12295. UNTERREDUNG DES KÖNIGS MIT DEM GROSSBRITANNISCHEN GESANDTEN MITCHELL.
[Juli 1760.]
Mitchell berichtet, Meissen 31. Juli, (secret) an Holdernesse:
. . . „Two days ago, happening to dine with His Prussian Majesty alone, I threw out, by way of conversation, some reflections on the indignity with which M. de Choiseul had treated Baron Edelsheim charged with letters of credence.1 To this the King of Prussia, after mentioning with some warmth the absurdity and weakness of the French Ministers, replyed, Baron Edelsheim had, properly speaking, no letters of credence, but only a letter from Minister to Minister, in which even a blank was left for the inserting of his name in case there should be occasion; he added that, as to their seizing of the Baron's papers, which was the only reasonable motive for arresting of him, the French would be disappointed if they expected to make discoveries by them; for he had given the Baron no written instructions, and they would only find a particular cipher, which was of no consequence.
I then took the liberty to observe that some late letter, His Prussian Majesty had written, which had fallen into the French Ministry's hands, seemed to give great offence. His Prussian Majesty replyed: « I have wrote no letter but one to Voltaire. »2 I ventured to say: « Perhaps Your Majesty may have in that letter made use of strong expressions with respect to the Duke de Choiseul. » He answered: « No, I think that I made use of this proverbial phrase, that the Duke de Choiseul was possessed by ten millions of Austrian devils; » that, as to the rest, he had told Voltaire, he would keep to his alliance with England, and that, if the French had a mind for peace, they must speak out plainly; and he said that this letter to Voltaire was an answer to one he had received from him, in which Voltaire had assured him that the French Ministers were perfectly well disposed towards a peace . ...“3
Nach der Ausfertigung im Public Record Office zu London.
12296. AU PRINCE FERDINAND DE PRUSSE A STETTIN.
Leubnitz, 29 juillet 1760.
La lettre que vous avez eu la bonté de m'écrire du 20 de ce mois, m'a été rendue, et je vous renouvelle, par celle-ci, les remercîments que je vous dois de la part que vous continuez de prendre à ce qui me regarde. Il faut cependant que je vous dise que les choses en fait de guerre ne vont pas si vite. Le maréchal Daun vient de retourner ici avec son armée, qui se trouve renforcée par différents autres corps. Ne m'étant donc pas trouvé assez en forces pour soutenir, sans risque de
1 Vergl. S. 520.
2 Vergl. S. 461. Anm. 4.
3 Vergl. S. 202.