e ryes, pulses, barleys of
that dim region; who, and whose Crabmill, in the year 1779-1780,
burst into a notoriety they little dreamt of, and became famous in the
fashionable circles of this Universe, where an indistinct rumor of them
lives to this day. We indicated Arnold and his Mill in Wedell's time;
Wedell's scene being so remote and empty to readers: in fact,
nobody knows on what paltriest of moors a memorable thing will not
happen;--here, for instance, is withal the Birthplace of that Rhyming
miracle, Frau Karsch (Karschin, KarchESS as they call her), the Berlin
literary Prodigy, to whom Friedrich was not so flush of help as had
been expected. The child of utterly poor Peasants there; whose poverty,
shining out as thrift, unweariable industry and stoical valor, is
beautiful to me, still more their poor little girl's bits of fortunes,
"tending three cows" in the solitudes there, and gazing wistfully into
Earth and Heaven with her ingenuous little soul,--desiring mainly
one thing, that she could get Books, any Book whatever; having
half-accidentally picked up the art of reading, and finding hereabouts
absolutely nothing to read. Frau Karsch, I have no doubt, knows the
Crabmill right well; and can, to all permissible lengths, inform the
Berlin Circles on this point. [See JORDENS (Karschin), ii. 607-640.] An
excellent Silesian Nobleman lifted her miraculously from the sloughs of
misery, landed her from his travelling-carriage in the upper world of
Berlin, "January, 1761" (age then thirty-nine, husband Karsch a wretched
drunken Tailor at Glogau, who thereupon enlisted, and happily got
shot or finished): Berlin's enthusiasm was, and continued to be,
considerable;--Karschin's head, I fear, proved weakish, though her
rhyming faculty was great. Friedrich saw her once, October, 1763,
spoke kindly to her (DIALOGUE reported by herself, with a Chodowiecki
ENGRAVING to help, in the MUSEN-ALMANACHS ensuing); and gave her a
10 pounds, but never much more:--"somebody had done me ill with him,"
thinks the Karschin (not thinking, "Or perhaps nobody but my poor self,
and my weakness of head"). She continued rhyming and living--certain
Principalities and High People still standing true--till "12th October,
1791."

Crabmill is in Pommerzig Township, not far from Kay:--Zullichau, Kay,
Palzig, Crossen, all come to speech again, in this Narrative; fancy how
they turned up in Berlin dinner-circles, to Dictator Wedell, gray old
gentleman,