11827. UNTERREDUNGEN DES KÖNIGS MIT DEM GROSSBRITANNISCHEN GESANDTEN MITCHELL.

Mitchell berichtet an Holdernesse, Freiberg 12. Februar (private and very secret):

„My Lord, I mentioned in my secret letter to Your Lordship of this dafe, that the King of Prussia, when I communicated to him the contents of Your Lordship's dispatch of the 25th January, entered into no detail with regard to his own situation; but since having had the honour to dine with him several times tête à tête and to sit very long at table, I endeavoured to turn the conversation upon such points as I wanted to be inforraed of, without, however, shewing an undue curiosity.

His Prussian Majesty reckons that the whole force to be employed against him in the next campaign, including the armies of Austria, Russia, Sweden and the Empire, may amount to 230000 men, to which he can oppose in the field 90000. The disparity of numbers is great, but he does not despair of success, especially if the court of Vienna should push their general, who is naturally slow, to attempt something early in the spring; but if that court should chuse to continue on a cautious plan and delay acting till the end of June or beginning of July, by which time the Russians may be in a condition to advance, he foresees that he may be exposed to the greatest difficulties and hazards.

As the King of Prussia is reduced to the fatal neccessity of depending upon the faults and Wunders of his enemies, of which indeed there has been great store, his project, as far as I could gather it, is to assemble his army about the 20th of next month, to chuse a strong<87> post towards the Elbe, which will secure their subsistence, and to continue to act as long as possible upon the defensive. He is sensible that the enemy will endeavour to profit of their superiority of numbers, and oblige him to make detachments; but what he chiefly fears, is the fate of those detachments. This apprehension is but too well founded, as his army does not abound with generals capable to command detachments, and to act of themselves without directions, as circumstances may require.

The force of the army here and at Wilsdruff the King of Prussia computes at 58000 men, so there would remain 32000 for the army in Silesia, and that against the Swedes; but in a subsequent conversation, His Prussian Majesty reckoned the army in Silesia at almost 50 bataillons and 64 squadrons, and 6000 men employed against the Swedes. This does by no means agree with the numbers given, but, taking the medium of the difference between the two accounts, I think the number in the field may amount to upwards of 100000 men, besides which His Prussian Majesty says there are in the garrisons of Silesia, Pomerania etc. etc. about 40 bataillons.

The King of Prussia assured me the army was recruited and would be compleat; that even the 21 bataillons lost at Maxen and on the banks of the Elbe87-1 were already almost replaced, that he had been enabled to do this partly by the number of officers and men wounded in the two battles of last summer, who are now recovered and fit for service, and partly from the number of soldiers who had saved themselves and returned after the unhappy affair of Maxen; that for the cavalry lost on that occasion, though he could not restore them in corps, he had endeavoured to supply that defect by new levies of squadrons to be added to other regiments.

As to the artillery, he told me it would be as numerous as last year, and that he had left 40 or 50 pieces which he could not possibly carry into the field. This, I confess, surprised me after the immense loss of artillery in the last campaign.

With regard to magazines he entered into no detail, but said in general that he had done his utmost to have them filled and provided in the best manner; but I believe the subsistence of the army in Saxony must, in a great measure, depend upon His Prussian Majesty's remaining master of the navigation of the Elbe.

The King of Prussia owned with great candour that he was sensible the army he had was not equal in goodness to what he had brought into the field the former years; that one part of his troops were fit only to be shewn at a distance to the enemy, — if possible, to impose upon them that the other part were discouraged and dispirited by the memory of the misfortunes of the last campaign, but that he would<88> endeavour, by degrees, to bring them back to their former firmness and intrepidity.

He told me, by way of news, that he heard General Laudon was to be detached with 25 000 men from the Austrian army to join with the army of the Empire, which is reckoned at 15000, who are intended to make an invasion into Saxony on the side of Leipzig. Of this he said he had informed the hereditary Prince and Prince Ferdinand, with whom it was absolutely necessary to act in concert. He added that he heard the Empress Queen had demanded of the court of France, soon after the march of the hereditary Prince, that Marshai Broglie should himself advance towards Saxony at the head of 40 000 French.88-1

I found His Prussian Majesty still thinks that France is inclined to treat for a separate peace, and he wished the negociators the King shall think proper to employ, might be as superior to the French as His Majesty's admirais and gênerais had hitherto. been; which, however, he observed, had never been the case in any treaty which England had made with France.

When I hinted to the King of Prussia, that perhaps the connections he had at the court of France, might be able to give more certain intelligence of the real intentions of that court, than any the King, my master, could procure in the présent situation of affairs, he answered, he should fairly communicate everything he could learn, but that the court of Versailles was at présent entirely governed by caprice and resentment; that the Dauphiness and Madame de Pompadour were at the head of the intrigue; that the Duke de Choiseul was entirely Austrian, and Marshai Belle-Isle superannuated.

The King of Poland's firm adherence to his allies, and the deplorable State of the Elector of Saxony being mentioned, I happened to say that I feared this would be a subject of much altercation at any future congress for treating of a general peace; the King of Prussia answered, he had thought of that, and had proposed the cession of the territory of Erfurt, which formerly belonged to the Electors of Saxony,88-2 as an indemnification for the King of Poland.

In the last conversation I had with the King of Prussia, he told me that he had received a letter from King Stanislaus, forwarded by the French ministers, in which that Prince proposed the town of Nancy, as a proper place for holding the congress.88-3 His Prussian Majesty said, it was equal to him where it was held, but that his letter seemed to confirm a piece of intelligence which he thought of much importance, and would communicate, but at the same time recommended to me absolute secrecy, adding, that he believed my court was by this time informed of it.

<89>

The substance of the intelligence alluded to, is that some time ago a Council was held at Versailles, in which the Prince de Soubise and Marshai Belle-Isle declared strongly for peace; that at last the French King came into their opinion, and that the result of this Council was immediately communicated to the court of Vienna.

His Prussian Majesty mentioned another thing that gives me real concern, which is, that the Russians were to detach 20000 men under the command of Count Rumänzow to act immediately on the side of Silesia, perhaps to attempt the siege of Glogau, that their light troops had already begun to shew themselves on the frontiers,89-1 and that he was at present occupied in concerting proper measures to oppose them.

In talking of the hereditary Prince of Brunswick, after commending the modesty and decency of his behaviour, the King of Prussia said, he was surprised with the knowledge he had acquired, and added these remarkable words: « Il a le jugement et le bon sens d'un homme de quarante ans, et il a fait tant de progrès dans la science militaire que je pourrais lui confier le commandement de mes armées. »

I have in this letter acquainted Your Lordship with such parts of the private conversations I have had with His Prussian Majesty as relate to public affairs, but at the same time I must intreat you will consider everything I have said as mere table-talk, without precision, and in the reporting of which I may have made mistakes, particularly with regard to numbers, having no other guide but my memory. I thought it, however, worth while to transmit to Your Lordship the substance of these conversations, as it may be of use to compare them with the accounts the Prussian ministers at London have given of their master's situation.“

Mitchell berichtet an Holdernesse, Freiberg 12. Februar (particular and most secret):

„The King of Prussia has been pleased to communicate to me his project for securing the présent Landgrave of Hesse, which he thinks will succeed for a limited time only, but fears that all he can do, will not long be able to hold him fast. The danger chiefly to be apprehended is not only from that Prince's weakness and instability, but from the arts and address of the catholic powers, who will not fail on this occasion to employ their priests, to whom the Landgrave's ear will be always open whilst they can contribute to his pleasures and at the same time give absolutions.

The project in short is this. The Landgrave having desired the patent of feldmarshal in the King of Prussia's service, His Prussian Majesty has, I believe, promised it, but intends to defer as long as possible giving the patent. This he thinks may operate for a month or two but not longer, and as the Landgrave has also shewn some incli<90>nation to be naraed governor of Berlin, His Prussian Majesty is resolved likewise to bestow upon him this government, but will allure him as long as he can with the expectation of it, as he has no confidence whatever in that Prince's firmness nor in his principles.

His Prussian Majesty thinks that, whilst General Donop remains with the Landgrave, there may be some change of keeping him to his engagements, as Donop is an honest man and has great influence with his master. He is likewise of opinion that, considering the sordid avarice of the Landgrave, it might be proper to strengthen General Donop's hands by empowering him to make use of money, when a proper occasion should offer to fix the Landgrave to his engagements, and he believes that Donop would in no shape abuse the trust reposed in him.

His Prussian Majesty told me that the Landgrave has asked him leave to go from Magdeburg into Hessia for a short space of time which he had granted because he did not well know now to refuse, but that he, King of Prussia, upon the first news of the late Landgrave's last fit of sickness wrote to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick to take care to separate the quarters of the Hessian troops in such a manner that they might be dispersed and inferior whereever they were to the other corps in the neighbourhood ...“

Nach den Ausfertigungen im Public Record Office zu London.


87-1 Vergl. Bd. xviii, 675. 676.

88-1 Vergl. S. 64.

88-2 Sachsen hatte bis 1664 die Schutzgerechtigkeit über Erfurt ausgeübt.

88-3 Vergl. Nr. 11820.

89-1 Vergl. s. 75. 77.