ing thrice over, but nobody would. "One of
the persons I applied to was Lieutenant-General von Ramin, Governor of
Berlin [surliest of mankind, of whose truculent incivility there go
many anecdotes]; to Ramin I wrote, entreating that he would take a
good opportunity and suggest a new Town Schoolhouse to his Majesty:
'Excellenz, it will render you immortal in the annals of Berlin!' To
which Ramin made answer: 'That is an immortality I must renounce the
hope of, and leave to the Town-Syndics and yourself. I, for my own part,
will by no means risk such a proposal to his Majesty; which he would,
in all likelihood, answer in the negative, and receive ill at anybody's
hands.'" [Ib. vi. 568.] By subscriptions, by bequests, donations and the
private piety of individuals, Busching aiding and stirring, the thing
was at last got done. Here is another glance into School-life: not from
Busching:--

JUNE 9th, 1771. "This Year the Stande of the Kurmark find they have
an overplus of 100,000 thalers (15,000 pounds); which sum they do
themselves the pleasure of presenting to the King for his Majesty's
uses." King cannot accept it for his own uses. "This money," answers he
(9th June), "comes from the Province, wherefore I feel bound to lay it
out again for advantage of the Province. Could not it become a means of
getting English husbandry [TURNIPS in particular, whether short-horns
or not, I do not know] introduced among us? In the Towns that follow
Farming chiefly, or in Villages belonging to unmoneyed Nobles, we will
lend out this 15,000 pounds, at 4 per cent, in convenient sums for
that object: hereby will turnip-culture and rotation be vouchsafed us;
interest at 4 per cent brings us in 600 pounds annually; and this we
will lay out in establishing new Schoolmasters in the Kurmark, and
having the youth better educated." What a pretty idea; neat and
beautiful, killing two important birds with one most small stone! I have
known enormous cannon-balls and granite blocks, torrent after torrent,
shot out under other kinds of Finance-gunnery, that were not only less
respectable, but that were abominable to me in comparison.

Unluckily, no Nobles were found inclined; English Husbandry ["TURNIPSE"
and the rest of it] had to wait their time. The King again writes: "No
Nobles to be found, say you? Well; put the 15,000 pounds to interest in
the common way,--that the Schoolmasters at least may have solacement:
I will add 120 thalers (18 pounds) apie