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that his end will be disastrous and violent. Not long ago, grasping the English envoy's hand, Ah, mon ami!' said he, 'je suis réservé pour des nouveaux et des grands Je mourrai comme

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mily of Poniatowski, it is on him that the empress of Russia will probably cause it to devolve, whenever it may become vacant. He certainly entertains hopes of ascending the throne; and with a view of facili- malbeurs. tating so great an object of ambi-Charles Premier d'Angleterre." tion, he has been not long since in Such predictions, it is evident, are the court of Petersburg. All cir- merely the apprehens.ons of a man, cumstances considered, it is how- who sees the precarious tenure by ever very improbable that these vi- which he holds his crown; who is sions of royalty will ever be realised, surrounded by enemies domestic as or that the sceptre will be perpetu- well as foreign; and who anticipates ated in the collateral descendants of as certain dangers which are only the eigning sovereign. contingents. Yet we must confess that there is too much reason to tremble for the fate of Stanislaus. The tempests which at present seem overblown, will probably wake again, and may finally overturn both the sovereign and the republic of Poland."

"A dark cloud overspreads the evening of Stanislaus's life and reign; he feels its pressure, and sometimes gives vent to the agitations of his nind, on the tender subject of his future prospects. Many times has he predicted to Mr. Wroughton,

CHARACTER and ANECDOTES of PRINCE KAUNITZ,
FIRST MINISTER OF MARIA THERESA.

[From the second Volume of WRAXALL'S MEMOIRS.]

N 1754, at forty-three years of when attacked by France and Ba

supplanted his predecessor count Uhfeldt, was constituted minister for foreign affairs. The great war, commonly called in Germany, the War of Seven Years,' broke out soon afterwards. For a century and a half, the house of Bourbon had been the inveterate enemy of every emperor, from Ferdinand the Second, down to Charles the Sixth: while England, from the accession of William the Third, almost inva ribly sustained the Austrian interests. To the active interposition and assistance of the cabinet of London, aided by the enthusiasm of the people, Maria Theresa herself, 1799.

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was not a little indebted for her preservation. Prince Kaunitz, nevertheless, undertook, in defiance of every impediment, to unite the courts of Vienna and Versailles : he succeeded in the attempt, and concluded in 1756 the celebrated treaty, which still continues to connect them. It is not unworthy of remark, that in the lapse of two centuries, no matrimonial alliance had ever taken place between the Imperial branch of the Austrian family, and that of Bourbon; Elizabeth, daughter of the emperor Maximilian the Second, who was the last instance, having been mar·

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ried to Charles the Ninth of France, as long ago as 1570. The archdachess Maria Antonietta, by her union with Louis the Sixteenth, only eight years since, in 1770, form ed the cement of this new system, which seems likely to remain unshaken, at least during the life of the present minister. At the moment that I am writing, the French ambassador, who acts openly as me diator on the part of Austria, is about to appear in that character, at the approaching conferences for peace. We may nevertheless reasonably doubt, whether the affected interposition of France in favour of her ancient rival is not more ostensible than real; and whether the cabinet of Versailles, far from wishing to extricate, does not secretly enjoy the embarrassments of its Imperial ally. How can France, in fact, sincerely desire the aggrandisement of the house of Austria? Prince Kaunitz himself, though the original author of the present system of alliance, yet appears to feel how inefficacious it must ever prove, in uniting or blending the interest of the two states. On a variety of occasions, he has manifested far more consideration for the English nation, than for the French.

"It is difficult to conceive any as cendant more confirmed, or any influence more imperious, than prince Kaunitz's over the empress: a circumstance, the singularity of which is increased, when we reflect that she is neither a weak, nor an indolent woman. In order to attain to such a height of power, we are naturally led to suppose, that besides his superior abilities for government, he has not been negligent of the arts which conciliate royal favour. That he does not maintain himself in his present elevation, by any such compliances or attentions, is, howeyer,

certain. Never did any minister appear to sacrifice so little either to the prejudices, or even to the wishes and requests of his sovereign. He treats with equal indifference the testimonies of her partiality, or of her resentment. Far from desiring to see her frequently, it is an act of compliance when he visits her. His palace in Vienna is contiguous to that of the empress, and not a hundied paces from her very chamber. He is not ignorant of the pleasure which she would receive from seeing and conversing with him on matters of public business; yet, in defiance, or in neglect of her repeated messages, he rarely visits ber except on particular occasions, more. than once in twelve days or a fortnight. Every thing is transacted between them by correspondence.

"As if the refusal to gratify her reasonable demands, were not a sufficient proof of his ascendancy over her, he shocks her very prejudices. Nay, in more than one instance, Maria Theresa has descended to acts of complaisance, and almost of personal humiliation, in favour of her minister, which I hardly can venture to mention, from their incredibility. Prince Kaunitz, till within the last few years, was not only attached to women, but gave himself no trouble to conceal his irregularities. On the contrary, it seemed as if he wished to render them public and notorious. Actresses, dancers, and operagirls of distinguished beauty or accomplishments, lived under his immediate protection. The Gabrieli, who has been so celebrated, from Palermo to Petersburg; the Foli azzi, and various other Italians, known either by the charms of their voice or their person, have successively shared the Austrian minister's affection. It is a fact, that when he has gone to wait on the empress, he

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has carried his mistress in the carriage with him to the gate of the palace; and that she has remained in the coach, while he went to transact business with her majesty, from whose presence he immediately returned to her.

"That a dissolute, or a libertine princess should, from considerations of policy, overlook and pardon such trespasses against decorum, would excite no surprise. But, that a sovereign, who, rigidly virtuous in her own conduct, severely represses all infractions of morality in others, should nevertheless permit her first minister with impunity to commit such irregularities, appears a sort of paradox. The greatest subject in rank throughout the Austrian dominions, who, encouraged by the precedent, were to attempt the same thing, would soon repent his temerity. Even prince Kaunitz him. self, I am assured, has been many times on the point of receiving his dismission from all his offices; more, however, on account of the obstinacy with which he has refused to obey the empress's commands, than from her resentment at his conduct in other respects. In vain would any future minister attempt a similar experiment: his disgrace and ruin would be the infallible consequence. Not only the present minister's faents and services plead for him. Long prescription and habit have made his very weaknesses respectable in Maria Theresa's eyes. They have grown old together, have shared the same dangers, weathered the same storms, and are now too intimately acquainted with each other's failings, as well as virtues, to separate in the evening of life. These causes sufficiently account for his present power, and probably secure his future authority against all at tack. No man here looks forward

to a change of administration, except by the death of the actual possessor. In case of such an event, either prince Staremberg, who now governs the Low Countries, or count Cobenzel, Jately returned from Berlin, where he was envoy, are regarded as likely to succeed. The latter of those ministers is about to assume an important part, in the approaching negotiations for peace between Austria and Prussia.

"Against the event to which I have alluded, as the only one capable of causing an alteration in the councils of the empress, prince Kaunitz takes every possible precaution. No man ever dreaded dissolution more, and age does not seem to have in any measure reconciled him to its approach. All his exertions systematically tend to prolong his life, and his powers of enjoyment, or of gratification. He neglects no means of protracting the term of his existence, which ingenuity can devise, or wisdom can suggest. At table, though he eats very plentifully, he no longer commits any excess; and in order to maintain his health, while he procures an appetite, he never fails to ride in the manège for a considerable time, every day. A variety of horses brought from all parts of Europe, which he mounts by turns, and manages with no little force as well as address, considering his age, equally contribute to amuse, and to invigo rate him. He has long since renounced every other pleasure incompatible with his great object, the preservation of life. These attentions would be laudable, or at least excusable, if he had not the weakness to fear and to deprecate death, more than a wite man, who knows the uncertain tenure of mo tality, can be justified in doing, His apprehensions are so puerile,

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and so well known, that no person even mentions death in his presence; a circumstance of which strangers are soon apprised, after their arrival at Vienna. Above all, he dreads the small-pox; a disease which he has never had, and against which he is continually on his guard. Unless some unexpected accident should shorten his career, he certainly bids fair to attain the age of cardinal Fleury; and like him, to govern with almost unlimited authority, long after the period when men are usually incapacitated, or indisposed by infirmities, for active

exertion,

"Never, perhaps, did a first minister request so few and receive so many favours from his sovereign, as prince Kaunitz. I know from indisputable authority, that the empress confers, absolutely unasked and unsolicited, almost every gratification or emolument, which is possessed by himself and the other branches of his family. The eldest of his four sons, count Ernest,is employed in a civil capacity at home, and has been honoured with the order of the

Golden Fleece. Two of the others, Dominick and Joseph, are foreign ministers, one at Madrid, the other at Petersburg. But, the prince their father is not supposed to be rich; an incontestable proof that his administration has been more directed to public objects, than to the accumulation of private wealth. Those persons who most severely criticise, or reprobate his system of policy, (and many such are to be found here), yet adinit his superiority to every sordid or mercenary consideration. So inattentive is he even to the interests of his own children, that they have themselves frequently reproached him with indifference, or with want of exertion on that head. It is difficult

to ascertain whether this inattention arises most from genuine dišinterestedness, from carelessness of temper, or from a high spirit of independence; perhaps from a combination of all those qualities. His appointments, as chancellor of state, and minister for foreign affairs, though considered as ample here, are far inferior to the salary enjoyed by a first lord of the treasury and chancel'or of the exchequer with us, when those offices are united in the same person. Including the allowance for his table, they do not exceed forty thousand florins, or about four thousand pounds sterling a year. The difference in the value of money, and in the price of the essential articles of ordinary cossumption, must, it is true, be allowed greatly in favour of Vienna. But prince Kaunitz sits down regularly to a table of sixteen or eighteen covers, every day; while an English minister is not compelled to any such expence.

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"In his person, prince Kaunitz is tall, thin, and well-made, though destitute of elegance or grace. his face has not been handsome, it is nevertheless a countenance, in which are stamped the strong cha racters of sense and intelligence. His manners are stiff; yet, there is in them something characteristic and peculiar, which, while it foreibly attracts attention, by no means disgusts or displeases. He usually dresses with simplicity; but, on par ticular occasions, I have seen him magnificently habited. The Toi

son d'Or,' ornamented with brilliants, he never fails to wear on his breast. He has likewise received the order of St. Stephen,' instituted by Maria Theresa in 1764; and he enjoys the particular privilege of wearing the star in diamonds, which the sumptuary laws here forbid to

every

every other subject. The letter, or rather note, written to him by the empress, when she conferred on him this mark of distinction, is in a style so different from the ordinary one of princes, and bespeaks so much sensibility, that I cannot resist inserting it here. It was addressed to prince Kaunitz near thirteen years ago, on the marriage of the archduchess Christiana to prince Albert of Saxony, in April, 1760. The person who gave it me, copied it from the original; and I prefer it to any of the brilliant and stadied letters of Frederic, which are circulated and read with such admiration all over Germany.

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'Ce n'est pas seulement par dispense de Grand Maitre, mais par distinction, que vous pouvez por'ter la Croix de l'Ordre de St. Etienne, en diamans. Vous avez 'tant contribué à l'illustrer, que je saisis avec avidité cette occasion si chère à mon cœur, de vous témoigner ma reconnoissance, qui < vous est due depuis long-temps, et qui ne finira qu'avec ma vie. MARIE THERESE.' "After the careless or independent manner in which prince Kaunitz behaves towards the empress, it cannot excite surprise that he treats his equals and interiors with still greater marks of contemptuous unconcern. Towards the nobility at large of both sexes, as well as towards the ministers of foreign courts, he hardly observes any measures of decorum. Far from accosting them when they enter his drawing-room, or as they surround his billiard table, he frequently turns his back on them at the moment when they are about to pay him their court, or when they are desirous of entering into conversation with him. If the French ambassafor is exempted from so humili

ating a treatment, he owes it purely. to the necessity that prince Kaunitz feels, of managing in some measure the representative of a powerful court, which has connected itself by ties of marriage and of policy with Austria. But the presence of monsieur de Breteuil imposes on him no restraint whatsoever. In company with the first persons of both sexes, at his own table, he does not hesitate every day after dinner, to pass at least a quarter of an hour in the disgusting occupation of cleaning his teeth, which he performs in all the minute ceremonies of the toilet. Perhaps such an insult to decency and to good breeding never was committed in any civilised country. Certainly it is not known elsewhere; and it would have excited astonishment, mixed with aversion, if it had been prac tised by Charles the Twelfth himself; who, though he was accustomed to spread his butter with his thumbs, yet never violated wantonly the rules of civility towards ladies, I have been present frequently at the scene to which I allude, in company with the most distinguished men and women in Vienna, Austrians as well as foreigners. It is difficult to push contempt for all the forms of polished society to a greater length.

"The Austrian first minister rises very late, usually at, or nearly about noon; but he transacts public business in bed during the whole morning, where his secretaries attend for that purpose. At one o'clock he takes chocolate. His hour of dinner is uncertain, varying capriciously from four o'clock, to five, six, and seven in the evening; in consequence of which want of punctuality, all who are able have running footmen stationed in the prince's antichamber, to bring them intimation when he is about to apB3

pear.

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