But the fact remains that, while I don't blame Suhm any more than I blame anyone else who wanted to help but couldn't figure out a more effective way of doing it...the effect on Fritz of all these messages he was getting was still profoundly psychologically damaging.
Oh absolutely. Incidentally, in the passage of Mitchell's journal where he mentions Küstrin, he also talks about the FW method of child raising in general and it's worth noting that as opposed to the Henri de Catt Version, here Fritz doesn't use the indirect plural "they" or the anonymous "one". cahn here's the entire passage, copied by yours truly because it's in English already and thus I don't have to translate and am able to do this in minimal time:
He appeared to me to be extremely affected with the death of the Queen Mother—complained that his misfortunes came too thick to be borne; he then was pleased to tell me a great deal of the private history of his family; of the manner in which he had been educated, owning at the same time the loss he felt for the want of proper education, blaming his father, but with great candour and gentleness, and acknowledging that in his youth he had been bien étourdi, and deserved his father's indignation, which, however, the late King, from the impetuosity of his temper, had carried too far. He told me that by his mother's persuasion and that of his sister of Bayreuth, he had given a writing under his hand, declaring that he never would marry any other person but the Princess Amelia of England; that this was wrong, and provoked his father. He said he could not excuse it, but from his youth and want of experience; that his promise unhappily was discovered, the late Queen Caroline, to whom it was sent, having shown or spoke of it to General Diemar. He had betrayed the secret to Seckendorff, who told it to the King of Prussia; upon this discovery, and his scheme of making his escape, his misfortunes followed. He told me, with regard to making his escape, that he had long been unhappy and harshly used by his father, but what made him resolve upon it was, that one day his father struck him, and pulled him by the hair, and in this dishevelled condition he was obliged to pass the parade, that from that moment he had resolved, coute qui coute, to venture it.
That during his imprisonment at * ** he had been treated in the harshest manner; brought to the window to see * * * beheaded; that he fainted away. That [Katt] might have made his escape and saved himself, the Danish minister having given him notice, but he loitered, he believed, on account of some girl he was fond of.
He said the happiest years of his life were those he spent at * * * a house he has given to his brother Prince Henry. There he retired after his imprisonment, and remained till the death of the late King. His chief amusement was study, and making up for the want of education by reading, making extracts, and conversing with sensible people and men of taste that were then about him. He talked much of the obligations he had to the Queen Mother, and of his affection to his sister the Margravine of Bayreuth, with whom he had been bred. He observed that the harmony that had been maintained in his family was greatly owing to the education they had had, imperfect and defective in many things, but good in this, that all the children had been brought up, not as princes, but as the children of private persons. He mentioned the differences there had been between their family and that of Hanover, and spoke of the late King's testament, but with great moderation.
Mitchell does not comment on this in his journal, either, he goes on noting down military news. Ingeneral, he comes across as believing in paternal authority - when Boswell shows up on the Grand Tour and doesn't want what Mitchell's friend, Boswell's Dad has planned for him at all, Mitchell is all "now you listen to your Dad, young man!" - but then Lord Auchinleck, while strict, was no abusive FW.
On this particular occasion, Mitchell was in a bind as well: should he agree or disagree the Hannover Cousins were more dysfunctional than the Hohenzollern?
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Re: Saxon envoys
Date: 2020-02-15 04:59 pm (UTC)Oh absolutely. Incidentally, in the passage of Mitchell's journal where he mentions Küstrin, he also talks about the FW method of child raising in general and it's worth noting that as opposed to the Henri de Catt Version, here Fritz doesn't use the indirect plural "they" or the anonymous "one".
He appeared to me to be extremely affected with the death of the Queen Mother—complained that his misfortunes came too thick to be borne; he then was pleased to tell me a great deal of the private history of his family; of the manner in which he had been educated, owning at the same time the loss he felt for the want of proper education, blaming his father, but with great candour and gentleness, and acknowledging that in his youth he had been bien étourdi, and deserved his father's indignation, which, however, the late King, from the impetuosity of his temper, had carried too far. He told me that by his mother's persuasion and that of his sister of Bayreuth, he had given a writing under his hand, declaring that he never would marry any other person but the Princess Amelia of England; that this was wrong, and provoked his father. He said he could not excuse it, but from his youth and want of experience; that his promise unhappily was discovered, the late Queen Caroline, to whom it was sent, having shown or spoke of it to General Diemar. He had betrayed the secret to Seckendorff, who told it to the King of Prussia; upon this discovery, and his scheme of making his escape, his misfortunes followed. He told me, with regard to making his escape, that he had long been unhappy and harshly used by his father, but what made him resolve upon it was, that one day his father struck him, and pulled him by the hair, and in this dishevelled condition he was obliged to pass the parade, that from that moment he had resolved, coute qui coute, to venture it.
That during his imprisonment at * ** he had been treated in the harshest manner; brought to the window to see * * * beheaded; that he fainted away. That [Katt] might have made his escape and saved himself, the Danish minister having given him notice, but he loitered, he believed, on account of some girl he was fond of.
He said the happiest years of his life were those he spent at * * * a house he has given to his brother Prince Henry. There he retired after his imprisonment, and remained till the death of the late King. His chief amusement was study, and making up for the want of education by reading, making extracts, and conversing with sensible people and men of taste that were then about him. He talked much of the obligations he had to the Queen Mother, and of his affection to his sister the Margravine of Bayreuth, with whom he had been bred. He observed that the harmony that had been maintained in his family was greatly owing to the education they had had, imperfect and defective in many things, but good in this, that all the children had been brought up, not as princes, but as the children of private persons. He mentioned the differences there had been between their family and that of Hanover, and spoke of the late King's testament, but with great moderation.
Mitchell does not comment on this in his journal, either, he goes on noting down military news. Ingeneral, he comes across as believing in paternal authority - when Boswell shows up on the Grand Tour and doesn't want what Mitchell's friend, Boswell's Dad has planned for him at all, Mitchell is all "now you listen to your Dad, young man!" - but then Lord Auchinleck, while strict, was no abusive FW.
On this particular occasion, Mitchell was in a bind as well: should he agree or disagree the Hannover Cousins were more dysfunctional than the Hohenzollern?