re: Borcke letters - those would be in French, though, so maybe not the best to compare the handwriting. Then again, it would give an idea of how practiced his writing was at the time. Because I feel like the handwriting of teenage!Fritz would have to be different even from 22-year-old Fritz in 1734. (His 1728 letter to Wilhelmine looks very much like teenage writing, but I'm not sure how much he was actually trying to imitate her handwriting in that one tbh. Kind of looks like it.)
By the way, did you compare this letter to the few facsimiles of Fredersdorff letters Richter included or just the transcriptions for spelling? Because if it doesn't quite match the 40s/50s handwriting in those, that could also be a hint for an earlier date. (As is the German, tbh. Because we know Peter wrote to Fritz in French in later years, so I don't see why that would change or why Fritz would answer in German all of a sudden.)
re: secret library - didn't that exist in 1727 already, with Duhan's help?
Honestly, this whole letter is really curious to me. Each sentence on its own makes perfect sense for one point in time or other, but all of them together like this? Conundrum.
Also, does the "chagrin, affairs, work, and worries" line strike anyone else as more King than pre-1730 Crown Prince? I mean, I could see him writing that even as a sixteen-year-old, but somehow, it seems more like something King Fritz might list in this way. Especially the work part - I'd expect Crown Prince to mention drill or hunting or something like that, especially if he's writing from Wusterhausen. (And keeping it vague in case of interception is pretty unlikely, given the creditors talk. Then again, the creditors seem more like Crown Prince Fritz indeed, because I'd expect King Fritz to simply order Fredersdorf for example to pay for things that need paying when he's away.)
Re: Letter from Fritz...to Peter?
By the way, did you compare this letter to the few facsimiles of Fredersdorff letters Richter included or just the transcriptions for spelling? Because if it doesn't quite match the 40s/50s handwriting in those, that could also be a hint for an earlier date. (As is the German, tbh. Because we know Peter wrote to Fritz in French in later years, so I don't see why that would change or why Fritz would answer in German all of a sudden.)
re: secret library - didn't that exist in 1727 already, with Duhan's help?
Honestly, this whole letter is really curious to me. Each sentence on its own makes perfect sense for one point in time or other, but all of them together like this? Conundrum.
Also, does the "chagrin, affairs, work, and worries" line strike anyone else as more King than pre-1730 Crown Prince? I mean, I could see him writing that even as a sixteen-year-old, but somehow, it seems more like something King Fritz might list in this way. Especially the work part - I'd expect Crown Prince to mention drill or hunting or something like that, especially if he's writing from Wusterhausen. (And keeping it vague in case of interception is pretty unlikely, given the creditors talk. Then again, the creditors seem more like Crown Prince Fritz indeed, because I'd expect King Fritz to simply order Fredersdorf for example to pay for things that need paying when he's away.)