greed of territory
there; his attempts to get Russia into a partitioning of Turkey as
well,--("A slice of Turkey too, your Czarish Majesty and we?" hints he
more than once),--gave Friedrich no end of trouble; and are singular
to look at by the light there now is. Not for about a twelvemonth did
Friedrich get his hard-mouthed Kaunitz brought into step at all; and
to the last, perpetual vigilance and, by whip and bit, the adroitest
charioteering was needed on him.

FEBRUARY 17th, 1772, Russia and Prussia, for their own part,--Friedrich,
in the circumstances, submitting to many things from his Czarina,--get
their particular "Convention" (Bargain in regard to Poland) completed in
all parts, "will take possession 4th June instant:" sign said Convention
(February 17th);--and invite Austria to join, and state her claims.
Which, in three weeks after, MARCH 4th, Austria does;--exorbitant
abundantly; and NOT to be got very much reduced, though we try, for a
series of months. Till at last:--

AUGUST 5th, 1772, Final Agreement between the Three Partitioning Powers:
"These are our respective shares; we take possession on the 1st OF
SEPTEMBER instant:"--and actual possession for Friedrich's share did,
on the 13th of that month, ensue. A right glad Friedrich, as everybody,
friend or enemy, may imagine him! Glad to have done with such a
business,--had there been no other profit in it; which was far from
being the case. One's clear belief, on studying these Books, is of two
things: FIRST, that, as everybody admits, Friedrich had no real hand in
starting the notion of Partitioning Poland;--but that he grasped at it
with eagerness, as the one way of saving Europe from War: SECOND, what
has been much less noticed, that, under any other hand, it would have
led Europe to War;--and that to Friedrich is due the fact, that it got
effected without such accompaniment. Friedrich's share of Territory
is counted to be in all 9,465 English square miles; Austria's, 62,500;
Russia's, 87,500, [Preuss, iv. 45.] between nine and ten times the
amount of Friedrich's,--which latter, however, as an anciently Teutonic
Country, and as filling up the always dangerous gap between his
Ost-Preussen and him, has, under Prussian administration, proved much
the most valuable of the Three; and, next to Silesia, is Friedrich's
most important acquisition. SEPTEMBER 13th, 1772, it was at last entered
upon,--through such waste-weltering confusions, and on terms never yet