26th March 1769.

66

"who started up in haste, asking, 'What is the matter?' 'Why,' says Peter, 'there is a great War on earth between the Rus"sians and the Turks.' And who commands my Russians?' "said the Supreme Being. 'Count Münnich,' answered Peter. "Very well; I may go to sleep again!'-But this was not the "end of my dream," continued the soldier; "I fell asleep and "dreamt again, the very same as before, except that the War 66 was not Count Münnich's, but the one we are now in. Ac"cordingly, when God asked, 'Who commands my Russians?" "Peter answered, 'Prince Galitzin.' 'Galitzin? Then, get me my boots said the" (Russian) "Supreme Being.'

9946

46 W. Richardson (then at Petersburg, Tutor to Excellency Cathcart's Children; afterwards Professor at Glasgow, and a man of some reputation in his old age), Anecdotes of the Russian Empire, in a Series of Letters written a few Years ago from St. Petersburg (London, 1784), p. 110: date of this Letter is 17th October 1769.'

CHAPTER IV.

PARTITION OF POLAND.

THESE Polish phenomena were beginning to awaken a good deal of attention, not all of it pleasant, on the part of Friedrich. From the first he had, as usual, been a most clear-eyed observer of everything; and found the business, as appears, not of tragical nature, but of expensive-farcical, capable to shake the diaphragm rather than touch the heart of a reflective onlooker. He has a considerable Poem on it,-War of the Confederates by title (in the old style of the Palladion, imitating an unattainable Jeanne d'Arc),-considerable Poem, now forming itself at leisure in his thoughts, which decidedly takes that turn; and laughs quite loud at the rabid fanaticisms, blusterous inanities and imbecilities of these noisy unfortunate neighbours :-old unpleasant style of the Palladion and Pucelle; but much better worth reading; having a great deal of sharp sense in its laughing guise, and more of real Historical Discernment than you will find in any other Book on that delirious subject.

Much a laughing-stock to this King hitherto, such a "War of the Confederates,"-consisting of the noisiest, emptiest bedlam tumults, seasoned by a proportion of homicide, and a great deal of battery and arson. But

'La Guerre des Confédérés' (EŒuvres, xiv. 183 et seq.), 'finished in November 1771.'

25th-28th Aug. 1769.

now, with a Russian-Turk War springing from it, or already sprung, there are quite serious aspects rising amid the laughable. By Treaty, this War is to cost the King either a 12,000 of Auxiliaries to the Czarina, or a 72,000l. (480,000 thalers) annually;2-which latter he prefers to pay her, as the alternative: not an agreeable feature at all; but by no means the worst feature. Suppose it lead to Russian conquests on the Turk, to Austrian complicacies, to one knows not what, and kindle the world round one again! In short, we can believe Friedrich was very willing to stand well with next-door neighbours at present, and be civil to Austria and its young Kaiser's civilities.

First Interview between Friedrich and Kaiser Joseph (Neisse, 25th-28th August 1769).

In 1766, the young Kaiser, who has charge of the Military Department, and of little else in the Government, and is already a great traveller, and enthusiastic soldier, made a pilgrimage over the Bohemian and Saxon Battlefields of the Seven-Years War. On some of them, whether on all I do not know, he set up memorial stones; one of which you still see on the field of Lobositz;—of another on Prag field, and of reverent salutation by Artillery to the memory of Schwerin there, we heard long ago. Coming to Torgau on this errand, the Kaiser, through his Berlin Minister, had signified his "particular desire to make acquaintance with the King in returning;" to which the King was ready with the readiest;— only that Kaunitz and the Kaiserinn, in the interim, judged it improper, and stopped it. The reported 'Interview is not to take place,' Friedrich warns the

2 Euvres de Frédéric, vi. 13.

เ

25th-28th Aug. 1769. Newspapers; 'having been given up, though only from courtesy, on some points of ceremonial."3

The young Kaiser felt a little huffed; and signified to Friedrich that he would find a time to make good this bit of uncivility, which his pedagogues had forced upon him. And now, after three years, August 1769, on occasion of the Silesian Reviews, the Kaiser is to come across from his Bohemian businesses, and actually visit him: Interview to be at Neisse, 25th August 1769, for three days. Of course the King was punctual, everybody was punctual, glad and cordial after a sort,—no ceremony, the Kaiser, officially incognito, is a mere Graf von Falkenstein, come to see his Majesty's Reviews. There came with him four or five Generals, Loudon one of them; Lacy had preceded: Friedrich is in the Palace of the place, ready and expectant. With Friedrich are: Prince Henri; Prince of Prussia; Margraf of Anspach, Friedrich's Nephew (Lady Craven's Margraf, the one remnant now left there); and some Generals and Military functionaries, Seidlitz the notablest figure of these. And so, Friday, August 25th, shortly after noon-But the following Two Letters, by an Eyewitness, will be preferable; and indeed are the only real Narrative that can be given:

No. 1. Engineer Le Febvre to Perpetual Secretary Formey (at

Berlin).

'Neisse, 26th' (partly 25th) ‘August 1769.

'My most worthy Friend,-I make haste to inform you of 'the Kaiser's arrival here at Neisse, this day, 25th August '1769, at one in the afternoon. The King had spent the morning in a proof Manœuvre, making rehearsal of the Manœuvre that was to be. When the Kaiser was reported just

6

3 Friedrich to One of his Foreign Ambassadors' (the common way of announcing in Newspapers): Preuss, iv. 22 n.

6

25th-28th Aug. 1769.

coming, the King went to the window of the grand Episcopal Saloon, and seeing him alight from his carriage, turned 'round and said, "Je l'ai vu (I have seen him)." His Majesty 'then went to receive him on the grand staircase' (had hardly descended three or four steps), 'where they embraced; and then 'his Majesty led by the hand his august Guest into the Apart'ments designed for him, which were all standing open and 'ready,'—which, however, the august Guest will not occupy except with a grateful imagination, being for the present incognito, mere Graf von Falkenstein, and judging that The Three-Kings Inn will be suitabler.

'Arrived in the Apartments, they embraced anew; and sat 'talking together for an hour and half.'

(The talk, unknown to Le Febvre, began in this strain. Kaiser: "Now are my wishes "fulfilled, since I have the honour to embrace the greatest of "Kings and Soldiers." King: "I look upon this day as the "fairest of my life; for it will become the epoch of uniting Two "Houses which have been enemies too long, and whose mutual "interests require that they should strengthen, not weaken one "another." Kaiser: "For Austria there is no Silesia far"ther." Talk, it appears, lasted an hour and half.)

-The Kaiser' (continues our Engineer) 'had brought with him the Prince of Sachsen'Teschen' (his august Brother-in-law, Duke of Teschen, son of the late Polish Majesty of famous memory): 'afterwards there 'came Feldmarschall Lacy, Graf von Dietrichstein, General von 'Loudon,' and three others of no account to us. At the King's 'table were the Kaiser, the Prince of Prussia' (dissolute young Heir-Apparent, of the polygamous tendency), 'Prince Henri, 'the Margraf of Anspach' (King's Nephew, unfortunate LadyCraven Margraf, ultimately of Hammersmith vicinity); the ' above Generals of the Austrian suite, and Generals Seidlitz and 'Tauentzien. The rest of the Court was at two other tables.' Of the dinner itself an Outside Individual will say nothing.

'The Kaiser, having expressly requested the King to let him lodge in an Inn (Three Kings), under the name of Graf von ‘Falkenstein, would not go into the carriage which had stood Preuss, iv. 23; Euvres de Frédéric, vi. 25, 26.