e French call it], in these piping times of
Peace:--she is the Princess. To King Friedrich's great surprise and joy.
The Mumpelgard Principalities, and fortunate Princess, are summoned
to Berlin. Czarowitsh Paul, under Henri's escort, and under gala and
festivities from the Frontier onward, arrived in Berlin 21st July, 1776;
was betrothed to his Wurtemberg Princess straightway; and after about a
fortnight of festivities still more transcendent, went home with her
to Petersburg; and was there wedded, 18th October following;--Czar and
Czarina, she and he, twenty years after, and their posterity reigning
ever since. [_OEuvres de Frederic,_ vi. 120-122.]

"At Vienna," says the King, "everybody was persuaded the Czarowitsh
would never come to Berlin. Prince Kaunitz had been,"--been at his old
tricks again, playing his sharpest, in the Court of Petersburg again:
what tricks (about Poland and otherwise) let us not report, for it is
now interesting to nobody. Of the Czarowitsh Visit itself I will remark
only,--what seems to be its one chance of dating itself in any of our
memories,--that it fell out shortly after the Sherlock dinner with
Voltaire (in 1776, April 27th the one event, July 21st the other);--and
that here is, by pure accident, the exuberant erratic Sherlock, once
more, and once only, emerging on us for a few moments!--

EXUBERANT SHERLOCK AND ELEVEN OTHER ENGLISH ARE PRESENTED TO FRIEDRICH
ON A COURT OCCASION (8th October, 1777); AND TWO OF THEM GET SPOKEN TO,
AND SPEAK EACH A WORD. EXCELLENCY HUGH ELLIOT IS THEIR INTRODUCER.

Harris, afterwards Earl of Malmesbury, succeeded Mitchell at Berlin;
"Polish troubles" (heartily indifferent to England), "Dantzig squabbles"
(miraculously important there),--nothing worth the least mention now.
Excellency Harris quitted Berlin in Autumn, 1776; gave place to an
Excellency Hugh Elliot (one of the Minto Elliots, Brother of the first
Earl of Minto, and himself considerably noted in the world), of whom we
have a few words to say.

Elliot has been here since April, 1777; stays some five years in this
post;--with not much Diplomatic employment, I should think, but with
a style of general bearing and social physiognomy, which, with some
procedures partly incidental as well, are still remembered in Berlin.
Something of spying, too, doubtless there was; bribing of menials,
opening of Letters: I believe a great deal of that went on; impossible
to prevent under the carefulest o