opinions of his own, nor habits of forming his
own judgment, he falls unfortunately too much into the hands of the
military officers, particularly the aides-de-camp with whom he
lives, and their influence is, in consequence, powerful enough to
weigh sometimes against the opinions of the Ministers whom he
employs.

The general idea here is, that the person who has most weight with
him is an aide-de-camp named Kochentz, of whose honesty there is no
suspicion, but whose talents and capacity are of a very inferior
description, and who is therefore open to the artifices of bad and
designing men, who work powerfully through him upon the King.

Haugwiz is believed to be sincere in his apprehensions of the
general danger of French republicanism, and is considered as
struggling against the more immediate followers of the King, who
surround him daily, and haunt him with the dreadful consequences of
war to Prussia, and the old jealousies and distrusts of Austria.

If the Court of Vienna should at last act, as I am almost disposed
to think they will rather than send back the Russian troops at the
requisition of France, the beginning of hostilities from that Court
cannot fail of producing a good effect here; the great danger is,
that while each is waiting for the other to begin, the time for
useful and effective exertion will pass by.

I have seen Sieyes at Court with his scarf and cockade. What
Lavater would say of his features I know not, but I have seldom
seen a countenance of so bad impression. His manners, conduct and
appearance here have produced nothing but disgust in all that are
not of the lower ranks of life, but it is to those that his mission
is considered as being chiefly addressed, and he is said to have
both means and agents enough to work through upon the lower classes
of men here.

I have heard nothing from England or Ireland since I left Yarmouth,
nothing of Union, and nothing of you; but how can I till the
summer, if the last ten days of soft weather will not unlock the
inhospitable ice of the Elbe at Cuxhaven? We are all well. God send
that you and yours are so. Love to Lord B. and George and Mary. The
Major is, I trust, soon expecting you in England.

God bless you, dearest brother. You will be glad to hear great part
of my