The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 24: London to BerlinCasanova, Giacomo
History
The Memoirs of Jacques Casanova de Seingalt, 1725-1798. Volume 24: London to Berlin
Casanova, Giacomo
Casanova, Giacomo, 1725-1798; Europe -- History -- 18th century -- Biography
8. On the eve of a drawing the shareholders' cashier to have an account
of receipts from the lottery cashier, and the former to lock the safe
with three keys, one of which to remain in his hands, one in the hands of
the lottery cashier, and one in the hands of the manager of the lottery.
9. Only the simple drawing, the ambe and the terne to be retained; the
quarterne and the quine to be abolished.
10. On the three combinations a shilling to be the minimum, and a crown
the maximum stake; the offices to be closed twenty-four hours before the
drawing.
11. Ten per cent. to go to Calsabigi, the manager; all expenses of
farming to be paid by him.
12. Calsabigi to be entitled to the possession of two shares, without a
guarantee being required.
I saw by Calsabigi's face that the plan did not please him, but I told
him that he would not get shareholders save on these terms, or on terms
even less favourable to himself.
He had degraded the lottery to the level of biribi; his luxury and
extravagance caused him to be distrusted; it was known that he was head
over ears in debt, and the king could not banish the fear that he would
be cheated in spite of the keenness of his comptroller-general.
The last drawing under the king's sanction made everyone in good spirits,
for the lottery lost twenty thousand crowns. The king sent the money
immediately by a privy councillor, but it was said, when he heard the
result of the drawing, that he burst out laughing, observing,--
"I knew it would be so, and I am only too happy to have got quit of it so
cheaply."
I thought it my duty to go and sup with the director to console him, and
I found him in a state of great depression. He could not help thinking
that his unhappy drawing would make the task of getting shareholders more
difficult than ever. Hitherto the lottery had always been a gainer, but
its late loss could not have come at a worse time.
Nevertheless, he did not lose heart, and the next morning the public were
informed by printed bills that the office would remain closed till a
sufficient number of guarantors were found.
CHAPTER XVIII
Lord Keith--My Appointment to Meet the King in the Garden of Sans-Souci
My Conversation with Frederick the Great--Madame Denis The Pomeranian
Cadets--Lambert--I Go to Mitau My Welcome at the Court, and My
Administrative Journey
The fifth day after my arrival at Berlin I presented myself to the
lord-marshal, who since the death of his brother had been styled Lord
Keith. I had seen him in London after his return from Scotland, where he
had been reinstated in the family estates, which had been confiscated for
Jacobinism. Frederick the Great was supposed to have brought this about.
Lord Keith lived at Berlin, resting on his laurels, and enjoying the
blessings of peace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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