11843. UNTERREDUNG DES KÖNIGS MIT DEM GROSSBRITANNISCHEN GESANDTEN MITCHELL.
[Freiberg, 15. Februar 1760.]
Mitchell berichtet (secret) an Holdernesse, Freiberg 16. Februar:
„. . .The King of Prussia told me [yesterday] that he found by the dispatches just received from England and from the Hague106-1 that we had had some suspicions of him. I assured him in the strongest terms that I never had heard of it. . .
His Prussian Majesty said that the King's ministère had pressed him to try what he could do to discover the real intentions of France and to induce them to make a separate peace, that he did not know how to set about it having no connections at the court of Versailles, that he had thought of adressing directly to Monsieur de Choiseul, the minister of foreign affairs, as the most natural Channel, and then he asked me what I thought of it.
The King of Prussia recollected the Bailli de Froullay, who has<107> been at Potsdam, and with whom he is well acquainted, and he seemed to be determined to write to the Bailli de Froullay to make the proposition to the Duke de Choiseul, if he thought proper.
He said he could not send anybody from hence directly to Paris; but that he thought of writing to the Duchess of Gotha, of whom he has a very high opinion, to desire her to send a person of confidence to Paris upon pretence of solliciting for the damages etc. during the stay of the Prince of Soubise in the country of Gotha.107-1 He added that the connection the Duchess of Gotha had with England, might, perhaps, add weight to this insinuation and make the French give more attention to it; that at all events his having chosen this Channel to open the negociation would shew, beyond doubt, his intention to abide by his alliance. . .“
Der König hat Mitchell eine kleine Aufzeichnung lesen lassen, die eine kurze Instruction für den Boten der Herzogin zu sein schien.
Nach der Ausfertigung im Public Record Office zu London.
106-1 Vergl. Nr. 11839 und Nr. 11840.
107-1 Vergl. Bd. XV, 358. 359.