<208> Gera jusqu'à Hof; mais comme l'ennemi s'est retiré précipitamment et trop tôt, il a été impossible de lui porter quelque échec.

P. S.

Je suis bien aise de dire à Votre Altesse que, selon certains avis que j'ai reçus,1 les Français ne se presseront pas fort de faire marcher leur armée; ils voudront la paix, et je pense qu'elle pourrait bien se constater. Vous m'obligerez infiniment de garder le secret le plus religieux sur ce petit avis que je n'ai pu m'empêcher de vous donner confidemment pour vous seul.

Federic.2

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


11950. UNTERREDUNG DES KÖNIGS MIT DEM GROSSBRITANNISCHEN GESANDTEN MITCHELL.

[Freiberg, 29. März 1760.]

Mitchell berichtet an Holdernesse, Freiberg 30. März (secret): „My Lord. Yesterday His Prussian Majesty said, that if I would dine with him, he had a great deal of news to tell me, the substance of which is as follows:

The person sent from the Court of Gotha to Paris arrived here last night. He says the French are much disposed to hearken to terms of peace, but insisted on a dedommagement for the Elector of Saxony; that so soon as the preliminaries with England can be signed, they will withdraw their troops and cease acting offensively; that perhaps they may be obliged to furnish the succour of 24000 men stipulated by treaty, or the value in money, to the Empress Queen; but it is not impossible that even this may be avoided, as the Imperial Court will certainly be much out of humour with that of France, upon the first news of their treating separately, and the insolence natural to the Imperial Court on such occasions may afford a pretence to the Court of Versailles to refuse or elude the giving of the succour stipulated.

The same gentleman says, that the French King, the Dauphin, the greatest part of the ministers, and even Madame de Pompadour are disposed to peace; that the people in gênerai are extremely discontented, and declaim loudly against the authors of the alliance with the Court of Vienna; that Marshal Belle-Isle is very much hated, as the disgraces


1 Vergl. Nr. 11944. 11947.

2 Dem Rittmeister von Froideville schreibt der König am 28. März, er sei damit zufrieden, dass der Rittmeister über die Mulde vorgehen wolle, „um die Leute zum Gehorsam zu bringen. Allein es muss mit grosser Vorsicht und Attention geschehen. Ich habe dem Obristen von Pröck in Chemnitz aufgegeben, Euch ein Commando Infanterie verabfolgen zu lassen.“ [Wien. Kriegsarchiv.]