"I kept, or at least keep, the Dutch Book, after all. I find there are controversial discussions in it, Mynheer even getting satirical :-I learned one thing of interest to me, out of one of the old Plates: the situation of the Vielle Cour at Loo; Frederick's old Palace there, "a place all hung with cobwebs," out of which Voltaire often dates letters to Frederick and others. It is hard to say, out of what one may not learn, by keeping one's eyes well open !

"Your book, Müller on the 2 Silesian Wars, will be particularly welcome to me, and Quàm Vivendum, for I am just in that affair, hoping to wind myself out of it in, a fortnight or so; Heaven knows what bother I have had with mere masses of dark rubbish (dark though authentic), and no Books upon it that were not irrational. Please let me have that; it will be welcome any day.

"Francke is Father of the Prussian Pietists, founder of a grand orphan Asylum at Halle, etc.; “ce chien de Francke," as Frederick's sister calls him for making them all take to psalm-singing and family prayers during the very dinner time, when her Father fell into the blues! I do not care about Francke; though as being a famed man of those days any book of his has a certain claim on one.

"As to the hypothetical or prospective list, do not purchase at all. Bielefeld (tho' I did not know he was in English, before), thanks to your virtuous search, is here in French original. Vie du Prince Henri I also have, -a mere "hoohoo!" of empty laudation and courtwind; as is another Vie of him which I have :

THE MARGRAVINE.

49

nothing else is well possible in that country, the man being truly an oblique-eyed (squinting), jealous, lean, vain creature, tho' very sharp in war; whom it is handier to say nothing plain about.

"Mèm. de Bareith is a famed Book, and of first-rate moment (tho' very obscure to the English reader): I have at last got an English copy of my own. . .

"A clever creature this Wilhelmina, "the Margravine," Frederick's eldest sister, loved by him beyond all other beings, and loving him with the like intensity : her Book is extremely curious (I often say, the one buman Book there yet is on that matter); and with all her shrill vehemency and reckless exaggeration, Wilhelmina has grown quite a love of mine too.

"Chelsea, 12th April, 1856.

Again and again I give you thanks; and am astonished at your assiduity, zeal and marvellous success in these fields of generous adventure. On that head I will say no more.

"Frederick's signatures are excessively abundant : about 3,000 or so of autograph letters by him are in existence (not a few in the Mitchell Papers, British Museum); and of Orders, Cabinet Officialities and the like, he signed perhaps 20 or 30 every day of his long reign, from 1740 to 1786.—I have a facsimile (or perhaps it is an original?) of a reply he makes, to certain Town Magistrates on some proposal or other, in German, dreadfully ill-spelt (as all his writings in all his languages are) but with plenty of sharp sense in it, as likewise is always the case."

"We have been rather out of sorts in the late

E

intemperate weather, my wife confined with cold, and myself, what is more unusual, making signals of distress now and then in that way. The wet westerly winds are repairing such damages.-I think I must keep Guildford ahead of me as a bonne bouche for getting through some other Section of this deplorable muddy business of mine! I am given to claim a holiday at the end of every stage in my journey, sometimes at the end of very short stages. At all events we must let the weather dry, and the flowers get out."

"Chelsea, 6th May, 1856.

. . These are again capital Books several of them; you surpass all people, of my experience, in the chase of Books!—Riesbuk (or Risbuk) the Traveller is a cleverish fellow by nature, and actually lived in many of the places he describes. An Advocate first or some kind of lawyer, about the Mentz region; he then took to literature (Passau, Lintz, Vienna), then to Play acting; died (still under 40) as Newspaper Editor at Zürich, where he had translated Coxe &c. His Book is very like all that made great noise in its day; and is still worth reading, especially by me.-The Letters by Main dú Maitre, I soon found after you went, are also a decidedly authentic and curious Piece: Published by Frederick's Youngest Brother, striving to vindicate himself against the fierce condemnation Frederick had passed on his unlucky retreat (from Prag, after the Battle of Kolin) in 1757.-"If justice were done," said he to the Generals and him, "your heads would all lie there!" (fiercely pointing to the ground), and so turned his mare's hips on them, and went off at a canter.

TAKE CARE OF DOWB.

51

The Brothers, I think, never met more; the younger (great-grandfather of the present King of Prussia) demanded his demission, fell into worse and worse health, and died within 2 years. I wonder what Frederick would have said, to certain Gentlemen returning from the Crimea, with Panmure and " Doub" at the head of them! Such sight as that he was not condemned

Take care of Dowb. The Secretary at War (an officer superseded when the present office, Secretary of State for War, was created) was for many years Mr. Fox Maule, who became Lord Panmure. In the early and alarming days of the Crimean war, the Commander-in-Chief Lord Raglan received a telegraphic despatch from Lord Panmure giving various directions about the campaign, and ending with the words "Take care of Dowb." Lord Raglan could not understand "Dowb," but supposed it must be some local strategic point of importance, from which perhaps a formidable Russian attack might be impending. He had to telegraph back for an explanation, and then received the full name "Dowbiggin." There was a young subaltern officer, Dowbiggin, in the army (perhaps on the staff of Lord Raglan), son of Doubiggin, a large upholsterer (in or near Oxford Street) who was somehow connected with Lord Panmure; and Lord Panmure's meaning was that Lord Raglan should keep a friendly eye on "Dowb," and take any convenient opportunity of promoting him. It was General Sir De Lacy Evans, M.P., who brought this matter before the House of Commons (say some few months afterwards); and it

was matter as many of our readers well remember-of much laughter and some scandal.

As early as 1856 Alexander Gilchrist formed a project of writing a Life of Countess D'Aulnoy. Thomas Carlyle writes from "Chelsea, 12th May, 1856.

. . . I unluckily know next to nothing about D'Aulnoy, and fear there is not much that can be known. She has come athwart me early in excerpts from her Spanish, and other Court Delineations, done, I think, in the form of Tours, Memoires; in which, tho' very lively and pleasant, she is said to be extremely indifferent to known and Not-known, and even to True and False. Of her Fairy Productions, again, I hear a highly favourable account from several quarters.-Perhaps in the very latest of the Editions of Morèri's Dictionary (1740 or so) there may be something of her? In that of 1709 there is nothing whatever. Bayle only quotes her once, and with a slight shake of the head: Biographie Universelle is utterly meagre.

Perhaps you are right to give up Rogers's affair; as to the man himself you are certainly right: his poetic sense of beauty was trifling from the first, and had all got contracted into the dilettante and upholsterish form.

"

"July, 1856.

"I have again to thank you for many fine things. "These strange coloured Prints of Costumes (all true, we may fancy, as the "English lord" is) are very curious to look upon, and awaken many thoughts. I cannot rightly make out the time, guessing from internal evidence; the place seems to be Vienna, Artist