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So who did you give the letter to? After a lot of persuasion I managed to convince a man from the Zürich country to take the letter with him, said she. Do you know him? said I. Is he an honest man? O yes, said she. [...]

[Bräker learns that the parcel has arrived but has to write his letter for the third time.]

Nobody who is not affected by this business can imagine how these dirty tricks annoy me, make me uneasy and vex me. Ha, think I, God knows into what thievish hands my first two letters may have fallen. Without a doubt they will have been opened. My communications with my dearest friends will have been read. Letters, in which I gave free rein to all the heart's feelings in friendship. O, I would rather it were torn to pieces and destroyed or sunk in the depths of Zürich lake, rather that these messages were come into the hands of people, who will make Heaven knows what use of them. For one thing is certain, either it is come into the hands of stupid people or evil-minded people. If they have delivered it to their masters, they will certainly have been rewarded for it. So a curse upon all those who find letters, those who open letters (not addressed to them) those who intercept letters, etc, etc. - O, I could give them a good whipping, the rogues -" [Voellmy, v 2 pp 262-265]

[One might wonder if Bräker was a little paranoid about this, but the reference to "masters" may mean that he feared repercussions of a political nature, the authorities might think that he and his better-educated friends were in some kind of plot. Also he may have been afraid of blackmail, particularly as the letter in this case was written to a woman.]

Mar. (no exact date) "Towards the end of last month I again visited dear St. Gallen - and attended an assembly of about sixty men, where a lecture was given on the subject of music, a lecture of which a noble friend to humanity was the author. Although I have hardly any understanding of music, this lecture has uncommonly edified and educated me, as to the true purpose and intent that music should have - chiefly to raise the spirits of mankind, to cheer them up, to make them glad and happy - this noble friend to humanity, my angel upon earth, O would that I might name him - tell the whole world how good he has been to me -" [Voellmy, v 3 pp 54-55]

8th Mar. Bräker writes to Dr. Johann Gottfried Ebel, telling him that he has sent copies of Ebel's travel book to the Landvogt Karl Müller-Friedberg and Landschreiber Andreas Giezendanner. On account of the war, hunger and poverty reign. By the lake of Zürich and in Gossau there have been insurrections, but the people of the Toggenburg are content with their government, "except for a few troublemakers"

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Events in Gossau and Stäfa:

In 1793 the magistrates of the five courts of Gossau (a commune to the southwest of St. Gallen), together with the Gemeindevogt [agent of the Prince-Abbot in the commune], one Johannes Künzle and others, prepared a list of grievances concerning the rule of the Prince-Abbot and submitted them for his consideration. Most of these grievances concerned ancient feudal dues such as the fees exacted whenever a tenancy changed hands. The objection to such

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The notes add that Swabia and Austria were operating a ban on the export of grain to Switzerland, because Switzerland was supplying France, with whom the Coalition powers were at war, with foodstuffs and war materials [possibly cloth for uniforms]. The resulting shortage of grain led to riots in eastern Switzerland, notably in Stäfa and Gossau. [Chronik, pp 419-420]

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