History of Friedrich II of Prussia, vol 21 | Page 8

to speak; has a
pleasant place out to east of Berlin; is LANDRATH (County Chairman)
there, "Landrath of Nether-Barnim Circle;" where we heard of the
Cossacks spoiling him: he, as who not, has suffered dreadfully in these
tumults. Here is Busching's welcome Account.
LANDRATH NUSSLER AND THE KING (30th March-3d April,
1763).
"MARCH 30th, 1763, Friedrich, on his return to Berlin, came by the
route of Tassdorf,"--Tassdorf, in Nether-Barnim Circle (40 odd miles
from Frankfurt, and above 15 from Berlin);--"and changed horses there.
During this little pause, among a crowd assembled to see him, he was
addressed by Nussler, Landrath of the Circle, who had a very piteous
story to tell. Nussler wished the King joy of his noble victories, and of
the glorious Peace at last achieved: 'May your Majesty reign in health
and happiness over us many years, to the blessing of us all!'--and

recommended to his gracious care the extremely ruined, and, especially
by the Russians, uncommonly devastated Circle, for which," continues
Busching "this industrious Landrath had not hitherto been able to
extract any effective help." Generally for the Provinces wasted by the
Russians there had already some poor 300,000 thalers (45,000 pounds)
been allowed by a helpful Majesty, not over-rich himself at the moment;
and of this, Nether-Barnim no doubt gets its share: but what is this to
such ruin as there is? A mere preliminary drop, instead of the bucket
and buckets we need!--Busching, a dull, though solid accurate kind of
man, heavy-footed, and yet always in a hurry, always slipshod, has
nothing of dramatic here; far from it; but the facts themselves fall
naturally into that form,--in Three Scenes:--
I. TASSDORF (still two hours from Berlin), KING, NUSSLER AND
A CROWD OF PEOPLE, Nussler ALONE DARING TO SPEAK.
KING (from his Carriage, ostlers making despatch). "What is your
Circle most short of?"
LANDRATH NUSSLER. "Of horses for ploughing the seedfields of
rye to sow them, and of bread till the crops come."
KING. "Rye for bread, and to sow with, I will give; with horses I
cannot assist."
NUSSLER. "On representation of Privy-Councillor van Brenkenhof
[the Minister concerned with such things], your Majesty has been
pleased to give the Neumark and Pommern an allowance of Artillery
and Commissariat Horses: but poor Nether-Barnim, nobody will speak
for it; and unless your Majesty's gracious self please to take pity on it,
Nether-Barnim is lost!" (A great many things more he said, in presence
of a large crowd of men who had gathered round the King's Carriage as
the horses were being changed; and spoke with such force and
frankness that the King was surprised, and asked:)--
KING. "Who are you?" (has forgotten the long-serviceable man!)
NUSSLER. "I am the Nussler who was lucky enough to manage the

Fixing of the Silesian Boundaries for your Majesty!"
KING. "JA, JA, now I know you again! Bring me all the Landraths of
the Kurmark [Mark of Brandenburg Proper, ELECTORAL Mark] in a
body; I will speak with them."
NUSSLER. "All of them but two are in Berlin already."
KING. "Send off estafettes for those two to come at once to Berlin; and
on Thursday," day after to-morrow, "come yourself, with all the others,
to the Schloss to me: I will then have some closer conversation, and say
what I can and will do for helping of the country," (King's Carriage
rolls away, with low bows and blessings from Nussler and everybody).
II. THURSDAY, APRIL 1st, NUSSLER AND ASSEMBLED
LANDRATHS AT THE SCHLOSS OF BERLIN. To them, enter
KING. ...
NUSSLER (whom they have appointed spokesman). ... "Your Majesty
has given us Peace; you will also give us Well-being in the Land again:
we leave it to Highest-the-Same's gracious judgment [no limit to
Highest-the-Same's POWER, it would seem] what you will vouchsafe
to us as indemnification for the Russian plunderings."
KING. "Be you quiet; let me speak. Have you got a pencil (HAT ER
CRAYON)? Yes! Well then, write, and these Gentlemen shall dictate
to you:--
"'How much rye for bread; How much for seed; How many Horses,
Oxen, Cows, their Circles do in an entirely pressing way require?'
"Consider all that to the bottom; and come to me again the day after
to-morrow. But see that you fix everything with the utmost exactitude,
for I cannot give much." (EXIT King.)
NUSSLER (to the Landraths). "MEINE HERREN, have the goodness
to accompany me to our Landschaft House [we have a kind of County
Hall, it seems]; there we will consider everything."

And Nussler, guiding the deliberations, which are glad to follow him
on every point, and writing as PRO-TEMPORE Secretary, has all
things brought to luminous Protocol in the course of this day and next.
III. SATURDAY, APRIL 3d, IN THE SCHLOSS AGAIN: NUSSLER
AND LANDRATHS. To them, the KING.
Nussler. "We deliver