History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 7 | Page 5

here. The
man, we can perceive farther, continued useful in those Official
quarters, answering questions about Prussia, helping in the
St.-Mary-Axe decipherings, and in other small ways, for some time
longer; after which he vanishes again from all record,--whether to teach
English farther, or live on some modicum of pension granted, no man
knows. Poor old Dove, let out upon the Deluge in serge gown: he did
bring back a bit of olive, so to speak;--had the presage but held, as it
did in Noah's case!

In a word, the English Sovereignties and Ministries have determined
that an Envoy Extraordinary (one Hotham, they think of), with the due
solemnity, be sent straightway to Berlin; to treat of those interesting
matters, and officially put the question there. Whom Dubourgay is
instructed to announce to his Prussian Majesty, with salutation from
this Court. As Dubourgay does straightway, with a great deal of
pleasure. [Despatches: London, 8th February; Berlin, 2d March, 1780]
How welcome to his Majesty we need not say.
And indeed, after such an announcement (1st March, 1730, the day of
it), they fell into cheerful dialogue; and the Brigadier had some frank
conversation with his Majesty about the "Arbitration Commission" then
sitting at Brunswick, and European affairs in general. Conversation
which is carefully preserved for us in the Brigadier's Despatch of the
morrow. It never was intrinsically of much moment; and is now fallen
very obsolete, and altogether of none: but as a glance at first-hand into
the dim old thoughts of Friedrich Wilhelm, the reader may take it with
him:--
"The King said next, That though we made little noise, yet he knew
well our design--was to kindle a fire in other parts of Lower Germany.
To which I answered, That if his Majesty would give me favorable
hearing, I could easily persuade him of the peaceable intentions of our
Allies. 'Well,' says he, 'the Emperor will abandon the Netherlands, and
who will be master of them? I see the day when you will make France
so powerful, that it will be difficult to bring them to reason
again.'--DUBOURGAY: 'If the Emperor abandoned the Netherlands,
they would be governed by their own Magistrate, and defended by their
own Militia. As to the French, we are too well persuaded of the benefit
of our Allies, to--' Upon which the King of Prussia said, 'It appeared
plainly we had a mind to dispose as we pleased of Kingdoms and
provinces in Italy, so that probably our next thought would be to do the
same in Germany.'--DUBOURGAY: 'The allotments made in favor of
Don Carlos have been made with the consent of the Emperor and the
whole Empire. We could not suffer a longer interruption of our
commerce with Spain, for the sake of the small difference between the
Treaty of Seville and the Quadruple Alliance, in regard to the

Garrison,'"--to the introducing of Spanish Garrisons, at once, into
Parma and Piacenza; which was the special thunder-bolt of the late
Soissons Catastrophe,or Treaty of Seville.--"'Well, then,' says his
Prussian Majesty, 'you must allow, then, there IS an infraction of the
Quadruple Alliance, and that the Emperor will make war!' 'I hope not,'
said I: (but if so, a Ten-Years War, in conjunction with the Allies of
Seville, never would be so bad as the interruption of our Commerce
with Old and New Spain for one year.'
"The King of Prussia's notion about our DISPOSING OF PROVINCES
IN GERMANY," adds Dubourgay, "is, I believe, an insinuation of
Seckendorf, who, I doubt not, has made him believe we intended to do
so with respect to Berg and Julich."
Very probably:--but Hotham is getting under way, hopeful to spoil that
game. Prussian Majesty, we see, is not insensible to so much honor;
and brightens into hopefulness and fine humor in consequence. What
radiancy spread over the Queen's side of the House we need not say.
The Tobacco-Parliament is like to have a hard task.--Friedrich Wilhelm
privately is well inclined to have his Daughter married, with such
outlooks, if it can be done. The marriage of the Crown-Prince into such
a family would also be very welcome; only--only--There are
considerations on that side. There are reasons; still more there are
whims, feelings of the mind towards an unloved Heir-Apparent: upon
these latter chiefly lie the hopes of Seckendorf and the
Tobacco-Parliament.
What the Tobacco-Parliament's specific insinuations and deliberations
were, in this alarming interim, no Hansard gives us a hint. Faint and
timid they needed, at first, to be; such unfavorable winds having risen,
blowing off at a sad rate the smoke of that abstruse
Institution.--"JARNI-BLEU!" snuffles the Feldzeugmeister to himself.
But "SI DEUS EST NOBISCUM," as Grumkow exclaims once to his
beautiful Reichenbach, or NOSTI as he calls him in their slang or
cipher language, "If God is