Mitchell berichtet an Holdernesse, Berlin 27. Mai (secret): „ …I acquainted His Majesty with such parts of Sir Charles Hanbury Williams' dispatches as I thought were the most proper to make an impression upon him and to convince him that affairs at the court of Petersburg were in a very good situation. I added that care would be taken they should continue so, as the King my master was sensible of the importance of that alliance and was resolved to cultivate it. He added he was glad that our affairs were in so good a situation, that there had been lately great divisions and dissensions at that court,1 that it was of the utmost conséquence that the King's interest and influence should be maintained there, that, while Russia was secured, the peace of Germany was safe; and as he, the King of Prussia, was strictly resolved to adhere to the treaty he had lately entered into with the King of Great Britain, and Willing to fulfill every engagement, he thought that the peace of Germany could not be disturbed by any power whatever, while Russia continued well disposed to England, that the greatest attention should be had to that court, not only because of its instability, but that the French were actually endeavouring to get it out of our hands, and that he was informed a Douglas — he supposed a jacobite and a créature of M. d'Argenson — had lately been sent to that court, that he had been introduced by the Great Chancellor to the Empress, that this Douglas was supposed to have lettres of credence …
As I had said in this conversation that the Duke de Nivernois' stay at Berlin and the manner in which he had been received there, had been made use of at the court of Petersburg as a means to indispose the Empress of Russia against the treaty lately concluded, and that in order to increase her jealousy, it had been suggested that His Prussian Majesty was then actually negociating a new treaty with France, the King answered with some emotion that surely he was not responsible to Russia for the manner in which he received public ministers at his court, that the Duke de Nivernois was a man of great quality, who had even given up the point of rank, in order to come to Berlin with the character of minister plenipotentiary, after having been ambassador at Rome, that he, King of Prussia, had then just made a treaty with the King of Great Britain which made it more necessary to show a particular attention to the minister of France, and he would freely tell me what his views were in so doing, that he wanted to prevent the war from becoming general and had hopes at that time of bringing the two nations together and to make them understand one another and their respective interests,2 which he thought they had both mistaken, that he was still of the same opinion and would keep out of the war as long as he could, that was his principle, that if Germany was attacked by foreign troops, he would fulfill his engagements and would facilitate the coming of 30,000 Russians by sea to be landed at Rostock or at Stettin;
1 Vergl. S. 262. 306.
2 Vergl. S. 36. 146.