-day as I could wish my
hopes and desires that all good may attend you.

P.S. I ought also to mention that Herr Drechsler is the unsalaried
professor of thorough bass at St. Anna's, and has been so for the last ten
years.

[K.]

[Footnote 1: The Canon, _Grossen Dank, / / /_, is not to be found in either
Breitkopf & Haertel's or Thayer's catalogue, nor anywhere else.]

354.

TO F. RIES.

Baden, September 5, 1823.

MY DEAR FRIEND,--

You advise me to engage some one to look after my affairs; now I did so as
to the Variations; that is, my brother and Schindler took charge of them,
but how?

The Variations were not to have appeared here till after being published in
London; but everything went wrong. The dedication to Brentano [Antonie v.
Brentano, _nee_ Edlen von Birkenstock] was to be confined to Germany, I
being under great obligations to her, and having nothing else to spare at
the moment; indeed, Diabelli, the publisher, alone got it from me. But
everything went through Schindler's hands. No man on earth was ever more
contemptible,--an arch villain; but I soon sent him packing! I will
dedicate some other work to your wife in the place of this one. You, no
doubt, received my last letter [No. 346]. I think thirty ducats would be
enough for one of the _Allegri di Bravura_, but I should like to publish
them here at the same time, which might easily be arranged. Why should I
give up so much profit to these rogues here? It will not be published here
till I am told that it has arrived in London; moreover, you may yourself
fix the price, as you best know London customs.

The copyist to-day at last finished the score of the Symphony; so
Kirchhoffer and I are only waiting for a favorable opportunity to send it
off. I am still here, being very ill when I arrived, and my health still
continues in a most precarious condition, and, good heavens! instead of
amusing myself like others at these baths, my necessities compel me to
write every day. I am also obliged to drink the mineral waters besides
bathing. The copy will shortly be sent off; I am only waiting till I hear
of an opportunity from Kirchhoffer, for it is too bulky to forward by post.

My last letter must have given you an insight into everything. I will send
you some choruses; let me have any commissions for oratorios as soon as you
can, that I may fix the time at once. I am sorry about the Variations on
account of ----, as I wrote them more for London than