THE SECRET AGENT.
THE COURT AT CELLE--MR. WRAXALL--PRESENTATION TO THE
QUEEN--HAMBURG--THE DANISH NOBILITY--THE PROPOSITION--THE
CREDENTIALS--RETURN TO CELLE--BARON VON SECKENDORF--THE QUEEN'S
ACCEPTANCE--ANOTHER VISIT TO CELLE--THE INTERVIEW IN THE JARDIN
FRANCOIS--CAROLINE MATILDA'S AGREEMENT--THE INN IN THE WOOD--BARON
VON BULOW--A STRANGE ADVENTURE--ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND.
There is but little information to be derived about the life of Caroline
Matilda during the year 1773. All we know is, that she continued to
devote her life to charity and literary pursuits. Being endowed with a
rare desire for learning and a splendid memory, she soon became versed in
the beauties of German literature. Every evening before supper she had
either German works read to her or read them herself. "The Death of Abel"
moved her to tears, and Gellert was another of her favourite poets. She
knew many of his hymns by heart, and was fondest of the one beginning "I
ne'er will seek to injure him, who seeks to injure me." She arranged a
small hand library in a turret room hung with green damask, where she
liked most to sit, and amused herself in turn with music and reading.
Although she was a first-rate musician, she continued to take lessons in
the art; but only cared for serious and tragical compositions, and might
frequently be heard confiding to the instrument the grief that agitated
her sorrowing heart.
In order to distract her thoughts, a theatre was arranged in the palace.
On January, 1773, Schröder's celebrated company of comedians came to
Celle, and gave their first performance on the court stage, a spacious
box having been railed off in the pit for the queen, the court, and
the nobility. The queen attended nearly every performance, and the
court chamberlain carefully obeyed the instructions he had received
from London, only to allow amusing performances to take place, so
that Holberg's comedies were frequently played, but never tragedies,
or even serious dramas. That this precaution was necessary, was seen
on the performance of the play "Appearances are Deceptive," in which
the appearance of some children on the stage produced so violent an
impression on the queen, that she at once quitted the playhouse, and, in
spite of the rough breeze, was obliged to walk about for a long time in
the gardens ere she could regain her self-possession. Afterwards, the
court at times acted plays, in order to provide a slight amusement for
their beloved queen.
An idea of Caroline Matilda's mode of life will be best formed, however,
from a perusal of the following letter to her sister, written in the
summer of 1773:--
MADAM AND DEAR SISTER,
Thanks to Heaven for having made me sensible of the futility and
delusion of all worldly pomp and stately nothingness. Believe me
when I tell you that I have not once wished to be again an enthroned
queen. Were my dear children restored to me, I should think, if
there is on this earth perfect happiness, I might enjoy it in a
private station with them; but the Supreme Disposer of all events
has decreed that my peace of mind should be continually disturbed
by what I feel on this cruel and unnatural separation. You are a
tender mother, and I appeal to your own fondness. Pray give my love
to the dear Augusta[47] and all her brothers; now that she is in her
seventh year, she is, I dare say, an agreeable, chatty companion. As
for Charles, he is, I understand, like his father, born a warrior:
nothing but drums, swords, and horses can please his martial
inclination. George, Augustus, and William equally contribute to your
comfort and amusement. Tell them I have some little presents I shall
send them the first opportunity.
You desire to know how I vary my occupation and amusements in this
residence. I get up between seven and eight o'clock; take a walk
in the garden if the weather permits; give my instructions to the
gardener for the day; observe his men at work with that contented
mind which is a perpetual feast; return to my castle for breakfast;
dress myself from ten to eleven; appear in my little circle at
twelve; retire to my apartment about one; read, and take an airing
till dinner; walk again about an hour in the garden with the ladies
of my retinue; drink tea, play upon the harpsichord, sometimes a
little party at quadrille before supper; and, am commonly in bed
before twelve. Every Monday, I receive petitions from real objects
of compassion, and delight in relieving their necessities according
to my power; and thus, every week passes in a regular rotation
of rational conversation, _lectures amusantes et instructives_,
musical entertainments, walks, and a little curious needlework. I
see everybody happy around me, and vie with each other in proofs of
zeal and affection for my person. Now, I can truly say, I cultivate
friendship and philosophy, which are strangers to the throne. I
expect to see you soon, according to your promise; this visit will
add greatly to the comfort of your most affectionate sister,
CAROLINE MATILDA.
But all these efforts were impotent to dispel the expression of gnawing
sorrow, which was imprinted on the countenance of the queen, and was
spread over her whole manner. Toward the middle of 1774, a great
pleasure, however, was caused the queen, by the receipt of a portrait of
her son, the crown prince Frederick, which was sent her from Copenhagen.
Shortly after she had received the picture, her grande maîtresse, Madame
d'Ompteda, entered the room, because she had heard the queen speaking
loudly, and was much surprised at finding her alone. With tears in her
eyes, but with the sweet smile which, even in sorrowful moments, played
round her mouth, she said to the grand mistress:
"You cannot account for hearing me speaking loudly and yet not finding
any one with me? Well, do you know with whom I was conversing? It was
with this dear picture."
And she then produced the portrait of the youthful prince.
"And now that you have surprised me," the queen continued, "you shall
also know what I was saying to the picture. I employed the words which
you a few days ago placed in the mouth of a daughter who had found her
lost father again, except that I have altered them as follows:
Eh! qui donc comme moi gouterait la douceur
De t'appeler mon fils, d'être chère a ton cœur!
Toi, qu'on arrache aux bras d'une mère sensible,
Qui ne pleure que toi, dans ce destin terrible."[48]
On September 18, 1774, Mr. N. W. Wraxall, junior, arrived at Celle. This
gentleman had, at an early age, obtained a profitable employment in the
East Indies, and had even attained some dignity; he, however, threw up
his post for motives which may be made known hereafter but do not belong
here, and returned to England. He was very ambitious, and that ambition
had been fostered by the fact that, having in his youth ransacked the
muniments of Bristol, he had discovered that one of his ancestors was
bailiff of that city in the thirteenth century; but the difficulty
was, to what object would he turn that ambition: he was unknown and
friendless, while, at the same time, the _res angusta domi_ warned him
to be up and stirring. There was but one way of acquiring fame and
popularity: in those days, authorship was more respected, as being rarer,
than it is among ourselves. Mr. Wraxall, therefore, determined first to
make a tour, and then print an account of it, and, for this purpose,
resolved to visit a but little known part of Europe, and thus add novelty
to his descriptions. With this purpose he set out for the North, ran
through Denmark, a portion of Sweden and Russia, and, on his homeward
route, thought there would be no harm in going a little out of his way to
visit the Queen of Denmark: he had learned something about her sad fate
while in Copenhagen, and this had excited a wish to know more, literary
capital being left out of the question.
On September 18, then, Mr. Wraxall waited on Baron Seckendorf,
chamberlain to the queen, who presented strangers. The "Private Journal"
shall tell us how he fared:--
"I went, at half-past one, to the castle of Zell. Monsieur Seckendorf
introduced me to the grand maître of her Highness the Princess of
Brunswick. The princess herself entered in about a quarter of an hour:
she gave me her hand to kiss, and began conversation with me directly;
it was interrupted by the queen's entrance, to whom I was presented,
with the same ceremony. Her Majesty and the princess kept me in constant
talk before and after dinner; we talked of Denmark, of Prince Frederick,
his intended marriage, &c. 'He was a child,' said she (the queen),
'unknown while I was there.' Hirschholm, she said, was her favourite
palace. 'But, tell me,' said the princess, 'about the queen-mother:
she's my aunt, but no matter: say what you will, you may be free--and
for the king, how is he?' I very frankly expressed my sentiments. The
queen asked me a thousand questions about the court of Russia, Sweden,
my travels, &c. The queen asked me, also, about her children, the prince
in particular. I told her how they dressed him now: I assured her I
had been taken for a spy in Copenhagen. Her Majesty related to me Mr.
Morris's affair with Miss Calvert. She was very gay, and seemed in no
way a prey to melancholy. She was very fat, for so young a woman. She
asked me my age. I told her. 'You are, then,' said she, 'exactly as old
as I am; we were born in the same year.' Her features are pretty, and
her teeth very small, even, and white. She resembles his Majesty (George
III.) infinitely in face: but the princess said, not so strongly as she.
I don't think so, and told her royal highness so. Her Majesty appealed
to one of her maids of honour, who agreed in opinion with me. The queen
was dressed in a Barré coloured gown, or at least an orange red, so very
nearly resembling it that I could not distinguish the difference. I asked
her how many languages she spoke. 'Five,' she said, 'Danish, English,
French, German, and Italian.' The princess is much thinner in face, but
not a great deal less in her person: she wants the Queen of Denmark's
teeth, but has a very good complexion. She asked me about the Duchess of
Glo'ster, if I had seen her, if I knew her. 'She is a very fine woman,'
she added, 'even now.' Mrs. C---- was mentioned. 'She was a prodigious
favourite,' I remarked, 'of the Duke of York.' She replied, with a smile,
'For a moment.' She did me the honour to ask me to take Brunswick in my
way next summer, or whenever I visited Germany again. She said she might,
and should, have mistaken me for a Frenchman. 'You don't take that for
a compliment, do you?' the queen observed. 'Indeed, no! I was too proud
of my country.' Macaronies formed a part of our conversation. ''Tis all
over now,' I said, 'the word is quite extinct in England.' 'But, tell
me,' said her Majesty, 'tell me ingenuously, were you not a bit of a one,
while it lasted?' I assured her not. I took my leave soon after dinner.
"Tuesday, Sept. 20.--'Tis a very pleasant, delightful walk round the
ramparts, of a full English mile. The gardens, likewise, near the town
are very pleasant and well kept. The streets of Zell are for the most
part wide enough, and well paved, but the buildings are very old and very
miserable. The fortifications are merely nominal, of no sort of strength.
The castle stands detached from the town; it is a square building,
surrounded by a broad, wet ditch. There were formerly round towers at
the corners, but they have been pulled down. It was built by one of the
ancient dukes of Zell; within it is a quadrangle. About ten o'clock I
went to the Hôtel de Ville, where at this time the shops of the merchants
who come to the fair of Zell are held. Her Majesty the Queen, and her
sister the princess, were there. I had the honour to talk with them near
an hour; we conversed in English most familiarly on fifty subjects--the
Grand Duke of Russia, the empress, the peace between Russia and Turkey,
my travels, Dantzig, formed the chief articles. I showed her Majesty my
medals of the Empress of Russia and some other things. She was dressed
quite à l'Anglaise: a white bonnet, a pale pink nightgown, a gauze
handkerchief, a little locket on her bosom. Her face is very handsome:
they are his Majesty's features, but all softened and harmonized. Pity
she is so large in her person. The princess was quite English all over: a
black hat over her eyes, and a common nightgown with a black apron."
Little anticipating that he should see the Queen of Denmark so soon
again, Mr. Wraxall proceeded leisurely through Hanover, which he says
may be truly described as "a hungry electorate," to Verden and Bremen.
On Sept. 27 he reached Hamburg, and dined with Mr. Hanbury, the English
consul, on the following day. Among the company present were Baron von
Schimmelmann and his lady, Baroness von Bülow, "a very elegant woman,"
and M. le Texier, who had been treasurer to Christian VII. during the
memorable tour. On the next night Mr. Wraxall was gratified at the Opera
with a sight of the celebrated, or rather notorious, Countess Holstein,
of whom he says:--
"I examined her through my glass. She is doubtless pretty, though not in
my opinion so divinely fair as fame says. Her history at Hirschholm is
well known. There was no gallantry, I thought, marked in her features,
though 'tis said she certainly has that quality in her constitution. I
thought of the unhappy Brandt as I looked at her."
At this time the city of Altona, only half a mile from Hamburg, was
crowded with the adherents and partisans of the queen, many of them being
of the first families in Denmark. Hamburg offered more amusements than
Altona, and they were therefore constantly to be found in the houses of
the opulent citizens. Baron von Bülow, master of the horse to the Queen
of Denmark, who was arrested at the time of the palace revolution, and
eventually exiled to Altona, was among the number. They had already
conceived the plan of effecting a counter revolution, and of restoring
Queen Matilda, an enterprise to which they were urged by many motives.
The new ministry in Denmark was already growing unpopular from its
weakness, languor, and incapacity. It was understood that the king
ardently desired the return of his consort. The engaging qualities,
fortitude, and talents of that princess, rendered more interesting by
adversity, had awakened the attachment of the Danes. A numerous and
powerful party in the capital and throughout the nation anxiously desired
her restoration.
It was indispensable, in the first instance, previous to any attempt
on the part of the exiled nobility, to ascertain with precision the
sentiments of the queen herself. It was important for them to know
whether she was willing to return to Copenhagen to resume the sovereign
authority, which the king was incapable of exercising, and to co-operate
with her friends toward her re-establishment. But the attempt to open
any communication with the queen was equally dangerous and difficult.
Though Celle was only eighty English miles distant from Hamburg and
Altona, still, as the northern bank of the Elbe was in, or close to the
Danish territory, the journey to and from Celle was extremely perilous.
The latter court, as well as Altona, was full of spies and emissaries,
maintained by the party possessing the authority at Copenhagen. Such were
their suspicions, and so great was their vigilance, that no person could
have passed and re-passed between those places without being watched.
These impediments had hitherto prevented the queen's adherents from
venturing to send any of their own body to lay their projects before her
Majesty; nor did they appear to have found any other person to whom they
could confide the execution of so momentous a commission. They were still
under this embarrassment when chance threw Mr. Wraxall in their way.
Having supped at the house of Mr. Jerome Matthiesen, where several of the
Danish nobility were invited, Mr. Wraxall was led to talk about Denmark,
from which country he had so recently returned. He expressed, with the
warmth natural to a young man and an Englishman, his respect for Queen
Caroline Matilda, his concern for her sufferings, and his detestation
of the proceedings of her enemies. These sentiments, delivered without
reserve or disguise, impressed the persons present that he might be
induced to undertake the commission of repairing to Celle, negotiating
with the queen, and taking an active part in their intended enterprise
for her restoration.
Two or three of the principal persons concerned having met on the
following day, agreed to sound Mr. Wraxall's dispositions, and if they
found them such as they had reason to suppose, they determined to confide
their project to him. Mr. le Texier, brother-in-law of Mr. Matthiesen,
was selected to execute this task. From the nature of his employment at
the Danish court, this gentleman necessarily had an intimate knowledge
of all the political intrigues as well as the secret history of the
Danish court. At the revolution, he had been sent to Altona. This
gentleman cultivated Mr. Wraxall's friendship with marked assiduity,
visited him frequently, and turned the conversation on the affairs of
Denmark. In order to gain Mr. Wraxall's confidence, he unfolded to him
the concealed causes and springs alluded to. He inveighed against the
mal-administration of the Dowager Queen Juliana and her son Prince
Frederick; lamented the misfortunes of Queen Matilda, and expressed his
wishes for her restoration.
On October 3, 1774, Le Texier called again on Mr. Wraxall, and being
together alone, he asked him, after some rather mysterious and
preparatory conversation, "if he would be ready, and if he were disposed,
to serve the Queen of Denmark?"[49]
Mr. Wraxall immediately answered in the affirmative; and though he was
on the point of returning to England, assured his visitor that he was
ready to devote his labour, and risk his life, if necessary, in such a
cause. Le Texier expressed his strong satisfaction at the reply; conjured
Mr. Wraxall to be silent on everything that had passed, and undertook,
without delay, to take measures for introducing Mr. Wraxall to the
persons at whose request he had sounded him. Mr. le Texier then left his
new ally, in order, as he said, to make his report to his friends, which
they were expecting with anxiety and impatience.
On October 5, Mr. le Texier brought to Mr. Wraxall's lodgings the eldest
son of Baron von Schimmelmann, and left them together. The baron, after
exacting a solemn promise of secrecy, disclosed, not without marks of
great agitation and apprehension, a project which had been formed for
restoring the Queen of Denmark. He reminded his hearer that his life,
his fortune (one of the greatest in reversion of any in Denmark), were
entrusted to a stranger, as well as those of all the persons engaged in
the undertaking. They then entered upon business; and the baron divulged
the plans and the means by which it might be effected. At a second
interview on October 7, Baron von Schimmelmann informed Mr. Wraxall
that, as he was on the point of setting out for Copenhagen, in order
to arrange many circumstances preparatory to, and indispensable for,
carrying out this plan, the latter would receive his further instructions
from Baron von Bülow.
After several interviews with this nobleman, it was finally arranged that
Mr. Wraxall should set out for Celle with all practicable despatch. But
points of material consequence must previously be adopted. Among them,
the most important were the agent's credentials and despatches. It was
dangerous to commit anything to paper, as he might be stopped, searched,
and discovered on the road, which, in more than one place, ran through
the dominions of Denmark. On the other hand, it was indispensable to
convince the queen that he was invested with powers to treat with her, on
the part of the noblemen exiled to Altona, as well as other persons in
various parts of the Danish territories. To obviate these difficulties,
the following expedients were determined on:--
Baron von Bülow delivered to Mr. Wraxall in lieu of credentials a seal,
with which, when in Queen Matilda's family, he was accustomed to seal
those private or confidential communications that he often, from the
nature of his office, had occasion to make to her. He assured Mr. Wraxall
that, so soon as her Majesty should see it, she would have no doubt of
his coming from the baron, and would have faith in what he was empowered
to impart. This seal was to be produced in the event of Caroline Matilda
assenting to the plan.
The plan was, that a numerous and powerful party was disposed to restore
her to the throne, and that they had invested Mr. Wraxall, as their agent
and representative, with powers to treat with her. They were ready and
willing to incur all the dangers or hazard annexed to such an enterprise,
provided she, on her part, agreed to three conditions:--
_First._ That she assured them of her willingness to return to Denmark,
and to assume the reins of government, which the king was incapacitated
to direct in person.
_Secondly._ That she engaged to co-operate with, and to assist her
adherents in every way and by every mode in her power.
_Thirdly._ That she would endeavour to induce the King of Great Britain,
her brother, to extend his protection and assistance toward the success
of the enterprise.
As for obvious reasons it would have been imprudent and hazardous to
commit these propositions to paper, it was left to Mr. Wraxall to draw
up a letter to the queen as soon as he arrived at Celle. It was likewise
settled that, in order more effectually to evade suspicion or enquiry,
he should, on leaving Celle, proceed to Hanover, as if on his way to
Holland, and thence return by cross-roads to Hamburg. In case her
Majesty assented to the three propositions made her, Mr. Wraxall was
authorized to name Baron von Bülow, and young Baron von Schimmelmann, as
the two avowed chiefs of the proposed counter-revolution. No other names
were entrusted to him, as these two were judged sufficient in this early
stage of the business; eight days were calculated as adequate for the
purposes of the mission, and a spot was fixed on in the city of Hamburg
where Mr. Wraxall, on his return, should meet Baron von Bülow at a
certain hour.
Thus authorized and instructed, the agent set out from Hamburg on the
evening of October 8, 1774, travelled all night, and reached Celle on
the ensuing evening. He learned immediately, to his great regret, that
the Hereditary Princess of Brunswick was then in the castle, on a visit
to her sister, the queen. Her presence augmented the difficulties of his
errand, and the Danish nobility had warned him to be on his guard with
respect to her. They dreaded lest the queen, from motives of affection
and confidence, might communicate to her the nature or purpose of his
errand. They were equally afraid of her suspecting or discovering it.
These apprehensions were founded on the circumstance that the queen
dowager of Denmark, Juliana Maria, was sister to the then reigning Duke
of Brunswick, and aunt to the hereditary prince.
One great and important arrangement yet remained to be made ere Mr.
Wraxall could advance further,--the mode of delivering his despatches to
the queen. It was hardly practicable to present a letter to her, except
in public; and even to do that, a pretext was necessary, which might
have, at least, an air of plausibility. Mr. Wraxall, while at Hamburg,
had accidentally heard Mr. Mathias, the British minister, say that he
might have occasion to write to her Majesty at Celle on the subject of
a company of comedians, who were accustomed to repair thither annually
in the autumn, to play for the amusement of the queen. Mr. Wraxall,
therefore, determined to say that he was the bearer of such a letter from
Mr. Mathias, of which he had taken charge on his way back to England,
through Hanover and Holland. He was well aware that he should have the
honour of an invitation to dine at her Majesty's table, and as no better
mode of communicating his errand to her offered itself, he resolved to
give the letter into the queen's hand in the drawing-room, when he should
be presented to her before dinner.
Having formed this resolution, Mr. Wraxall sat down on the night of his
arrival in Celle and drew up a despatch, addressed to her Majesty, in
which he stated every circumstance relating to his mission. He entered
into the requisite detail, only reserving the names of the noblemen who
had sent him, until he should have the honour of being admitted to a
private interview with the queen. He stated the conditions demanded
of her, and concluded by entreating her to favour him with as quick
and explicit an answer as the nature of the subject would admit. He
especially requested her Majesty to take some occasion of re-delivering
his letter to him, for two reasons: one, that it might be unsafe for such
a document to remain in her hands; the other, that the contents of it
would be the best testimony to the persons for whom he was acting that he
had accurately conceived and faithfully executed the purpose for which he
was sent.
Conscious, nevertheless, that such a communication, made to the queen at
a moment when she was totally unprepared for it, before witnesses and in
the presence of the Hereditary Princess of Brunswick, might disconcert
and agitate her, Mr. Wraxall felt the necessity of guarding against so
dangerous an accident as far as possible. Hence he wrote on the first
page of the letter the following words:--
"As the contents of the subsequent letter are of a nature which involve
in them your Majesty's dearest interests, and even your crown and
dignity, it is my duty earnestly to supplicate you, that you will be
pleased on no consideration to peruse them at the present moment; but
to read them when alone. I am likewise bound to entreat you that, as
you regard the safety and welfare of those who are most devoted to your
service, you will endeavour not to betray any agitation or emotion in
your countenance or manner; and, above all, that you will observe the
strictest precaution to prevent her Royal Highness the Princess of
Brunswick from entertaining any suspicion."
These necessary and preparatory precautions having been taken, Mr.
Wraxall called next morning on Baron von Seckendorf, the queen's
chamberlain. Having mentioned that he had a letter for her Majesty from
the English minister at Hamburg relative, as he understood, to the
comedians who were accustomed to visit Celle in that season, the baron
waited on the queen to inform her of the fact. Mr. Wraxall received an
invitation to dine at court in consequence, and went at two o'clock to
the castle. When the queen and the Princess of Brunswick came together
out of their own apartments into the drawing-room, where the few persons
who composed the court were assembled, her Majesty, advancing toward Mr.
Wraxall, said:
"I am glad to see you here again: I understand that you have a letter for
me from Mr. Mathias?"
Mr. Wraxall presented it, and the queen withdrew a few steps to a window
to read it. At the same moment the princess addressed Mr. Wraxall, and he
contrived to detain her in conversation while the queen was employed with
the letter. He noticed her Majesty hastily put it in her pocket, while
her face betrayed the agitation of her mind in the most visible manner.
Fortunately, about that minute dinner was announced, and the company
followed the queen into the eating-room.
At table, Caroline Matilda recovered herself, and conversed with her
usual freedom and gaiety. The queen and princess were seated in two state
chairs, separated nearly five feet from each other. When the dessert
was brought, the queen, unable any longer to restrain her curiosity and
impatience, took the letter from her pocket, and, placing it in her lap,
perused it from the beginning to the end. From time to time she raised
her eyes, and took part in the conversation. The distance at which she
was from the Princess of Brunswick rendered it impossible for the letter
to be overlooked. After taking coffee, the two princesses withdrew, and
Mr. Wraxall returned to the inn where he lodged.
In about three hours Baron von Seckendorf waited on him, and informed
him that her Majesty had sent him in the quality of her confidential
agent: that she had perused with great attention the letter, the contents
of which she had communicated to him, and had chosen him from among
the persons composing her court to conduct the business on her part.
He added, that the queen would, with the utmost readiness, grant Mr.
Wraxall that same night the audience he desired, if the presence of the
princess her sister, who never quitted her for a moment, did not render
it dangerous and impossible. She fully felt the necessity of caution, and
the suspicions which even Mr. Wraxall's stay at Celle might occasion.
Under these circumstances, she wished and enjoined Mr. Wraxall to deliver
his credentials to Baron von Seckendorf, and confide to him the names
of the noblemen from whom he came, as well as every other particular not
contained in the letter.
Thus authorized, and after receiving from Baron von Seckendorf his most
solemn promises of fidelity and secrecy, Mr. Wraxall delivered to him
Baron von Bülow's ring, and acquainted him with everything necessary to
be laid before the queen. On the following morning the baron returned
with the queen's answer, which Mr. Wraxall at once committed to paper in
his presence. It was to the following effect:--
That her Majesty, being under the immediate protection, and depending
on the king her brother, could not consent to any proposition involving
her future destiny and interests, without obtaining his consent and
approbation. That, if she only consulted her own tranquillity and
happiness, she would never desire to revisit Copenhagen, where she had
been so unworthily treated. But that the duties of a mother, and a
queen, being superior to every other sentiment, impelled her not only to
forgive these outrages, but to resume her station in Denmark. That, as
far, therefore, as depended on herself, she agreed to the propositions
made by the Danish nobility, provided it should appear to her, on further
information, that they were sufficiently powerful to effect the intended
counter-revolution. That she desired to be more fully informed at Mr.
Wraxall's next visit of the names of the principal persons concerned,
and the means. Lastly, that she would write in the most pressing and
strenuous manner to his Britannic Majesty, whenever it should be judged
proper so to do, requesting of him to lend his aid and assistance toward
effecting her restoration.
The queen, at the same time, returned Mr. Wraxall Baron Bülow's seal,
which she had recognised, and the letter which he had addressed to
herself. In conformity with a request Mr. Wraxall had made, the queen had
subscribed on the first page of the letter the initials of her name C. M.
She likewise inclosed it in a cover, addressed in her own handwriting to
Baron von Bülow, and sealed with one of her private seals.
Baron von Seckendorf enjoined Mr. Wraxall from the queen to return as
soon as possible to Celle, where she hoped to be able to admit him to an
audience. She likewise desired that he would then give, on being stopped
at the gates, a French name, which she suggested, as by that means,
on seeing the report of all strangers who arrived at Celle, which was
brought to her every morning, she should be apprised of his return. It
was settled that on Mr. Wraxall's next visit to Celle he should take care
to arrive in the night, go round the city, and lodge at a little obscure
inn, called the "Sandkrug," in one of the suburbs.
Having received this satisfactory answer from her Majesty, Mr. Wraxall
left Celle immediately and proceeded to Hanover, where he remained two
days. He then crossed a large portion of the Electorate to Harburg,
and reached Hamburg on the evening of October 15, 1774. On the morning
of the 17th he repaired to the place when Baron von Bülow had arranged
to meet him. The latter affected not to notice him, and turning, Mr.
Wraxall followed him through a number of streets, till they arrived on
the ramparts of the city. There, upon a retired bastion, Mr. Wraxall
delivered the baron the letter, whose seal and address he immediately
recognised as those of the queen, saying, "Oui, bon, je reconnais bien
cette écriture." Mr. Wraxall then related to him all the circumstances
of his journey, the mode he employed to deliver his letter to the queen,
and the subsequent interview with Baron von Seckendorf. The baron
approved highly of all that had been done; promised to communicate the
particulars, and the queen's reply to his associates; and requested Mr.
Wraxall to hold himself in readiness to return to Celle.
During the next six days the couple contrived to meet several times,
though in the meanwhile the baron made excursions into Holstein, in order
to lay before his friends the state of the business, and to concert the
most judicious means for carrying it on to the desired completion. On
October 23, Mr. Wraxall received from him his instructions for his second
journey to Celle. They were, as before, only verbal, and the agent was
empowered to commit them to paper when he should arrive there, observing
the same precautions in receiving them back. They were to the following
effect:--
"That the Danish nobility were grateful for, and perfectly satisfied
with, the answer made by her Majesty to their proposals, and that they
should proceed, in consequence, to concert measures for executing at a
proper time the intended revolution in her favour. That Baron von Bülow,
in addition to his own name, and that of young Baron von Schimmelmann,
was empowered to vouch for Count von Laurvig, his father-in-law, the
viceroy of Norway, who was to secure that kingdom and its capital,
Christiania, for the queen. That old Baron von Schimmelmann, though he
refused to take any active part in the enterprise, or to risk by any
overt act his safety and fortune, was sincerely attached to the cause.
That the governor of Glückstadt, one of the most important places and
fortresses in Holstein, was disposed to aid the queen. That Rendsburg,
the key of the duchy of Schleswig, would open its gates, as the party had
secret adherents in the garrison, who would declare themselves, when it
should prove necessary.
"That their friends were numerous and powerful in the army, the navy,
the guards, in the metropolis, and even about the person of the king
himself. But, that they besought her Majesty to repose on the honour
and assurances given by Baron von Bülow, as representing the party,
and entreated her not to insist on the disclosure of their names--a
disclosure which could be of little or no advantage or gratification
to her, and which might be fatal to them. That they unanimously and
earnestly requested her to write to the King of England immediately, and
confide the letter to their agent, urging the indispensable necessity of
his sending a minister to the court of Copenhagen, where there was then
only a resident, and authorizing such minister to declare, at the time
when the counter-revolution was being effected, that the King of Great
Britain was acquainted with it, approved of it, and would maintain it
with all his power.
"That, as considerable expenses must necessarily be incurred in
conducting and executing a project of such magnitude and importance, they
hoped that the King of Great Britain, if he approved of the attempt to
restore his sister, would be graciously pleased to assist the persons
engaged in her cause with some immediate pecuniary assistance. They
besought the queen to recommend this object to her brother. That during
the winter they would perform everything for striking the blow, and
would, if the answer from England were favourable, proceed to execute it
as soon in the ensuing spring as the two Belts should be free from ice,
and the communication open between the island of Seeland and the mainland
of Jütland.
"That they hoped her Majesty would be pleased to communicate to Baron von
Bülow the tenor of her letter to the King of England, as on his reply,
in a great measure, depended the progress and success of the enterprise.
Baron von Bülow particularly enjoined Mr. Wraxall to ask the queen
whether she would consent to quit Celle and repair to Altona in disguise,
if such a step should at a future time be thought expedient or necessary."
Previous to Mr. Wraxall's departure from Hamburg, he agreed on a meeting
with Baron von Bülow, on October 28, at a posthouse in the wood of
Zährendorf, a solitary hamlet nearly equi-distant from Celle and Altona.
It was settled, that on leaving Celle, Mr. Wraxall should repair to
Zährendorf, _en route_ to Holland, and that the baron, disguised as a
dealer in goods, should go to the same posthouse, without any attendant.
As two travellers, it would be easy to meet and to pass some hours
together, in so unfrequented a place, during the night.
This matter adjusted, Mr. Wraxall set out on October 23rd, but, in
order to elude suspicion from passing the same road so frequently, he
took the Lüneburg road. Between three and four o'clock in the morning
of the 26th he reached the gates of Celle, and, after making use of
the name suggested by the queen, drove round to the little inn in the
suburbs. Baron von Seckendorf having set out on that very morning to pay
a visit to Hanover, Mr. Wraxall was obliged to send an express to him,
acquainting him with his arrival, and requesting his immediate return.
After which, Mr. Wraxall remained concealed in the inn the whole day, and
employed himself in drawing up his despatch to her Majesty.
Early on the following morning the baron entered Mr. Wraxall's room,
and informed him, to his no small satisfaction, that the Princess of
Brunswick was not then in Celle. Mr. Wraxall delivered his letters for
the queen, which the baron went immediately to the castle to deliver.
About four hours after he returned, and desired Mr. Wraxall to go without
the loss of a moment to the Jardin François, a large garden without the
city belonging to the Elector of Hanover, where her Majesty would go
to meet him. He had not arrived there more than ten minutes when the
queen drove up in her coach. She sent away the carriage and all her
attendants, except one lady, who remained the whole time. The interview
lasted about an hour, during the greater part of which they walked in
one of the private vistas of the garden. Toward the end of it, the queen
took Mr. Wraxall into a pavilion where a dessert of fruit was laid, and
he then withdrew by her Majesty's permission.[50] The substance of the
conversation was of so important a nature that I feel bound to quote it
_in extenso_.
* * * * *
Having attentively perused the letter which I had written to her in the
name and by order of the Danish nobility, she was perfectly satisfied
with it in every particular. That the persons named as engaged in the
cause were sufficient to inspire confidence, and that, relying in a
special manner on the attachment, zeal, and talents of Baron von Bülow,
she would dispense with his divulging the names of any more of his
associates. That in compliance equally with their desire and with her
own wishes, she would, without loss of time, write to her brother. That,
if the time permitted, she would readily give in a copy of her intended
letter to be shown Baron von Bülow for his satisfaction, and that of his
friends; but that, as my interview with him in the wood of Zährendorf was
to take place on the following day, and could not be postponed, she must
of necessity delay writing the letter. That she would, therefore, send
it by the royal Hanoverian courier, who would set out for London in two
days, a conveyance, the expedition and safety of which might be relied on.
That, by so doing, his Britannic Majesty would not only be apprised
of my intended arrival, but also of my errand, and, as she hoped, be
disposed to give me a prompt and favourable reply. That Baron von Bülow
might trust to her for writing with energy and earnestness. That she
would press her brother to send a minister to Copenhagen without delay,
and would, in a peculiar manner, urge the necessity of advancing to the
party engaged in her restoration a sum of money. That she thought Baron
von Bülow must know her well enough to be convinced that she was ready
to repair to her friends in any disguise that could be pointed out; but
she was persuaded the king her brother would never permit it. Still, she
added, could I come, or did I come disguised, nobody would know me, as I
am much altered since I was in Denmark.
Her Majesty entered on the state of her own finances, and lamented to me
that the limited nature of her income, as well as some debts which she
had contracted in Holland, rendered it impossible for her to contribute
herself toward a cause in which she was so deeply interested. That she
had not any jewels, the Danes having taken from her everything of that
kind on her quitting Denmark. She was pleased to express her regret at
not having it in her power to give me any testimony of her approbation,
but she assured me of her future protection and recommendation to the
King of Great Britain. "You must," she said, "go very quietly to work
with my brother; if we manage with address, he will favour the attempt;
but it will be tacitly, not openly."
Her Majesty gave me very minute instructions for my conduct, in case I
should have the honour to be admitted by the king to an audience in
London. She moreover charged me with some private and confidential things
relative to her sister, the Princess of Brunswick, which she enjoined me,
on no consideration, to impart to any one, except to the king himself,
and not even to him, unless I should see an opening to do it with a
prospect of good.
On the mode and channel by which I should approach his Britannic Majesty,
she told me she had reflected seriously, and, after mature deliberation,
had determined on the following course:--That by the Hanoverian courier
she would write to Lord Suffolk, then secretary of state for the northern
department, and whose conduct toward her at the time of the revolution in
Denmark, she said, merited her utmost regard. That she would only say in
her letter to him, that "a gentleman, Mr. Wraxall, would shortly wait on
him, charged, on her part, with a very secret and important commission.
That she requested him to give credit to everything communicated to him
by Mr. Wraxall, and, above all, to aid and accelerate by every means in
his power the object of that commission."
As, however, it might be, she conceived, more grateful to the king,
her brother, that a negotiation so delicate and so peculiar should be
transacted through a private, rather than through a public, channel; she
likewise determined to write, by the Hanoverian courier, to the Baron
von Lichtenstein. That nobleman, who occupied the post of marshal of the
court of Hanover, was, she said, then on a visit to England. He had the
honour to be much distinguished by the king, and he had given many proofs
of his devotion to her interests; she, therefore, would write to him to
the same effect as to Lord Suffolk, leaving me at liberty, according
to my discretion, to apply to either on my arrival in London, but
preferring, as far as regarded her own predilection, the medium of Lord
Suffolk. She enjoined me, further, to write to her after I had met Baron
von Bülow, and likewise from England, only observing, in both cases, the
precaution of enclosing my letters, under cover, to Baron von Seckendorf.
* * * * *
During the evening, Mr. Wraxall called on Baron von Seckendorf, from
whom be received a minute of the proposed letter to the King of England,
sent by the queen, which he would communicate to Baron von Bülow. At
ten o'clock at night, Mr. Wraxall started for Zährendorf, which place
he reached in the ensuing afternoon. A short time before nightfall, the
baron arrived, dressed as a tradesman, in an open post-waggon. The couple
passed more than eight hours together. Mr. Wraxall gave the baron the
documents; the latter approved of every measure taken, and authorized
Mr. Wraxall to assure the queen so by letter, as well as to renew to
her, in the name of the party, every possible protestation of zeal and
adherence. He also begged Mr. Wraxall to hasten back from England as soon
as he could, and to be assured of the gratitude of those persons in whose
service he was engaged.[51]
About one in the morning the baron and Mr. Wraxall parted. Previous
to the separation, the latter received a cypher for the future
correspondence, which it was agreed should be carried on under cover
to Mr. le Texier, as less likely to excite suspicion, and that all Mr.
Wraxall's letters should be addressed to Mr. Matthiesen, at Hamburg.
The baron then returned to Altona, by the same conveyance which had
brought him, and the next morning Mr. Wraxall started for England _viâ_
Osnabrück. In the latter city he had a trifling adventure, which seems
extracted from Casanova's Memoirs. I will give it in his own words:--
"I walked over the town, and returned to dinner at four. At about six
my servant announced a "gentleman," who would do himself the honour of
speaking to me. He came in, sat down, and stayed an hour. He requested
me to sup with him and Monsieur le Comte de Marazzani and his lady. I
excused myself on account of fatigue. He spoke English, French, Russian,
Italian, Latin: he was young, apparently of my own age. Finding I would
not accept his invitation, he took leave, first telling me he was the
Baron de Stampe, a German nobleman. I was, I must own, a little surprised
at his visit and manner of introducing himself--'twas odd!
"_Tuesday_, _November_ 1.--I went, at about nine, to visit the count,
countess, and baron. 'Twas a miserable apartment I was shown into. Madame
la Comtesse was a little woman, very young, pretty in face, and her
complexion fair. I kissed her hand, and must avow she had a very fine
hand. They pressed me to stay dinner, or at least to remain in Osnabrück
till two or three o'clock, after which time they would, if necessary,
submit to losing me. I saw at once the deception. She squeezed my hand,
and added a thousand pressing instances to induce me to stay. I pleaded
urgent business. The count insisted on accompanying me to the inn, and
would not be refused. When we arrived, he walked in, told me in a few
words that he just then was in need of a little money, that his letters
of credit were not arrived, that his servant had stolen seventy guineas
and his lady's gold watch; that, therefore, he must request me to lend
him a few ducats. I pitied him, and, had my fortunes been sufficient,
would not have hesitated an instant to have _given_ him what he asked.
But I could not, for I had not even enough to permit me diminishing my
stock, and most frankly told him so. He reasoned the point, pressed,
requested, but 'twas impossible to comply, so he very politely took
leave, promising to visit me in England. I might, I am convinced, have
received the payment from Madame la Comtesse--_there_ was the temptation,
but with such adventurers was too dangerous. They might have served me a
worse trick than Don Raphael and Lamela did by poor Gil Blas, and I might
have had more reason to remember the Countess Marazzani than he had Doña
Camilla. 'Twas a droll adventure: doubtless their intention was to have
won my money by cards or love."
On November 13, Mr. Wraxall embarked from Helvoetsluys, and arrived at
Harwich on the following day. To quote his own words: "This day shall
ever be sacred in my calendar. I had now finished my tour through the
northern kingdoms, and was once more in my native country, after being
absent seven months and three days, from the 10th of April last. I
returned thanks to the protecting gods who had carried me, unhurt,
through so many barbarous nations and Polar regions."
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 47: Eldest sister of H.R.H. Caroline, Princess of Wales.]
[Footnote 48: I found this anecdote carefully preserved among my
grandfather's papers. The person who wrote it down for him, added, "Tout
cœur capable de sentiment, pourra imaginer combien dans la situation
de la jeune Reine, si digne d'un meilleur sort, des scènes pareilles
devoient être attendrissantes, et à quel point on devoit être touché
et pénétré d'admiration, en voyant que ce n'étoit pas le Faste, les
grandeurs, ce trône, l'objet de l'ambition, même des plus grands heros:
mais l'éloignement de sa famille royale, et ses retours sur la situation
de celle ci, qui étoient la source de cette douleur et de ces larmes
d'autant plus amères qu'elle les cachait avec le plus grand soin." This
opinion my readers will assuredly endorse.]
[Footnote 49: My narrative is made up from the "Private Journal" already
mentioned, and a MS. entitled an "Historical Narrative of the Attempt to
Restore the Queen." In the former, my grandfather gives the following
account of the proposition:--"A momentary astonishment covered me, but
it neither altered my cheek nor faltered on my tongue. I felt in the
most unbounded degree where it might lead. I was conscious where it must
lead. I felt myself born for the achievement, and I ardently embraced it.
'Yes,' _I_ said in reply, 'I am the man you seek; give me the commission;
I am ready in a day, an hour, a minute. My life, my labour,--dispose of
them as your own. Enthusiasm I shall not want in such a cause so noble,
so honourable to me.' 'It is well,' he said. 'I am satisfied; wait till
this evening, or, at latest, to-morrow. You shall see and talk with this
person. At the Comédie Française we meet this night. Adieu.'"]
[Footnote 50: In the "Private Journal" I find: "We conversed most
closely, most familiarly, most unreservedly, more than an hour. Her
graciousness and goodness knew no bounds. She described (as to an equal)
the king, and her sister, the Princess of Brunswick, especially the
last. Her dress was very simple and plain. It could scarce be more so."
From the minutes of this conversation, I also find that the queen told
my grandfather that three emissaries had reached her from Copenhagen.
The first was a Dane of the name of Guldenstern, about a year and a half
previously; the second mentioned the name of Count Holstein; he was a
musician, and named some of the bourgeoisie, whom she had never heard of.
The third came about a year before, but his communication was nothing.]
[Footnote 51: The "Private Journal" adds:--"Toward eleven at night, as
we had finished business, our discourse took another turn, and fell on
the Danish affairs. The baron gave me a most interesting and masterly
account of Struensee's administration, his character, and his history.
He explained the manner in which he acquired his Majesty's graces, and
how he kept possession of them. He gave me the relation of the plot
for massacring them all at the "_Bœuf roti_," and how they escaped it.
He passed to the fatal night when the two counts were arrested, and
the wonderful incident of the tea-party, which Madame de Schimmelmann
broke off by her refusal. He ended with his own arrest and honorary
exile. 'Twas a relation to listen to; and I devoured his words. They are
inerasable from my memory."]