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Article LETTERS FROM BARON BIELFELD. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Letters From Baron Bielfeld.
head , and tlie affluence of all sorts of strangers , which the fair has brought to Brunswick , makes the town appear hi ghly animated . We agreed that none of us should appear at court , except Count L , whom v / e deputed to the Prince Royal to receive his orders , relative to the day , the hour , and place of his reception . H . R . PI . appointed the night between the 14 th and 15 th , and chose it should be in our apartment , which was in fact very spacious , and quite convenient for the business . There was only one inconvenience ,
which was the vicinity of M . W- , who lived in the apartment adjoining to our anti-chamber , and was separated from it only by a thin partition . He mi ght , therefore , have heard all , and told all . This reflexion alarmed us ; but as our Planoverian brethren knew the hour at which he was wont to drown , as the song says , his sorrowful reason in wine , we seized his foible ; we attacked him , ' byturns , after dinner ; and , being prepared to encounter with him at
chinking of glasses , we left him toward night so fast , that he would have slept by the side of a battery ; and the Thyrsus of Bacchus served us ,, on this occasion , as effectually as could have done the finger of the god Harpocrates . ' . On the 14 th the whole day was spent in preparations for the lod ge ; and a little after midni ght we saw arrive the Prince Royal , accompanied by Count W , < captain in the king ' s regiment at Potsdam . The prince presented this gentleman as a candidate whom he recommended ; and whose reception he wished immediately to
succeed his own . He desired us'likewise to omit in his reception not ¦ any one rigorous ceremony , that was used in similar cases ; to grant him no indulgence whatever ; but gave us leave , on this occasion , to treat him merely as a private person . In a word , he was received with all the usual and requisite formalities . I admired his intrepidity , the serenity of his countenanceaud his graceful deportmenteven in
, , the most critical moments . I had prepared a short address , of which lie testified his approbation . After the two receptions , we proceeded to our work . He appeared highly delighted , and acquitted . himself with as much dexterity as discernment .
1 do assure you , my dear brother , that I have conceived very great expectations from this prince . He is not of a remarkable sta-i ture ; and would not have been chosen to have ruled in the place of Saul ; hut when we consider the strength and beauty of his genius , we cannot but desire , for the prosperity of the people , to see him fill the throne of Prussia . Flis features are hi ghly pleasing , with a spri ghtly look and a noble air ; and it depends altogether on himself
to appear perfectly engaging . A petit maitre of Paris would not perhaps admire his friz it re ; his hair , however , is of a bri ght brown carelessly curled , but well adapted to his countenance . His large blue eyes have at once something severe , soft and gracious . I was surprised to find in him so youthful an air * . Flis behaviour , in every respect , is that of a person of exalted rank , and he is the most polite man in all that kingdom over which he is born to rule . He
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Letters From Baron Bielfeld.
head , and tlie affluence of all sorts of strangers , which the fair has brought to Brunswick , makes the town appear hi ghly animated . We agreed that none of us should appear at court , except Count L , whom v / e deputed to the Prince Royal to receive his orders , relative to the day , the hour , and place of his reception . H . R . PI . appointed the night between the 14 th and 15 th , and chose it should be in our apartment , which was in fact very spacious , and quite convenient for the business . There was only one inconvenience ,
which was the vicinity of M . W- , who lived in the apartment adjoining to our anti-chamber , and was separated from it only by a thin partition . He mi ght , therefore , have heard all , and told all . This reflexion alarmed us ; but as our Planoverian brethren knew the hour at which he was wont to drown , as the song says , his sorrowful reason in wine , we seized his foible ; we attacked him , ' byturns , after dinner ; and , being prepared to encounter with him at
chinking of glasses , we left him toward night so fast , that he would have slept by the side of a battery ; and the Thyrsus of Bacchus served us ,, on this occasion , as effectually as could have done the finger of the god Harpocrates . ' . On the 14 th the whole day was spent in preparations for the lod ge ; and a little after midni ght we saw arrive the Prince Royal , accompanied by Count W , < captain in the king ' s regiment at Potsdam . The prince presented this gentleman as a candidate whom he recommended ; and whose reception he wished immediately to
succeed his own . He desired us'likewise to omit in his reception not ¦ any one rigorous ceremony , that was used in similar cases ; to grant him no indulgence whatever ; but gave us leave , on this occasion , to treat him merely as a private person . In a word , he was received with all the usual and requisite formalities . I admired his intrepidity , the serenity of his countenanceaud his graceful deportmenteven in
, , the most critical moments . I had prepared a short address , of which lie testified his approbation . After the two receptions , we proceeded to our work . He appeared highly delighted , and acquitted . himself with as much dexterity as discernment .
1 do assure you , my dear brother , that I have conceived very great expectations from this prince . He is not of a remarkable sta-i ture ; and would not have been chosen to have ruled in the place of Saul ; hut when we consider the strength and beauty of his genius , we cannot but desire , for the prosperity of the people , to see him fill the throne of Prussia . Flis features are hi ghly pleasing , with a spri ghtly look and a noble air ; and it depends altogether on himself
to appear perfectly engaging . A petit maitre of Paris would not perhaps admire his friz it re ; his hair , however , is of a bri ght brown carelessly curled , but well adapted to his countenance . His large blue eyes have at once something severe , soft and gracious . I was surprised to find in him so youthful an air * . Flis behaviour , in every respect , is that of a person of exalted rank , and he is the most polite man in all that kingdom over which he is born to rule . He