Eylau: Precis Des Travaux de la Grande Armée
Letter to the Prussian Minister-of-State on the Political Situation in Germany: 12 October 1806
With H. Exc. Mr. the Count Haugwitz, Minister-of-State and Cabinet of H. M. the King of Prussia, Knight of His Order, the District-General of the King.
Louisenland, 12 of October 1806.
DEAR SIR,
It is always with a true pleasure from which I receive the so flattering renewal of the old sentiments of Your Excellence for me; preserve them to me as at a friend who always inalterably cherished you, and who is tenderly attached to you. I did not fail to put under the eyes of the royal prince the letter of Your Excellence, but I could obtain only one evasive answer; the prince prefers the ministerial ways, and I am not in a position to remark to you his feelings: for mine, you know them, my very dear friend, and you cannot doubt it. I do not allow myself to return on a matter, which you treated in the letter, that you have just made me the honor of writing, so luminously, so entirely to the bottom. God wants to give all the happiest successes to the king and to his armies! He is now the true champion of universal freedom. I do not believe that NAPOLEON will wish to fight in this moment against the Prussian forces and those of almost the whole of Europe joined together against him, without a coalition, by the impulse of the only guaranty of each State, fighter for his own cause, which is into same time the general cause, but which he preferred to negotiate, and to even perhaps sacrifice some provinces invading into Prussia, gaining by-there the time necessary for the training of two hundred and thousand conscripts. But the next year, after having filled his other sights and vast plans, he will try to make you pay with interest when one expects it less, for those things which could have been taken this year but were deprived him. This is why it would be wished that one be absolutely able to get back Wesel through peace, as to present it to the Grand-Duchy of Berg, in compensation of Anspach. Mainz will always be useful, like Wesel besides, with considerable mustering of the troops, which would flood northern Germany, when one would think of it less.
If the Rhine and Mein is not definitely the border of the northern confederation, they will not be in a position to resist any unforeseen aggression of the French; because who can be always armed? If Frankfurt with its territory, Hochsh, Konigstein, does not become Hessian with all the intermediate country, Hesse will be eaten up without being able to resist, early or late, and the state of Prussia becomes very precarious. By compensating the primacy in Franconie, by Bamberg, Aschaffenburg could compensate Darmstadt for all its possessions in-on this side of the Rhine; the whole course of the Lower-Rhine, from Lahn, should belong to Prussia. Any other arrangement is without any consistency, and war would be in this moment quite preferable.
Forgive me, my dear friend, my daydreams; but as you want to testify some confidence to me, I would believe myself guilty not to open my heart without reserve to you; it is perhaps the last moment when one will be able to prevent the total ruin of Europe, by putting some boundaries on this torrential devastator who will absorb all. Moreover, if he can manage to form a kingdom of Poland again, a principal goal of his present negotiations, universal monarchy will soon be a reality. I fear to have said already too much; but if you allow it, I will not let out anything you make me unaware of, persuaded that you will not compromise me.
It is with our perfect friendship, and the most distinguished consideration, which I will not cease being, Sir, of your excellence, the humble one, very obeying servant and old faithful friendly,
CH. L. OF HESSE.
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