Strangely enough, both in BLUMENTHAL and in Chodowiecki's ENGRAVING the year is given as 1785 (plainly impossible); _Militair-Lexikon_ misprints the month; and, one way or other, only Rodenbeck (iii.

316) is right in both day and year.] Following in date these small Conway Phenomena, if these, so extraneous and insignificant, can have any glimmer of memorability to readers, are two other occurrences, especially one other, which come in at this part of the series, and greatly more require to be disengaged from the dust-heaps, and presented for remembrance.
In 1775, the King had a fit of illness; which long occupied certain Gazetteers and others.

That is the first occurrence of the two, and far the more important.

He himself says of it, in his HISTORY, all that is essential to us here:-- "Towards the end of 1775, the King was attacked by several strong consecutive fits of gout.

Van Swieten, a famous Doctor's Son, and Minister of the Imperial Court at Berlin, took it into his head that this gout was a declared dropsy; and, glad to announce to his Court the approaching death of an enemy that had been dangerous to it, boldly informed his Kaiser that the King was drawing to his end, and would not last out the year.