all green and fertile
now, some twenty or thirty miles northwest of Berlin); busy there
in 1779, and had been for some years past. He had originally been an
Officer of the Artillery; but obtained his discharge in 1769, and got,
before long, into this employment. A man of excellent disposition and
temper; with a solid and heavy stroke of work in him, whatever he might
be set to; and who in this OBERAMTMANNSHIP "became highly esteemed."
He died in 1798; and has left sons (now perhaps grandsons or
great-grandsons), who continue estimable in like situations under the
Prussian Government.

One of Fromme's useful gifts, the usefulest of all for us at present,
was "his wonderful talent of exact memory." He could remember to a
singular extent; and, we will hope, on this occasion, was unusually
conscientious to do it. For it so happened, in July, 1779 (23d July),
Friedrich, just home from his troublesome Bavarian War, [Had arrived
at Berlin May 27th (Rodenbeck, iii. 201).] and again looking into
everything with his own eyes, determined to have a personal view of
those Moor Regions of Fromme's; to take a day's driving through that
RHYN-LUCH which had cost him so much effort and outlay; and he ordered
Fromme to attend him in the expedition. Which took effect accordingly;
Fromme riding swiftly at the left wheel of Friedrich's carriage, and
loudly answering questions of his, all day.--Directly on getting home,
Fromme consulted his excellent memory, and wrote down everything; a
considerable Paper,--of which you shall now have an exact Translation,
if it be worth anything. Fromme gave the Paper to Uncle Gleim; who, in
his enthusiasm, showed it extensively about, and so soon as there was
liberty, had it "printed, at his own expense, for the benefit of poor
soldiers' children." ["Gleim's edition, brought out in 1786, the year of
Friedrich's death, is now quite gone,--the Book undiscoverable. But the
Paper was reprinted in an ANEKDOTEN-SAMMLUNG (Collection of Anecdotes,
Berlin, 1787, 8tes STUCK, where I discover it yesterday (17th July,
1852) in a copy of mine, much to my surprise; having before met with it
in one Hildebrandt's ANEKDOTEN-SAMMLUNG (Halberstadt, 1830, 4tes STUCK,
a rather slovenly Book), where it is given out as one of the rarest
of all rarities, and as having been specially 'furnished by a Dr. W.
Korte,' being unattainable otherwise! The two copies differ slightly
here and there,--not always to Dr. Korte's advantage, or r