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history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第52章

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stance of it; among ourselves; in the later epochs。

〃Kaunitz is a man of long hollow face; nose naturally rather turned into the air; till artificially it got altogether turned thither。 Rode beautifully; but always under cover; day by day; under glass roof in the riding…school; so many hours or minutes; watch in hand。 Hated; or dreaded; fresh air above everything: so that the Kaiserinn; a noble lover of it; would always good…humoredly hasten to shut her windows when he made her a visit。 Sumptuous suppers; soirees; he had; the pink of Nature assembling in his house; galaxy; domestic and foreign; of all the Vienna Stars。 Through which he would walk one turn; glancing stoically; over his nose; at the circumambient whirlpool of nothings;happy the nothing to whom he would deign a word; and make him something。 O my friends!In short; it was he who turned Austria on its axis; and France on its; and brought them to the kissing pitch。 Pompadour and Maria Theresa kissing mutually; like Righteousness andnot PEACE; at any rate! 'MA CHERE COUSINE;' could I have believed it; at one time?〃

A SECOND Prussian…English cause of offence had arisen; years ago; and was not yet settled; nay is now (Spring; 1753) at its height or crisis: Offence in regard to English Privateering。

Friedrich; ever since Ost…Friesland was his; has a considerable Foreign Trade;not as formerly from Stettin alone; into the Baltic Russian ports; but from Embden now; which looks out into the Atlantic and the general waters of Europe and the World。 About which he is abundantly careful; as we have seen。 Anxious to go on good grounds in this matter; and be accurately neutral; and observant of the Maritime Laws; he had; in 1744; directly after coming to possession of Ost…Friesland; instructed Excellency Andrie; his Minister in London; to apply at the fountain…head; and expressly ask of my Lord Carteret: 〃Are hemp; flax; timber contraband?〃 〃No;〃 answered Carteret; Andrie reported; No。 And on this basis they acted; satisfactorily; for above a year。 But; in October; 1745; the English began violently to take PLANKS for contraband; and went on so; and ever worse; till the end of the War。 'Adelung; vii。 334。' Excellency Andrie has gone home; and a Secretary of Legation; Herr Michel; is now here in his stead:a good few dreary old Pamphlets of Michel's publishing (official Declaration; official Arguments; Documents; in French and English; 4to and 8vo; on this extinct subject); if you go deep into the dust…bins; can be disinterred here to this day。 Tread lightly; touching only the chief summits。 The Haggle stretches through five years; 1748…1753;and then at last ceases HAGGLING:

〃JANUARY 8th; 1748 'War still on foot; but near ending'; Michel applies about injuries; about various troubles and unjust seizures of ships; Secretary Chesterfield answers; 'We have an Admiralty Court; beyond question; right shall be done。' 'Would it were soon; then!' hints Michel。 Chesterfield; who is otherwise politeness itself; confidently hopes so; but cannot push Judicial people。

〃FEBRUARY; 1748。 Admiralty being still silent; Michel applies by Memorial; in a specific case: 'Two Stettin Ships; laden with wine from Bordeaux; and a third vessel;' of some other Prussian port; laden with corn; taken in Ramsgate Roads; whither they had been driven by storm: 'Give me these Ships back!' Memorial to his Grace of Newcastle; this。 Upon which the Admiralty sits; with deliberation; decides (June; 1748); 'Yes!' And 'there is hope that a Treaty of Commerce will follow;' ' Gentleman's Magazine;  xviii。 (for 1748); pp。 64; 141。' which was far from being the issue just yet!

〃On the contrary; his Prussian Majesty's Merchants; perhaps encouraged by this piece of British justice; came forward with more and ever more complaints and instances。 To winnow the strictly true out of which; from the half…true or not provable; his Prussian Majesty has appointed a 'Commission;'〃 fit people; and under strict charges; I can believe; 〃Commission takes (to Friedrich's own knowledge) a great deal of pains;and it does not want for clean corn; after all its winnowing。 Plenty of facts; which can be insisted on as indisputable。 'Such and such Merchant Ships 'Schedules of them given in; with every particular; time; name; cargo; value' have been laid hold of on the Ocean Highway; and carried into English Ports;OUT of which his Prussian Majesty has; in all Friendliness; to beg that they be now re…delivered; and justice done。' 'Contraband of War;' answer the English; 'sorry to have given your Majesty the least uneasiness; but they were carrying''No; pardon me; nothing contraband discoverable in them;' and hands in his verified Schedules; with perfectly polite; but more and more serious request; That the said ships be restored; and damages accounted for。 'Our Prize Courts have sat on every ship of them;' eagerly shrieks Newcastle all along: 'what can we do!' 'Nay a Special Commission shall now '1751; date not worth seeking farther'special Commission shall now sit; till his Prussian Majesty get every satisfaction in the world!'

〃English Special Commission; counterpart of that Prussian one (which is in vacation by this time); sits accordingly: but is very slow; reports for a long while nothing; except; 'Oh; give us time!' and reports; in the end; nothing in the least satisfactory。 '〃Have entirely omitted the essential points on which the matter turns; and given such confused account; in consequence; that it is not well possible to gather from their Report any clear and just idea of it at all。〃 (Verdict of the PRUSSIAN Commission: which had been re…assembled by Friedrich; on this Report from the English one; and adjured to speak only 〃what they could answer to God; to the King and to the whole world;〃 concerning it:  Seyfarth;  ii。 183。)' 'Prize Courts? Special Commission?' thinks Friedrich: 'I must have my ships back!' And; after a great many months; and a great many haggles; Friedrich; weary of giving time; instructs Michel to signify; in proper form ('23d November; 1752'); 'That the Law's delay seemed to be considerable in England; that till the fulness of time did come; and right were done his poor people; he; Friedrich himself; would hopefully wait; but now at last must; provisionally; pay his poor people their damages;would accordingly; from the 23d day of April next; cease the usual payment to English Bondholders on their Silesian Bonds; and would henceforth pay no portion farther of that Debt; principal or interest 'about 250;000 pounds now owing'; but proceed to indemnify his own people from it; to the just length;and deposit the remainder in Bank; till Britannic Majesty and Prussian could UNITE in ordering payment of it; which one trusts may be soon!'〃 'Walpole; i。 295; Seyfarth; ii。 183; 157; Adelung; vii。 331…338;  Gentleman's Magazine;  &c。'

〃November 23d; 1752; resolved on by Friedrich;〃 〃consummated April 23d; 1753:〃 these are the dates of this decisive passage (Michel's biggest Pamphlet; French and English; issuing on the occasion)。 February 8th; 1753; no redress obtainable; poor Newcastle shrieks; 〃Can't; must n't; astonishing!〃 and 〃the people are in great wrath about it。 April 12th; Friedrich replies; in the kindest terms; but sticking to his point。〃 'Adelung; vii。 336…338。' And punctually continued so; and did as he had said。 With what rumor in the City; commentaries in the Newspapers and flutter to his Grace of Newcastle; may be imagined。 〃What a Nephew have I!〃 thinks Britannic Majesty: 〃Hah; and Embden; Ost…Friesland; is not his。 Embden itself is mine!〃 A great deal of ill…nature was generated; in England; by this one affair of the Privateers; had there been no other: and in dark cellars of men's minds (empty and dark on this matter); there arose strange caricature Portraitures of Friedrich: and very mad notionsof Friedrich's perversity; astucity; injustice; malign and dangerous intentionsare more or less vocal in the Old Newspapers and Distinguished Correspondences of those days。 Of which; this one sample:

To what height the humor of the English ran against Friedrich is still curiously noticeable; in a small Transaction of tragic Ex…Jacobite nature; which then happened; and in the commentaries it awoke in their imagination。 Cameron of Lochiel; who forced his way through the Nether…Bow in Edinburgh; had been a notable rebel; but got away to France; and was safe in some military post there。 Dr。 Archibald Cameron; Lochiel's Brother; a studious contemplative gentleman; bred to Physic; but not practising except for charity; had quitted his books; and attended the Rebel March in a medical capacity;〃not from choice;〃 as he alleged; 〃but from compulsion of kindred;〃and had been of help to various Loyalists as well; a foe of Human Pain; and not of anything else whatever: in fact; as appears; a very mild form of Jacobite Rebel。 He too got; to France; but had left his Wife; Children and frugal Patrimonies behind him; and had to return in proper concealment; more than once; to look after them。 Two Visits; I think two; had been successfully transacted; at intervals; but the third; in 1753; proved otherwise。

March 12th; 1753; wind of him being had; and the slot…hounds 
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