t few of
these had any cardinal or notable quality, and put them down (dated, if
possible, and in intelligible form), as pertinent to throwing light
on this distressing matter, with careful exclusion of the immense mass
which can throw only darkness.

EX-LOVER PONIATOWSKI BECOMES KING OF POLAND (7th Sept. 1764), AND IS
CROWNED WITHOUT LOSS OF HIS HAIR.

WARSAW, 7th SEPTEMBER 1764, Stanislaus Poniatowski, by what management
of an Imperial Catharine upon an anarchic Nation readers shall imagine
AD LIBITUM, was elected, what they call elected, King of Poland. Of
course there had been preliminary Diets of Convocation, much dieting,
demonstrating and electing of imaginary members of Diet,--only "ten
persons massacred" in the business. There was a Saxon Party; but no
counter-candidate of that or any other nation. King Friedrich, solicited
by a charming Electress-Dowager, decides to remain accurately passive.
Polish emissaries came entreating him. A certain Mockranowski, who had
been a soldier under him (never of much mark in that capacity, though
now a flamingly conspicuous "General" and Politician, in the new scene
he has got into), came passionately entreating (Potsdam, Summer of 1764,
is all the date), "DONNEZ NOUS LE PRINCE HENRI, Give us Prince Henri for
a King!" the sound of which almost made Friedrich turn pale: "Have you
spoken or hinted of this to the Prince?" "No, your Majesty." "Home,
then, instantly; and not a whisper of it again to any mortal!"
[Rulhiere, ii. 268; Hermann, vi. 355-364.] which, they say, greatly
irritated Prince Henri, and left a permanent sore-place in his mind,
when he came to hear of it long after.

"A question rises here," says one of my Notes, which perhaps I had
better have burnt: "At or about what dates did this glorious Poniatowski
become Lover of the Grand-Duchess, and then become Ex-Lover? Nobody
will say; or perhaps can? [Preuss (iv. 12) seems to try, but does not
succeed.] Would have been a small satisfaction to us, and it is
denied! 'Ritter Williams' (that is, Hanbury) must have produced him at
Petersburg some time in 1756; '11th January, 1757,' finding it would
suit, Poniatowski appeared there on his own footing as 'Ambassador from
Warsaw,'"--(easy to get that kind of credential from a devoted Warsaw,
if you are succeeding at the Court of Petersburg; "Warsaw watchfully
makes that the rule of distributing its honors; and, from freezing-point
upwards, is the most delicate ther