<86> le pays de Würzburg et aux environs, que je ne souhaite d'avoir, surtout s'il en aura quelques ecclésiastiques de quelque rang distingué, que pour en rançonner ces pauvres gens qu'on a enlevés de mes provinces de Halberstadt et de Magdeburg, sous le prétexte frivole d'otages, et qu'on traite à Prague sur un pied cruel et malhonnête.1 Si le premier essai que Votre Altesse a fait à ce sujet, n'ait pas réussi, je suis persuadé que, par Sa pitié naturelle qu'Elle a envers tous les malheureux innocents, et à ma réquisition, Elle fera redoubler les tentatives avec d'autant plus de succès.

Je vous remercie bien cordialement de ce que vous avez bien voulu me communiquer; j'avoue que cela me fait naître un rayon d'espérance.

Federic.

Nach der Ausfertigung im Kriegsarchiv des Königl. Grossen Generalstabs zu Berlin. Der Zusatz eigenhändig.


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


1 Vergl. s. 8. 23.