• 362. Caroline to Wilhelm Schlegel in Berlin: Jena, 3 June 1802
[Jena, 3 June 1802] [1]
I responded to the attached billet from Paulus by saying I would send it along to you, which I am herewith doing. [2] You must decide whether you have already settled this debt.
I had a look at everything you passed on to me in the way of your and Madam Veit’s bills during my absence. These 12 rh. 16 gr. are not noted, nor could they be according to Paulus’s account. By contrast, in the invoice from Schirmer dating to precisely the same period when that sugar and coffee would have been consumed, to wit, from May till late July 1800, while I find no coffee, I do indeed find 1 ℔ sugar entered on credit. There can be no doubt that you in no way genuinely consumed it. You will probably answer Paulus yourself.
|331| I am quite certain that the only copy of the fairy tales I have is the one I recently took with me, which I was no longer able to pack into my suitcase and which you probably saw en route. [3]
I still have not had time to organize the previously discussed papers, but I will be getting to it very soon now. [4]
3 June
Notes
[1] Erich Schmidt did not include in his edition the text for the entire first paragraph. The omitted text reads as follows in the manuscript (Digitale Edition der Korrespondenz August Wilhelm Schlegels; line breaks as in original; transcription by the translator and Hedwig T. Durnbaugh):
Auf beykommendes Billet von Paulus habe ich geantwortet
daß ich es dir zuschicken wollte, welches ich hiemit thue.
Du mußt entscheiden ob du die Schuld nicht schon
berichtigt hast; ich habe alles nachgesehn was du mir
von deinen u der Veit Rechnungen in meiner Abwesenheit
übergabest; diese 12 rhthl 16 gr sind nicht angemerkt, wie
sie’s dann auch nach Paulus Bericht nicht konnten, dagegen
finde ich aber in der Rechnung bey Schirmer welche
in die Zeit fällt, wo jener Zucker u Caffeé hätte[n?] verbraucht
werden müssen, nämlich vom May bis gegen Ende Jul. 1800
zwar keinen Caffeé, aber wöchentlich 1 ℔ Zucker
angeschrieben. Dass du sie auf keinen Fall wirklich
verbraucht hast, leidet keinen Zweifel. Du antwortest
Paulus wohl selbst. Back.
[2] Erich Schmidt, (1913), 2:638, notes that Caroline enclosed an invoice from Heinrich Eberhard Gottlob Paulus for coffee and sugar from the time during the summer of 1800 when Dorothea Veit was responsible for keeping the household at Leutragasse 5 running while Caroline was in Bamberg and Bocklet (Schauplatz der Natur und der Künste, vol. 2 [Vienna 1775], plate 36):
Although Schmidt did not include the billet itself, the letter and invoice are still extant in Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, Mscr.Dresd.e.90,XIX,Bd.29,Nr.86:
Jena, 2 June 1802
I greatly lament having to bother you, esteemed Madame, because of an old invoice. During the period when Madame Veit was taking care of your household in your absence, she commissioned, in the presence of Herr Professor Schlegel, that my wife have a certain amount of sugar and coffee brought back from the Leipzig trade fair. Such was taken care of by Herr B[…] Seidler. Because, however, the latter is currently at odds with me, he neglected to deliver the invoice to me immediately notwithstanding that I had requested it on several occasions.
Since receiving it during the past winter, however, I asked Madame Veit to take care of the payment. She denied being responsible for the invoice, maintaining that the goods were purchased for Herr Professor Schlegel, and wrote to Herr Professor Schlegel in Berlin requesting that he speak with his brother about the matter as soon as possible.
During the couple’s most recent, albeit very brief visit here, however, she forgot to tell me whether Friedrich had arranged for payment to be made. Sending this question along to the hastily inclined couple in Paris, of course, would constitute a rather circuitous detour in settling the matter. Hence I am herewith taking the liberty of transferring the running account to you and kindly request that it be taken care of.
Your esteemed and
most obedientProfessor Paulus
The sum according to Herr Seidler’s calculations is:
Ratti rat[?] 11 ¾ ℔ à 9 gr ½ — 4.12. 6.
Melie[?] 6 ¾ ℔ à 8 gr — 2. 3. 6.
12 ℔ coffee à 12 gr. — 6.Total: 12 thlr 16 gr
Original manuscript (transcription by translator; uncertain readings indicated as [ . . . ] or [?]):
J. d. 2 Jun. 1802.
Ich beklage sehr, wegen eines altgewordenen Conto
Ew Wohlgebohren belästigen zu müssen. In der
Zeit, als Madame Veit in Ihrer Abwesenheit die
Oeconomie führte, bestellte sie für dieselbe im
Beÿseÿn des Herrn Prof. Schlegels beÿ meiner
Frau, einigen Zucker und Coffee von der Leipziger
Ostermesse mitbringen zu lassen. Dies geschah durch
Hrn B[ . . .] Seidler. Dieser aber, weil er
Abrechnung mit mir hat, versäumte es, deshalb
sogleich mir die Rechnung zu geben, welche ich inzwi-
schen mehrmals verlangte. Seit ich sie im vergangenen
Winter erhielt, bat ich Mad. Veit, nun das Weitere
zu besorgen. Sie agnoscierte den Conto, als für
Herrn Prof. Schlegel eingekauft u. schrieb an Herrn
Pr. Schlegel nach Berlin, beÿ Gelegenheit mit seinem
Bruder davon zu sagen. Beÿ dem lezten, kurzen
Hierseÿn aber vergass sie mir, zu sagen, ob
Friedrich die Com̄ission ausgerichtet habe.
Nach Frankreich dem eilfertigen Paar die Frage
nachzuschicken, möchte ein ziemlicher Umweg
seÿn. Deswegen bin ich so freÿ, Ihnen
den Belauf des Conto zu überschreiben und um
gütige Berichtigung zu bitten.
Ew Wohlgebohren
gehorsamst
Prof. Paulus
Das Conto nach Herrn Seidlers Specification ist:
Ratti rat[?] 11 ¾ ℔ à 9 gr ½ — 4.12. 6.
Melie[?] 6 ¾ ℔ à 8 gr — 2. 3. 6.
12 ℔ coffee à 12 gr. — 6.
= 12 thlr 16 gr
It may be recalled that Dorothea and Friedrich had been in Jena and Weimar briefly on 31 May 1801 for the performances of Friedrich’s play Alarcos in the Weimar theater and had departed the next day for Paris. Back.
[3] “Fairy tales”: presumably Sophie Bernhardi’s Wunderbilder und Träume in eilf Mährchen (Königsberg 1802) either in book or manuscript form. “En route”: presumably during the journey from Berlin to Leipzig, where Wilhelm left the traveling party and eventually journeyed on to Dresden before returning to Berlin (Post Karte Durch ganz Deutschland, ed. J. Walch [Augsburg 1795]):
[4] Presumably papers in connection with that mentioned in her letter to Wilhelm on 18 May 1802 (letter 360) and earlier; see note 5 there. Back.
Translation © 2016 Doug Stott