1763-1766.

friend Nüssler and him is one of the Pieces we can give, -thanks to Herr Büsching and his Beyträge for the last time! Nüssler is now something of a Country Gentleman, so to speak; has a pleasant place out to east of Berlin; is Landrath (County Chairman) there, "Landrath of Nether-Barnim Circle;" where we heard of the Cossacks spoiling him: he, as who not, has suffered dreadfully in these tumults. Here is Büsching's welcome Account.

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Landrath Nüssler and the King (30th March3d April 1763).

'March 30th, 1763, Friedrich, on his return to Berlin, 'came by the route of Tassdorf,'-Tassdorf, in NetherBarnim Circle (40 odd miles from Frankfurt, and above 15 from Berlin);- and changed horses there. During 'this little pause, among a crowd assembled to see him, 'he was addressed by Nüssler, Landrath of the Circle, 'who had a very piteous story to tell. Nüssler wished the King joy of his noble victories, and of the glorious 'Peace at last achieved: "May your Majesty reign in health and happiness over us many years, to the blessing of us all!"-and recommended to his gracious care the extremely ruined, and, especially by the Russians, uncommonly devastated Circle, for which' (continues Büsching) 'this industrious Landrath had 'not hitherto been able to extract any effective help.' Generally for the Provinces wasted by the Russians there had already some poor 300,000 thalers (45,0007.) been allowed by a helpful Majesty, not over-rich himself at the moment; and of this, Nether-Barnim no doubt gets its share: but what is this to such ruin as there is? A mere preliminary drop, instead of the bucket

30th March-3d April 1763. and buckets we need!-Büsching, a dull, though solid accurate kind of man, heavy-footed, and yet always in a hurry, always slipshod, has nothing of dramatic here; far from it; but the facts themselves fall naturally into that form,-in Three Scenes:

1. Tassdorf (still two hours from Berlin), King, Nüssler and a Crowd of People, Nüssler alone daring to speak.

King (from his Carriage, ostlers making despatch). "What 66 is your Circle most short of ?"

Landrath Nüssler. "Of horses for ploughing the seed-fields, "of rye to sow them, and of bread till the crops come."

King. "Rye for bread, and to sow with, I will give; with "horses I cannot assist."

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Nüssler. "On representation of Privy-Councillor von Bren"kenhof" (the Minister concerned with such things), "your "Majesty has been pleased to give the Neumark and Pommern "an allowance of Artillery- and Commissariat-Horses: but poor Nether-Barnim, nobody will speak for it; and unless your Majesty's gracious self please to take pity on it, Nether"Barnim is lost!"-(A great many things more he said, in presence of a large crowd of men who had gathered round 'the King's Carriage as the horses were being changed; and 'spoke with such force and frankness that the King was sur'prised, and asked :)—

King. "Who are you?" (has forgotten the long-serviceable man!)

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Nüssler. "I am the Nüssler who was lucky enough to manage the Fixing of the Silesian Boundaries for your Majesty !" King. "Ja, ja, now I know you again! Bring me all the "Landraths of the Kurmark" (Mark of Brandenburg Proper, Electoral Mark) "in a body; I will speak with them."

Nüssler. "All of them but two are in Berlin already."

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come

King. "Send off estafettes for those two to come at once "to Berlin; and on Thursday," day after tomorrow, "yourself, with all the others, to the Schloss to me: I will "then have some closer conversation, and say what I can "and will do for helping of the country" (King's Carriage

30th March-3d April 1763.

rolls away, with low bows and blessings from Nüssler and everybody).

2. Thursday, April 1st, Nüssler and assembled Landraths at the Schloss of Berlin. To them, enter King.

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Nüssler (whom they have appointed spokesman). **"Your Majesty has given us Peace; you will also give us Well-being "in the Land again: we leave it to Highest-the-Same's gracious "judgment" (no limit to Highest-the-Same's power, it would seem) "what you will vouchsafe to us as indemnification for the Russian plunderings."

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King. "Be you quiet; let me speak. Have you got a pencil "(Hat Er crayon)? Yes! Well then, write, and these Gentle66 men shall dictate to you:

'How much rye for bread; How much for seed; How many Horses, Oxen, Cows, their Circles do in an entirely 'pressing way require?

"Consider all that to the bottom; and come to me again the 66 day after tomorrow. But see that But see that you fix everything with the " utmost exactitude, for I cannot give much." (Exit King.)

Nüssler (to the Landraths). "Meine Herren, have the good66 ness to accompany me to our Landschaft House" (we have a kind of County Hall, it seems); "there we will consider everything."

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'And Nüssler, guiding the deliberations, which are glad to 'follow him on every point, and writing as Pro-tempore Secre'tary, has all things brought to luminous Protocol, in the course ' of this day and next.'

3. Saturday April 3d, in the Schloss again: Nüssler and Landraths. To them, the King.

Nüssler. "We deliver to your Majesty the written Specifica"tion you were graciously pleased to command of us. It con"tains only the indispensablest things that the Circles are in "need of. Moreover, it regards only the Stände” (richer No

bility), "who pay contribution; the Gentry" (Adel), "and other

46 poor people, who have been utterly plundered out by the Rus"sians, are not included in it:-the Gentry too have suffered "very much by the War and the Plundering."

30th March-3d April 1763.

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King. "What Edelleute that are members of Stände have you" (Er) "got in your Circle?"

Nüssler (names them; and, as finis of the list, adds):

"I myself, too, your Majesty, I have suffered more than any"body: I absolutely could not furnish those 4,000 bushels of "meal ordered of me by the Russians; upon which they —"

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King. "I cannot give to all: but if you have poor Nobles in your Circle, who can in no way help themselves, I will give ❝them something."

Nüssler (has not any in Nether-Barnim who are altogether ' in that extreme predicament; but knows several in Lebus Circle, ' names them to the King;-and turning to the Landrath of Lebus, and to another who is mute): "Herr, you can name "some more in Lebus; and you, in Teltow Circle, Herr Land"rath, since his Majesty permits." * In a word, 'the King 'having informed himself and declared his intention, Nüssler leads the Landraths to their old County Hall, and brings to 'Protocol what had taken place.

'Next day, the Kammer President' (Exchequer President), 'Von der Gröben, had Nüssler, with other Landraths, to dinner. During dinner, there came from Head-Secretary Eichel' (Majesty's unwearied Clerk of the Pells, Sheepskins, or Papers) an ' earnest request to Von der Gröben for help,-Eichel not being able to remember, with the requisite precision, everything his Majesty had bid him put down on this matter. "You will go, 'Herr von Nüssler; be so kind, won't you?" And Nüssler went, ' and fully illuminated Eichel.'

To the poorest of the Nobility, Büsching tells us, what is otherwise well known, the King gave considerable sums: to one Circle 12,000l., to another 9,000l., 6,000l., and so on. By help of 'which bounties, and of Nüssler labouring incessantly with all his 'strength, Nieder-Barnim Circle got on its feet again, no subject having been entirely ruined, but all proving able to recover.”

This Büsching Fragment is not in the style of the Elder Dramatists, or for the Bankside Theatre; but this represents a Fact which befel in God's Creation, and may have an interest of its own to the Practical Soul, 2 Büsching, Beyträge (§ Nüssler), i. 401-405.

21st April 1763—1st June 1764.

especially in anarchic Countries, far advanced in the "Gold-nugget and Nothing to Buy with it" Career of unexampled Prosperities.

On these same errands, the King is soon going on an Inspection Journey, where we mean to accompany. But first, one word, and one will suffice, on the debased Coin. The Peace was no sooner signed, than Friedrich proceeded on the Coin. The third week after his arrival home, there came out a salutary Edict on it, April 21st; King eager to do it without loss of time, yet with the deliberation requisite. Not at one big leap, which might shake, to danger of oversetting, much commercial arrangement; but at two leaps, with a halfway station intervening. Halfway station, with a new coinage ready, much purer of alloy (and marked how much, for the benefit of parties with accounts to settle), is to commence on Trinitatis (Whitsunday) instant; from and after Whitsunday, the improved new coin to be sole legal tender, till farther notice. Farther notice comes accordingly, within a year, March 29th, 1764: "Pure money of the standard of 1750" (honest silver coinage: readers may remember Linsenbarth, the Candidatus Theologia, and his sack of Batzen, confiscated at the Packhof) "shall be ready on the 1st of June instant;"3 -from and after which day we hear no more of that sad matter. Finished off in about fourteen months. Here, meanwhile, is the Inspection Journey.

Kriegsrath Roden and the King (6th-13th June 1763).

June 2d, 1763, Friedrich left Potsdam for Westphalia; got as far as Magdeburg that day. Intends seeing into

› Rödenbeck, ii. 214, 234.