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〃FEBRUARY; 1748。 Admiralty being still silent; Michel applies by Memorial; in a specific case: 'Two Stettin Ships; laden with wine from Bordeaux; and a third vessel;' of some other Prussian port; laden with corn; taken in Ramsgate Roads; whither they had been driven by storm: 'Give me these Ships back!' Memorial to his Grace of Newcastle; this。 Upon which the Admiralty sits; with deliberation; decides (June; 1748); 'Yes!' And 'there is hope that a Treaty of Commerce will follow;' ' Gentleman's Magazine; xviii。 (for 1748); pp。 64; 141。' which was far from being the issue just yet!
〃On the contrary; his Prussian Majesty's Merchants; perhaps encouraged by this piece of British justice; came forward with more and ever more complaints and instances。 To winnow the strictly true out of which; from the half…true or not provable; his Prussian Majesty has appointed a 'Commission;'〃 fit people; and under strict charges; I can believe; 〃Commission takes (to Friedrich's own knowledge) a great deal of pains;and it does not want for clean corn; after all its winnowing。 Plenty of facts; which can be insisted on as indisputable。 'Such and such Merchant Ships 'Schedules of them given in; with every particular; time; name; cargo; value' have been laid hold of on the Ocean Highway; and carried into English Ports;OUT of which his Prussian Majesty has; in all Friendliness; to beg that they be now re…delivered; and justice done。' 'Contraband of War;' answer the English; 'sorry to have given your Majesty the least uneasiness; but they were carrying''No; pardon me; nothing contraband discoverable in them;' and hands in his verified Schedules; with perfectly polite; but more and more serious request; That the said ships be restored; and damages accounted for。 'Our Prize Courts have sat on every ship of them;' eagerly shrieks Newcastle all along: 'what can we do!' 'Nay a Special Commission shall now '1751; date not worth seeking farther'special Commission shall now sit; till his Prussian Majesty get every satisfaction in the world!'
〃English Special Commission; counterpart of that Prussian one (which is in vacation by this time); sits accordingly: but is very slow; reports for a long while nothing; except; 'Oh; give us time!' and reports; in the end; nothing in the least satisfactory。 '〃Have entirely omitted the essential points on which the matter turns; and given such confused account; in consequence; that it is not well possible to gather from their Report any clear and just idea of it at all。〃 (Verdict of the PRUSSIAN Commission: which had been re…assembled by Friedrich; on this Report from the English one; and adjured to speak only 〃what they could answer to God; to the King and to the whole world;〃 concerning it: Seyfarth; ii。 183。)' 'Prize Courts? Special Commission?' thinks Friedrich: 'I must have my ships back!' And; after a great many months; and a great many haggles; Friedrich; weary of giving time; instructs Michel to signify; in proper form ('23d November; 1752'); 'That the Law's delay seemed to be considerable in England; that till the fulness of time did come; and right were done his poor people; he; Friedrich himself; would hopefully wait; but now at last must; provisionally; pay his poor people their damages;would accordingly; from the 23d day of April next; cease the usual payment to English Bondholders on their Silesian Bonds; and would henceforth pay no portion farther of that Debt; principal or interest 'about 250;000 pounds now owing'; but proceed to indemnify his own people from it; to the just length;and deposit the remainder in Bank; till Britannic Majesty and Prussian could UNITE in ordering payment of it; which one trusts may be soon!'〃 'Walpole; i。 295; Seyfarth; ii。 183; 157; Adelung; vii。 331…338; Gentleman's Magazine; &c。'
〃November 23d; 1752; resolved on by Friedrich;〃 〃consummated April 23d; 1753:〃 these are the dates of this decisive passage (Michel's biggest Pamphlet; French and English; issuing on the occasion)。 February 8th; 1753; no redress obtainable; poor Newcastle shrieks; 〃Can't; must n't; astonishing!〃 and 〃the people are in great wrath about it。 April 12th; Friedrich replies; in the kindest terms; but sticking to his point。〃 'Adelung; vii。 336…338。' And punctually continued so; and did as he had said。 With what rumor in the City; commentaries in the Newspapers and flutter to his Grace of Newcastle; may be imagined。 〃What a Nephew have I!〃 thinks Britannic Majesty: 〃Hah; and Embden; Ost…Friesland; is not his。 Embden itself is mine!〃 A great deal of ill…nature was generated; in England; by this one affair of the Privateers; had there been no other: and in dark cellars of men's minds (empty and dark on this matter); there arose strange caricature Portraitures of Friedrich: and very mad notionsof Friedrich's perversity; astucity; injustice; malign and dangerous intentionsare more or less vocal in the Old Newspapers and Distinguished Correspondences of those days。 Of which; this one sample:
To what height the humor of the English ran against Friedrich is still curiously noticeable; in a small Transaction of tragic Ex…Jacobite nature; which then happened; and in the commentaries it awoke in their imagination。 Cameron of Lochiel; who forced his way through the Nether…Bow in Edinburgh; had been a notable rebel; but got away to France; and was safe in some military post there。 Dr。 Archibald Cameron; Lochiel's Brother; a studious contemplative gentleman; bred to Physic; but not practising except for charity; had quitted his books; and attended the Rebel March in a medical capacity;〃not from choice;〃 as he alleged; 〃but from compulsion of kindred;〃and had been of help to various Loyalists as well; a foe of Human Pain; and not of anything else whatever: in fact; as appears; a very mild form of Jacobite Rebel。 He too got; to France; but had left his Wife; Children and frugal Patrimonies behind him; and had to return in proper concealment; more than once; to look after them。 Two Visits; I think two; had been successfully transacted; at intervals; but the third; in 1753; proved otherwise。
March 12th; 1753; wind of him being had; and the slot…hounds uncoupled and put on his trail; poor Cameron was unearthed 〃at the Laird of Glenbucket's;〃 and there laid hold of; locked in Edinburgh Castle;thence to the Tower; and to Trial for High Treason。 Which went against him; in spite of his fine pleadings; and manful conciliatory appearances and manners。 Executed 7th June; 1753。 His poor Wife had twice squeezed her way into the Royal Levee at Kensington; with Petition for mercy;fainted; the first time; owing to the press and the agitation; but did; the second time; fall on her knees before Royal George; and supplicate;who had to turn a deaf ear; royal gentleman; I hope; not without pain。
The truth is; poor Cameron…though; I believe; he had some vague Jacobite errands withalnever would have harmed anybody in the rebel way; and might with all safety have been let live。 But his Grace of Newcastle; and the English generally; had got the strangest notion into their head。 Those appointments of Earl Marischal to Paris; of Tyrconnel to Berlin; Friedrich's nefarious