appendix to history of friedrich ii of prussia-第3章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
your Majesty's favor we have got here; and which keep the Luch dry
for us。'
KING。 〃'So; so; that I am glad of!Who is He (are you)?'
FROMME。 〃'Your Majesty; I am the Beamte here of Fehrbellin。'
KING。 〃'What 's your name?'
ICH。 〃'Fromme。'
KING。 〃'Ha; ha! you are a son of the Landrath Fromme's。'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty's pardon。 My father was Amtsrath in the
AMT Luhnin。'
KING。 〃'Amtsrath? Amtsrath? That isn't true! Your father was
Landrath。 I knew him very well。But tell me now (SAGT MIR EINMAL)
has the draining of the Luch been of much use to you here?'
ICH。 〃'O ja; your Majesty。'
KING。 〃'Do you keep more cattle than your predecessor?'
ICH。 〃'Yes; your Majesty。 On this farm I keep 40 more; on all the
farms together 70 more。'
KING。 〃'That is right。 The murrain (VIEHSEUCHE) is not here in
this quarter?'
ICH。 〃'No; your Majesty。'
KING。 〃'Have you had it here?'
ICH。 〃'Ja。'
KING。 〃'Do but diligently use rock…salt; you won't have the
murrain again。'
ICH。 〃'Yes; your Majesty; I do use it too; but kitchen salt has
very nearly the same effect。'
KING。 〃'No; don't fancy that! You must n't pound the rock…salt
small; but give it to the cattle so that they can lick it。'
ICH。 〃'Yes; it shall be done。'
KING。 〃'Are there still improvements needed here?'
ICH。 〃'O ja; your Majesty。 Here lies the Kemmensee 'Kemmen…lake':
if that were drained out; your Majesty would gain some 1;800 acres
'MORGEN; three…fifths English acre' of pasture…land; where
colonists could be settled; and then the whole country would have
navigation too; which would help the village of Fehrbellin and the
town of Ruppin to an uncommon degree。'
KING。 〃'I suppose so! Be a great help to you; won't it; and many
will be ruined by the job; especially the proprietors of the ground
NICHT WAHR?' 'Ha?'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty's gracious pardon 'EW。 MAJESTAT HALTEN ZU
GNADEN;hold me to grace': the ground belongs to the Royal Forest;
and there grows nothing but birches on it。'
KING。 〃'Oh; if birchwood is all it produces; then we may see!
But you must not make your reckoning without your host either; that
the cost may not outrun the use。'
ICH。 〃'The cost will certainly not outrun the use。 For; first; your
Majesty may securely reckon that eighteen hundred acres will be won
from the water; that will be six…and…thirty colonists; allowing
each 50 acres。 And now if there were a small light toll put upon
the raft…timber and the ships that will frequent the new canal;
there would be ample interest for the outlay。'
KING。 〃'Na; tell my Geheimer…Rath Michaelis of it。 The man
understands that kind of matters; and I will advise you to apply to
the man in every particular of such things; and wherever you know
that colonists can be settled。 I don't want whole colonies at once;
but wherever there are two or three families of them; I say apply
to that man about it。'
ICH。 〃'It shall he done; your Majesty。'
KING。 〃'Can't I see Wusterau;' where old Ajax Ziethen lives;
'from here?'
ICH。 〃'Yes; your Majesty; there to the right; that is it。'
It BELONGS to General von Ziethen; and terrible BUILDING he has had
here;almost all his life!
KING。 〃'Is the General at home?'
ICH。 〃'Ja。'
KING。 〃'How do you know?'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty; the Rittmeister von Lestock lies in my village
on GRAZING service; and last night the Herr General sent a letter
over to him by a groom。 In that way I know it。'
KING。 〃'Did General von Ziethen gain; among others; by the draining
of the Luch?'
ICH。 〃'O ja; the Farm…stead there to the right he built in
consequence; and has made a dairy there; which he could not have
done; had not the Luch been drained。'
KING。 〃'That I am glad of!What is the Beamte's name in Alt…
Ruppin?' 'Old Ruppin; I suppose; or part of its endless 〃RUPPIN or
RHYN MERE;〃 catches the King's eye。'
ICH。 〃'Honig。'
KING。 〃'How long has he been there?'
ICH。 〃'Since Trinity…term。'
KING。 〃'Since Trinity…term! What was he before?'
ICH。 〃'Kanonious' 'a canon'。
KING。 〃'Kanonicus? Kanonicus? How the Devil comes a Kanonicus to be
a Beamte?'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty; he is a young man who has money; and wanted to
have the honor of being a Beamte of your Majesty。'
KING。 〃'Why did n't the old one stay?'
ICH。 〃'Is dead。'
KING。 〃'Well; the widow might have kept his AMT; then!'
ICH。 〃'Is fallen into poverty。'
KING。 〃'By woman husbandry!'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty's pardon! She cultivated well; but a heap of
mischances brought her down: those may happen to the best
husbandman。 I myself; two years ago; lost so many cattle by the
murrain; and got no remission: since that; I never can get on
again either。'
KING。 〃'My son; to…day I have some disorder in my left ear; and
cannot hear rightly on that side of my head' (!)。
ICH。 〃'It is a pity that Geheimer…Rath Michaelis has got the very
same disorder!'I now retired a little back from the carriage;
I fancied his Majesty might take this answer ill。
KING。 〃'Na; Amtmann; forward! Stay by the carriage; but TAKE CARE
OF YOURSELF; THAT YOU DON'T GET HURT。 SPEAK LOUD; I UNDERSTAND VERY
WELL。' These words marked in Italics 'capitals' his Majesty
repeated at least ten times in the course of the journey。 'Tell me
now; what is that village over on the right yonder?'
ICH。 〃'Langen。'
KING。 〃'To whom does it belong?'
ICH。 〃'A third part of it to your Majesty; under the AMT of Alt…
Ruppin; a third to Herr von Hagen; and then the High Church (DOHM)
of Berlin has also tenants in it。'
KING。 〃'You are mistaken; the High Church of Magdeburg。'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty's gracious pardon; the High Church of Berlin。'
KING。 〃'But it is not so; the High Church of Berlin has no tenants!'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty's gracious pardon; the High Church of Berlin
has three tenants in the village Karvesen in my own AMT。'
KING。 〃'You mistake; it is the High Church of Magdeburg。'
ICH。 〃'Your Majesty; I must be a bad Beamte; if I did not know what
tenants and what lordships there are in my own AMT。'
KING。 〃'Ja; then you are in the right!Tell me now: here on the
right there must be an estate; I can't think of the name; name me
the estates that lie here on the right。'
ICH。 〃'Buschow; Rodenslieben; Sommerfeld; Beetz; Karbe。'
KING。 〃'That's it; Karbe! To whom belongs that?'
ICH。 〃'To Herr von Knesebeck。'
KING。 〃'Was he in the service?'
ICH。 〃'Yes; Lieutenant or Ensign in the Guards。'
KING。 〃'In the Guards? 'COUNTING ON HIS FINGERS。' You are right:
he was Lieutenant in the Guards。 I am very glad the Estate is still
in the hands of the Knesebecks。Na; tell me though; the road that
mounts up here goes to Ruppin; and here to the left is the grand
road for Hamburg?'
ICH。 〃'Ja; your Majesty。'
KING。 〃'Do you know how long it is since I was here last?'
ICH。 〃'No。'
KING。 〃'It is three…and…forty years。 Cannot I see Ruppin
somewhere here?'
ICH。 〃'Yes; your Majesty: the steeple rising there over the firs;
that is Ruppin。'
KING (leaning out of the carriage with his prospect…glass)。
〃'Ja; ja; that is it; I know it yet。 Can I see Drammitz hereabouts?'
ICH。 〃'No; your Majesty: Drammitz lies too far to the left; close
on Kiritz。'
KING。 〃'Sha'n't we see it; when we come closer?'
ICH。 〃'Maybe; about Neustadt; but I am not sure。'
KING。 〃'Pity; that。 Can I see Pechlin?'
ICH。 〃'Not just now; your Majesty; it lies too much in the hollow。
Who knows whether your Majesty will see it at all!'
KING。 〃'Na; keep an eye; and if you see it; tell me。 Where is the
Beamte of Alt…Ruppin?'
ICH。 〃'In Protzen; where we change horses; he will be。'
KING。 〃'Can't we yet see Pechlin?'
ICH。 〃'No; your Majesty。'
KING。 〃'To whom belongs it now?'
ICH。 〃'To a certain Schonermark。'
KING。 〃'Is he of the Nobility?'
ICH。 〃'No。'
KING。 〃'Who had it before him?'
ICH。 〃'The Courier (FELDJAGER) Ahrens; he got it by inheritance
from his father。 The property has always been in commoners'
(BURGERLICHEN) hands。
KING。 〃'That I am aware of。 How call we the village here
before us?'
ICH。 〃'Walcho。'
KING。 〃'To whom belongs it?'
ICH。 〃'To you; your Majesty; under the Amt Alt…Ruppin。'
KING。 〃'What is the