Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 3 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of England — John Shaqi
Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 3 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of EnglandWraxall, Lascelles, Sir
History
Life and Times of Her Majesty Caroline Matilda, Vol. 3 (of 3): Queen of Denmark and Norway, and Sister of H. M. George III. of England
Wraxall, Lascelles, Sir
Caroline Mathilde, Queen, consort of Christian VII, King of Denmark, 1751-1775; Denmark -- History -- Christian VII, 1766-1808
Of Etats-rath Willebrandt it was alleged that he had been so simple and
bold as to wish to reform the Admiralty College, without having gained
a proper insight of the administration of the navy, much less of the
difference in the business of the department during peace and war, as
he had solely obeyed the order given him to establish the Admiralty
College after the pattern of that of the Generalty. The commissioners,
it is true, declared that it was not within their competence to judge
the value of a plan which in any case had been approved by his Majesty,
and for this reason did not dare to express dissatisfaction with it.
Still they thought themselves at liberty to state that which the result
proved, that a portion of the plan, owing to Willebrandt's ignorance,
produced irregularity and inconveniences, which could only be prevented
by alterations and fresh expenses for the king's treasury. After this, an
allusion was made to the affair with the enrolled sailors, who marched
on Hirschholm in 1771. Willebrandt's offence, therefore--the report
went on to say--consisted in his having undertaken to reform things of
which he had no thorough knowledge, and he thus produced scenes which
might easily have had dangerous consequences. It was not mentioned in
the report, however, that the king had given him this order, that Count
Haxthausen took part in it, and that both, when they drew up the plan,
expressly requested that the new scheme might be previously examined by
professional men.
Professor Berger, the physician in ordinary, also appeared to the
commission to have committed an offence. It was true that all the
medicines found in his house proved to be innocuous; there was no proof
that the steel cure attempted on his Majesty was improper; in the matter
of the rearing of the crown prince he had not agreed in all points with
Struensee, but rather had been the cause that warmer clothing and better
food were granted his royal highness toward the close: it was also true
that he expressed his anger at Struensee having acquired a power which he
considered prejudicial to the nation; but he had given serious offence
by concurring with Struensee, and giving his advice and propositions in
reforms of which he probably knew nothing, more especially in things
which did not concern his trade as physician, or the _res literariæ_
generally. As a proof of this, it was alleged that he had proposed some
persons to fill the places of the dismissed members of the magistracy,
and that Struensee requested him to mention a person who would be
suitable for the chief post in the navy yards. Still the commission would
not venture to judge of the use or disadvantage of such propositions, as
the papers found on the accused and the other prisoners, on which their
argument must be founded, contained no information about them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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