Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/259

 Mirabeaii's Secret Mission to Berlin 249 start for Schoenhausen and arrive at the Queen's at the same time as our representative ; he had no details and had no idea the King was in so serious a condition ; not one of the ministers would believe it. Lord Palrymple, with whom I am on too good terms to dissemble, assured me I was mistaken. I answered, ' Possibly ; ' but I whispered to our min- ister that my news was from the bedside, and that he would be well advised to believe that a speculator might possibly be as well informed as a diplomat. "... Mirabeau then goes on to describe the steps he took for insuring the safe dispatch of the great news to France ; special couriers out- side the walls, pigeons, and so forth ; his precautions were Infinite, for it was certain that the Prussian government would, at the first moment, put an embargo on all news. " M. de Nolde was just leaving at half-past six in the morning, when General Goertz, aide-de-camp to the late King, came up at a tearing gal- lop, shouting: — By order of the King, close the gates, and so M. de Nolde had to turn back. Within five minutes I was mounted, (my horses had remained saddled all night), and, to accomplish my fullest duty, galloped off to the French m nister's ; he was asleep ; I at once wrote that I had safe means of communication in case he had any occa- sion for such a convenience ; he answered, (and 1 have kept his note as a curious memento in case, though I can hardly believe it, M. de Vergen- nes should receive no dispatch); — ' Le Comte d'Esterno has the honor of thanking Monsieur le Comte de Mirabeau; he will not avail himself of his obliging offer. ' ' ' The accession of the Prince of Prussia to the throne left vacant by the death of his illustrious uncle gave rise to all the ambitions and uncertainties usual in such cases. A man of Mirabeau's tem- perament was not likely to be the last to bring himself to the notice of a new monarch from whom anything might be expected, he therefore composed a memorial, afterwards published under the title of Lcttre remise a Frederic Gidllaiime 11. , which Mr. Welsch- inger would have been well advised had he added to his appendix. Frederick William was an unknown quantity ; he was thought to be adverse to the routine of business and known to be addicted to pleasure. Would the new duties of his elevated station effect a change in him ? Prussia stood in need of reform ; Frederick had been economical and had accumulated a large reserve of gold, but his financial system had none the less been badly organized and disorderly ; it required radical alterations. Would the new king undertake them ? Could he be persuaded to intrust them to a really capable financier? Would he be willing to earn an income by investing the gold of his predecessors in some remunerative manner to be indicated by such skilled financiers as Panchaud, Struensee, Mirabeau ?