Seeing him in a very
"good humour, I took that opportunity of telling him, 'That
"as General Grumkow had denied his having held a Secret
"Correspondence with Eeichenbach, or having written the
"Letters I had some time ago delivered to his Majesty, I
"was now ordered by the King my Master to put into his hands
"an Original Letter of General Grumkow'" --
-- Where is that Original Letter?
"good humour, I took that opportunity of telling him, 'That
"as General Grumkow had denied his having held a Secret
"Correspondence with Eeichenbach, or having written the
"Letters I had some time ago delivered to his Majesty, I
"was now ordered by the King my Master to put into his hands
"an Original Letter of General Grumkow'" --
-- Where is that Original Letter?
Thomas Carlyle
hathitrust.
org/access_use#pd-google
? HISTORY
or
FRIEDRICH H. OF PRUSSIA,
FREDERICK THE GREAT.
BY
THOMAS CAKLYLE.
COPYRIGHT EDITION.
VOL. IV.
LEIPZIG
BEKNHAED TAUCHNITZ
1858.
The Right of Translation it reserved.
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? L. ->
I/'
/^harvardN
university
LIBRARY
FEB 25 1959
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? CONTENTS
OP VOLUME IV.
it \
book vn.
FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OP THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT.
(Continued)
CHAPTER PAGE
IV. EXCELLENCY HoTHAM QUITS BErlIN IN HASTE . 1
V. Journey to tHe ReicH 16
VI. JOUBNEY HOMEWArDS FeOM THE BeICH; CATA-
STrOPHE on Journey Homewards . . . . 40
Ludwigsburg In 1730, p. 42.
Catastrophe on Journey homewards, 55.
V1L CatastropHe, and Majesty, arrive in Berlin 76
Scene at Berlin on Majesty's Arrival, p. 84.
VTLT. Sequel to Crown-Ppince and Friends . . 90
IX. Court-Martial on Crown-Prince and Consorts 99
Crown-Prince in Clistrln, p. 102.
Sentence of Court-Martial, 105.
Katte's End, 6th November, 110.
BOOK vm.
crown-prlnce retrieved: life at ctjstrin.
November 1730--February 1732.
I. CHaplain Muller waits on tHe Crown-Pblncb 115
II. Crown-Prince to bepent and not perisH . . 121
Crown-Prince begins a new course, p, 124.
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? VI
CONTENTS OP VOLUME IV.
CHAPTER PAGE
III. WllHELMINA IS TO WED THE PrINCE OP BAIREUTH 130
IV. Criminal Justice in Preussen and elsewHere . 141
Case of Schlubhut, p. 142.
Case of the Criminal-Collegium itself, 146.
Skipper Jenkins in the Gulf of Florida, 150.
Baby Carlos gets his Apanage, 153.
V. Interview op Majesty and Crown-Prince at
Custrin 157
Schulenburg's Three Letters-to Grumkow, on visits to the
Crown-Prince, daring the Custrin time, p. 171.
His Majesty's Building Operations, 190.
VI. WilHelmina's Wedding . . . . . . 195
BOOK IX.
LAST STAGE OF FRIEDRICh's APPRENTICESHIP: LIFE IN
RUPFIN. 1732-1736.
I. Princess ElizabetH CHristina op Brunswick-
Bevern 211
Who his Majesty's Choice is; and what the Crown-Prince
thinks of it, p. 233.
Duke of Lorraine arrives in Potsdam, and in Berlin, 238.
Betrothal of the Crown-Prince to the Brunswick Charmer,
Niece of Imperial Majesty, Monday evening, lOthMarch,
1732, 241.
II. Small Incidents at Ruppin 245
III. THe Salzburqebs 255
IV. Prussian Majesty visits tHe Kaiser . . . 279
V. GHost of tHe Double - Marriage rises; to no
purpose 306
Session of Tobacco-Parliament, 6thDecember 1732, p- 809.
MAP.
Custrin 185
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? BOOK VII.
FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OF THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT. (Continued. )
CHAPTER IV.
EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE.
While the Camp at Radewitz is dissolving itself in
this manner, in the last days of June, Captain Guy
Dickens, the oracles at Windsor having given him their
response as to Prince Friedrich's wild project, is getting
under way for Berlin again, -- whither also Hotham
has returned, to wait for Dickens's arrival, and directly
thereupon come home. Dickens is henceforth to do the
British Diplomacy here, any Diplomacy there can well
be; Dickens once installed, Hotham will, right gladly,
wash his hands of this Negotiation, which he considers
to be as good as dead for some good while past. First,
however, he has one unexpected adventure to go
through in Berlin; of most unexpected celebrity in the
world: this once succinctly set forth, History will dis-
miss him to the shades of private life.
Guy Dickens, arriving we can guess about the 8th
or 9th of July, brings two important Documents with
him to Berlin. First, the English Response (in the
Carlyle, Frederic the Great. IV. 1
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? 2 SHIPWRECK OF DOUBLE-MARRIAGE TROJECT. [. BOOK VTI.
9th July 1730.
shape of "Instructions" to himself, which may be osten-
sible in the proper quarter,) in regard to the Crown-
Prince's project of flight into England, Response which
is no other than might have been expected in the cir-
cumstances: "Britannic Majesty sorry extremely for the
"Crown-Prince's situation; ready to do anything in
"reason to alleviate it. Better wait, however: Prussian
"Majesty will surely perhaps relent a little: then also
"the affairs of Europe are in a ticklish state. Better "wait. As to that of taking temporary refuge in Prance, "Britannic Majesty thinks that will require a mature
"deliberation (mAre deliberation). Not even time now
"for inquiry of the French Court how they would take
"it; which his Britannic Majesty thinks an indispensable
"preliminary," -- and so terminates. The meaning,
we perceive, is in sum: "Hm, you won't, surely?
Don't; at least Don't yet! " But Dryasdust, and any
readers who have patience, can here take the Original
Paper; which is written in French (or French of Strat-
ford at the Bow), probably that the Crown-Prince, if
needful, might himself read it, one of these days:
"Monsieur Guy Dickens pourrail d'/nner au Prince les assu-
"ranees les plus fortes de la compassion que le Roi a du triste 4lat
"oil il se trouve, et du de'sir sincere de Sa Majeste? de concourir
"par tout ce qui dependra d'elle a Ven tirer. M. Guy Dickens
"pourrait lui communiquer en meme terns les Instructions donnies
"a Monsieur Hotham" (our Answer to the Outrageous propo-
sitions, which amounts to nothing, and may be spared the
reader), "et lui marquer qu'on avail lieu despe? rer que SaMa-
"jeste? Prussienne ne refuserait pas au moins de s'expliquer un peu
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 3
10th July 1730.
"plus en de? tail qu'elle n'a fait jusqu'ici. Qu'en attendant les
"suites que cette ne? gociation pourrait avoir, Sa Majeste? e? tait
"cCavis que le Prince ferait bien de diffe? rer un peu l'exe? cution de
"son dessein connu: Que la situation ou` les affaires de CEurope
"se trouvaient dans ce moment critique ne paraissait pas propre a`
"l'exe? cution d'un dessein de cette nature: Que pour ce qui est de
"l'intention ou` le Prince a te? moigne? e^tre, de se retirer en France,
"Sa Majeste? croit qu'elle demande une mu^re de? libe? ration, et que
"le peu de tems qui reste ne promet pas me^me qu'on puisse s'in-
"former de ce que la Cour de France pourrait penser la`-dessus;
"dont Sa Majeste? trouvait cependant absolument ne? cessaire des'as-
"surer, avant de pouvoir conseiller a` un Prince qui lui est si cher
"de se retirer en ce pays la`. "*
This is Document First; of no concernment to Hot-
ham at this stage; but only to us and our Crown-
Prince. Document Second would at one time have
much interested Hotham: it is no other than a Grum-
kow Original seized at St. Mary Axe, such as Hotham
once solicited, "strong enough to break Grumkow's
back. " Hotham now scarcely hopes it will be "strong
enough. " No matter; he presents it as bidden. On
introducing Dickens as successor, Monday, 10th July,
he puts the Document into his Prussian Majesty's hand:
and -- the result was most unexpected! Here is Hot-
ham's Despatch to Lord Harrington; which it will
be our briefest method to give, with some minimum of
needful explanation intercalated here and there:
* Prussian Despatches, vol. lxi. : No date or signature; bound up along
with Harrington's Despatch>> "Windsor, 20th June" (1st July) "1730," -- on
the morrow of which day we may fancy Captain Dickens took the road for
Berlin again, -- where we auspiciously see him on Monday, 10th July, pro-
bably a night or two after his arrival.
1*
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? 4 SHIPWRECK OP DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book VII.
10th July 1730.
"To the Lord Harrington (from Sir Charles Hotham).
"Berlin, 30th June (11th July) 1730.
"My Lord, -- Though the conduct of his Prussian Majesty
"has been such, for some time past, that one ought to be
"surprised at nothing he does, -- it is nevertheless with great
"concern that I now have to acquaint your Lordship with an
"extravagancy of his which happened yesterday," Monday
10th July 1730.
"The King of Prussia had appointed me to be with him
"about noon, with Captain Guy Dickens" (who has just re-
turned from England on what secret message your Lordship
knows! ). -- "We both attended his Prussian Majesty, and I
"presented Captain Guy Dickens to him, who delivered his
"credentials: after which the King talked to us a quarter of
"an hour about indifferent matters.
Seeing him in a very
"good humour, I took that opportunity of telling him, 'That
"as General Grumkow had denied his having held a Secret
"Correspondence with Eeichenbach, or having written the
"Letters I had some time ago delivered to his Majesty, I
"was now ordered by the King my Master to put into his hands
"an Original Letter of General Grumkow'" --
-- Where is that Original Letter? ask some minute
readers. Minute readers, the ipsissimum corpus of it is
lost to mankind. Official Copy of it lies safe here in
the State-Paper Office (Prussian Despatches, volume
xli. ; without date of its own, but near a Despatch dated
20th June 1730); has, adjoined to it, an Autograph
jotting by George Second to the effect, "Yes, send it,"
and also some preliminary scribbles by Newcastle, to
the like purport. No date of its own, we say, though,
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 5
10th July 1730.
by internal evidence and light of Fassmann,*-it is con-
clusively dateable, "Berlin, 20th May," if anybody
cared to date it. The Letter mentions lightly that
"pretended discovery" (the St. Mary Axe one, laid on
the table of Tobacco-Parliament, 6th May or soon
after), "innocent trifles all / wrote; hope you burnt
"them, nevertheless, according to promise: yours to me
"I did burn as they came, and will defy the Devil to
"produce;" brags of his Majesty's fine spirits; -- and
is, Jotting and all, as insignificant a Letter as any
other portion of the "Rookery Colloquy," though its
fate was a little more distinguished. Prussian Dryas-
dust is expected to give it in Facsimile, one day, --
surely no British Under-Secretary will exercise an un-
wise discretion, and forbid him that small pleasure! --
"which was an undeniable proof of all the rest, and could not
"but convince his Prussian Majesty of the truth of them. " --
Well?
"He took the Letter from me, cast his eye upon it; and
"seeing it to be Grrumkow's hand, said to me with all the
"anger imaginable" (fancy the thunderburst! ), "Messieurs,
"fat eu assez de ces choses la;" "threw the Letter upon the
"ground, and immediately turning his back went out of the
"room, and shut the door upon us,"
-- probably with a slam! And that is the naked truth
concerning this celebrated Intercepted Letter. Majesty
answered explosively, --- his poor heart being in a
burdened and grieved condition, not unlike growing a
? p. 404.
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? 6 SHIPWRECK OP DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book TO.
10th July 1730.
haunted one, -- "I have had enough of that stuff be-
fore! " pitched the new specimen away, and stormily
whirled out with a slam of the door. That he stamped
with his foot, is guessable. That he "lifted his foot as
if to kick the Hon. English Excellency," * which the
English Excellency never could have stood, but must
have died on the spot, -- of this, though several Books
have copied it from Wilhelmina, there is no vestige of
evidence: and the case is bad enough without this.
"Your Lordship will easily imagine that Captain Guy
"Dickens and I were not a little astonished at this most extra-
"ordinary behaviour. I took up the Letter he had thrown
"upon the floor" (ipsissimum corpus of it lost to mankind, last
seen going intoHotham's pocket in this manner); "and re-
turning home, immediately wrote one to his Prussian Ma-
"jesty, of which a copy is here enclosed. " -- Let us read
that essential Piece: sound substance, in very stiff indifferent
French of Stratford, -- which may as well be made English
at once: ,
"To his Majesty the King of Prussia.
"Sire, -- It is with the liveliest grief that I find myself
"under the necessity, -- after what has passed today at the
"audience I had of your Majesty, where I neither did nor said
"anything in regard to that Letter of Monsieur Grumkow's
"or to putting it into your Majesty's hands, that was not by
"my Master's order, -- it is, I say, Sire, with the liveliest
"grief that I am obliged to inform your Majesty of the neces- "sity there lies on me to despatch a Courier to London to ap-
"prise the King my Master of an incident so surprising as the
? Wilhelmina, i. 228.
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 7
JOth July 1730.
"one that has just happened. For which reason I beg(supplie)
"your Majesty will be pleased to cause the necessary Orders
"for Posthorses to be furnished me, not only for the said
"Courier, but also for myself, -- since, after what has just
"happened, it is not proper for me to prolong my stay here
"Cfaire unplus long sijour id).
"I have the honour to be, your Majesty's &c. &c. &c.
"CHarles HotHam. "
"About two hours afterwards, General Borck came to me;
"and told me He was in the utmost affliction for what had
"happened; andbeseeched me to have a little patience, and
"that he hoped means would be found to make up the matter
"to me. Afterwards he communicated to me, by word of
"mouth, the Answer the King of Prussia had given to the
"last Orders I had received by Captain Guy Dickens," --
Orders, "Come home immediately," to which the "Answer"
is conceivable.
"I told him that after the treatmentl had received at noon,
"and the affront put upon the King my Master's character, I
"could no longer receive nor charge myself with anything
"that came from his Prussian Majesty. That as to what re-
"lated to me personally, it was very easily made up; but
"having done nothing but in obedience to the King my Mas-
"ter's orders, it belonged to him only to judge what satis-
"faction was due for the indignity offered to his character.
"Wherefore I did not look upon myself as authorised to listen
"to any expedients till I knew his Majesty's pleasure upon the
"matter.
"In the evening, General Borck wrote a Letter to Captain
"Guy Dickens and two to me, the Copies of which are en-
"closed," -- fear not, reader 1 "The purport of them was to
"desire That I would take no farther notice of what had hap-
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? 8 SHIPWRECK OF DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book VII.
10th July 1730.
"pened, and that the King of Prussia desired I would come
"and dine with him next day," -- Engaged otherwise, your
Majesty, next day! "The answer to these Letters I also
"enclose to your Lordship," -- reader not to be troubled with
it. "I excused myself from dining with the King of Prussia,
"not thinking myself at liberty to appear any more at Court
"till I received his Majesty's," myown King's, "commands;
"and told General Borck that I looked upon myself as in-
dispensably obliged to acquaint the King my Master with
"everything that had passed, it being to no purpose to
"think of concealing it, since the thing was already become
"public, and would soon be known in all the Courts of Europe.
"This, my Lord, is the true state of this unaccountable
"accident. You will see, by General Borck's Letter, that
"the King of Prussia, being now returned to his senses, is
"himself convinced of the extravagancy of this proceeding;
"and was very desirous of having it concealed; --which was
"impossible; for the whole Town knew it an hour after it had
"happened.
"As to my own part, I am not a little concerned at this
"unfortunate incident. As it was impossible to foresee this
"fit of madness in the King of Prussia, there was no guarding
"against it; and after it had happened, I thought I could do
"no less than resent it in the manner I have done, -- without
"prostituting the character with which the King has been
"pleased to honour me. I hope, however, this affair will be
"attended with no ill consequences: for the King of Prussia
"himself is at present so ashamed of his behaviour, that he
"says, He will order Count Degenfeld" (Graf von Degenfeld,
going at a leisurely pace to remove Nosti from his perch among
you)* "to hasten his journey to England, with orders to en-
"deavour to make up the affair immediately.
? Snprii, vol. Ill, p. 877.
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? CHAP. IT. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 9
IOth July 1730.
"As I had already received the King's Orders, by Captain
"GuyDickens, To return home forthwith, I thought, after
"what had happened, the sooner I left this place the better;
"and the rather because it might be proper I should make a
"report of it to his Majesty. I shall therefore set out a few
"hours after this Messenger; and will make all the expedition
"possible.
"The King of Prussia sets out for Anspach on Saturday
"next," -- 11th July is Tuesday, Saturday next will be 15th
July, which proves correct. * '' I am, with the utmost respect,
"My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and most humble
"servant,
"CHables HotHam. " **
No sooner was the door slammed-to than his Ma-
jesty began to repent. At sight of the demand for
Post-horses, he repented bitterly; sent Borck to ask
Hotham to dinner, with what success we have seen.
Sent Borck to negotiate, to correspond, to consult with
Dickens, to do his utmost in pacifying Hotham. All
which Correspondence exists, but is not worth giving.
Borck's remonstrances are in rugged soldier-like style,
full of earnestness and friendliness. Do not wreck,
upon trifles, a noble interest we have in common; King
is jealous about foreign interference with his Ministers,
but meant nothing; I tell you it is nothing! --Hotham
is polite, good-tempered; but remains inflexible: With
myself, on my own score, it were soon settled, or is
already settled; but with the King my Master, -- no
* Fassmann, p. 410.
** State-Paper Office: Prussian Despatches, vol. xll.
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? 10 SHIPWRECK OP DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book VII.
12th July 1730.
expedient but post-horses! The Diplomatist world of
Berlin is in a fuss; Queen Sophie and "the Minister of
Denmark," with other friendly Ministers, how busy!
"All day," this day and the next, "they spent in
comings and goings;"* advising Hotham to relent:
Hotham could not relent. The Crown-Prince himself
writes, urged by message from his Mother; Crown-
Prince sends Katte off from Potsdam with this Billet**
(if this be a correct copy to translate from):
"To his Excellency Monsieur the Chevalier Hotham.
Potsdam, 11th July 1730.
"Monsieur, -- Having learned by M. deLeuvener," the
Danish Minister, a judicious well-affected man, "what the
"King my Father's ultimate intentions are, I cannot doubt
"but you will yield to his desires. Think, Monsieur, that my
"happiness and my Sister's depend on the resolution you shall
"take, and that your answer will mean the union or the dis-
union forever of the two Houses! I flatter myself that it
"will be favourable, and that you will yield to my entreaties.
"Inever shall forget such a service, but recognise it all my
"life by the most perfect esteem," with which I now am, Tout
avous, "Fredkric. "
This Billet Katte delivers; but to this also Hotham
remains inexorable; riolite, hopeful even: No harm
will come; Degenfeld will go, I myself will help when
at home; but for the present, no resource but post-
horses! Which they at last yield him, the very post-
horses ready to weep.
? Wilhelmina, 1. 229,230. lb. 1. 280.
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 11
July 1730.
And so Hotham, spirited judicious English gentle-
man, rolls off homewards,* a few hours after his
Courier, -- and retires honourably into the shades of
private life, steady there thenceforth. He has not been
successful in Berlin: surely his Negotiation is now out
in all manner of senses! Long ago (to use our former
ignoble figure) he had "laid down the bellows, though
there was still smoke traceable:" but now, by this
Grumkow Letter, he has, as it were, struck the poker
through the business; and that dangerous manoeuvre,
not proving successful, has been fatal and final! Queen
Sophie and certain others may still flatter themselves;
but it is evident the Negotiation is at last complete.
What may lie in Flight to England and rash desperate
measures, which Queen Sophie trembles to think of,
we do not know: but by regular negotiation this thing
can never be.
It is darkly apprehended the Crown-Prince still
meditates Flight; the maternal heart and Wilhelmina's
are grieved to see Lieutenant Katte so much in his
confidence, -- could wish him a wiser counsellor in
such predicaments and emergencies! Katte is greatly
flattered by the Prince's confidence; even brags of it
in society, with his foolish loose tongue. Poor youth,
he is of dissolute ways; has plenty of "unwise intel-
lect," little of the "wise" kind; and is still under the
years of discretion. Towards Wilhelmina there is trace-
able in him something, -- something as of almost
* "Wednesday," 12th (Dickens).
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? 12 SHIPWRECK OF DOUBLE-MABRIAGE PROJECT, [book vn.
July 1730.
loving a bright particular star, or of thrice-privately
worshipping it for his own behoof. And Wilhelmina,
during the late Radewitz time, when Mamma "gave
four Apartments (or Royal Soirees) weekly," was severe
upon him, and inaccessible in these Court Soirees. A
rash young fool; carries a loose tongue: -- still worse,
has a Miniature, recognisable as Wilhelmina; and
would not give it up, either for the Queen's Majesty
or me! -- "Thousand and thousand pardons, High
Ladies both; my loose tongue shall be locked: but
these two Miniatures, the Prince and Princess Royal,
I copied them from two the Prince had lent me and
has got back, ask me not for these; -- never, oh, I
cannot ever! " -- Upon which Wilhelmina had to take
a high attitude, and pass him speechless in the Soirees.
The foolish fellow: -- and yet one is not heartily
angry either; only reserved in the Soirees; and anxious
about one's Brother in such hands.
Friedrich Wilhelm repents much that Hotham ex-
plosion; is heard saying that he will not again treat in
person with any Envoy from foreign parts, being of
too hot temper, but will leave his Ministers to do it. *
To Queen Sophie he says coldly, "Wilhelmina's mar-
riage, then, is off; an end to it. Abbess of Herford"
(good Protestant refuge for unprovided Females of
Quality, which is in our gift), "let her be Abbess
there;" -- and writes to the then extant Abbess to
make Wilhelmina "Coadjutress," or Heir-Apparent to
that Chief-Nunship! Nay what is still more mortifying,
? Dickens's Despatch, Berlin, 22d July (n. s. ) 1780.
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?
? HISTORY
or
FRIEDRICH H. OF PRUSSIA,
FREDERICK THE GREAT.
BY
THOMAS CAKLYLE.
COPYRIGHT EDITION.
VOL. IV.
LEIPZIG
BEKNHAED TAUCHNITZ
1858.
The Right of Translation it reserved.
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? CONTENTS
OP VOLUME IV.
it \
book vn.
FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OP THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT.
(Continued)
CHAPTER PAGE
IV. EXCELLENCY HoTHAM QUITS BErlIN IN HASTE . 1
V. Journey to tHe ReicH 16
VI. JOUBNEY HOMEWArDS FeOM THE BeICH; CATA-
STrOPHE on Journey Homewards . . . . 40
Ludwigsburg In 1730, p. 42.
Catastrophe on Journey homewards, 55.
V1L CatastropHe, and Majesty, arrive in Berlin 76
Scene at Berlin on Majesty's Arrival, p. 84.
VTLT. Sequel to Crown-Ppince and Friends . . 90
IX. Court-Martial on Crown-Prince and Consorts 99
Crown-Prince in Clistrln, p. 102.
Sentence of Court-Martial, 105.
Katte's End, 6th November, 110.
BOOK vm.
crown-prlnce retrieved: life at ctjstrin.
November 1730--February 1732.
I. CHaplain Muller waits on tHe Crown-Pblncb 115
II. Crown-Prince to bepent and not perisH . . 121
Crown-Prince begins a new course, p, 124.
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? VI
CONTENTS OP VOLUME IV.
CHAPTER PAGE
III. WllHELMINA IS TO WED THE PrINCE OP BAIREUTH 130
IV. Criminal Justice in Preussen and elsewHere . 141
Case of Schlubhut, p. 142.
Case of the Criminal-Collegium itself, 146.
Skipper Jenkins in the Gulf of Florida, 150.
Baby Carlos gets his Apanage, 153.
V. Interview op Majesty and Crown-Prince at
Custrin 157
Schulenburg's Three Letters-to Grumkow, on visits to the
Crown-Prince, daring the Custrin time, p. 171.
His Majesty's Building Operations, 190.
VI. WilHelmina's Wedding . . . . . . 195
BOOK IX.
LAST STAGE OF FRIEDRICh's APPRENTICESHIP: LIFE IN
RUPFIN. 1732-1736.
I. Princess ElizabetH CHristina op Brunswick-
Bevern 211
Who his Majesty's Choice is; and what the Crown-Prince
thinks of it, p. 233.
Duke of Lorraine arrives in Potsdam, and in Berlin, 238.
Betrothal of the Crown-Prince to the Brunswick Charmer,
Niece of Imperial Majesty, Monday evening, lOthMarch,
1732, 241.
II. Small Incidents at Ruppin 245
III. THe Salzburqebs 255
IV. Prussian Majesty visits tHe Kaiser . . . 279
V. GHost of tHe Double - Marriage rises; to no
purpose 306
Session of Tobacco-Parliament, 6thDecember 1732, p- 809.
MAP.
Custrin 185
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? BOOK VII.
FEARFUL SHIPWRECK OF THE DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT. (Continued. )
CHAPTER IV.
EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN IN HASTE.
While the Camp at Radewitz is dissolving itself in
this manner, in the last days of June, Captain Guy
Dickens, the oracles at Windsor having given him their
response as to Prince Friedrich's wild project, is getting
under way for Berlin again, -- whither also Hotham
has returned, to wait for Dickens's arrival, and directly
thereupon come home. Dickens is henceforth to do the
British Diplomacy here, any Diplomacy there can well
be; Dickens once installed, Hotham will, right gladly,
wash his hands of this Negotiation, which he considers
to be as good as dead for some good while past. First,
however, he has one unexpected adventure to go
through in Berlin; of most unexpected celebrity in the
world: this once succinctly set forth, History will dis-
miss him to the shades of private life.
Guy Dickens, arriving we can guess about the 8th
or 9th of July, brings two important Documents with
him to Berlin. First, the English Response (in the
Carlyle, Frederic the Great. IV. 1
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? 2 SHIPWRECK OF DOUBLE-MARRIAGE TROJECT. [. BOOK VTI.
9th July 1730.
shape of "Instructions" to himself, which may be osten-
sible in the proper quarter,) in regard to the Crown-
Prince's project of flight into England, Response which
is no other than might have been expected in the cir-
cumstances: "Britannic Majesty sorry extremely for the
"Crown-Prince's situation; ready to do anything in
"reason to alleviate it. Better wait, however: Prussian
"Majesty will surely perhaps relent a little: then also
"the affairs of Europe are in a ticklish state. Better "wait. As to that of taking temporary refuge in Prance, "Britannic Majesty thinks that will require a mature
"deliberation (mAre deliberation). Not even time now
"for inquiry of the French Court how they would take
"it; which his Britannic Majesty thinks an indispensable
"preliminary," -- and so terminates. The meaning,
we perceive, is in sum: "Hm, you won't, surely?
Don't; at least Don't yet! " But Dryasdust, and any
readers who have patience, can here take the Original
Paper; which is written in French (or French of Strat-
ford at the Bow), probably that the Crown-Prince, if
needful, might himself read it, one of these days:
"Monsieur Guy Dickens pourrail d'/nner au Prince les assu-
"ranees les plus fortes de la compassion que le Roi a du triste 4lat
"oil il se trouve, et du de'sir sincere de Sa Majeste? de concourir
"par tout ce qui dependra d'elle a Ven tirer. M. Guy Dickens
"pourrait lui communiquer en meme terns les Instructions donnies
"a Monsieur Hotham" (our Answer to the Outrageous propo-
sitions, which amounts to nothing, and may be spared the
reader), "et lui marquer qu'on avail lieu despe? rer que SaMa-
"jeste? Prussienne ne refuserait pas au moins de s'expliquer un peu
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 3
10th July 1730.
"plus en de? tail qu'elle n'a fait jusqu'ici. Qu'en attendant les
"suites que cette ne? gociation pourrait avoir, Sa Majeste? e? tait
"cCavis que le Prince ferait bien de diffe? rer un peu l'exe? cution de
"son dessein connu: Que la situation ou` les affaires de CEurope
"se trouvaient dans ce moment critique ne paraissait pas propre a`
"l'exe? cution d'un dessein de cette nature: Que pour ce qui est de
"l'intention ou` le Prince a te? moigne? e^tre, de se retirer en France,
"Sa Majeste? croit qu'elle demande une mu^re de? libe? ration, et que
"le peu de tems qui reste ne promet pas me^me qu'on puisse s'in-
"former de ce que la Cour de France pourrait penser la`-dessus;
"dont Sa Majeste? trouvait cependant absolument ne? cessaire des'as-
"surer, avant de pouvoir conseiller a` un Prince qui lui est si cher
"de se retirer en ce pays la`. "*
This is Document First; of no concernment to Hot-
ham at this stage; but only to us and our Crown-
Prince. Document Second would at one time have
much interested Hotham: it is no other than a Grum-
kow Original seized at St. Mary Axe, such as Hotham
once solicited, "strong enough to break Grumkow's
back. " Hotham now scarcely hopes it will be "strong
enough. " No matter; he presents it as bidden. On
introducing Dickens as successor, Monday, 10th July,
he puts the Document into his Prussian Majesty's hand:
and -- the result was most unexpected! Here is Hot-
ham's Despatch to Lord Harrington; which it will
be our briefest method to give, with some minimum of
needful explanation intercalated here and there:
* Prussian Despatches, vol. lxi. : No date or signature; bound up along
with Harrington's Despatch>> "Windsor, 20th June" (1st July) "1730," -- on
the morrow of which day we may fancy Captain Dickens took the road for
Berlin again, -- where we auspiciously see him on Monday, 10th July, pro-
bably a night or two after his arrival.
1*
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? 4 SHIPWRECK OP DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book VII.
10th July 1730.
"To the Lord Harrington (from Sir Charles Hotham).
"Berlin, 30th June (11th July) 1730.
"My Lord, -- Though the conduct of his Prussian Majesty
"has been such, for some time past, that one ought to be
"surprised at nothing he does, -- it is nevertheless with great
"concern that I now have to acquaint your Lordship with an
"extravagancy of his which happened yesterday," Monday
10th July 1730.
"The King of Prussia had appointed me to be with him
"about noon, with Captain Guy Dickens" (who has just re-
turned from England on what secret message your Lordship
knows! ). -- "We both attended his Prussian Majesty, and I
"presented Captain Guy Dickens to him, who delivered his
"credentials: after which the King talked to us a quarter of
"an hour about indifferent matters.
Seeing him in a very
"good humour, I took that opportunity of telling him, 'That
"as General Grumkow had denied his having held a Secret
"Correspondence with Eeichenbach, or having written the
"Letters I had some time ago delivered to his Majesty, I
"was now ordered by the King my Master to put into his hands
"an Original Letter of General Grumkow'" --
-- Where is that Original Letter? ask some minute
readers. Minute readers, the ipsissimum corpus of it is
lost to mankind. Official Copy of it lies safe here in
the State-Paper Office (Prussian Despatches, volume
xli. ; without date of its own, but near a Despatch dated
20th June 1730); has, adjoined to it, an Autograph
jotting by George Second to the effect, "Yes, send it,"
and also some preliminary scribbles by Newcastle, to
the like purport. No date of its own, we say, though,
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 5
10th July 1730.
by internal evidence and light of Fassmann,*-it is con-
clusively dateable, "Berlin, 20th May," if anybody
cared to date it. The Letter mentions lightly that
"pretended discovery" (the St. Mary Axe one, laid on
the table of Tobacco-Parliament, 6th May or soon
after), "innocent trifles all / wrote; hope you burnt
"them, nevertheless, according to promise: yours to me
"I did burn as they came, and will defy the Devil to
"produce;" brags of his Majesty's fine spirits; -- and
is, Jotting and all, as insignificant a Letter as any
other portion of the "Rookery Colloquy," though its
fate was a little more distinguished. Prussian Dryas-
dust is expected to give it in Facsimile, one day, --
surely no British Under-Secretary will exercise an un-
wise discretion, and forbid him that small pleasure! --
"which was an undeniable proof of all the rest, and could not
"but convince his Prussian Majesty of the truth of them. " --
Well?
"He took the Letter from me, cast his eye upon it; and
"seeing it to be Grrumkow's hand, said to me with all the
"anger imaginable" (fancy the thunderburst! ), "Messieurs,
"fat eu assez de ces choses la;" "threw the Letter upon the
"ground, and immediately turning his back went out of the
"room, and shut the door upon us,"
-- probably with a slam! And that is the naked truth
concerning this celebrated Intercepted Letter. Majesty
answered explosively, --- his poor heart being in a
burdened and grieved condition, not unlike growing a
? p. 404.
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? 6 SHIPWRECK OP DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book TO.
10th July 1730.
haunted one, -- "I have had enough of that stuff be-
fore! " pitched the new specimen away, and stormily
whirled out with a slam of the door. That he stamped
with his foot, is guessable. That he "lifted his foot as
if to kick the Hon. English Excellency," * which the
English Excellency never could have stood, but must
have died on the spot, -- of this, though several Books
have copied it from Wilhelmina, there is no vestige of
evidence: and the case is bad enough without this.
"Your Lordship will easily imagine that Captain Guy
"Dickens and I were not a little astonished at this most extra-
"ordinary behaviour. I took up the Letter he had thrown
"upon the floor" (ipsissimum corpus of it lost to mankind, last
seen going intoHotham's pocket in this manner); "and re-
turning home, immediately wrote one to his Prussian Ma-
"jesty, of which a copy is here enclosed. " -- Let us read
that essential Piece: sound substance, in very stiff indifferent
French of Stratford, -- which may as well be made English
at once: ,
"To his Majesty the King of Prussia.
"Sire, -- It is with the liveliest grief that I find myself
"under the necessity, -- after what has passed today at the
"audience I had of your Majesty, where I neither did nor said
"anything in regard to that Letter of Monsieur Grumkow's
"or to putting it into your Majesty's hands, that was not by
"my Master's order, -- it is, I say, Sire, with the liveliest
"grief that I am obliged to inform your Majesty of the neces- "sity there lies on me to despatch a Courier to London to ap-
"prise the King my Master of an incident so surprising as the
? Wilhelmina, i. 228.
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 7
JOth July 1730.
"one that has just happened. For which reason I beg(supplie)
"your Majesty will be pleased to cause the necessary Orders
"for Posthorses to be furnished me, not only for the said
"Courier, but also for myself, -- since, after what has just
"happened, it is not proper for me to prolong my stay here
"Cfaire unplus long sijour id).
"I have the honour to be, your Majesty's &c. &c. &c.
"CHarles HotHam. "
"About two hours afterwards, General Borck came to me;
"and told me He was in the utmost affliction for what had
"happened; andbeseeched me to have a little patience, and
"that he hoped means would be found to make up the matter
"to me. Afterwards he communicated to me, by word of
"mouth, the Answer the King of Prussia had given to the
"last Orders I had received by Captain Guy Dickens," --
Orders, "Come home immediately," to which the "Answer"
is conceivable.
"I told him that after the treatmentl had received at noon,
"and the affront put upon the King my Master's character, I
"could no longer receive nor charge myself with anything
"that came from his Prussian Majesty. That as to what re-
"lated to me personally, it was very easily made up; but
"having done nothing but in obedience to the King my Mas-
"ter's orders, it belonged to him only to judge what satis-
"faction was due for the indignity offered to his character.
"Wherefore I did not look upon myself as authorised to listen
"to any expedients till I knew his Majesty's pleasure upon the
"matter.
"In the evening, General Borck wrote a Letter to Captain
"Guy Dickens and two to me, the Copies of which are en-
"closed," -- fear not, reader 1 "The purport of them was to
"desire That I would take no farther notice of what had hap-
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? 8 SHIPWRECK OF DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book VII.
10th July 1730.
"pened, and that the King of Prussia desired I would come
"and dine with him next day," -- Engaged otherwise, your
Majesty, next day! "The answer to these Letters I also
"enclose to your Lordship," -- reader not to be troubled with
it. "I excused myself from dining with the King of Prussia,
"not thinking myself at liberty to appear any more at Court
"till I received his Majesty's," myown King's, "commands;
"and told General Borck that I looked upon myself as in-
dispensably obliged to acquaint the King my Master with
"everything that had passed, it being to no purpose to
"think of concealing it, since the thing was already become
"public, and would soon be known in all the Courts of Europe.
"This, my Lord, is the true state of this unaccountable
"accident. You will see, by General Borck's Letter, that
"the King of Prussia, being now returned to his senses, is
"himself convinced of the extravagancy of this proceeding;
"and was very desirous of having it concealed; --which was
"impossible; for the whole Town knew it an hour after it had
"happened.
"As to my own part, I am not a little concerned at this
"unfortunate incident. As it was impossible to foresee this
"fit of madness in the King of Prussia, there was no guarding
"against it; and after it had happened, I thought I could do
"no less than resent it in the manner I have done, -- without
"prostituting the character with which the King has been
"pleased to honour me. I hope, however, this affair will be
"attended with no ill consequences: for the King of Prussia
"himself is at present so ashamed of his behaviour, that he
"says, He will order Count Degenfeld" (Graf von Degenfeld,
going at a leisurely pace to remove Nosti from his perch among
you)* "to hasten his journey to England, with orders to en-
"deavour to make up the affair immediately.
? Snprii, vol. Ill, p. 877.
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? CHAP. IT. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 9
IOth July 1730.
"As I had already received the King's Orders, by Captain
"GuyDickens, To return home forthwith, I thought, after
"what had happened, the sooner I left this place the better;
"and the rather because it might be proper I should make a
"report of it to his Majesty. I shall therefore set out a few
"hours after this Messenger; and will make all the expedition
"possible.
"The King of Prussia sets out for Anspach on Saturday
"next," -- 11th July is Tuesday, Saturday next will be 15th
July, which proves correct. * '' I am, with the utmost respect,
"My Lord, Your Lordship's most obedient and most humble
"servant,
"CHables HotHam. " **
No sooner was the door slammed-to than his Ma-
jesty began to repent. At sight of the demand for
Post-horses, he repented bitterly; sent Borck to ask
Hotham to dinner, with what success we have seen.
Sent Borck to negotiate, to correspond, to consult with
Dickens, to do his utmost in pacifying Hotham. All
which Correspondence exists, but is not worth giving.
Borck's remonstrances are in rugged soldier-like style,
full of earnestness and friendliness. Do not wreck,
upon trifles, a noble interest we have in common; King
is jealous about foreign interference with his Ministers,
but meant nothing; I tell you it is nothing! --Hotham
is polite, good-tempered; but remains inflexible: With
myself, on my own score, it were soon settled, or is
already settled; but with the King my Master, -- no
* Fassmann, p. 410.
** State-Paper Office: Prussian Despatches, vol. xll.
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? 10 SHIPWRECK OP DOUBLE-MARRIAGE PROJECT, [book VII.
12th July 1730.
expedient but post-horses! The Diplomatist world of
Berlin is in a fuss; Queen Sophie and "the Minister of
Denmark," with other friendly Ministers, how busy!
"All day," this day and the next, "they spent in
comings and goings;"* advising Hotham to relent:
Hotham could not relent. The Crown-Prince himself
writes, urged by message from his Mother; Crown-
Prince sends Katte off from Potsdam with this Billet**
(if this be a correct copy to translate from):
"To his Excellency Monsieur the Chevalier Hotham.
Potsdam, 11th July 1730.
"Monsieur, -- Having learned by M. deLeuvener," the
Danish Minister, a judicious well-affected man, "what the
"King my Father's ultimate intentions are, I cannot doubt
"but you will yield to his desires. Think, Monsieur, that my
"happiness and my Sister's depend on the resolution you shall
"take, and that your answer will mean the union or the dis-
union forever of the two Houses! I flatter myself that it
"will be favourable, and that you will yield to my entreaties.
"Inever shall forget such a service, but recognise it all my
"life by the most perfect esteem," with which I now am, Tout
avous, "Fredkric. "
This Billet Katte delivers; but to this also Hotham
remains inexorable; riolite, hopeful even: No harm
will come; Degenfeld will go, I myself will help when
at home; but for the present, no resource but post-
horses! Which they at last yield him, the very post-
horses ready to weep.
? Wilhelmina, 1. 229,230. lb. 1. 280.
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? CHAP. IV. ] EXCELLENCY HOTHAM QUITS BERLIN. 11
July 1730.
And so Hotham, spirited judicious English gentle-
man, rolls off homewards,* a few hours after his
Courier, -- and retires honourably into the shades of
private life, steady there thenceforth. He has not been
successful in Berlin: surely his Negotiation is now out
in all manner of senses! Long ago (to use our former
ignoble figure) he had "laid down the bellows, though
there was still smoke traceable:" but now, by this
Grumkow Letter, he has, as it were, struck the poker
through the business; and that dangerous manoeuvre,
not proving successful, has been fatal and final! Queen
Sophie and certain others may still flatter themselves;
but it is evident the Negotiation is at last complete.
What may lie in Flight to England and rash desperate
measures, which Queen Sophie trembles to think of,
we do not know: but by regular negotiation this thing
can never be.
It is darkly apprehended the Crown-Prince still
meditates Flight; the maternal heart and Wilhelmina's
are grieved to see Lieutenant Katte so much in his
confidence, -- could wish him a wiser counsellor in
such predicaments and emergencies! Katte is greatly
flattered by the Prince's confidence; even brags of it
in society, with his foolish loose tongue. Poor youth,
he is of dissolute ways; has plenty of "unwise intel-
lect," little of the "wise" kind; and is still under the
years of discretion. Towards Wilhelmina there is trace-
able in him something, -- something as of almost
* "Wednesday," 12th (Dickens).
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? 12 SHIPWRECK OF DOUBLE-MABRIAGE PROJECT, [book vn.
July 1730.
loving a bright particular star, or of thrice-privately
worshipping it for his own behoof. And Wilhelmina,
during the late Radewitz time, when Mamma "gave
four Apartments (or Royal Soirees) weekly," was severe
upon him, and inaccessible in these Court Soirees. A
rash young fool; carries a loose tongue: -- still worse,
has a Miniature, recognisable as Wilhelmina; and
would not give it up, either for the Queen's Majesty
or me! -- "Thousand and thousand pardons, High
Ladies both; my loose tongue shall be locked: but
these two Miniatures, the Prince and Princess Royal,
I copied them from two the Prince had lent me and
has got back, ask me not for these; -- never, oh, I
cannot ever! " -- Upon which Wilhelmina had to take
a high attitude, and pass him speechless in the Soirees.
The foolish fellow: -- and yet one is not heartily
angry either; only reserved in the Soirees; and anxious
about one's Brother in such hands.
Friedrich Wilhelm repents much that Hotham ex-
plosion; is heard saying that he will not again treat in
person with any Envoy from foreign parts, being of
too hot temper, but will leave his Ministers to do it. *
To Queen Sophie he says coldly, "Wilhelmina's mar-
riage, then, is off; an end to it. Abbess of Herford"
(good Protestant refuge for unprovided Females of
Quality, which is in our gift), "let her be Abbess
there;" -- and writes to the then extant Abbess to
make Wilhelmina "Coadjutress," or Heir-Apparent to
that Chief-Nunship! Nay what is still more mortifying,
? Dickens's Despatch, Berlin, 22d July (n. s. ) 1780.
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?
