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court, that the royal palace was so dilapidated as scarcely to exclude the cold, and the witty Prussian princess had tattered hangings to her bed! We need scarcely tell how faithful was the attachment of Madame von Vosz to the royal family of Prussia, how deeply she felt their misfortunes, and how great was her hatred of the oppressor. In 1808, an English officer, who had been in the West Indies, presented her with a beautiful parrot, which kept constantly repeating, for the gratification of the royal family, and as if to nurse the wrath of all: God dNapoleon!' Upon which the countess was wont to exclaim: "O the charming parrot !'

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A short mile from Potsdam, on the river Havel, shut in on the north and south by wooded hills; on the west, looking over to Potsdam; and on the east, to Spandau, deeply shaded by magnificent old oaks, richly adorned with flowers, and alive, so to speak, with all sorts of rare animals-lies the beautiful little isle called Peacock Island, only about a mile in circuit, on the most romantic spot of which rises a small fancifully formed castle. This charming island was the favourite retreat of the king and queen; and when they entered the boats to convey them thither, the king would unbutton his coat, as if to breathe more freely, and during his stay would suffer no ordinary state business to interrupt his domestic enjoyment. Many pleasant stories are told of their manner of life there. Bishop Eylert states, that he was once required by their majesties to read to them a sermon he had delivered in their presence on the beautiful words of Ruth to her mother-in-law, and which he had applied to the close union of a Christian marriage. He says: "I read the sermon to them one calm summer evening on Peacock Island, under the shade of the tall oaks. The royal suite were present; and as I read, the queen sat by the king, her hand in his, and the holy calm of devotion seemed to be felt by all around. At the close of the discourse, the tones of the military band were heard playing the psalm: "In all my actions, I take counsel of the Lord." There was a long and solemn pause, for we were all disposed to be silent. The full moon had already risen in the east; the mellow tones of the distant music echoed through the pure expanse in soft accordance with the stillness which seemed inspired by the peace of God within our souls. This beautiful island seemed to us to be the very temple of the living God. At length we exclaimed: "Surely this spot is holy; this night it seems as the gate of heaven." The king was the first to move. Placing his hand on the queen's shoulder, he said softly, but audibly, gazing on her earnestly, as was his wont when thoughtful: "It shall be so, dear Louisa; I and my house, we will serve the Lord." He then retired in visible emotion to a small thicket on the brink of the Havel, to meditate alone.' When conversing with Bishop Eylert on the expression of the apostle

* See the amusing Memoirs of the Margravine of Bayreuth.

James, as to the difficulty of not offending in word, the queen said: Who can be always and in all things correct? My best friend, the king, certainly can; he is laconic: richer in thought than word, but always true. In truth, lies the key to everything.' The king entering, inquired the subject of their conversation; and the queen replied: When I speak of my model and example, you know already who I mean; but you will never listen to me when I speak so.' When she spoke of the king, it was always thus: 'my best friend.' By her talent and feminine grace and tact, she had the art of embellishing every subject she touched on, and of refining and improving the most common occurrence. All this may be told, but Bishop Eylert says: These are mere dead characters; but to see her, to hear her speak in her enthusiastic tones, the mind, the soul that beamed from her countenance as she uttered the feelings of her inmost heart, made an impression never to be forgotten, but totally indescribable.' Such was Louisa, Queen of Prussia. Hers were virtues which adversity could only cause to shine the more brightly. We have seen her on the very summit of earthly happiness-we have looked on this picture, and would fain linger over it before turning to that-but we must on.

But here, towards the end of the time happily spent, there reached her 'a low long distant murmur of dread sounds;' for the mighty despot, he who did then bestride the narrow world like a Colossus, was about to set his foot on the neck of Prussia, the people were to walk under his huge legs,' and the lovely high-spirited queen was to go down to the grave while her country was yet groaning under the hated bondage.

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The campaign of which we have already treated, and which ended in the loss of the left bank of the Rhine, came to a close in 1795, when peace was concluded at Basle between France and Prussia, who thus saw herself excluded from the triple alliance formed at that time between Austria, Russia, and England against the growing power of France. The following year, a convention was concluded at Berlin, ostensibly to secure the neutrality of northern Germany, but coupled with a secret understanding, that the Rhine was to be recognised as the French boundary; which, with other purposed infringements equally discreditable, placed Prussia at the mercy of France, and led erelong to the fall of the German Empire. In 1799, war with France was resolved on; but the vexatious vacillation of the king caused him to withdraw the consent he had given. Stein, afterwards the celebrated minister, says of this time: The king, however, took back his resolution, gave Haugwitz in-" structions to back out of the matter the best way he could, and the event is known to all the world. The discontent in Prussia at this hesitation and delay was universal.' We have no intention of following the gigantic strides of Napoleon towards universal dominion, of telling of his assumption of the imperial crown, and how he drew forth the iron crown of the ancient Lombard kings from its repose of a thousand years, and put it on his own head after the

manner, and with nearly the same words as those used by Charles XII. of Sweden on crowning himself. In 1805, the allied powers, now joined by Sweden, earnestly solicited the aid of Prussia in opposing a barrier to France; but, unable to resist the temptation held out to her by Napoleon of the acquisition of Hanover, she remained fatally firm to the French alliance. The eyes of the king, however, were soon opened, at least for a time, to the small measure of respect he could trust to; for a French corps passing from Hanover to the Danube, crossed the territory of Anspach, thereby violating the neutrality of Prussia; which so exasperated the nation, revealing as it did the humbling effects of so vacillating a policy, that the general voice was for instant war, which was warmly advocated by the queen and Prince Louis of Prussia, cousin of the king. The first-fruit of this new awakening appeared when the allies landed in Hanover, and besieged the only fortress occupied by French troops, with no opposition on the part of Prussia. Then followed, shortly after, the arrival of the Emperor Alexander in Berlin, which the French ambassador regarded as a signal to quit, and left the capital accordingly. A treaty was concluded between the two monarchs, to which they solemnly pledged themselves at the tomb of the Great Frederick; and the minister Haugwitz was desired to notify to Napoleon, that Prussia had joined the other powers. But remarkable events intervened. Napoleon had suffered a partial repulse from the Russians near Ulm, but his route lay open to Vienna; and there then followed the brilliant victory of Austerlitz, the entrance into Vienna, and the complete prostration of the Austrian power. Of this most remarkable campaign of Austerlitz, concluded in the space of three months, Alison writes: A hundred days unparalleled in the past history of Europe, though destined within ten years to be eclipsed by another hundred days of still more momentous celebrity!' day to day did Haugwitz delay his departure for the fulfilment of a mission which had, in truth, been reluctantly determined on by the king. The minister arrived at the French camp at a moment when the dawn of the 'sun of Austerlitz' was already visible in the political horizon; and scarcely had that sun gone down when Haugwitz, with matchless effrontery, presented his sovereign's congratulations on the victory-a message of which 'fortune had changed the address,' as Napoleon in his cool caustic manner remarked; signed on the very day on which hostilities were to have commenced, a treaty by which-we almost blush to write it-Prussia was to receive Hanover, the inheritance of her ally, in return for Neuenburg, Anspach, and Cleves. The peace of Presburg followed, and Napoleon returned in triumph to Paris. We find in the life of Stein how deeply the Prussian people felt the degradation of their country. For himself, there lay, as it were, a heavy cloud on his breast; and for eight bitter years he knew no unmixed joy.' The harbours of Prussia were blockaded by the allies, and her flag swept from the seas. Now was the time

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for Napoleon to bring to maturity his grand project of the Confederation of the Rhine, the greatest blow to European independence, concluded and signed at Paris 12th July 1806; by which most of the southern states, including 16,000,000 subjects, were lost to the German Empire. On the 6th of August following, the Emperor Francis, grandson of the celebrated Empress Maria Theresa, renounced by a solemn deed the ancient throne of the Cæsars, which had stood for 1000 years, and declared himself the first of the new emperors of Austria.

In Berlin, the alarming state of the kingdom had produced the greatest discontent and irritation. Delay could only increase the danger. The king's eyes must be opened. A remonstrance, no less bold than that addressed by the Long Parliament to Charles I., prepared by the celebrated Müller, and signed by the king's two brothers, by Prince Louis, Stein,* Blucher, and other generals, was laid before the king, in which no point was omitted touching his own honour and that of the kingdom, and praying him to dismiss Haugwitz and other offensive ministers. Even before this, Stein, at that time finance minister, had in his own name alone presented an address to his sovereign, which we wish we could give entire. Let all who would know what an honest man, burning with indignation, can and will dare, read that address, which will be found in his Life. The king was highly displeased, and the queen, who shared in all his counsels, partook of this feeling. He made known his displeasure to Stein, sharply reprimanded the princes his brothers, and sent them off to their regiments. But the popular ferment was now to rise to an incontrollable height, for it became known that Napoleon had offered to restore Hanover to England. He also caused to be seized and shot a bookseller of Nuremberg, who had published works hostile to France. The war-party now overbore all opposition. The queen openly fostered the general enthusiasm. She frequently appeared in the uniform of the regiment which bore her name, and excited the enthusiasm of the soldiers by riding at their head. Prince Louis and a band of young nobles, burning to repeat the victories of the Great Frederick, are said to have sharpened their sabres, like foolish boys, on the threshold of the French ambassador, and broken the windows of the ministers in the French interest. Doubt and hesitation now universally gave place to a reckless spirit of defiance and confidence. In the market-place at Halle, one professor met another with the news that war had been determined on; adding, that nothing could now save the mad Napoleon from destruction. On his friend venturing to say something about French generals, he interrupted him vehemently: Generals! where should they come from? We Prussians have generals that understand war, who have known service from their youth: these tailors and shoemakers beyond the Rhine, who never knew they had legs to stand

* See the life of Stein (Das Leben des Ministers Freiherrn vom Stein), first volume -a valuable work, but not yet completed.

on before the Revolution, in presence of our practised captains can only take to their heels. I pray you, in God's name, speak not to me about French generals!' This we believe only too truly to represent the feeling of the whole nation.

Twenty years had passed away since the death of 'Old Fritz,' as the Prussians called the Great Frederick. His successor had been ruled by weak ministers, who strengthened his belief in ghosts, and opposed toleration. A treasury containing 70,000,000 was speedily replaced by as much debt. Profligate courtiers received the Order of Merit, bestowed by Frederick only on the heroes of the Seven Years' War. Valets and rogues were dubbed nobles, and mockingly termed the newly baked.' Mirabeau, then French agent at Berlin, thus writes: A decreased revenue, an increased expenditure, genius neglected, fools at the helm. Never was a government nearer ruin.' The king, however, loved military glory, and had opposed the peace of Basle. To such misrule of eleven years, Frederick-William III. succeeded. Stein generously excuses his desire to avoid war because of the unsatisfactory state of the army, which had acquired a great name in the Seven Years' War under a military system far from perfect, but owing its success to the genius of Frederick, whose presence must have been as well worth that of 40,000 men as Napoleon's was said to be. It was only among the younger officers that a martial spirit prevailed. The commanding-officers were all aged nobles, receiving high pay in time of peace; the commandants of fortresses, gray-headed old men. No attention had been given to the improvements in warlike tactics; the equipments were ancient and cumbrous; the exercises suited to an age that had passed away; the soldiers ill armed, clothed, and fed. But there were soldiers and officers who had served under the Great Frederick; amongst others, the gallant Blucher; and the army contained elements of bravery which, under a bold leader, might have achieved mighty deeds. Unhappily, the king intrusted the command to the Duke of Brunswick, his near kinsman, who had gained renown in his youth, but had come off with little honour in the last campaign, and now, at the age of seventy-two, would hesitate for an hour how to spell the name of a town; knew so little of the topography of the country, that detachments belonging to different corps were billeted in the same village, of which they disputed the possession; and in a military council, he would ask, in the hearing of the young officers, and with a troubled countenance: What are we to do?" 6

Alas for poor devoted Prussia! Now was come the time when she must so grievously expiate her vacillating and crooked policy. Frederick-William gallantly took the field at the head of 150,000 men, and marched out of Berlin amidst songs of triumph, leaving the inhabitants literally delirious with joy. With fatal_rashness resolving to assume the offensive, the Prussians advanced towards the valley of the Maine, purposing thus to cut off the enemy's

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