s my splendid success in Russia displeased the great Frederic, whose
persecution everywhere attended me, and who supposed his interest injured
by my success in Russia. The incident I am going to relate was, at the
time it happened, well known to, and caused much agitation among all the
foreign ambassadors.

Lord Hyndford desired I would make him a fair copy of a plan of
Cronstadt, for which he furnished the materials, with three additional
drawings of the various ships in the harbour, and their names. There was
neither danger nor suspicion attending this; the plan of Cronstadt being
no secret, but publicly sold in the shops of Petersburg. England was
likewise then in the closest alliance with Russia. Hyndford showed the
drawing to Funk, the Saxon envoy, his intimate friend, who asked his
permission to copy it himself. Hyndford gave him the plan signed with my
name; and after Funk had been some days employed copying it, the Prussian
minister, Goltz, who lived in his neighbourhood, came in, as he
frequently paid him friendly visits. Funk, unsuspectingly, showed him my
drawing, and both lamented that Frederic had lost so useful a subject.
Goltz asked to borrow it for a couple of days, in order to correct his
own; and Funk, one of the worthiest, most honest, and least suspicious of
men, who loved me like a brother, accordingly lent the plan.

No sooner was Goltz in possession of it than he hurried to the
chancellor, with whose weakness he was well acquainted, told him his
intent in coming was to prove that a man, who had once been unfaithful to
his king and country, where he had been loaded with favours, would
certainly betray, for his own private interest, every state where he was
trusted. He continued his preface, by speaking of the rapid progress I
had made in Russia, and the free entrance I had found in the chancellor's
house, where I was received as a son, and initiated in the secrets of the
cabinet.

The chancellor defended me: Goltz then endeavoured to incite his
jealousy, and told him my private interviews with his wife, especially in
the palace-garden, were publicly spoken of. This he had learned from his
spies, he having endeavoured, by the snares he laid, to make my
destruction certain.

He likewise led Bestuchef to suspect his secretary, S-n, was a party in
the intrigue; till at last the chancellor became very angry; Goltz then
took my plan of Cronstadt from his pocket, and added, "Your excellency is