[Enclosure.] MINUTE WITH THE PRUSSIAN MINISTERS. March 13, 1760. THE Prussian ministers declare that the King, their master, desires that a separate negotiation between his Majesty and the court of France may be entered into; on the supposition, however, that the King, their master, shall be included in the separate peace to be made with France; but if his Prussian Majesty shall not be so comprehended, they shall then think any such separate treaty a contravention of the treaty between his Majesty and the King of Prussia: and they are firmly of opinion, that by what M. d'Affry has said to M. de Hellen, particularly "vous y trouverez votre compte,” the court of France understands it in that sense; and they propose, "que M. Yorke soit autorisé à continuer les pourparlers avec M. d'Affry, de la manière qu'on jugera être la plus convenable: bien entendu que la base de toutes ces démarches sera toujours fondée sur ce principe, que le Roi de Prusse doit être compris dans la négotiation don il est question." They gave me a copy of Voltaire's letter. (') (1) This copy of Voltaire's letter to Frederick appears not to have been preserved; but in one from Mr. Mitchell to Lord Holdernesse, of the 31st of July, there is this passage:-"Two days ago, happening to dine with the King of Prussia alone, I took the liberty to observe, that some late letter his Prussian The emissary of the King of Prussia is gone to Bailiff Froulay. They read me a letter containing a proposal from the minister of the Great Duke of Russia, for sending an emissary (M. Pechlin) to Petersburgh; and that the Great Duke would be the negotiator for the King of Prussia. A million of ་ Majesty had written, which had fallen into the French minister's hands, seemed to have given great offence. His Prussian Majesty replied, 'I have wrote no letter but one to Voltaire.' I ventured to say, 'Perhaps your Majesty may have in that letter made use of some strong expressions with regard to the Duke of Choiseul:' he answered, No, I think I made use of this proverbial phrase, that the Duke was possessed by ten millions of Austrian devils;' that as to the rest, he had told Voltaire he would keep to his alliance with England, and that if the French had a mind for peace, they must speak out plainly; and he said that this letter to Voltaire was an answer to one he had received from him, in which Voltaire had assured him, that the French ministry were perfectly well disposed towards a peace. I think it proper to acquaint your lordship minutely with every circumstance concerning this affair, which I wish may agree with the accounts received from other parts; but I cannot help adding, that the King of Prussia's correspondence with Voltaire has, on this and on former occasions, given me some uneasiness and suspicions; for I believe the court of France make use of the artful pen of Voltaire to draw secrets from the King of Prussia; when that prince writes as a wit to a wit, he is capable of great indiscretions. But what surprises me still more is, that whenever Voltaire's name is mentioned, his Prussian Majesty never fails to give him the epithets he may deserve: which are, • The worst heart and greatest rascal now living:' yet with all this he continues to correspond with him. Such, in this prince, is the lust of praise from a great and elegant writer; in which, however, he will at last be the dupe: for by what I hear of Voltaire's character, he may dissemble, but never can nor ever will forgive the King of Prussia for what has passed between them."- Mitchell MSS. and crowns this emissary is to have. The King of Prussia has given the money, and Pechlin is set out for Petersburgh. STANIER PORTEN, ESQ.(1) TO MR. PITT. SIR, Surrey Street, April 28, 1760. IN obedience to your commands, I have the honour of laying before you what I have learnt and can recollect concerning their Catholic Majesties, as also the characters of those who have accompanied them to Spain from Naples. (1) The writer of this interesting picture of the court of the King of the Two Sicilies had been for some years British resident at Naples. He was the son of a London merchant; his youngest sister was the mother of Gibbon, and his eldest the aunt Catharine whom he describes as the affectionate guardian of his tender years, the true mother of his mind as well as of his health, "to whom," he says, "I owe the first rudiments of knowledge, the first exercise of reason, and a taste for books, which is still the pleasure and glory of my life.” In 1763, Mr. Porten was made consul-general at Madrid, and in 1772 appointed under secretary of state in the foreign-office, and received the honour of knighthood. "You remember," says Gibbon, in a letter to his mother-in-law, of the 24th of May, 1774, "an agreeable woman, Miss Wiebault; the under secretary is seriously in love with her, and seriously uneasy that his precarious situation precludes him from happiness: we shall soon see which will get the better, love or reason; I bet three to two on love." A few days after the date of this letter, Sir Stanier was appointed keeper of the state-papers at Whitehall, and in December he married the lady alluded to. He died in 1789, leaving two daughters; whom Gibbon, by his last will, constituted his heirs. The King (1) has strong natural parts, which doubtless might have been greatly improved, had he not been kept in such a remarkable subjection during his youth, under the care of the Duke of Santo Stefano, who governed him with the utmost severity, till some few months after his marriage in 1739; since which time he has constantly allotted several hours, morning and evening, to despatch of business in the respective councils with his several ministers. He is universally acknowledged to be possessed with high sentiments of justice and humanity. He has, with great assiduity, applied himself to extirpate robbers and murderers, who abounded in the country; and of late years few accidents have happened, even in the remotest provinces. He has attained a perfect knowledge of all the fabrics and manufactures at Naples, of which he frequently talked, and gave circumstantial details during his dinner. He is extremely reserved; and it is very difficult for those who even constantly attend him to penetrate his intentions, which he conceals with art, and perhaps sometimes with a certain degree of dissimulation; but he is firm to a (1) Upon the death of Ferdinand VI., without issue, in August 1759, his brother Don Carlos, King of Naples, succeeded to the crown of Spain. Before he embarked for his kingdom, setting aside the right of primogeniture, he removed, by an act of abdication, his second son Don Philip (who, at the age of thirteen, had been found in a state of incurable idiotcy) from the succession, and settled the crown of the Two Sicilies in favour of his third son, Don Ferdinand. Having taken this precaution, he embarked for Spain, and reached Madrid in October. degree, whenever he has once taken a determinate resolution. He is of a robust constitution, so extremely regular in his diet that it has been observed he ate and drank almost the same quantity every day both in winter and summer. He is exact to a moment in all his actions; and such a constant uniformity was there in every thing he did, that let the weather be as it might, he alighted always from his coach to make water at a particular tree near Caserta. He used to rise early both in winter and summer. As soon as he came out of his bedchamber he went to chapel, then drank chocolate, afterwards to council, and then abroad either to shoot or fish. He constantly dined in public at twelve o'clock, and soon after dinner went again to one of those diversions. He minded neither heat, cold, or rain: the weather seldom hindered his going abroad twice every day. In the evening, he again went to confer with his ministers, who had all their separate days; then he supped, and at ten every night in bed. From these rules he hardly ever varied at Naples. He has ever been an affectionate husband, and tender parent to all his children; and it is generally believed he never knew any woman except the Queen. He loves splendour, magnificence, and to see a brilliant court; but he used to wear himself a frock and close sleeve, except on days of functions, and especially on the Queen's birth-day and saints' days, when his Majesty was very richly dressed, and all |