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a King to command them; can only have this or the other scandalous swindling Copper Captain, constitutional Gilt Mountebank, or other the like unsalutary entity by way of King; and the sins of the fathers are visited upon the children in a frightful and tragical manner, little noticed in the Penny Newspapers and Periodical Literatures of this generation. Oh my friends-! -But there is plain Business waiting us at hand.

CHAPTER II.

REPAIRING OF A RUINED PRUSSIA.

THAT of Friedrich's sitting wrapt in a cloud of reflections Olympian-Abysmal, in the music-chapel at Charlottenburg, while he had the Ambrosian Song executed for him there, as the preliminary step, was a loose myth; but the fact lying under it is abundantly certain. Few Sons of Adam had more reason for a piously-thankful feeling towards the Past, a piouslyvaliant towards the Future. What king or man had seen himself delivered from such strangling imbroglios of destruction, such devouring rages of a hostile world? And the ruin worked by them lay monstrous and appalling all round. Friedrich is now Fifty-one gone; unusually old for his age; feels himself an old man, broken with years and toils; and here lies his Kingdom in haggard slashed condition, worn to skin and bone: How is the King, resourceless, to remedy it? That is now the seemingly impossible problem. "Begin it, thereby alone will it ever cease to be impossible!" Friedrich begins, we may say, on the first morrow morning. Labours at his problem, as he

did in the march to Leuthen; finds it to become more possible, day after day, month after month, the farther he strives with it.

"Why not leave it to Nature?" think many, with the Dismal Science at their elbow. Well; that was the easiest plan, but it was not Friedrich's. His remaining moneys, 25 million thalers ready for a Campaign which has not come, he distributes to the most necessitous: 'all his artillery-horses' are parted into ploughteams, and given to those who can otherwise get none: think what a fine figure of rye and barley, instead of mere windlestraws, beggary and desolation, was realised by that act alone. Nature is ready to do much; will of herself cover, with some veil of grass and lichen, the nakedness of ruin: but her victori

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ous act, when she can accomplish it, is that of getting you to go with her handsomely, and change disaster itself into new wealth. Into new wisdom and valour, which are wealth in all kinds; California mere zero to them, zero, or even a frightful minus quantity! Friedrich's procedures in this matter I believe to be little less didactic than those other, which are so celebrated in War: but no Dryasdust, not even a Dryasdust of the Dismal Science, has gone into them, rendered men familiar with them in their details and results. His Silesian Land-Bank (joint-stock Moneys, lent on security of Land) was of itself, had I room to explain it, an immense furtherance.1 Friedrich, many tell us, was as great in Peace as in War: and truly, in the economic and material provinces, my own impression, gathered painfully in darkness, and contradiction of the Dismal-Science Doctors, is much to that effect. A first-rate Husbandman (as his Father had been); who not only defended his Nation, but made it rich beyond what seemed possible; and diligently sowed annuals into it, and perennials which flourish aloft at this day.

Mirabeau's Monarchie Prussienne, in 8 thick Volumes 8vo, -composed, or hastily cobbled together, some Twenty years after this period,—contains the best tabular view one anywhere gets of Friedrich's economics, military and other practical methods and resources :-solid exactTables these are, and intelligent intelligible descriptions, done by Mauvillon Fils, the same punctual Major Mauvillon who used to attend us in Duke Ferdinand's War; and so far as Mirabeau is concerned, the Work consists farther of a certain small Essay done in big type, shoved into the belly of each Volume, and eloquently recommending, with respectful censures and regrets over Friedrich, the Gospel of Free Trade, dear to Papa Mirabeau. The Son is himself a convert; far above lying, even to please Papa: but one can see, the thought of Papa gives him new fire of expression. They are eloquent, ruggedly strong Essays, those of Mirabeau Junior upon Free Trade :—they contain, in condensed shape, everything we were privileged to hear, seventy years later, from all organs, coach-horns, jews-harps and scrannel-pipes, pro and contra, on the same sublime subject: 'God is great, and Plugson of Under'shot is his Prophet. Thus saith the Lord, Buy in the cheapest market, sell in the dearest!' To which the afflicted human mind listens what it can;-and after seventy years, mournfully

1 Preuss, iii. 75; Œuvres de Frédéric, vi 81.

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asks itself and Mirabeau, "M. le Comte, would there have been in Prussia, for example, any Trade at all, any Nation at all, had it always been left 'Free'? There would have been mere sand and quagmire, and a community of wolves and bisons, M. le Comte. Have the goodness to terminate that Litany, and take up another!"—

:

We said, Friedrich began his problem on the first morrow morning; and that is literally true, that or even more. Here is how Friedrich takes his stand amid the wreck, speedy enough to begin this view of our old 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.

Landrath Nüssler and the King (30th March-3d April

1763).

' March 30th, 1763, Friedrich, on his return to Berlin, 'came by the route of Tassdorf,'—Tassdorf, in Nether-Barnim 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 ad'dressed 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 (45,000l.) 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, in

30th March-3d April 1763.

stead of the bucket 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:

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

King (from his Carriage, ostlers making dispatch). "What 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 Brenkenhof” (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 surprised, and asked :)— King. "Who are you?" (has forgotten the long-serviceable man!) Nüssler. "I am the Nüssler who was lucky enough to manage the "Fixing of the Silesian Boundaries for your Majesty!"

6

King. Ja, ja, now I know you again! Bring me all the Land"raths 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."

King. "Send off estafettes for those two to come at once to Ber"lin; and on Thursday," day after tomorrow,

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

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

* *

* *

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."

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

30th March-3d April 1763. "How much rye for bread; How much for seed; How many "Horses, Oxen, Cows, their Circles do in an entirely pressing way require ?

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

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

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

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

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Nüssler. "We deliver to your Majesty the written Specification you were graciously pleased to command of us. It contains only the "indispensablest things that the Circles are in need of. Moreover, it regards only the Stände" (richer Nobility), "who pay contribution; "the Gentry" (Adel), "and other poor people, who have been utterly plundered-out by the Russians, are not included in it :—the Gentry "too have suffered very much by the War and the Plundering.”

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

*

"I

Nüssler (names them; and, as finis of the list, adds): myself, too, your Majesty, I have suffered more than anybody: I "absolutely could not furnish those 4,000 bushels of meal ordered of "me by the Russians; upon which they—"

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."

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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 Landrath, since his Majesty permits." * In a word, the King having informed himself and declared his inten⚫tion, 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.’