but the change of horses is there. If
your Majesty give order, I will ride forward, send the fresh horses
out of the village, and have them stationed to wait at the foot of the
hills.'

KING. "'O ja, do so! Take one of my pages with you.'

"I now took measures about the new team of horses, but so arranged it,
that when his Majesty got upon the hills I was there too. At
dismounting from his carriage on the hill-top, his Majesty demanded a
prospect-glass; looked round the whole region, and then said: 'Well, in
truth, that is beyond my expectation! That is beautiful! I must say this
to you, all of you that have worked in this business, you have behaved
like honorable people!'--[TO ME] 'Tell me now, is the Elbe far from
here?'

ICH. "'Your Majesty, it is 2 miles off [10 miles]. Yonder is Wurben in
the Altmark; it lies upon the Elbe.'

KING. "'That cannot be! Give me the glass again.--Ja, ja, it is true,
though. But what other steeple is that?'

ICH. "'Your Majesty, that is Havelberg.'

KING. "'Na, come here, all of you!' (THERE WERE AMTSRATH KLAUSIUS,
BAUINSPECTOR MENZELIUS AND I.) 'Hear now, the tract of moor here to the
left must also be reclaimed; and what is to the right too, so far as the
moor extends. What kind of wood is there on it?'

ICH. "'Alders (ELSEN) and oaks, your Majesty.'

KING. "'Na! the alders you may root out; and the oaks may continue
standing; the people may sell these, or use them otherwise. When once
the ground is arable, I reckon upon 300 families for it, and 500 head of
cows,--ha?'--Nobody answered; at last I began, and said:--

ICH. "'Ja, your Majesty, perhaps!'

KING. "'Hear now, you may answer me with confidence. There will be more
or fewer families. I know well enough one cannot, all at once, exactly
say. I was never there, don't know the ground; otherwise I could
understand equally with you how many families could be put upon it.'

THE BAUINSPECTOR. "'Your Majesty, the LUCH is still subject to rights of
common from a great many hands.'

KING. "'No matter for that. You must make exchanges, give them an
equivalent, according as will answer best in the case. I want nothing
from anybody except at its value.' [TO AMTSRATH KLAUSIUS] 'Na, hear
now, you can write to my Kammer [BOARD, Board-of-Works that does NOT sit
idle!], what it is that I want reclaimed to the plough; the money for
it I will give.' [TO ME] 'And you, you go to Berlin, and explain to my
Geheimer-Rath Michaelis, by wor