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history of friedrich ii of prussia v 16-第38章

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 while; dull impenetrable clouds of anger lodging yonder; boding him no good。 All which the Accession of Queen Ulrique will rather tend to aggravate than otherwise。 'Adelung; vii。 205 (Accession of Adolf Friedrich); ib。 133 (Gross's sudden Departure)。'

The Second Foreign Event is English; about a week prior in date; and is of still less moment: March 31st; 1751; Prince Fred; the Royal Heir…Apparent; has suddenly died。 Had been ill; more or less; for an eight days past; was now thought better; though 〃still coughing; and bringing up phlegm;〃when; on 〃Wednesday night between nine and ten;〃 in some lengthier fit of that kind; he clapt his hand on his breast; and the terrified valet heard him say; 〃JE SUIS MORT!〃and before his poor Wife could run forward with a light; he lay verily dead。 'Walpole; GEORGE THE SECOND; i。 71。' The Rising Sun in England is vanished; then。 Yes; and with him his MOONS; and considerable moony workings; and slushings hither and thither; which they have occasioned; in the muddy tide…currents of that Constitutional Country。 Without interest to us here; or indeed elsewhere;except perhaps that our dear Wilhelmina would hear of it; and have her sad reflections and reminiscences awakened by it; sad and many…voiced; perhaps of an almost doleful nature; being on a sick…bed at this time; poor Lady。 She quitted Berlin months ago; as we observed;her farewell Letter to Friedrich; written from the first stage homewards; and melodious as the voice of sorrowful true hearts to us and him; dates 〃November 24th;〃 just while Voltaire (whom she always likes; and in a beautiful way protects; 〃FRERE VOLTAIRE;〃 as she calls him) was despatching Hirsch on that ill… omened Predatory STEUER…Mission。 Her Brother is in real alarm for Wilhelmina; about this time; sending out Cothenius his chief Doctor; and the like: but our dear Princess re…emerges from her eclipse; and we shall see her again; several times; if we be lucky。

And so poor Fred is ended;and sulky people ask; in their cruel way; 〃Why not?〃 A poor dissolute flabby fellow…creature; with a sad destiny; and a sadly conspicuous too。 Could write Madrigals; be set to make Opposition cabals。 Read this sudden Epitaph in doggerel; an uncommonly successful Piece of its kind; which is now his main monument with posterity。 The 〃Brother〃 (hero of Culloden); the 〃Sister〃 (Amelia; our Friedrich's first love; now growing gossipy and spiteful; poor Princess); are old friends:

〃Here lies Prince Fred;  Who was alive and is dead:  Had it been his Father;  I had much rather;  Had it been his Brother;  Sooner than any other;  

 Had it been his Sister;  There's no one would have missed her;  Had it been his whole generation;  Best of all for the Nation:  But since it's only Fred;  There's no more to be said。〃 'Walpole; i。 436。'


                FRIEDRIAH VISITS OST…FRIESLAND。

A thing of more importance to us; two months after that catastrophe in London; is Friedrich's first Visit to Ost…Friesland。 May 3lst; having done his Berlin…Potsdam Reviews and other current affairs; Friedrich sets out on this Excursion。 With Ost…Friesland for goal; but much business by the way。 Towards Magdeburg; and a short visit to the Brunswick Kindred; first of all。 There is much reviewing in the Magdeburg quarter; and thereafter in the Wesel; and reviewing and visiting all along: through Minden; Bielfeld; Lingen: not till July 13th does he cross the Ost…Friesland Border; and enter Embden。 His three Brothers; and Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick; were with him。 ' Helden…Geschichte;  iii。 506; Seyfarth; ii。 145; Rodenbeck; i。 216 (who gives a foolish German myth; of Voltaire's being passed off for the King's Baboon; &c。; Voltaire not being there at all)。' On catching view of Ost…Friesland Border; see; on the Border…Line; what an Arch got on its feet: Triumphal Arch; of frondent ornaments; inscriptions and insignia; 〃of quite extraordinary magnificence;〃 Arch which 〃sets every one into the agreeablest admiration。〃 Above a hundred such Arches spanned the road at different points; multitudinous enthusiasm reverently escorting; 〃more than 20;000〃 by count: till we enter Embden; where all is cannon…salvo; and three…times…three; the thunder…shots continuing; 〃above 2;000 of them from the walls; not to speak of response from the ships in harbor。〃 Embden glad enough; as would appear; and Ost…Friesland glad enough; to see their new King。 July 13th; 1751; after waiting above six years。

Next day; his Majesty gave audience to the new 〃Asiatic Shipping Company〃 (of which anon); to the Stande; and Magisterial persons; with many questions; I doubt not; about your new embankments; new improvements; prospects; there being much procedure that way; in all manner of kinds; since the new Dynasty came in; now six years ago。 Embankments on your River; wide spaces changed from ooze to meadow; on the Dollart still more; which has lain 500 years hidden from the sun。 Does any reader know the Dollart? Ost…Friesland has awakened to wonderful new industries within these six years; urged and guided by the new King; who has great things in view for it; besides what are in actual progress。

That of dikes; sea…embankments; for example; to Ost…Friesland; as to Holland; they are the first condition of existence; and; in the past times; of extreme Parliamentary vitality; have been slipping a good deal out of repair。 Ems River; in those flat rainy countries; has ploughed out for itself a very wide embouchure; as boundary between Groningen and Ost…Friesland。 Muddy Ems; bickering with the German Ocean; does not forget to act; if Parliamentary Commissioners do。 These dikes; 120 miles of dike; mainly along both banks of this muddy Ems River; are now water…tight again; to the comfort of flax and clover: and this is but one item of the diking now on foot。 Readers do not know the Dollart; that uppermost round gulf; not far from Embden itself; in the waste embouchure of Ems with its continents of mud and tide。 Five hundred years ago; that ugly whirl of muddy surf; 100 square miles in area; was a fruitful field; 〃50 Villages upon it; one Town; several Monasteries and 50;000 souls:〃 till on Christmas midnight A。D。 1277; the winds and the storm…rains having got to their height; Ocean and Ems did; 〃about midnight;〃 undermine the place; folded it over like a friable bedquilt or monstrous doomed griddle…cake; and swallowed it all away。 Most of it; they say; that night; the whole of it within ten years coming; 'Busching;  Erdbeschreibung;  v。 845; 846; Preuss; i。 308; 309。'and there it has hung; like an unlovely GOITRE at the throat of Embden; ever since。 One little dot of an Island; with six houses on it; near the Embden shore; is all that is left。 Where probably his Majesty landed (July 15th; being in a Yacht that day); but did not see; afar off; the 〃sunk steeple… top;〃 which is fabled to be visible at low…water。

Upon this Dollart itself there is now to be diking tried; King's Domain…Kammer showing the example。 Which Official Body did accordingly (without Blue…Books; but in good working case otherwise) break ground; few months hence; and victoriously achieved a POLDER; or Diked Territory; 〃worth about 2;000 po
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