April-Oct. 1777. 'inconvenient to slay him or to slay yourself (as is oftenest 'likely),—keep well to windward of him; be not, without ne

cessity, partaker of his adventures in this extremely earnest ' Universe!'

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'No; Nature does not produce many Pitts:-nor will any 'Pitt ever again apply in Parliament for a career. "Your "voices, your most sweet voices; ye melodious torrents of Gada"renes Swine, galloping rapidly down steep places,-I, for one, "know whither!" *-Enough.

About four months before this time, Elliot had done a feat, not in the Diplomatic line at all, or by his own choice at all, which had considerably astonished the Diplomatic world at Berlin, and was doubtless well in the King's thoughts during this introduction of the Dozen. The American War is raging and blundering along, a delectable Lord George Sackville (alias Germaine) managing as War-Minister, others equally skilful presiding at the Parliamentary helm; all becoming worse and worse off, as the matter proceeds. The revolted Colonies have their Franklins, Lees, busy in European Courts: "Help us in our noble struggle, ye European Courts; now is your chance on tyrannous England!" To which France at least does appear to be lending ear. Lee, turned out from Vienna, is at work in Berlin, this while past; making what progress is uncertain to some people.

I know not whether it was by my Lord Suffolk's instigation, or what had put the Britannic Cabinet on such an idea, perhaps the stolen Letters of Friedrich, which show so exact a knowledge of the current of events in America as well as England ("knows every step of it, as if he were there himself, the Arch-Enemy of honest neighbours in a time of stress!")—but it does appear they had got it into their sagacious heads that

April-Oct. 1777.

the bad neighbour at Berlin was, in effect, the ArchEnemy, probably mainspring of the whole matter; and that it would be in the highest degree interesting to see clearly what Lee and he had on hand. Order thereupon to Elliot: "Do it, at any price;" and finally, as mere price will not answer, "Do it by any method,—steal Lee's Despatch-Box for us!"

Perhaps few Excellencies living had less appetite for such a job than Elliot; but his Orders were peremptory, "Lee is a rebel, quasi-outlaw; and you must!" Elliot thereupon took accurate survey of the matter; and rapidly enough, and with perfect skill, though still a novice in Berlin affairs, managed to do it. Privily hired, or made his servant hire, the chief Housebreaker or Pickpocket in the City: "Lee lodges in such and such a Hostelry; bring us his Red-Box for a thirty hours; it shall be well worth your while!" And in brief space the Red-Box arrives, accordingly; a score or two of ready-writers waiting for it, who copy all day, all night, at the top of their speed, till they have enough: which done, the Lee Red-Box is left on the stairs of the Lee Tavern; Box locked again, and complete; only the Friedrich-Lee Secrets completely pumped out of it, and now rushing day and night towards England, to illuminate the Supreme Council-Board there.

This astonishing mass of papers is still extant in England;72-the outside of them I have seen, by no means the inside, had I wished it;-but am able to say from other sources, which are open to all the world, that seldom had a Supreme Council-Board procured for itself, by improper or proper ways, a Discovery of less

2 In the Eden-House Archives; where a natural delicacy (unaware that the questionable Legationary Fact stands in print for so many years past) is properly averse to any promulgation of them.

April-Oct. 1777.

value! Discovery that Lee has indeed been urgent at Berlin; and has raised in Friedrich the question, "Have you got to such a condition that I can, with safety and advantage, make a Treaty of Commerce with you?"That his Minister Schulenburg has, by Order, been investigating Lee on that head; and has reported, "No, your Majesty, Lee and People are not in such a condition;" that his Majesty has replied, "Well, let him wait till they are;" and that Lee is waiting accordingly. In general, That his Majesty is not less concerned in guidance or encouragement of the American War than he is in ditto of the Atlantic Tides or of the East-Wind (though he does keep barometers and meteorological apparatus by him); and that we of the Council-Board are a-what shall I say! Not since the case of poor Dr. Cameron, in 1753, when Friedrich was to have joined the Highlanders with 15,000 chosen Prussians for Jacobite purposes, and the Cham of Tartary to have taken part in the Bangorian Controversy,-was there a more perfect platitude, or a deeper depth of ignorance as to adjacent objects on the part of Governing Men. For shame, my friends!

This surprising bit of Burglary, so far as I can gather from the Prussian Books, must have been done on Wednesday, June 25th, 1777; Box (with essence pumped out) restored to staircase, night of Thursday, Police already busy, Governor Ramin and Justice-President Philippi already apprised, and suspicion falling on the English Minister,-whose Servant ("Arrest him we cannot without a King's Warrant, only procurable at Potsdam!") vanishes bodily. Friday 27th, Ramin and Philippi make report; King answers, "greatly astonished:" a "garstige Sache (ugly Business), which will do the English no honour:" "Servant fled, say you?

April-Oct. 1777.

Trace it to the bottom; swift!" Excellency Elliot, seeing how matters lay, owned honestly to the Official People, That it was his Servant (Servant safe gone, Chief Pickpocket not mentioned at all); Sunday evening 29th, King orders thereupon, "Let the matter drop." These Official Pieces, signed by the King, by Hertzberg, Ramin and others, we do not give: here is Friedrich's own notice of it to his Brother Henri:

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"Potsdam, 29th June 1777. There has just occurred a strange thing at Berlin. Three days ago, "in absence of the Sieur Lee, Envoy of the American Colonies, the Envoy of England went" (sent!) "to the "Inn where Lee lodged, and carried off his Portfolio; "it seems he was in fear, however, and threw it down, "without opening it, on the stairs" (alas, no, your Majesty, not till after pumping the essence out). “All "Berlin is talking of it. If one were to act with rigour, "it would be necessary to forbid this man the Court, since he has committed a public theft: but, not to "make a noise, I suppress the thing. Shan't fail, however, to write to England about it, and indicate that "there was another way of dealing with such a matter, "for they are impertinent" (say, ignorant, blind as moles, your Majesty; that is the charitable reading!). 73

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This was not Excellency Elliot's Burglary, as readers see,-among all the Excellencies going, I know not that there is one with less natural appetite for such a job; but sometimes what can a necessitous Excellency do? Elliot is still remembered in Berlin society, not for this only, but for emphatic things of a better complexion which he did; a man more justly estimated

73 Euvres de Frédéric, xxvi. 394. In Preuss, v. (he calls it 'iv.' or 'Urkundenbuch to vol. iv.,' but it is really and practically vol. v.) 278, 279, are the various Official Reports.

April-Oct. 1777. there, than generally here in our time. Here his chief fame rests on a witty Anecdote, evidently apocryphal, and manufactured in the London Clubs: "Who is this Hyder-Ali," said the old King to him, one day (according to the London Clubs). "Hm," answered Elliot, with exquisite promptitude, politeness and solidity of information, "C'est un vieux voleur qui commence radoter “(An old robber, now falling into his dotage),"—let his dotard Majesty take that.

Alas, my friends!-Ignorance by herself is an awkward lumpish wench; not yet fallen into vicious courses, nor to be uncharitably treated: but Ignorance and Insolence, these are, for certain, an unlovely Mother and Bastard! Yes;-and they may depend upon it, the grim Parish-beadles of this Universe are out on the track of them, and oakum and the correction-house are infallible sooner or later! The clever Elliot, who knew a hawk from a hernshaw, never floundered into that platitude. This, however, is a joke of his, better or worse (I think, on his quitting Berlin in 1782, without visible resource or outlook): "I am far from hav

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ing a Sans-Souci," writes he to the Edens; "and I "think I am coming to be sans six-sous."——Here still are two small Fractions, which I must insert; and then rigorously close. Kaiser Joseph, in these months, is travelling through France to instruct his Imperial mind. The following is five weeks anterior to that of Lee's Red-Box:

1. A Bit of Dialogue at Paris (Saturday, 17th May 1777). After solemn Session of the Académie Française, held in honour of an illustrious Comte de Falkenstein (privately, Kaiser Joseph II.), who has come to look at France,74-Comte de Falkenstein was

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7 Minute and rather entertaining Account of his procedures there, and especially of his two Visits to the Academy (first was May 10th), in Mayer, Reisen Josephs II. (Leipzig, 1778), pp. 112-132, 147 et seq.