Pommern, till we get a general
Swedish Peace. With which Friedrich Wilhelm gladly complies. [22d June,
1713: Buchholz, i. 21.]

Unhappily, however, the Swedish Commandant in Stettin would not give up
the place, on any representative or secondary authority; not without an
express order in his King's own hand. Which, as his King was far away,
in abstruse Turkish circumstances and localities, could not be had at
the moment; and involved new difficulties and uncertainties, new delay
which might itself be fatal. The end was, the Russians and Saxons had
to cannonade the man out by regular siege: they then gave up the Town
to Prussia and Holstein; but required first to be paid their expenses
incurred in sieging it,--400,000 thalers, as they computed and
demonstrated, or some where about 60,000 pounds of our money.

Friedrich Wilhelm paid the money (Holstein not having a groschen); took
possession of the Town, and dependent towns and forts; intending well to
keep them till repaid. This was in October, 1713; and ever since, there
has been actual tranquillity in those parts: the embers of the Northern
War may still burn or smoulder elsewhere, but here they are quite
extinct. At first, it was a joint possession of Stettin, Holsteiners and
Prussians in equal number; and if Friedrich Wilhelm had been sure of his
money, so it would have continued. But the Holsteiners had paid nothing;
Charles XII's sanction never could be expressly got, and the Holsteiners
were mere dependents of his. Better to increase our Prussian force,
by degrees; and, in some good way, with a minimum of violence, get the
Holsteiners squeezed out of Stettin: Friedrich Wilhelm has so ordered
and contrived. The Prussian force having now gradually increased to
double in this important garrison, the Holsteiners are quietly disarmed,
one night, and ordered to depart, under penalties;--which was done.
Holding such a pawn-ticket as Stettin, buttoned in our own pocket, we
count now on being paid our 60,000 pounds before parting with it.

Matters turned out as Friedrich Wilhelm had dreaded they might. Here is
Charles XII. come back; inflexible as cold Swedish iron; will not
hear of any Treaty dealing with his properties in that manner: Is he a
bankrupt, then, that you will sell his towns by auction? Charles does
not, at heart, believe that Friedrich Wilhelm ever really paid the
60,000 pounds Charles demands, for his own part, to have, his own
Swedish Town of Stettin res