I, four years afterwards, obtained information concerning this affair: I met Schroeder, knew him, and inquired whether he had received these sixteen hundred florins. He answered in the affirmative. “No one believed you would ever more see the light. I knew you would serve me, and that you would relieve my necessities. I went and spoke to Dr. Berger; he agreed we should halve the sum, and his contrivance was, I should make oath I had lent you a thousand florins, without having received your note. The money was paid me by M. Frauenberger, to whom I agreed to send a present of Tokay, for Madam Huttner.”
This was the manner in which my curators took care of my property! Many instances I could produce, but I am too much agitated by the recollection. I must speak a word concerning who and what my curators were.
The Court Counsellor, Kempf, was my administrator, and Counsellor Huttner my referendary. The substitute of Kempf was Frauenberger, who, being obliged to act as a clerk at Prague during the war, appointed one Krebs as a sub-substitute; whether M. Krebs had also a sub-substitute is more than I am able to say.
Dr. Bertracker was fidei commiss-curator, though there was no fidei commissum existing. Dr. Berger, as Fidei Commiss-Advocate, was superintendent, and to them all salaries were to be paid.
Let us see what was the business this company had to transact. I had seventy-six thousand florins in the Hungarian Chamber, the interest of which was to be yearly received, and added to the capital: this was their employment, and was certainly so trifling that any man would have performed it gratis. The war made money scarce, and the discounting of bills with my ducats was a profitable trade to my curators. Had it been honestly employed, I should have found my capital increased, after my imprisonment, full sixty thousand florins. Instead of these I received three thousand florins at Prague, and found my capital diminished seven thousand florins.
Frauenberger and Berger died rich; and I must be confined as a madman, lest this deputy should have been proved a rogue. This is the clue to the acquittal I was obliged to sign:—Madam K--- was a lady of the bedchamber at court; she could approach the throne: her chamber employments, indeed, procured her the keys of doors that to me were eternally locked.
Not satisfied with this, Kempf applied to the Empress, informed her they were acquitted, not recompensed, and that Frauenberger required four thousand florins for remuneration. The Empress laid an interdict on the half of my income and pension. Thus was I obliged to live in poverty; banished the Austrian dominions, where my seventy-six thousand florins were reduced to sixty-three, the interest of which I could only receive; and that burthened by the above interdict, the fidei commissum, and administratorship.
The Empress during my sickness ordered that my captain’s pay, during my ten years’ imprisonment, should be given me, amounting to eight thousand florins; which pay she also settled on me as a pension. By this pension I never profited; for, during twenty-three years, that and more was swallowed by journeys to Vienna, chicanery of courtiers and agents, and costs of suits. Of the eight thousand florins three were stolen; the court physician must be paid thrice as much as another, and what remained after my recovery was sunk in the preparations I had made to seek my fortune elsewhere.
How far my captain’s pay was matter of right or favour, let the world judge, being told I went in the service of Vienna to the city of Dantzic. Neither did this restitution of pay equal the sum I had sent the Imperial Minister to obtain my freedom. I remained nine months in my dungeon after the articles were signed, unthought of; and, when mentioned by the Austrians, the King had twice rejected the proposal of my being set free. The affair happened as follows, as I received it from Prince Henry, Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, and the Minister, Count Hertzberg:—General Reidt had received my ten thousand florins full six months, and seemed to remember me no more. One gala day, on the 21st of December, the King happened to be in good humour; and Her Majesty the Queen, the Princess Amelia, and the present monarch, said to the Imperial Minister, “This is a fit opportunity for you to speak in behalf of Trenck.” He accordingly waited his time, did speak, and the King replied, “Yes.”
The joy of the whole company appeared so great that Frederic the Great was offended!