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History of Friedrich II of Prussia — Volume 21 by Thomas Carlyle
page 36 of 414 (08%)
punctuality, precision and vigilant exactitude of French methods,
actually yield the required overplus. "Organize me the methods,
then; get them put in action here; under French hands, if that be
indispensable." Helvetius bethought him of what fittest French
hands there were to his knowledge,--in France there are a great
many hands flung idle in the present downbreak of finance there:--
Helvetius appears to have selected, arranged and contrived in this
matter with his best diligence. De Launay, the Head-engineer of the
thing, was admitted by all Prussia, after Twenty-two years
unfriendly experience of him, to have been a suitable and estimable
person; a man of judicious ways, of no small intelligence,
prudence, and of very great skill in administering business.

Head-engineer De Launay, one may guess, would be consulted by
Helvetius in choice of the subaltern Officials, the stokers and
steerers in this new Steam-Machinery, which had all to be manned
from France. There were Four heads of departments immediately under
De Launay, or scarcely under him, junior brothers rather:--who
chose these I did not hear; but these latter, it is evident, were
not a superior quality of people. Of these Four,--all at very high
salaries, from De Launay downwards; "higher than a Prussian
Minister of State!" murmured the public,--two, within the first
year, got into quarrel; fought a duel, fatal to one of them;
so that there were now only Three left. "Three, with De Launay,
will do," opined Friedrich; and divided the vacant salary among the
survivors: in which form they had at least no more duelling.

As to the subaltern working-parties, the VISITATEURS, CONTROLLEURS,
JAUGEURS (Gaugers), PLOMBEURS (Lead-stampers), or the strangest
kind of all, called "Cellar-Rats (COMMIS RATS-DE-CAVE), "they were
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