<329> could not bring above 50,000, of which he reckoned the German regiments at their service at 20,000, the rest Palatine and Würtemberg troops, with a few French regiments added to make up the number, that on the other side the King of Great Britain, though he had sent 8,000 of his troops to England. could by an augmentation and by taking the Duke of Brunswick's into his pay, have an army of 25,000 or 30.000 men, that he, the King of Prussia, could bring an army of 100,000; but still there would be wanting 30,000 Russians, that, in order to facilitate the Coming of the Russians, he proposed that they should embark on board their galleys in the ports of Livonia and Courland nearest to their quarters and sail along the coasts of Prussia and Pomerania, that he would give them quarters in the ports of Pomerania, if they had occasion to land, and they might be put on shore at Rostock (or Radstadt), which voyage, he reckoned, would be in all about four weeks and would be a great saving of time as well as of fatigue to the troops, in case there was occasion for them to enter upon immediate service.
He said, with regard to the Elector Palatine, there was no hopes of gaining him from France, but he thought the Elector of Cologne might be come at,1 that he heard Mylord Stormont was to go to Bonn, but said that was not the way to gain him, and as he thought it of importance to have him, he suggested that some Roman-Catholic gentleman should be sent, without any character, to reside at his court and get into his favour, that, if the gentleman was hardi, effronté et bouffon, he could not fail of success and would be able at any time to get the Elector out of the hands of the French, that then a little money would be necessary and a minister might be sent to sign and seal with him; but that he did not indeed believe it would be possible to get the Elector to act against the French, that it would be sufficient, if he refused them passage for their troops et qu'il criât beaucoup. He added that such a gentleman as he had described, he imagined might be found among the Scotish or Irish Roman-Catholics.
He enquired how the Elector of Bavaria stood affected. I told him the subsidy-treaty was not renewed. Then, says he, the French will have him.
The King of Prussia's frankness in this second audience made me take the liberty to ask him whether he had yet given any answer to the insinuations that had been made by the court of Great Britain for him, to declare what part he would take, if Great Britain or Ireland was invaded by the French?2 He answered freely that he had given none, because he was sure that his medling would do harm and would only provoke the French, who, he knew, were out of humour with him, though they dissembled; but, says he, they are in the wrong, and my treaty with them expires this year;3 I will not renew it nor guarantee their
1 Vergl. S. 276.
2 Vergl. S. 274.
3 Vergl. S. 49.