22d-28th Dec., 1740. Thus is Liegnitz managed-a pleasant Town, amid pleasant hills on the rocky Katzbach, of which swift stream, and other towns and passes on it, we shall yet hear more. Population, silently industrious in weaving and otherwise, is now above 14,000; was then, perhaps, about half that number. Patiently inarticulate, by no means bright in speech or sentiment; a muchenduring, steady-going, frugal, pious and very desirable people.

The situation of Breslau, all this while, is very critical. Much bottled emotion in the place; no Austrian Garrison admissible; Authorities dare not again propose such a thing, though Browne is turning every stone for it, lest the emotion burst bottle and take fire. I have dim account that Browne has been there, has got 300 Austrian dragoons into the Dom Insel (Cathedral Island; "Not in the City, you perceive!" says General Browne: "no, separated by the Oder, on both sides, from the rest of the City; that stately mass of edifices, and good military post"), and had hoped to get the suburbs burnt after all. But the bottled emotion was too dangerous; for, underground, there are AntiBrownes-one especially; a certain busy Deblin, Shoemaker by craft, whom Friedrich speaks of, but gives no name to; this zealous Cordwainer, Deblin, and he is not the only individual of like humor, operates on the guild-brothers and lower populations ;" things seem to be looking worse and worse for the Authorities, in spite of General Browne, and his activities, and dragoons.

66

What the issue will be? Judge if Friedrich wished the Young Dessauer come! Friedrich's Hussar parties (or Schwerin's, instructed by Friedrich) go to look if the Breslau suburbs are burnt. Far from it, if Friedrich knew; the suburbs merely sit quaking at such a proposal, and wish the Prussians were here. "But there is time ahead of us," said every body at Breslau; Glogau will take some sieging!" Browne, in the course of a day or two-guessing, I almost think, that Glogau was not to be besieged-ranked his 300 Austrian dragoons and rode away, sending the Austrian State-Papers, in half a score of wagons, ahead of him. "Archives of Breslau!" cried the general population at sight of these wagons, and largely turned out, with emo7 Preuss, Thronbesteigung, p. 469; Œuvres de Frédéric, ii., 61.

28th Dec., 1740.

tion again like to unbottle itself. "Mere Tax-Ledgers, and records of the Government Offices; come and convince yourselves!” answered the Authorities; and the ten wagons went on, calling at Ohlau and Brieg for farther lading of the like kind; which wagons the Prussian light-horse chased, but could not catch. On to Mähren went these Archive-wagons; to Brünn, far over the Giant Mountains; did not come back for a long while, nor to their former Proprietor at all!

Tuesday, 27th, Leopold, the Young Dessauer, does finally arrive, with his Reserve, at Glogau: never man more welcome; such a fermentation going on at Breslau-known to Friedrich, and what it will issue in, if he delay, not known. With dispatch, Leopold is put into his charge; posts all yielded to him; orders given-blockade to be strictness itself, but no fighting if avoidable; "starvation will soon do it, two months at most," hopes Friedrich, too sanguine as it proved; and with earliest daylight on the 28th, Friedrich's Army, Friedrich himself in the van as usual, is on march again, at its best speed, for Breslau. Read this Note for Jordan:

Friedrich to M. Jordan, at Berlin.

'Herrendorf, 27th Dec., 1740. Sieur Jordan,—I march to-morrow for Breslau, and shall be there in four days"-(three it happened; there rising, as would seem, new reason for haste). "You Berliners” (of the 24th last) "have a spirit of prophecy which goes beyond me. In fine, I go my road; and thou wilt shortly see Silesia ranked in the list of our Provinces. Adieu; this is all I have time to tell thee. Religion” (Silesian Protestantism and Breslau's Cordwainer), "religion and our brave soldiers will do the rest.

"Tell Maupertuis I grant those Pensions he proposes for his Academicians, and that I hope to find good subjects for that dignity in the Country where I am, withal. Give him my compliments.-Fédéric.”

The march was of the swiftest-swifter even than had been expected; which, as Silesia is all ringing glass, becomes more achievable than lately. But certain regiments outdid themselves in marching-"in three marches, near upon seventy miles," with their baggage jingling in due proximity-through Gläsersdorf, thence through Parchwitz, Neumarkt, Lissa, places that will be

1st Jan., 1741. better known to us; on Saturday, last night of the Year, his Majesty lodged at a Schloss called Pilsnitz, five miles to west of Breslau, and vanward regiments, a good few, quartered in the Western and Southern suburbs of Breslau itself; suburbs decidedly glad to see them, and escape conflagration. The Towngates are hermetically shut; plenty of emotion bottled in the 100,000 hearts within. The sentries on the walls presented arms; nay, it is affirmed, some could not help exclaiming, “Wilkommen, Ihr Lieben Herrn (Welcome, dear Sirs) !"8

Colonel Posadowsky (active Horse Colonel whom we have seen before, who perhaps has been in Breslau before) left orders "at the Scultet Garden-House," that all must be ready and the rooms heated, his Majesty intending to arrive here early on the morrow, which happened accordingly; Majesty alighting duly at said Garden-House, near by the Schweidnitz Gate, I fancy almost before break of day.

CHAPTER IV.

BRESLAU UNDER SOFT PRESSURE.

THE issue of this Breslau transaction is known, or could be stated in few words; nor is the manner of it such as would, for Breslau's sake, deserve many. But we are looking into Friedrich, wish to know his manners and aspects; and here, ready to our hand, a Paper turns up, compiled by an exact person with better leisure than ours, minutely detailing every part of the affair. This Paper, after the question, Burn or insert? is to have the lot of appearing here, with what abridgmnts are possible:

‘Sunday, 1st January, 1741. The King having established himself in Herrn Scultet's Garden-House, not far from the Schweidnitz Gate, there began a delicate and great operation. The Prussians, in a soft, cautious manner, in the gray of the morning, push out their sentries toward the Three Gates on this side of the Oder; seize any 'Excise House,' or the like, that may be fit for a post; and softly put 'twenty grenadiers' in it. All this before sunrise. Breslau is rigidly shut; Breslau thought always it could stand upon its guard, if attacked; is now, in Official

• Helden-Geschichte, i., 534.

2d Jan., 1741. quarters, dismally uncertain if it can; general population becoming certain that it can not, and waiting anxious on the development of this grand drama.

“About 7 A.M., a Prussian subaltern, advancing within cry of the Schweidnitz Gate, requests of the Town-guard there to send him out a Town-Officer. Town-Officer appears; is informed' that Colonels Posadowsky and Borck, Commissioners or plenipotentiary Messengers from his Prussian Majesty, desire admittance to the Chief Magistrate of Breslau, for the purpose of signifying what his Prussian Majesty's instructions are.' Town-Officer bows, and goes upon his errand. TownOfficer is some considerable time before he can return; City Authorities being, as we know, various, partly Imperial, partly Civic; elderly; and some of them gone to church-for matins, or to be out of the way. However, he does at last return; admits the two Colonels, and escorts them honorably to the Chief Raths-Syndic (Lord-Mayor), old Herr von Gutzmar's, where the poor old 'President of the Ober-Amt' (Von Schaffgotsch the name of this latter) is likewise in attendance.

"Prussian Majesty's proposals are of the mildest sort: 'Nothing demanded of Breslau but the plainly indispensable and indisputable, That Prussia be in it what Austria has been. In all else, status quo. Strict neutrality to Breslau, respect for its privileges as a Free City of the Reich, protection to all its rights and privileges whatsoever. Shall be guarded by its own Garrison; no Prussian soldier to enter except with side-arms; only 30 guards for the King's person, who will visit the City for a few days; intends to form a Magazine, with guard of 1000 men, but only outside the City; no requisitions; ready money for every thing. Chief Syndic Gutzmar and President Schaffgotsch shall consider these points." Syndic and President answer, Surely! Can not, however, decide till they have assembled the Town-Rath; the two Herren Colonels will please to be guests of Breslau, and lodge in the City till then.

"And they lodged, accordingly, in the "Grosse Ring" (called also Salz-Ring, big Central Square, where the Rathhaus is); and they made and received visits; visited especially the Chief President's Office, the Ober-Amt, and signified there that his Prussian Majesty's expectation was, They would give some account of that rather high Proclamation or 'Patent' they had published against him the other day, amid thunder and lightning here, and what they now thought would be expedient upon it? All in grave official terms, but of such a purport as was not exhilarating to every body in those Ober-Amt localities.

"Monday morning, 2d January. The Rath is assembled, and consults-consults at great length. Rath-House and Syndic Gutzmar, in

1 Helden-Geschichte, i., 537.

2d Jan., 1741.

such crisis, would fain have advice from Amt-House or President Schaffgotsch, but can get none; considerable coming and going between them; at length, about 3 in the afternoon, the Treaty is got drawn up; is signed by the due Breslau hands, and by the two Prussian Colonels, which latter ride out with it about 4 of the clock, victorious after thirty hours. Straight toward the Scultet Garden ride they; Town-guard presenting Arms at the Schweidnitz Gate; nay, Town-band breaking out into music, which is never done but to Embassadors and high people. By thirty hours of steady soft pressure they have brought it thus far.

Friedrich had waited patiently all Sunday, keeping steady guard at the Gates; but on Monday, naturally, the thirty hours began to hang heavy; at all events, he perceived that it would be well to facilitate conclusions a little from without. Breslau stands on the West, more strictly speaking, on the South side of the Oder, which makes an elbow here, and thus bounds it, or mostly bounds it, on two sides. The big, drab-colored River spreads out into Islands of a confused sort as it passes, which are partly built upon, and constitute suburbs of the Town, stretching over, here and there, into straggles of farther suburb beyond the River, where a road with its bridge happens to cross for the Eastern parts. The principal of these Islands is the Dom Insel”—known to General Browne and us-" on which is the Cathedral, and the Close with rich Canons and their edifices; Island filled with strong, high architecture, and a superior military post.

"Friedrich has already as good as possessed himself of the Three landward Gates, which look to the south and to the west; the riverward Gates, or those on the north and the east, he perceives that it were good now also to have; these, and even perhaps something more? 'Gather all the river-boats, make a bridge of them across the Oder; push across 400 men' this is done on Monday morning, under the King's own eye. This done, ‘ March up to that riverward Gate, and also to that other, in a mild but dangerous-looking manner; hew the beams of said Gate in two; start the big locks; fling wide open said Gate and Gates:' this too is done, Town-guard looking mournfully on. This done, 'March forward swiftly, in two halves, without beat of drum-whitherward you know!'

"Those three hundred Austrian Dragoons, we saw them leave the Dom Island three days ago; there are at present only Six Men, of the Bishop's Guard, walking under arms there, at the end of the chief bridge, on the Townward side of their Dom Island. See, Prussian caps and muskets, ye six men under arms! The six men clutch at their drawbridge, and hastily set about hoisting: alas! another Prussian corps, which has come privately by the eastern (or Country-ward) Bridge, King