The operas, the carnival gayeties, the intricate considerations and diplomacies of this Winter, at Berlin and elsewhere, may be figured: but here is one little speck, also from the Archives, which is worth saving.

Princess Ulrique is in her twenty-third year, Princess Amelia in her twentieth; beautiful clever creatures, both; Ulrique the more staid of the two.

"Never saw so gay a Carnival," said everybody; and in the height of it, with all manner of gayeties going on,--think where the dainty little shoes have been pinching! PRINCESSES ULRIQUE AND AMELIA TO THE KING.
BERLIN, "1st March, 1743.

"MY DEAREST BROTHER,--I know not if it is not too bold to trouble your Majesty on private affairs: but the great confidence which my Sister [Amelia] and I have in your kindness encourages us to lay before you a sincere avowal as to the state of our bits of finances (NOS PETITES FINANCES), which are a good deal deranged just now; the revenues having, for two years and a half past, been rather small; amounting to only 400 crowns (60 pounds) a year; which could not be made to cover all the little expenses required in the adjustments of ladies.

This circumstance, added to our card-playing, though small, which we could not dispense with, has led us into debts.
Mine amount to 225 pounds (1,500 crowns); my Sister's to 270 pounds (1,800 crowns).
"We have not spoken of it to the Queen-Mother, though we are well sure she would have tried to assist us; but as that could not have been done without some inconvenience to her, and she would have retrenched in some of her own little entertainments, I thought we should do better to apply direct to Your Majesty; being persuaded you would have taken it amiss, had we deprived the Queen of her smallest pleasure;--and especially, as we consider you, my dear Brother, the Father of the Family, and hope you will be so gracious as help us.