, or to 
 betray, the truth; for this is one of its inevitable incon- 
 veniences; never was panegyric true or honorable that 
 was devoid of reproof. I therefore have not, nor shall 
 
 (35i)
 
 352 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 I ever have, written the eulogy of Frederick II., but I 
 have for these two years past been endeavoring to raise 
 a monument to his memory, that ought not to be wholly 
 unworthy of the labors by which his reign has been il- 
 lustrated, or of those grand lessons which his successes 
 and his errors have equally taught. I have engaged in 
 this considerable work, which will see the light in the 
 course of the present year, and of which I make no 
 secret.* 
 
 The Memorial which I presented to Frederick William 
 II. on the day of his accession to the throne was entirely 
 foreign to this plan. It was intended only to lay before 
 him the hopes of worthy men, who knew how many 
 events, rather great than splendid, might take birth in 
 Prussia under a new reign and a Prince in the prime of 
 manhood. 
 
 The following is the Memorial in question, which has 
 been attributed to me as a crime. I lay my case before 
 the world, that the world may judge. I have not altered 
 a line, though my opinion has varied considerably in 
 some circumstances, as will be seen in my work on 
 Prussia. But I should have reproached myself had I 
 made any change, however trifling, in a Memorial to 
 which the venom of malignity has been imputed. 
 
 It has been often asked what right I had to present 
 such a Memorial. 
 
 Besides the thanks which the present King of Prussia 
 graciously was pleased to send me in a letter, he has 
 not disdained personally to address me, in a numerous 
 assembly, at the palace of his royal uncle, Prince Henry, 
 a week before my departure from Berlin. This I have 
 thought proper to make public, not in answer to idle 
 tales, which never could deceive any person, but because 
 the courage to love truth is even more honorable to a 
 King than that of speaking truth is to a private person. 
 
 *This Memorial was published in 1787, and the work alluded to is 
 *L' Histoire de la Monarchic Prussienne.'*
 
 LETTER OR MEMORIAL 
 
 PRESENTED TO 
 
 FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 
 
 SIRE, you are now King-. The day is come when it 
 has pleased the Creator to confide to you the destiny 
 
 of some millions of men, and the power of bringing 
 much evil, or much good, upon the earth. The scepter 
 descends to you at a period of life when man is capable 
 of sustaining its weight. You ought at present to be 
 weary of vulgar enjoyments, to be dead to pleasures, one 
 only excepted. But this one is the only great, the sole 
 inexhaustible pleasure, a pleasure hitherto interdicted, 
 but now in your power. You are called to watch over 
 the welfare of mankind. 
 
 The epocha at which you ascend the throne is for- 
 tunate; knowledge daily expands; it has labored, it con- 
 tinues to labor for you, and to collect wisdom ; it extends 
 its influence over your nation, which so many circum- 
 stances have contributed in part to deprive of its light. 
 Reason has erected its rigorous empire. Men at present 
 behold one of themselves only, though enveloped in royal 
 robes, and from whom more than ever they require 
 virtue. Their suffrages are not to be despised, and in 
 their eyes but one species of glory is now attainable; 
 all others are exhausted. Military success, political 
 talents, the miraculous labors of art, the progress of the 
 sciences, have each alternately appeared resplendent from 
 one extremity of Europe to the other. But enlightened 
 benevolence, which organizes, which vivifies empires, 
 never yet has displayed itself pure and unmixed upon 
 the throne. It is for you to seat it there. Yes, renown 
 so sublime is reserved to you. Your predecessor has 
 
 23 (353)
 
 354 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 gained a sufficient number of battles, perhaps too many; 
 has too much wearied fame and her hundred tongues ; has 
 dried up the fountain of military fame for several reigns, 
 for several ages. Should accident oblige you to become 
 his imitator, it is necessary you should appear worthy so 
 to be, in which Your Majesty will not fail. But this is 
 no reason why you should painfully seek honor in the 
 beaten path, wherein you can but rank as second; while 
 with greater ease, you may create a superior glory, and 
 which shall be only yours. Frederick has enforced the 
 admiration of men, but Frederick never obtained their 
 love: Yes, SIRE, their love may be wholly yours. 
 
 SIRE, your mien, your stature, recall to mind the heroes 
 of antiquity. These to the soldier are much; much to 
 the people, whose simple good sense associates the noblest 
 qualities of mind to beauty of person; and such was the 
 first intention of Nature. In your person the heroic form 
 is embellished by most remarkable tints of mildness and 
 calm benevolence, which promise not a little, even to 
 philosophers. You have a feeling heart, and the long 
 necessity of behaving with circumspection must have 
 tempered that native bounty which otherwise might have 
 made you too compliant. Your understanding is just ; by 
 this I have often been struck. Your elocution is nervous 
 and precise. You have several times demonstrated that 
 you possess an empire over yourself. You have not been 
 educated, but you have not been spoiled; and men pos- 
 sessed of energy can educate themselves. They are daily 
 educated by experience, and thus are taught what they 
 never forget. Your means are great. You are the only 
 Monarch in Europe who, far from being in debt, is pos- 
 sessed of treasures. Your army is excellent, your nation 
 docile, loyal, and possessed of much more public spirit 
 than might be expected in so slavish a constitution. 
 Some parts of the administration of Prussia, such as its 
 responsibility and consistency, which are purely military, 
 merit great praises. One of your uncles, crowned with 
 glory and success, possesses the confidence of Europe, 
 the genius of a hero, and the soul of a sage. He is a 
 counselor, a coadjutor, a friend, whom Nature and des- 
 tiny have sent you, at the moment when you have most
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 355 
 
 need of him, at the time when the more voluntary your 
 deference for him shall be, the more infallibly will it 
 acquire your applause. You have rivals in power, but 
 not a neighbor who is in reality to be feared. He who 
 seemed to proclaim himself the most formidable has too 
 long threatened to strike.* He has been taught to know 
 you. He has hastily undertaken, and as hastily renounced. 
 He will again renounce his new projects. He will require 
 all, will obtain nothing, and will never be anything more 
 than an irresolute adventurer, a burden to himself and 
 others. To preserve yourself from his attempts, you need 
 but to suffer his contradictory projects to counteract each 
 other. 
 
 You, SIRE, are the only Prince who is under the indis- 
 pensable necessity of performing great things, and from 
 whom great things are expected; and this necessity, this 
 expectation, ought to be enumerated among your best 
 resources. How admirable is your situation! How 
 inestimable are the advantages you bring to that throne 
 whereon being seated your power is boundless! A power 
 formidable even to the possessor! But be it remembered 
 that grand institutions, important changes, and the 
 regeneration of empires, appertain only to absolute Mon- 
 archs. Deign, oh, deign, to accept the good that Provi- 
 dence has strewn beneath your feet! Merit the bene- 
 factions of the poor, the love of the people, the respect 
 of Europe, and the approbation of the wise! Be just, 
 be good; and you will be happy and great. 
 
 GREAT. This, SIRE, is the title you wish; but you wish 
 it from history, from futurity; you would disdain it from 
 the lips of courtiers, whom you HAVE heard, and whom 
 you SHALL hereafter much oftener hear, prodigal of the 
 grossest praise. Should you do that which the son of 
 your slave could have hourly done better than yourself, 
 they will affirm that YOU HAVE PERFORMED AN EXTRAORDI- 
 NARY ACT. Should you obey your passions, they will 
 affirm YOU HAVE WELL DONE. Should you pour forth 
 the blood of your subjects as a river does its waters, 
 they will pronounce YOU HAVE DONE WELL. Should you 
 tax the free air, they will assert YOU HAVE DONE WELL. 
 
 *The Emperor Joseph II.
 
 356 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Should yott, puissant as you are, become revengeful, still 
 would they proclaim you had DONE WELL. So they told 
 the intoxicated Alexander when he plunged his dagger 
 into the bosom of his friend. Thus they addressed Nero, 
 having assassinated his mother. 
 
 But, SIRE, you need only to feel those sentiments of 
 justice which are native to your bosom, and that en- 
 lightened consciousness of benevolence which you possess ; 
 your own heart will be your judge; and its decrees will 
 be confirmed by your people, by the world, and by pos- 
 terity. The esteem of these is indispensable; and how 
 easily may their esteem be obtained! Should you inde- 
 fatigably perform the duties of the day, and not remit 
 its burdensome labors till the morrow; should you by 
 grand and prolific principles know how to simplify these 
 duties, so that they may be performed by a single man; 
 should you accord your subjects all the liberty they are 
 capable of enjoying; should you protect property, aid 
 industry, and root out petty oppressors, who, abusing 
 your name, will not permit men to do that for their own 
 advantage which they might without injury to others; 
 then will the unanimous voice of mankind bestow bless- 
 ings on your authority, and thus render it more sacred 
 and more potent. All things will then become easy to 
 you, for every will and every power will unite with your 
 will and your power, and your labors will daily acquire new 
 enjoyments. Nature has rendered labor necessary to 
 man; but she has also bestowed on him this precious 
 advantage, that the change of labor is at once a recre- 
 ation to him and a source of pleasure. And who more 
 than a Monarch may live according to this order of Na- 
 ture ? A philosopher has said, (< No man was so op- 
 pressed by langor as a King." He ought to have said 
 A SLOTHFUL KING. How can languor overcome a Sov- 
 ereign who shall perform his duties ? How may he bet- 
 ter maintain his body in health, or his mind in vigor 
 than when by labor he preserves himself from that dis- 
 gust which all men of understanding must feel, amid 
 the babblers and the parasites who study but to corrupt, 
 lull, benumb, and pilfer Princes ? Their whole art is to 
 inspire him with apathy and debility; or to render him
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 357 
 
 impotent, rash, and indolent. Your people will enjoy 
 your virtues; for by these only can they prosper or im- 
 prove. Your courtiers will applaud your defects ; for on 
 these depend their influence and their hopes. 
 
 Habit, SIRE, no less than accident, influences men; and 
 habit is determined by the beginning. Therefore is the 
 commencement of a reign of such value. Everything is 
 hoped, and the slightest effort seconds and confirms that 
 hope, increasing it a hundredfold. By the pleasure of 
 having done, we are strengthened in the love of doing, 
 good; and that which is wished is rendered more easy 
 by that which has been effected. 
 
 The beginning, SIRE, depends absolutely on yourself. 
 Acquire none but good habits; give no encouragement 
 to those that are frivolous. Display the man of order, 
 the lover of the public welfare. You will soon be joined 
 by all your Ministers and all your courtiers. Emulation 
 will spring forth, and wisdom will inevitably be the re- 
 sult. Emulation will aid you to judge the understandings 
 of those by whom you shall be approached. It may 
 sometimes excite or produce a happy project, and you 
 will even turn that propensity to flattery, which cannot 
 totally be expelled from Courts, to the good of your 
 people. 
 
 You may immediately ascertain to yourself that liberty 
 of mind which grand affairs require, by interfering only 
 with such as appertain to the sovereign authority, and 
 by leaving to your Magistrates and Ministers all those 
 which naturally should come under their consideration. 
 
 More than one estimable Monarch has rendered him- 
 self incapable of reigning with glory by overburdening 
 his mind with private affairs. As, SIRE, it will become 
 you always to govern well, it will also be worthy of you 
 not to govern too much. Wherefore should a King con- 
 cern himself with civil government which can be better 
 exercised without his aid ? Authority once established, 
 external safety ascertained, civil and criminal justice ad- 
 ministered alike to all classes of citizens, landed property 
 accurately estimated so as to be judiciously assessed, and 
 public works, roads, and canals wisely attended to; what 
 more has government to transact ? It has but to enjoy
 
 358 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 the industry of the people, who, while active for their 
 own interest, are also acting for the interest of the State 
 and the Sovereign. 
 
 The King who shall examine whether it be not the 
 most wise not to lay any restraint on the general affairs 
 and business of men is yet to be born; yet this is the 
 King who would govern like a God; and, by the min- 
 istry of reason, leaving the interest of each individual to 
 himself, would ascertain to all the fruits of their indus- 
 try and their knowledge. Where men are most free, 
 there will they be most numerous; and there, also, will 
 they pay the most submission, and have the greatest 
 attachment, to authority; for authority is essentially the 
 friend of that freedom which it protects. No man would 
 require more than to be left AT LIBERTY AND IN PEACE. 
 
 You surely, SIRE, are not to be told that the mania of 
 enacting and restraining laws is the characteristic of 
 inferior minds; of men incapable of generalizing, who 
 feed on timidity, and shake with ridiculous apprehensions. 
 This important truth will indicate to you the reforma- 
 tion you ought to make; and how much better you will 
 govern than your predecessors and rivals, by governing 
 less. 
 
 There are, doubtless, a multitude of good, useful, 
 necessary, and even urgent things, which it will be im- 
 possible you should immediately execute. You must first 
 learn them, must combine, and leave them to ripen. 
 And wherefore should you confide in the opinion of 
 another ? This is one of the grand errors of which you 
 ought to be aware, as you ought also of being obliged 
 to retract what you have done. The inconsistency of 
 that Sovereign, among your rivals, who has attempted 
 the most, has been more injurious to the political respect 
 in which he might have been held than his worst errors. 
 Not only, therefore, must you learn what is to do, but, 
 which is more difficult, you must, perhaps, instruct your 
 Ministers, and certainly your people. Let persuasion 
 precede legislation, SIRE; and you will meet no contra- 
 diction, and scarcely any impediments in those operations 
 which require moments of greater calm, and less busi- 
 ness, than are those of the beginning of a reign. But
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 359 
 
 there are things which you may instantly execute, and 
 which, by propagating a high opinion of your worth, 
 will acquire the fruits of confidence to your own profit, 
 and facilitate the grand changes with which your reign 
 ought to abound. 
 
 Suffer a man who loves you pardon the freedom for 
 the truth of the expression suffer a man who loves 
 you, for the good you may do, and for the grand example 
 you shall afford of the evil that may be avoided, to point 
 out a few of those things which a single voluntary act of 
 yours may perform, and which can only be productive 
 of good, without inconvenience, while they shall display 
 the morning of the most paternal reign which has ever 
 blessed mankind. 
 
 Among these, SIRE, and in the first rank, I shall enu- 
 merate the abolition of military slavery ; that is to say, the 
 obligation imposed in your States on all men from the 
 age of eighteen to sixty and upward, if able, to serve 
 for threepence a day.* 
 
 This fearful law, originating in the necessities of an 
 iron age and a half-barbarous country ; this law which de- 
 populates and exhausts your kingdom, which dishonors 
 the most numerous and the most useful class of your 
 subjects, without whom you and your ancestors would 
 only have been slaves more or less feathered and painted ; 
 this law, which is abused by your officers, who enroll more 
 men than the military conscription permits, this law does 
 not procure you a soldier more than you would acquire by 
 an increase of pay, which might easily be made from the 
 additional revenue which you would gain by the just 
 suppression of those ruinous enlisters whom Frederick II. 
 maintained in foreign countries; and by a sage mode of 
 recruiting the Prussian army, in a manner that should 
 elevate the mind, increase public spirit, and preserve 
 the forms of freedom instead of those of brutalizing 
 slavery. 
 
 Throughout Europe, SIRE, and in Prussia particularly, 
 men have had the stupidity to deprive themselves of one 
 of the most useful instinctive feelings on which the love 
 
 * Hutt gros tous les cinq jours. I suspect I have rated the 
 groschen too high.
 
 360 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 of our country can be founded. Men are required to go 
 to war like sheep to the slaughterhouse; though nothing 
 could be more easy than to unite the service of the 
 public with emulation and fame. 
 
 Your subjects are obliged to serve from eighteen to 
 sixty; and this they, with good reason, suppose to be the 
 rigorous subjection of servility. The militia of France 
 is the same, and though less cruel, is hateful to the 
 people. Yet the Swiss have a similar obligation, which 
 commences at the age of sixteen, and they believe 
 themselves to be free men. 
 
 In fact, that natural confederacy which induces citizens 
 of the same condition to repel the enemy, and to 
 defend their own and their neighbor's inheritance, 
 is so manifest, and the exercise of it is so pleasingly 
 attractive to youth, that it is inconceivable how tyranny 
 could be so weak as to render it a burden. 
 
 Impart, SIRE, to this obligation the forms of freedom 
 and of fame, by making it voluntary, and necessary in 
 order to merit esteem, by rendering it a point of honor; 
 and your army will be better conditioned, while your 
 subjects shall imagine they are, and shall really be, 
 relieved from a yoke most odious. 
 
 Begin by remitting ten years of service; your army 
 then will not be debilitated by age. 
 
 Let your peasants afterward form national companies, 
 in all parishes, that shall exercise every Sunday. 
 
 Let such national companies choose their own grena- 
 diers; and from these let the recruits for your regiments 
 be selected, not by your officers, not by the Magistrates, 
 but by the plurality of votes among their comrades. 
 Arbitrary proceedings would vanish, choice would become 
 distinction, and the parishes responsible for the soldiers 
 they have supplied. Being obliged to fill up their own 
 vacancies when drafts are made, the regiments would be 
 always complete, without effort, without tyranny, and 
 without murmur. 
 
 Kings who have created power, impatient of enjoy- 
 ment, have not confided in general principles. They 
 have feared that the people they have invited into their 
 countries should too soon be disgusted by the difficulties
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 361 
 
 they must have to encounter at the beginning. Hence 
 those tyrannical regulations, by the aid of which they 
 have intended to fix the wretch to the soil on which 
 he had been planted. In the present state of your king- 
 dom there is no pretext for the continuance of this error. 
 It is time to eradicate slavery at which the heart revolts, 
 which drives away good subjects, or inspires them with 
 the desire of escaping. Banish, therefore, all unneces- 
 sary constraint; and this, which of all others is the most 
 unnecessary. 
 
 Yet, before deciding on any plan for the recruiting of 
 the army, it is requisite to consider, with all the atten- 
 tion which it merits, that of the most worthy of your 
 Ministers, Baron Hertzberg, who, to a comprehensive 
 knowledge of the wounds of Prussia, and the means of 
 prosperity and cure, joins the highest degree of public 
 spirit and patriotic love. He supposes it possible to 
 recruit the army by itself, so as to provide for every- 
 thing that the most restless state of politics can require. 
 Perhaps, and probably, his plan and mine may coalesce. 
 It is incontestably one of those which ought to be executed 
 at the very beginning of your reign; but let it be pre- 
 ceded by a law of enfranchisement, which shall procure 
 your efforts the universal suffrages of mankind, and their 
 combined aid. 
 
 It is not to a man so worthy as you, SIRE (and what 
 greater praise can be bestowed upon a King?), it is not 
 necessary to recommend, with respect to enrollments, the 
 religious observation of all the stipulations so unworthily 
 violated by your predecessors, or the pious rewarding of 
 soldiers who have distinguished themselves by long and 
 loyal service. Alas! SIRE, I have seen alms bestowed, 
 under the windows of your palace, upon men who, while 
 you were yet in your cradle, have shed their blood in 
 defense of your family. YOIT generous equity doubtless 
 will soften the rigor of their destiny. Remember also 
 the duty, the necessity, of educating the children of 
 soldiers, who at present are perishing in the most de- 
 plorable manner, in the orphan house of Potsdam, where 
 more than four thousand are huddled together. Human, 
 ity implores your protection of these wretched victims,
 
 362 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 and provident policy, which but too loudly affirms how 
 requisite a great army will long be to the Prussian States, 
 will point out the real value of these children. 
 
 Men ought to be happy in your kingdom, SIRE; grant 
 them liberty to leave their country, when not legally 
 detained by individual obligations. Grant this freedom 
 by a formal edict. This, SIRE, is another of the eternal 
 laws of equity, which the situation of the times demands 
 should be put in execution; which will do you infinite good, 
 and which will not rob you of one enjoyment; for your 
 people can nowhere seek a better condition than that 
 which it depends on you to afford them; and could they 
 be happy elsewhere they would not be detained by your 
 prohibitions. Leave such laws to those Powers that 
 have been desirous to render provinces prisons, forget- 
 ting that this was but to make them hateful. The most 
 tyrannical laws respecting emigration have only impelled 
 the people to emigrate, against the very wish of Nature, 
 and perhaps the most powerful of all wishes, which 
 attaches man to his native soil. How does the Lap- 
 lander cherish the desolate climate under which he is 
 born! And would the inhabitant of a kingdom enlight- 
 ened by milder suns pronounce his own banishment, did 
 not a tyrannical administration render the benefits of 
 Nature useless or abhorred? Far from dispersing men, 
 a law of enfranchisement would but detain them in 
 what they would then call their GOOD COUNTRY; and 
 which they would prefer to lands the most fertile; for 
 man will submit to everything that Providence imposes; 
 he only murmurs at injustice from man, to which, if he 
 does submit, it is with a rebellious heart. Man is not a 
 tree rooted to the earth in which he grows; therefore 
 pertains not to the soil. He is neither field, meadow, 
 nor brute ; therefore cannot be bought and sold. He has 
 an interior conviction of these simple truths ; nor can he 
 be persuaded that his chiefs have any right to attach 
 him to the glebe. All powers in vain unite to inculcate 
 a doctrine so infamous. The time when the sovereign 
 of the earth might conjure him in the name of God, if 
 such a time ever existed, is past; the language of jus- 
 tice and reason is the only one to which he will at pres-
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 363 
 
 ent listen. Princes cannot too often recollect that 
 English America enjoins all governments to be just and 
 sage, if governors do not wish to rule over deserts. 
 
 Abolish, SIRE, the traites for dines* and the droits d' au- 
 baine.\ Of what benefit to you can such remains of 
 feudal barbarism be? Do not wait for a system of reci- 
 procity, which never has any other effect than that of 
 longer detaining nations in a state of folly and warfare. 
 That which is good for the prosperity of any country 
 needs no reciprocity. Objections of this kind are but 
 the foolish objections of vanity. Should the tyranny 
 which is exercised over man and property in one State 
 be to the loss of another, this is an additional reason 
 why the latter should put an end to such absurd cus- 
 toms. Similar absurdities, perhaps, have obliged its own 
 subjects to seek their fortune elsewhere, and have even 
 made them forbear to return and bring the fruits of 
 their labors back to the country that gave them birth. 
 As nothing is wanting but that some one should begin, 
 how noble, how worthy is it of a great King to be first! 
 Your commercial subjects who are somewhat wealthy 
 could not acquire their wealth at home, they were obliged 
 to seek it in foreign countries; who, therefore, SIRE, is 
 more interested than you are to set the example of abo- 
 lition, where to exact is so atrocious? Have England and 
 Holland waited to renounce such rights till you should 
 have renounced them in their behalf? 
 
 One of the most urgent changes which demands your 
 attention, and which a word may accomplish, is a law to 
 restore to the plebeians the liberty to purchase patrician 
 lands, with all their annexed rights. The execution 
 of the strange decree by which they were deprived of 
 this liberty has been so iniquitously inflicted that, if a 
 patrician estate was sold for debt, and a plebeian was 
 desirious of paying all the creditors, with an additional 
 sum to the debtor, he was not allowed so to do, without 
 an express order from the King. This order was gener- 
 
 *The twentieth, levied on all merchandise entering or leaving the 
 kingdom. 
 
 f The seizure of the effects of foreigners who happen to die in the 
 kingdom.
 
 364 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 ally refused by your predecessor; and the patrician by 
 whom the creditors were defrauded, and the debtor kept 
 without resource, had the preference. What was the con- 
 sequence of this absurd law ? The debasement of the 
 price of land, that is to say, of the first riches of the 
 State, and highly to the disadvantage of the noble land- 
 holders; the decay of agriculture, which was before dis- 
 couraged by so many other causes, and of credit among 
 the gentry; the aggravation of that fearful prejudice 
 which wrongs the plebeian and renders the patrician 
 stupid, by making him suppose his honorable rights are 
 a sufficient source of respect, and that he need not ac- 
 quire any other ; in fine, the absolute necessity that those 
 plebeians should quit the country who had acquired any 
 capital; for they could not employ their money in trade, 
 that being ruined by monopoly; nor in agriculture, be- 
 cause they were not allowed to hope they ever might 
 be landholders. * Is not Mecklenburg full of the traders 
 of Stettin and Konigsberg, etc., who have employed the 
 wealth they gained, during the last maritime war, in the 
 purchase of the estates of the ruined nobility of that 
 country ? This, SIRE, would be a heavy loss to you, were 
 Mecklenburg always to be separated from your kingdom ; 
 a loss beyond the powers of calculation, were the same 
 regulations hereafter to subsist. It is a remark which 
 could not escape sagacious travelers, that wealthy mer- 
 chants have delighted, in retirement, to betake them- 
 selves to agriculture. The most barren land becomes 
 fruitful in their possession. They labor for its improvement, 
 and bear with them that spirit of order, that circumstan- 
 tial precision, by which they grew rich in trade. Wherever 
 merchants can purchase, and wherever trade is honor- 
 able, there the country flourishes, and wears the face of 
 abundance and prosperity. Commercial industry awakens 
 every other kind of industry, and the earth requires 
 that ingenious tillage which animates vegetation in the 
 most ungrateful soil. Ah ! SIRE, deign to recollect this 
 
 * Bourgeoisie and Roturiers are terms which are here translated by 
 the word PLEBEIAN, and this word is meant to include all classes, whether 
 of tradesmen, husbandmen, or liberal professions, that do not appertain 
 to the nobility.
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 365 
 
 tillage never was invented on patrician lands; for this 
 we are indebted to those countries where illustrious birth 
 vanishes when merit and talents appear. 
 
 Abolish, SIRE, those senseless prerogatives which be- 
 stow great offices on men who, to speak mildly, are not 
 above mediocrity; and which are the cause that the 
 greatest number of your subjects take no interest in a 
 country where they have nothing to hope but fetters and 
 humiliations. Beware, oh! beware, of that universal ar- 
 istocracy which is the scourge of monarchical States, even 
 more than of republics; an aristocracy by which, from 
 one end of the earth to the other, the human species is 
 oppressed. It is the interest of the most absolute Monarch 
 to promulgate the most popular maxims. The people do 
 not dread and revile Kings; but their Ministers, their 
 courtiers, their nobles ; in a word, the aristocracy. <( OH, 
 DID THE KING BUT KNOW ! w Thus they exclaim. They 
 daily invoke the royal authority, and are always ready 
 to arm it against aristocracy. And whence is the power 
 of the Prince derived, but from the people ; his personal 
 safety, but from the people; his wealth and splendor, 
 but from the people; those benedictions which alone can 
 make him more than mortal, but from the people ? And 
 who are the enemies of the Sovereign, but the grandees: 
 the members of the aristocracy, who require the King 
 should be only THE FIRST AMONG EQUALS, and who, where- 
 ever they could, have left him no other pre-eminence 
 than that of rank, reserving power to themselves ? By 
 what strange error does it happen that Kings debase 
 their friends, whom they deliver up to their enemies ? 
 It is the interest and the will of the people that the 
 Prince should never be deceived. The interest and the 
 will of the nobility are the very reverse. The people 
 are easily satisfied : they give and ask not. Only prevent 
 indolent pride from bearing too heavily upon them ; leave 
 but the career open which the Supreme Being has pointed 
 out to them at their birth, and they will not murmur. 
 Where is the Monarch who could ever satisfy the noble, 
 the rich, the great ? Do they ever cease to ask ? Will 
 they ever cease ? 
 
 SIRE, equality of rights among those who support the
 
 3 66 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 throne will form its firmest basis. Changes of this kind 
 cannot be suddenly made; yet there is one of these which 
 cannot be too suddenly: let no person who wishes to 
 approach the throne, whatever may be his rank in life, 
 be impeded by the prerogatives of the great. Let men 
 feel the necessity of equal merit to obtain preference. 
 It is for you to level distinctions, and seat merit in its 
 proper place. 
 
 Declare open war on the prejudice which places so 
 great a distance between military and civil functions. It 
 is a prejudice which, under a feeble Prince, such as 
 your august family, like every other, may some time pro- 
 duce, will expose the country, and the Crown itself, to 
 all the convulsions of pretorian anarchy. The officer 
 and the soldier, SIRE, should only be proud in the 
 presence of the foe. To their countrymen they should be 
 brothers; and, if they defend their fellow-citizens, be it 
 remembered they are paid by their fellow-citizens. In a 
 kingdom like yours, perhaps, the warrior ought to have 
 the first degree of respect; but he ought not to have it 
 exclusively. If you have an army only you will never 
 have a kingdom. Render your civil officers more respect- 
 able than they were under your predecessor. Nothing is 
 more just, or more easy to accomplish. The Prince who 
 reigns over the affections engages them by the simplest 
 attentions. Frederick II. had the frenzy of continually 
 wearing a uniform, as if he were the King only of 
 soldiers. This legionary habiliment did not a little con- 
 tribute to discredit the civil officer. How happened it 
 he never felt it was impossible a Sovereign should 
 render men estimable, for whom he never would testify 
 esteem ? He who attempts to make those incorruptible 
 to whom he will not assure pecuniary independence 
 will be equally unsuccessful. Let the civil officer be 
 better paid, and never forget, SIRE, that ill pay is ill 
 economy. Among a thousand examples, I will but cite 
 the enormous frauds that the Prussian Administrators 
 have, for some years, committed on the public revenue. 
 By an inconsistency, which is important in its effects, the 
 financiers have been held in too much contempt, and 
 those who have been convicted of acts the most dishonest
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 367 
 
 have been too slightly punished. Such partiality could 
 only raise the indignation of the poor, and encourage 
 the fraudulent, who soon learned that to bribe an accom- 
 plice was to diminish the danger. 
 
 Prompt and gratuitous justice is evidently the first of 
 Sovereign duties. If the Judge have no interest to elude 
 the law, and can receive only his salary, gratuitous jus- 
 tice is soon rendered, and will be equitable, should your 
 inspection be active and severe, and should you never 
 forget that severity is the first duty of Kings. This grand 
 regulation of rendering justice entirely gratuitous will, 
 fortunately, not become burdensome in your States, for 
 your people are well inclined, and not addicted to liti- 
 gious disputes. But, burdensome or not, that which is 
 strict equity is always necessary. Justice, SIRE, precedes 
 utility itself; or, rather, where justice is not, there is 
 there no utility. The Judge ought to be paid by the 
 public, and not to receive fees. To deny this were absurd ; 
 for must not Judges subsist, though there should not, for 
 a whole year, be a single lawsuit ? 
 
 Be you, SIRE, the first to render the administration of 
 justice gratuitous. 
 
 Be you also the first in whose States all men who wish 
 to labor shall find work. All who breathe ought to feed 
 by labor. It is the first law of Nature, and prior to all 
 human conventions. It is the bond of society. The Gov- 
 ernment that should neglect to multiply the products of 
 the earth, and that should not leave to each individual 
 the use and profits of his industry, would be the accom- 
 plice or the author of all the crimes of men, and never 
 could punish a culprit without committing a murder; for 
 each man who offers labor in exchange for food, and 
 meets refusal, is the natural and legitimate enemy of 
 other men, and has a right to make war upon society. 
 
 Everywhere, in country as well as in town, let houses 
 of industry be kept open at the expense of Government ; 
 that any man, of any country, may there gain his liveli- 
 hood by his labor; and that your subjects there may be 
 taught the value of time and industry. 
 
 Such institutions, SIRE, would be no burden; they 
 would pay themselves. They would open a road to
 
 368 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 trade, facilitate the sale of natural products, enrich your 
 lands, and improve your finances. 
 
 Such, SIRE, are the institutions which become a great 
 King; and not manufactures protected by exclusive 
 privileges, which only can be supported by injustice and 
 mountains of gold, and which do but contribute to 
 enrich a very small number of men; or to endow hospi- 
 tals, which, if there were no poor, would create paupers. 
 
 There are, alas! too many poor in Prussia, especially 
 at Berlin, and the poverty of whom demands your atten- 
 tion. In your capital it cannot be said without a painful 
 emotion, a tenth of the inhabitants receive public alms; 
 and this number annually augments. It is, no doubt, 
 necessary to limit the extent of cities, where excessive 
 population is productive of the worst consequences. In 
 them not only poverty takes birth, but the worst of 
 poverty, because it is not known how it may be remedied. 
 The poor of cities are beings that have lost all good 
 properties, moral and physical. But, speaking in gen- 
 eral, the best opponent to this increasing poverty would 
 be the houses of industry before mentioned, where all 
 men who have arms may labor; and not those useless 
 trades which are wretched in their pomp, and serve but 
 to encourage the luxury of splendor, which already eats 
 up your kingdom; nor those hospitals, fruitful sources of 
 depredation, of benefit only to their directors, which 
 engulf sums so considerable ; while your schools, especially 
 those of the open country, are so neglected and so 
 miserable that the salaries of some of the headmasters 
 scarcely amount to fifteen crowns a year. Let Your 
 Majesty fit your subjects for labor by a proper mode of 
 instruction, and they will have no need of hospitals. 
 
 You are not ignorant, SIRE, that to instruct is one of 
 the most important duties of the Sovereign, as it is one of 
 his greatest sources of wealth. The most able man could 
 do nothing without forming those who surround him, 
 and whom he is obliged to employ ; nor without teaching 
 them his language, and familiarizing them with his ideas 
 and his principles. The entire freedom of the Press, 
 therefore, ought to be enumerated among your first 
 regulations, not only because the deprivation of this
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 369 
 
 freedom is a deprivation of natural right, but because 
 that all impediment to the progress of the human under- 
 standing is an evil, an excessive evil, and especially to 
 yourself, who only can enjoy truth, and hear truth, from 
 the Press, which should be the Prime Minister of good 
 Kings. 
 
 They will tell you, SIRE, that with respect to the free- 
 dom of the Press you can add nothing at Berlin. But to 
 abolish the censorship, of itself so useless, and always so 
 arbitrary, would be much. If the printer's name be in- 
 serted in the title-page it is enough, perhaps more than 
 enough. The only specious objection against an unlimited 
 freedom of the Press is the licentiousness of libels ; but it is 
 not perceived that the freedom of the Press would take 
 away the danger, because that, under such a regulation, 
 truth only would remain. The most scandalous libels have 
 no power except in countries that are deprived of the free- 
 dom of the Press. Its restrictions form an illicit trade, 
 which cannot be extirpated ; yet they lay restraints on none 
 but honest people. Let not, therefore, that absurd con- 
 trast be seen in Prussia, which absolutely forbids foreign 
 books to be inspected, and subjects national publications 
 to so severe an inquisition. Give freedom to all. Read, 
 SIRE, and suffer others to read. Knowledge will every- 
 where expand, and will center on the throne. Do you 
 wish for darkness? Oh, no! Your mind is too great. 
 Or, if you did, you would wish in vain; would act to 
 your own injury, without obtaining the fatal success of 
 extinguishing light. You will read, SIRE; you will begin 
 a noble association with books ; books that have destroyed 
 shameful and cruel prejudices; that have smoothed your 
 paths; that were beneficial to you previous even to your 
 birth. You will not be ungrateful toward the accumu- 
 lated labor of beneficent genius. You will read; you 
 will protect those who write; for without them what 
 were, what should be, the human species ? They will 
 instruct, they will aid you, will speak to you unseen, 
 without approaching your throne; will introduce august 
 Truth to your presence, who shall enter your palace 
 unescorted, unattended; and, having entered, she will 
 ask no dignities, no titles, but will remain invisible and 
 24
 
 370 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 disinterested. You will read; but you would wish your 
 people should read also. You will not think you have 
 done enough by filling your academies with foreigners. 
 You will found schools, especially in the country, and 
 will multiply and endow them. You will not wish to 
 reign in darkness. Say but, * Let there be light, * and 
 light shall appear at your bidding ; while her divine beams 
 shall shine more resplendent round your head than all 
 the laurels of heroes and conquerors. 
 
 There is a devouring plague in your States, SIRE, which 
 you cannot too suddenly extirpate; and no doubt this 
 good deed will nobly signalize the first day of your 
 accession to the throne. I speak of the lottery, which 
 would but be the more odious and more formidable did 
 it procure you the wealth of worlds; but which, for the 
 wretched gain of fifty thousand crowns, hurries the in- 
 dustrious part of your subjects into all the calamities of 
 poverty and vice. 
 
 You will be told, SIRE, what some pretended statesmen 
 have not blushed to write, and publish, that the lottery 
 ought to be regarded as a voluntary tax. A tax ? And 
 what a tax ! One whose whole products are founded either 
 on delirium or despair. What a tax! To which the rich 
 landholder is not obliged to contribute. A tax which 
 neither wise nor good men ever pay. A voluntary tax? 
 Strange indeed is this kind of freedom! Each day, each 
 minute, the people are told it depends only on themselves 
 to become rich for a trifle: thousands may be gained by 
 a shilling. So the wretch believes who cannot calculate, 
 and who is in want of bread; and the sacrifice he makes 
 of that poor remaining shilling which was to purchase 
 bread, and appease the cries of his family, is a free gift! 
 a tax, which he pays to his Sovereign! 
 
 You will be further told yes, men will dare to tell 
 you that this horrible invention, which empoisons even 
 hope itself, the last of the comforts of man, is indeed an 
 evil; but that it were better you should yourself collect 
 the harvest of the lottery than abandon your subjects to 
 foreign lotteries. Oh! SIRE, cast arithmetic so corrupt, 
 and sophisms so detestable, with horror from you. There 
 continually are means of opposing foreign lotteries. Secret
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 371 
 
 collectors are not to be feared. They will not penetrate 
 far into your States when the pains and penalties are 
 made severe; and in such instances only are informers 
 encouraged without inconvenience, for they only inform 
 against an ambulatory pestilence. The natural penalties 
 against such as favor adventurers in foreign lotteries are : 
 infamy, an exclusion from municipal offices, from trading 
 companies, and the right of coming on 'Change. These 
 penalties are very severe, and no doubt sufficient; yet if 
 violent remedies are necessary to impede the progress of 
 such a crime, the punishment of death, that punishment 
 at which my mind revolts and my blood is frozen, that 
 punishment so prodigally bestowed on so many crimes, 
 and which perhaps no crime can merit, would be ren- 
 dered more excusable from the fearful list of wretched- 
 ness and disorder, which originate in lotteries, than even 
 from the most exaggerated consequences of domestic 
 theft. 
 
 But, SIRE, the great, first, and immediate operation 
 which I supplicate from YOUR MAJESTY, in the name of 
 your dearest interest and glory, is a quick and formal 
 declaration, accompanied with all the awful character- 
 istics of sovereignty, that unlimited toleration shall pre- 
 vail through your States, and that they shall ever 
 remain open to all religions. You have a very natural-, 
 and not less estimable, opportunity of making such a 
 declaration. Publish an edict which shall grant civil 
 liberty to the Jews. This act of beneficence, at the very 
 commencement of your reign, will make you surpass 
 your illustrious predecessor in religious toleration, who 
 was the most tolerant Prince that ever existed. Nor 
 shall this excess of beneficence be without its reward. 
 Exclusive of the numerous increase to population, and 
 the large capitals which Prussia will infallibly acquire, at 
 the expense of other countries, the Jews of the second 
 generation will become good and useful citizens. To 
 effect this they need but be encouraged in the mechanic 
 arts and agriculture, which to them are interdicted. 
 Free them from those additional taxes by which they 
 are oppressed. Give them access to the courts of jus- 
 tice equal to your other subjects, by depriving their
 
 372 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 Rabbis of all civil authority. Oh! SIRE, I conjure you, 
 beware of delaying the declaration of the most universal 
 tolerance. There are fears in your provinces of rather 
 losing than gaining in this respect. Apprehensions are 
 entertained concerning what are called your prejudices, 
 your preconceived opinions, your doctrine. This, per- 
 haps, is the only part in which you have been seriously 
 attacked by calumny. Solemnly prove the falsehood of 
 those who have affirmed you are intolerant. Show them 
 that your respect for religious opinions equals your re- 
 spect for the great Creator, and that you are far from 
 desiring to prescribe laws concerning the manner in 
 which He ought to be adored. Prove that, be your phil- 
 osophic or religious opinions what they may, you make 
 no pretensions to the absurd and tyrannical right of im- 
 posing opinions upon others. 
 
 After these preliminary acts, which, I cannot too often 
 repeat, may as well -be performed in an hour as in a 
 year, and which consequently ought to be performed im- 
 mediately, a glance on the economical and political sys- 
 tem by which your kingdom is regulated will lead you 
 to other considerations. 
 
 It is a most remarkable thing that a man like your 
 predecessor, distinguished for the extreme justness of 
 his understanding, should have embraced an economical 
 and political system so radically vicious. Indirect taxes, 
 extravagant prohibitions, regulations of every kind, ex- 
 clusive privileges, monopolies without number! Such 
 was the spirit of his domestic government, and to a 
 degree that, besides being odious, was most ridiculous. 
 
 Is it not astonishing, for example, that a man like 
 Frederick II. could waste his time in regulating, in such 
 a city as Berlin, the rates that should be paid at inns; 
 the pay of laquais de louage* and the value of all the 
 necessaries of life; or that ever he should conceive the 
 project of prohibiting the entrance of French apples into 
 the march of Brandenburg, which is only productive of 
 wood and sands ? As if the apples of his provinces were 
 in dread of rivals! Thus, too, he asked, when he pro- 
 hibited the eggs that were brought from Saxony, <( Can- 
 
 * Footmen that are hired by the day, for the convenience of strangers.
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 373 
 
 not my hens lay eggs ? Could he forget that the eggs 
 of the hens of Berlin must first be eaten before the in- 
 habitants would send as far as Dresden for others? His 
 prohibition, too, of the mouse traps of Brunswick! As 
 if the man had ever before been born who founded his 
 hopes of fortune on a speculation in mouse traps! It 
 would be endless to collect all his singularities of this 
 kind. Who can reflect, without pain and pity, that four 
 hundred and twelve monopolies exist in your kingdom ? 
 So interwoven was this equally absurd and iniquitous 
 system with the spirit of the government of Frederick 
 II. Or that a great number of these monopolies are still 
 active; at least that the prohibitive ordinances are ef- 
 fective, which bestowed such exclusive privileges on 
 persons many of whom have since been ruined, and have 
 become bankrupts or outlaws ? Or that, in fine, the 
 number of prohibited commodities greatly exceeds that 
 of commodities that are permitted ? These things would 
 appear incredible to men even most accustomed to indulge 
 the regulatory and fiscal delirium. Yet thus low could 
 even a great man sink, who was desirous of governing 
 too much. 
 
 Is it not equally astonishing that a Monarch so active, 
 so industrious in his royal functions, should leave the 
 system of direct taxation exactly in the state in which 
 it was under Frederick I., when the clergy were taxed 
 at a fiftieth of their income, the nobility at the thirty- 
 third, and the people at the seventeenth; a burden at 
 that time excessive, but which, by the different varia- 
 tions in value and the signs of property, is almost re- 
 duced to nothing ? So that industry and trade have been 
 most unmercifully oppressed by your predecessor, at the 
 very time that he was establishing manufactures at an 
 excessive expense. 
 
 How might this same King, so consistent and perti- 
 nacious in what he had once ordained, at the time that 
 he settled new colonies by granting them franchises and 
 the right of property, the necessity of which to agricul- 
 ture he consequently knew, suffer the absurd regulation 
 to subsist which excludes all right of property in the 
 greatest part of his kingdom ? How was it that he did
 
 374 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 not feel that, instead of expending sums so vast in form- 
 ing colonies, he would much more rapidly have aug- 
 mented his revenues and the population of his provinces, 
 by enfranchising those unfortunate beasts of burden who, 
 under the human form, cultivate the earth, by distribu- 
 ting among them the extensive tracts called domains 
 (which absorb almost the half of your estates) in pro- 
 prietaries, and on condition of paying certain hereditary 
 quitrents in kind? 
 
 All these particulars, and a thousand others of a like 
 kind, are strange, no doubt; yet it is not totally impos- 
 sible to explain such eccentricities of mind in a great 
 man. Without entering here into a particular inquiry 
 concerning that quality of mind whence it resulted that 
 Frederick II. was much rather a singular example of the 
 development of great character, in its proper place, than 
 of an elevated genius, bestowed by Nature, and superior 
 to other men, it is easy to perceive that, having applied 
 the whole power of his abilities to form a grand military 
 force, with provinces that were disunited, parceled out 
 and generally unfruitful; and, for that purpose, wishing 
 to outstrip the slow march of Nature, he principally 
 thought of money, because money was the only engine 
 of speed. Hence originated with him his idolatry of 
 money; his love of amassing, realizing, and heaping. 
 Those fiscal systems which most effectually stripped the 
 people of their metal were those in which he most 
 delighted. Every artifice, every fiscal extortion, that has 
 taken birth in kingdoms the most luxurious, which, un- 
 fortunately, in this as in other things, gave the fashion 
 to Europe, were by turns naturalized in his States. 
 Frederick II. was the more easily led to pursue this pur- 
 pose, because such was the situation of some of his 
 provinces that they were almost necessarily a market for 
 the products of Saxony, Poland, etc., and thus the multi- 
 plicity and severity of his duties were less rapidly 
 destructive of the revenue arising from the tolls. Be- 
 sides that, his nation, but little active, and still, perhaps, 
 tainted by that Germanic improvidence which neglects 
 or disdains to save, did not afford him any other im- 
 mediate resource than what might be found in the Royal
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 375 
 
 Treasury. He imagined the Prussians were in need of 
 being goaded by additions, which, however, could only 
 tend to slacken their pace. He supposed they might be 
 taught wisdom by monopolies ; as if monopolies were not 
 injurious to the progress of knowledge. Having taken 
 his first steps, his unconquerable spirit of consistency, 
 which was his distinguishing characteristic ; the multitude 
 of his affairs, which obliged him to leave whatever did 
 not appertain to the military system on the same basis, 
 and with similar institutions, in which he found it; his 
 habit of not suffering contradiction nor discussion; his 
 extreme contempt for mankind, which, perhaps, will ex- 
 plain all his success, all his errors, all his conduct; his 
 confidence in his own superiority, which confirmed him 
 in the fatal resolution of seeing all, of all regulating, all 
 ordaining, and personally interfering in all these 
 various causes combined have rendered fiscal robbery, 
 and systematic monopoly, irrefragable and sacred in his 
 kingdom; while they were daily aggravated by his des- 
 potic temper and the moroseness of age. 
 
 Evils so various and so great had indeed some com- 
 pensations. To his numerous taxes Frederick II. joined 
 a rigorous economy. He raised heavy contributions on 
 his enemies. His first wars were paid by their money. 
 He conquered a rich province, where great and wealthy 
 industry, reduced no doubt by a government more sage 
 than his, had previously been established. He drew sub- 
 sidies from his allies; the folly of granting which is no 
 longer in fashion. During four-and-twenty years of 
 peace, he enjoyed a degree of respect which rather re- 
 sembled worship than dread. He continually reserved, 
 in his States, some part of the money he extorted. His 
 new military discipline, a species of industry of which he 
 was the creator, not a little contributed to his puissance ; 
 and his wealth, in the midst of indebted Europe, would 
 have been almost sufficient for all his wishes; for, had 
 the ardor of his ambition longer continued, what he 
 could not have conquered he would have bought. Who, 
 indeed, can say whether Frederick II. was not indebted, 
 for a great part of his domestic success, to the deplor- 
 able state of the human species in Germany; through
 
 376 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 most of the States of which, if we except Saxony, the 
 inhabitants were still more wretched than in Prussia ? 
 
 Yet, SIRE, with efforts so multiplied, what is the in- 
 heritance that has been left you by this great King ? Are 
 your provinces rich, powerful, and happy ? Deprive them 
 of their military renown and the resources of the Royal 
 Treasury, which soon may vanish, and feeble will be the 
 remainder. Had the provinces of which your kingdom is 
 composed been under a paternal government, and peopled 
 by freemen, the acquisition of Silesia might have been 
 more distant; but how different would have been the 
 present state and wealth of the whole remaining nation! 
 
 Your situation, SIRE, is entirely different from that of 
 your predecessor. The destructive resources of fiscal reg- 
 ulation are exhausted. A change of system is, for this 
 reason, indispensable. An army cannot always, cannot 
 long, constitute the basis of the Prussian puissance. Your 
 army must, therefore, be supported by all the internal 
 aids which good administration can employ, built on per- 
 manent foundations. It is necessary that you should 
 truly animate the national industry, in ably profiting by 
 those extraordinary and perishable means which have 
 been transmitted to you by your predecessor. These, it 
 is to be presumed, you may long enjoy. It is not, there- 
 fore, absurd to advise you to sow in order that you may 
 reap. Should momentary sacrifices, however great, be 
 necessary to render the Prussian States (which hitherto 
 have only constituted a vast and formidable camp) a stable 
 and prosperous monarchy, founded on freedom and prop- 
 erty, the immensity of your treasure will render such 
 sacrifices infinitely less burdensome to you than they would 
 be to any other Sovereign, and the barter will be prodi- 
 giously to your advantage, even should the rendering of 
 men happy be estimated at nothing. 
 
 The basis of the system which it is your duty, SIRE, to 
 form, must rest on the just ideas which you shall obtain 
 of the true value of money, which is but a trifling part 
 of national wealth, and of much less importance than the 
 riches which annually spring from the bosom of the earth. 
 The incorruptibility and the scarcity of gold have rendered 
 it a pledge, and a mode of exchange between man and
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 377 
 
 man; and this general use is the chief source of the 
 deceitful opinions that are entertained of its value. The 
 facility with which it may be removed, when men are 
 obliged to fly, especially from places where tyranny is to 
 be dreaded, has given every individual a desire of amass- 
 ing gold; and the false opinions concerning that metal 
 have been strengthened by this universal desire. 
 
 No less true is it that, gold being an engine or agent 
 in trade, and that the multiplicity of agents is the in- 
 crease of trade,* and still further that the increase of 
 trade is the prosperity of nations, to imprison gold, or 
 to act so as to oblige others to imprison it, is madness. 
 What would you say of a Prince who, desiring to become 
 a conqueror, should keep his army shut up in barracks ? 
 Yet Kings who amass gold act precisely thus. They 
 render that lifeless which is of no value except when in 
 motion. 
 
 But just ideas concerning the value of gold are neces- 
 sarily connected with those of the government that shall 
 respect property, and shall pursue principles of rigorous 
 justice; such as shall inspire unshaken confidence, and 
 render to each individual the most perfect security; for, 
 without this, the true use of gold is traversed by in- 
 numerable accidents, that deprive it of the utility which 
 would otherwise render national industry so fruitful. 
 
 Whatever you may do, SIRE, to inspire confidence, it 
 still remains for you to observe that nations have com- 
 mercial connections; and that gold forms one of those, 
 because of its necessity to trade. It must flow here or 
 there, according to the indefinite combinations of mer- 
 chants. Hence no nation can unite sound opinions con- 
 cerning trade with restraint on the exportation of gold. 
 Each man must finally pay his debts, and no person 
 gives or receives gold, from which little is to be gained, 
 except when every means of paying in merchandise is 
 exhausted; for from these, profits are derived to buyer 
 and seller. What would you think, SIRE, of a Prince who 
 should encourage the merchants of his kingdom to es- 
 
 * The whole reasoning here, and, indeed, through the greatest part 
 of the Memorial, is taken from that almost inestimably valuable work, 
 Smith's Wealth of Nations.
 
 378 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 tablish numerous manufactures, consequently to employ 
 numerous agents, yet should forbid those agents to leave 
 the kingdom that they might purchase the materials of 
 which the manufacturers stand in need ? This, however, 
 is the picture of the Prince who should prevent, or lay 
 restraint on, the exportation of gold; such would his 
 frenzy be. But in what does this originate ? In his fear 
 that the gold will never come back. And wherefore? 
 Because he secretly feels that his subjects are not per- 
 fectly secure of their property. Thus, SIRE, you perceive 
 justice, security, respect for men, and a declaration 
 of war against all tyranny, are indispensable condi- 
 tions to every play of prosperity. 
 
 When your subjects shall be at ease in this respect, 
 entertain no apprehensions should gold seem to vanish; 
 it is but gone in search of gold, and to return with in- 
 crease. Forget not, SIRE, that the value of gold is lost, 
 irretrievably, when it is not absolutely subjected to the 
 will of trade, which alone is its monarch. By trade I 
 here understand the general action of all productive 
 industry, from the husbandman to the artist. 
 
 What has been done in kingdoms where the security 
 of the citizen is perfect, and where men have been con- 
 vinced that gold never can be fixed, nor acquired in 
 sufficient abundance for the supply of exchange ? Why, 
 in such kingdoms, banks have been imagined, and bills 
 have been brought into circulation, which, from the con- 
 viction that they may at any time be turned into specie, 
 have become a kind of coin, which not being universal 
 has been an internal substitute for gold, and induced 
 men not to disturb themselves concerning its external 
 circulation. 
 
 Of such establishments you, SIRE, should be ambitious. 
 Happy the State in which the Sovereign, having habituated 
 his subjects to the opinion of perfect internal security, 
 can cause sufficient sums to issue from his treasury for 
 the establishment of such banks, to his own advantage.* 
 
 * Notwithstanding the general excellence of the counsel given in 
 this Memorial, there seems to be a mixture of cunning in the present 
 advice, of which perhaps the author was not conscious. But the pre- 
 ceding letters prove that he himself was addicted to speculations in
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 379 
 
 How many fiscal inventions, produced by the spirit of 
 pilfering, under the protection of ignorance and the laws, 
 how many absurd and tyrannical taxes might be annihi- 
 lated, by gaining the interest of that money of which this 
 confidential currency should be the representative ? And 
 what tax ever could be more mild, more natural, more 
 productive, or more agreeble to the Monarch, than the 
 interest of money which he may gain by a currency which 
 costs him nothing ? Such a tax is cheerfully paid, for 
 industry is the borrower; and, wherever industry finds its 
 reward, each individual wishes to be industrious. 
 
 The outline I have here traced, and which you, SIRE, 
 may strengthen by so many circumstances of which I am 
 ignorant, and by so many others that would be too tedious 
 to recapitulate at present, will naturally lead you 
 
 1. To the distribution of your immense domains 
 among husbandmen, whom you will supply with the 
 sums they want, and who will become real landholders, 
 that shall pay a perpetual quitrent in kind, in order 
 that your revenues may augment in proportion to the 
 augmentation of wealth. 
 
 2. To the due lowering (till such time as they may 
 be wholly abolished) of indirect taxes, excise duties, 
 customs, etc., the product of which will continually 
 increase in an inverse ratio to the quantity of the duty 
 and the vigor with which it is collected ; for illicit trade, 
 excited by too tempting lures, gains protectors among 
 those by whom it ought to be repressed, and agents who 
 had been appointed its opponents. Such disastrous taxes 
 might likewise find substitutes in the natural and just 
 increase of direct taxes ; as on land, from which no estate 
 ought to be free ; for land finally bears the whole burden 
 of taxation, which burden is the heavier the more the 
 means of laying it on are indirect. How many disputes, 
 shackles, inquisitions, and disorders would then vanish! 
 Plagues which are more odious, more oppressive, than 
 the burden of the tax itself; and even more intolerable 
 
 stockjobbing ; and, still more, that he wished to procure loans from 
 
 Prussia to supply the immediate necessities of France, and of his 
 
 friend De Calotme. The advice, however, might be, and probably was, 
 good.
 
 380 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 from the mode of assessment than from the value ! That 
 artificial vice which, before the last reign, was unknown 
 in your kingdom, the vice of illicit trade, which makes 
 deceit the basis of commerce, depraves the manners, 
 and inspires a general contempt for the laws, then 
 would disappear. To the regions of hell itself would 
 then be banished the infernal power which your 
 predecessor conferred on the administrators of excise 
 duties and tolls, of arbitrarily increasing the penalties 
 and punishments inflicted on smugglers. 
 
 3. You will firmly and invariably determine on the 
 system of favoring, by every possible means, the TRANSIT 
 TRADE,* which must find new roads should foreigners 
 longer be vexed; or rather, has already found new roads. 
 The impositions and minute examinations, which are oc- 
 casioned by the manner of levying duties on this trade, 
 and the fatal vigilance that has been employed not to 
 suffer contraband goods to find entrance at the fair of 
 Frankfort on the Oder, has produced this fatal effect, 
 that the Poles, who formerly carried on a very consid- 
 erable trade at Frankfort and at Breslau, at present to- 
 tally avoid both places, and condemn themselves to a 
 circuit of near a hundred German miles f through a great 
 part of Poland, Moravia, and Bohemia, that they may 
 arrive at Leipsic; for which reason this last city, which 
 is much less favorably situated than Frankfort on the 
 Oder, where there is a great river, has within these 
 fifteen years become flourishing; while the former, from 
 the same cause, has fallen to decay; which decay con- 
 tinues increasing, and that at the very moment when the 
 revolution in America threatens the North with so pow- 
 erful a rivalship. Profit, SIRE, by the last stage in which 
 perhaps, the transit trade can be an object of any im- 
 portance. Favor it by taking off the chief of the duties 
 which shackle it at present, and impart a confidence be- 
 fitting of your candor and generous benevolence. How 
 might you find a more fortunate moment in which to 
 
 *The passage of foreign goods through the Prussian States into 
 other countries. 
 
 t The German mile is irregular. It contains from four to five, six, 
 seven, and even more miles English.
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 381 
 
 manifest such intentions than that wherein your neigh- 
 bors are signalizing themselves by so many prohibitive 
 frenzies ? 
 
 4. To you, SIRE, is reserved the real and singular 
 honor of abolishing monopolies, which are no less in- 
 jurious to good sense than to equity; and which, in your 
 kingdom, are so perpetual a source of hatred and male- 
 diction. The Prussian merchants, incited by the exam- 
 ple of monopolizing companies ( Nature, desirous of 
 preserving the human race, ever causes evil itself to 
 produce good), and, thanks to the excellent situation of 
 your States, have made some progress, in despite of 
 every effort to stifle their industry, on the first ray 
 of hope that monopolies should disappear; and these 
 merchants will, by voluntary contributions, afford a 
 substitute for a part of the deficiency which the new 
 system may at first occasion in your revenues. 
 
 5. You will, finally, arrive at the greatest of benefits, 
 and at the most useful of speculations in politics and 
 finance. You will set industry, arts, manufactures, and 
 commerce free; commerce, which only can exist under 
 the protection of freedom; commerce, which prefers no 
 request to Kings except not to do it an injury. When 
 you shall seriously have examined whether those manu- 
 factures which never can support a foreign rivalship 
 deserve to be encouraged at an expense so heavy, pro- 
 hibitions will then presently vanish from your States. 
 The linens of Silesia never were otherwise favored than 
 by exempting the weavers from military enrollment; 
 and, of all the objects of Prussian trade, these linens 
 are the most important. In none of your provinces are 
 any manufactures to be found more flourishing than in 
 that of Westphalia; namely, in the county of Marck; yet 
 never has Government done anything to encourage the 
 industry of this province, except in not inflicting in- 
 ternal vexations. I repeat, internal, for all the products 
 of the industry of Prussian subjects, beyond the Weser, 
 are accounted foreign and contraband, in all the other 
 provinces; which odious and absurd iniquity you will 
 not suffer to subsist. You will enfranchise all, SIRE, 
 and will grant no more exclusive privileges. Those who
 
 382 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 demand them are generally either knaves or fools; and 
 to acquiesce in their requests is the surest method of 
 strangling industry. If such are found in England, it is 
 because the form in which they are granted renders them 
 almost null. In Ireland they are no longer admitted. 
 The Government and the Dublin Society afford support 
 and give bounties, but on condition that no exclusive 
 privilege is asked. The most magnificent, as well as the 
 most certain, means of possessing everything Nature 
 bestows is freedom, SIRE. It is the prodigality with 
 which she bestows that attracts men, by moral feeling 
 and physical good. All exclusive grants wound the first, 
 and banish the second. 
 
 I entreat, SIRE, you would remark that I do not pro- 
 pose you should suddenly, and incautiously, lop away all 
 the parasite suckers which disfigure and enfeeble the 
 royal stock which you were born to embellish and 
 strengthen; but I likewise conjure you not to be 
 impeded by the fear of meeting your collectors with 
 empty hands; for this fear, being solely occupied con- 
 cerning self, they will not fail to increase. The only 
 man among them who really possesses an extensive 
 knowledge of the general connections of commerce, and 
 from whom you may expect able services, whenever your 
 system shall invariably be directed to obtain other pur- 
 poses than those to which his talents have hitherto been 
 prostituted, STRUENSEE, will confirm all my principles. 
 He will indicate various means to Your Majesty, which 
 may serve as substitutes to fiscal extortions. Thus, for 
 instance, the commutation of duties, which is a new art, 
 may, under the direction of a man so enlightened, greatly 
 increase your revenues by lightening the public burden. 
 
 England, formed to afford lessons to the whole earth, 
 and to astonish the human mind by demonstrating the 
 infinite resources of credit, in support of which every- 
 thing is made to concur England has lately made a 
 fine and fortunate experiment of this kind. She has 
 commuted the duties on tea by a tax on windows, and 
 the success is wonderful. Acquire a clear knowledge of 
 this operation, SIRE. It is preserved, with all the effects 
 it has produced, in a work which will open vast pros-
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 383 
 
 pects to your view. Your generalizing mind will take 
 confidence in the industry of the honest man, and in the 
 resources of his sensibility, aided by experience and tal- 
 ents; though the misfortune of heavy taxes and the vi- 
 cious mode of assessment should necessarily be prolonged. 
 
 But, SIRE, were you obliged to accept that heavy 
 interest which Powers in debt are obliged to pay, as a 
 substitute for duties that, though destructive, are not 
 commutable, where would be the misfortune? What ad- 
 vantage might not result from treasures employed to obtain 
 the payment of interest by which monarchies the most 
 formidable are enfeebled? Wherefore not seize the means 
 which they themselves furnish at their own expense, no 
 longer to stand in awe of them ? Do not you perceive, 
 SIRE, that you would thus without danger make them 
 pay you tribute ? For the governments which might be 
 mad enough to wish to rob their creditors would be 
 unable, thanks to the general intercourse of trade. 
 
 It remains to inquire to whom you would confide labors 
 so difficult, yet so interesting. It is not for a stranger 
 to estimate the worth of your subjects. Yet, SIRE, is 
 there one whose talents are esteemed in France and 
 England, and him, therefore, I may venture to name. 
 Baron Knyphausen is well acquainted with men and 
 things, in those countries in which he has served, and 
 particularly with the system of the public funds. 
 
 But more especially, SIRE, summon the merchants. 
 Among them are most commonly found probity and 
 abilities. From them is derived the theory of order; 
 and without order what can be accomplished ? They are 
 in general men of moderation, divested of pomp, and 
 for that reason merit preference. Be persuaded, SIRE, 
 that the most enlightened, the most wise, and the most 
 humane of mankind, would depart from you were their 
 reward to consist in the vain decorations which titles 
 bestow. These cannot be accepted without trampling on 
 principles to which men are indebted for the glory of 
 having merited reward; nor without paying with con- 
 tempt the class they honor. The merchant who is 
 worthy of your confidence will dread making himself 
 guilty of such ingratitude toward his equals; and this is
 
 384 SECRET COURT MEMOIRS 
 
 one of the characteristics by which he will be dis- 
 tinguished. In the title of Lord Chatham the great Pitt 
 expired ; nor did the lord ever console himself for having 
 acted thus traitorously toward his own glory. The serv- 
 ices of the merchants you may employ, far from multi- 
 plying, must destroy the monstrous inequalities which 
 disorganize and deform your States. Thus will men like 
 these find their reward, and not in silly titles, or the 
 vain decorations of nobility. 
 
 But, SIRE, I have too long intruded upon the precious 
 moments in which the scepter has so lately been con- 
 fided to your hands. What can I add which your own 
 reflections, increased by facts that daily must fall under 
 your notice, will not convey a thousand times more 
 forcibly than any words of mine can? I have imagined 
 it might not be wholly fruitless to awaken these ideas 
 at the moment of a change so new, under a variety of 
 affairs so great, and a multitude of interests and intrigues 
 which must traverse and combat each other round your 
 throne, and which may deprive you of that calm of 
 mind that is necessary to abstract and to select. Should 
 you in any degree be affected by my frankness, I dare 
 hope it will not be unpleasantly. Meditate, O FRED- 
 ERICK! on this free, sincere, but respectful remonstrance, 
 and deign to say: 
 
 * Here I find what no man has informed me of. and 
 perhaps the reverse of what I shall be daily told. The 
 most courageous present truth to Kings under a veil; I 
 here behold her naked. This is more worthy of me 
 than the venal incense of rhymers, with which I am suf- 
 focated; or academical panegyrics, which assaulted me 
 in the cradle, and scarcely will quit me in the coffin. I 
 was a man before I was a King. Wherefore then take 
 offense at being treated like a man; or because a stran- 
 ger, who asks nothing from me, and who soon will quit 
 my Court, never to behold it more, speaks to me with- 
 out disguise? He lays before me what inspection, experi- 
 ence, study, and understanding have collected. He gratis 
 gives me that true and liberal advice of which no man 
 stands so much in need as he who is devoted to the 
 public good. Interest to deceive me he has none; his
 
 MEMORIAL TO FREDERICK WILLIAM II. 385 
 
 intentions cannot be evil. Let me attentively examine 
 what he has proposed; for the simple good sense, the 
 native candor of the man, whose only employment is the 
 cultivation of reason and reflection, may well be of equal 
 value with the old routine of habit, artifice, forms, diplo- 
 matic chimeras, add the ridiculous dogmas of those who 
 are statesmen by trade. * 
 
 May the eternal Disposer of human events watch over 
 your welfare; may your days be beneficent and active; 
 employed in those consolatory duties which elevate and 
 fortify the soul ; and may you, till the extremest old age, 
 enjoy the pure felicity of having employed your whole 
 faculties for the prosperity of the people for whose hap- 
 piness you are responsible, for to you their happiness is 
 intrusted ! 
 
 THE END.
 
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