31st Dec., 1741. 8 military head of his own, to look into those Conquests on the Donau, which he finds, as he expected, to be mere conquests of stubble, capable of being swept home again at a very rapid rate. “Khevenhüller, here as always, was consummate in his choice of posts," says Lloyd; discovered where the arteries of the business lay, and how to handle the same. By choice of posts, by silent energy and military skill, Khevenhüller very rapidly sweeps Ségur back, and shuts him up in Linz. There Ségur, since the first days of January, is strenuously barricading himself; "wedging beams from house to house across the streets," and hopes to get provision, the Donau and the Bavarian streams being still open behind him, and to hold out a little. It will be better if he do, especially for poor Karl Albert and his poor Bavaria ! Khevenhüller has also detached through the Tyrol a General von Bärenklau (Bear's-claw, much heard of henceforth in these Wars), who has 12,000 regulars, and much Hussar-folk under bloody Mentzel-across the Tyrol, we say, to fall in upon Bavaria and München itself, which they are too like doing with effect. Ought not Karl Albert to be upon the road again? What a thing were the Kaiser Elect taken prisoner by Pandours! In fine, within a short two weeks or so, Karl Albert quits München as no safe place for him; comes across to Mannheim to his Cousin Philip, old Kur-Pfalz whom we used to know, now extremely old, but who has marriages of Grand-daughters and other gayeties on hand, which a Cousin and prospective Kaiser, especially if in peril of his life, might as well come and witness. This is the excuse Karl Albert makes to an indulgent Public, Bärenklau and and would fain make to himself, but can not. Khevenhüller are too indisputable. Nay, this rumor of Friedrich's "Peace with Austria," divulged Bargain of Klein-Schnellendorf, if this also (horrible to think) were true-which Friedrich assures him it is not. Karl Albert writes to Friedrich, and again writes, conjuring him, for the love of God, to make some thrust, then some inroad or other, on those man-devouring Khevenhüllers, and take them from his, Karl Albert's, throat and his poor Country's, which Friedrich, on his own score, is already purposing to do. • General Lloyd, History of Seven Years War, &c. (incidentally, somewhere). 18th-24th Jan., 1742. CHAPTER VIII. FRIEDRICH STARTS FOR MORAVIA ON A NEW SCHEME HE HAS. THE Austrian Court had not kept Friedrich's secret of KleinSchnellendorf hardly even for a day. It was whispered to the Dowager Empress or Empresses, who whispered it, or wrote it, to some other high party, by whom again as usual-in fact, the Austrian Court, having once got their Neipperg safe to hand, took no pains to keep the secret, but had probably an interest rather in letting it filter out, to set Friedrich and his Allies at variance. At all events, in the space of a few weeks, as we have seen, the rumor of a Treaty between Austria and Friedrich was every where rife; Friedrich, as he had engaged, every where denying it, and, indeed, clearly perceiving that there was like to be no ground for acknowledging it. The Austrian Court, instead. of "completing the Treaty before New-year's day," had broken the previous bargain, evidently not meaning to complete; intent rather to wait upon their Hungarian Insurrection and the luck of War. There is now, therefore a new turn in the game; and for this, also, Friedrich has been getting the fit card ready, and is not slow to play it. Some time ago, November 4th-properly November 1st, hardly three weeks since that of Klein-Schnellendorf -finding the secret already out ("whispered of at Breslau 28th October," casually testifies Hyndford), he had tightened his bands with France; had, on November 4th, formally acceded to Karl Albert's Treaty with France.1 Glatz to be his he will not hear of wanting Glatz, nor of wanting elsewhere the proper Boundary for Schlesien "Neisse River both banks" (which Neipperg had agreed to in his late Sham-Bargain)-quite strict on these preliminaries. And furthermore, Kur-Sachsen being now a Partner in that French-Bavarian Treaty-and a highly active one (with 21,000 1 Accession agreed to, "Frankfurt, November 1st," 1741; ratified "November 4th." 18th-24th Jan., 1742. in the field for him), who is "King of Moravia" withal, and has some considerable northern Paring of Bohemia thrown in by way of "Road to Moravia”—Friedrich made, at the same time, special Treaty with Kur-Sachsen on the points specially mutual to them-on the Boundary point first of all, which latter Treaty is dated also November 1st, and was 66 ratified November 8th." Treaty otherwise not worth reading, except perhaps as it shows us Friedrich putting, in his brief direct way, Kur-Sachsen at once into Austria's place in regard to Ober-Schlesien. Boundary between your Polish Majesty and me to be the River Neisse plus a full German mile,” which (to Belleisle's surprise) the Polish Majesty is willing to accept; and consents, farther, Friedrich being of succinct turn, That Commissioners go directly and put down the boundary-stones, and so an end. "Let the Silesian matter stand where it stood," thinks Friedrich: "since Austria will not, will you? Put down the boundary - pillars, then!"—an interesting little glance into Friedrich's inner man. And a Prussian Boundary Commissioner, our friend Nüssler the man, did duly appear, whom perhaps we shall meet, though no Saxon one quite did. It is this boundary clause, it is Friedrich's little decision, "Put down the pillars, then," that alone can now interest any mortal in this Saxon Bargain, the clause itself, and the bargain itself, having quite broken down on the Saxon side, and proved imaginary as a covenant made in dreams. Could not be helped in the sequel! Meanwhile, the preliminary diplomacies being done in this manner, Friedrich had ordered certain of his own Forces to get into motion a little; ordered Leopold, who has had endless nicety of management since the French and Saxons came into those Bohemian Circles of his, to go upon Glatz-to lay fast hold of Glatz for one thing. And farther eastward, Schwerin, by order, has lately gone across the Mountains; seized Troppau, Friedenthal, nay, Olmütz itself, the Capital of Mähren, in one day (December 27th), garrison of Olmütz being too weak to resist, and the works in disrepair. "In Heaven's name, what are your intentions, then ?" asked the Austrians there. "Peaceable in the extreme," answered Schwerin, "if only yours are; and if 2 Büsching, Beyträge, i., 339 (§ Nüssler) 18th-24th Jan., 1742. they are not- There sits Schwerin ever since, busy strengthening himself, and maintains the best discipline, waiting for farther orders. "The Austrians will not complete their bargain of KleinSchnellendorf?" thinks this young King. "Very well; we will not press them to completion. We will not ourselves complete, should they now press. We will try another method, and that without loss of time." It was a pungent reflection with Friedrich that Karl Albert had not pushed forward on Vienna from Linz that time, but had blindly turned off to the left, and thrown away his one chance. "Can not one still mend it? can not one still do something of the like?" thinks Friedrich now: "Schwerin in Olmütz; Prussian Troops cantoned in the Highlands of Silesia, or over in Bohemia itself, near the scene of action; the Saxons eastward as far as Teutschbrod, still nearer; the French triumphant at Prag, and re-enforcement on the road for them: a combined movement on Vienna, done instantly and with an impetus!" That is the thing Friedrich is now bent upon; nor will he, like Karl Albert, be apt to neglect the hour of tide, which is so inexorable in such operations. At Berlin, accordingly, he has been hurrying-on his work, inspection, preparation of many kinds-Marriage of his Brother August Wilhelm for one business3—and (January 18th), after a stay of two months, is off fieldward again on this new Project. To Dresden first of all, Saxony being an essential element, and Valori being appointed to meet him there on the French side. It is January 20th, 1742, when Friedrich arrives: due Opera festivities, "triple salute of all the guns," fail not at Dresden ; but his object was not these at all. Polish Majesty is here, and certain of the Warlike Bastard Brothers home from Winterquarters, Comte de Saxe for one; Valori also, punctually as due; and little Graf von Brühl, highest-dressed of human creatures, who is factotum in this Court. "Your Polish Majesty, by treaty and title you are King of Moravia withal; now is the time, now or never, to become so 3 6th January, 1742 (in Bielfeld, ii., 55-69, exuberant account of the Ceremony, and of B.'s part in it). 18th-24th Jan., 1742. in fact! Forward with your Saxons!" urges Friedrich: "The Austrians and their Lobkowitz are weak in that Country: at Iglau, just over the Moravian border, they have formed a Magazine; seize that, snatch it from Lobkowitz: that gives us footing and basis there. Forward with your Saxons; Valori gives us so-many French; I myself will join with 20,000: swift, steady, all at once; we can seize Moravia, who knows if not Vienna itself, and for certain drive a stroke right home into the very bowels of the Enemy!" That is Friedrich's theme from the first hour of his arrival, and during all the four-and-twenty that he staid. 66 In one hour, Polish Majesty, who is fonder of tobacco and pastimes than of business, declared himself convinced, and declared also that the time of Opera was come, whither the two Majesties had to proceed together, and suspend business for a while. Polish Majesty himself was very easily satisfied; but with the others, as Valori reports it, the argument was various, long, and difficult. "Winter time; so dangerous, so precarious," answer Brühl and Comte de Saxe: there is this danger, this uncertainty, and then that other, which the King and Valori, with all their eloquence, confute. Impossible, for want of victual,” answers Maurice at last, driven into a corner: "Iglau, suppose we get it, will soon be eaten; then where is our provision?" vision?” answers Valori: "there is M. de Séchelles, Head of our Commissariat in Prag; such a Commissary never was before." "And you consent if I take that in hand?" urges Friedrich upon them. They are obliged to consent on that proviso. Friedrich undertakes Séchelles; the Enterprise can not now be refused.1 "Alert, then; not a moment to be lost! Good-night; au revoir, my noble friends!" and to-morrow, many hours before daybreak, Friedrich is off for Prag, leaving Dresden to awaken when it can. 66 Pro At Prag he renews acquaintance with his old maladroit Strasburg friend, Maréchal de Broglio, not with increase of admiration, as would seem; declines the demonstrations and civilities of Broglio, business being urgent; finds M. de Séchelles to be in truth the supreme of living Commissaries (ready, in words which ↑ (Euvres de Frédéric, ii., 170; Valori, i., 139; &c., &c. |