Beethoven is worried about his nephew Karl. Karl, now 18 years old, had not gone to Baden with him in summer 1824 but had stayed in Vienna. The distance and the fact that he could not keep an eye on him was a real worry for Beethoven. After Karl had visited him in Baden, he can now longer be found. Beethoven is very concerned about this, as he not only fears that Karl might be led astray but also that he might also contact his mother again. Beethoven asks his publisher and friend Haslinger to see whether Karl is already in the apartment which has just been rented. He encloses a letter for Karl, which is either to be given to him personally or to the landlord.
If Karl is not in the apartment, he is to find Frau Niemetz, the mother of a former school friend of Karl's, as Karl had once spent a night there.
Beethoven promises to give Haslinger's servant a fitting reward for running these errands and also asks him to send on a letter to his brother Johann van Beethoven.
The composer's concern can already been seen in the form of address. He usually writes to Haslinger, whom he knows well and who apparently has a good sense of humour, using various coarse and joking forms of address, title and names. The fact that he addresses his friend rather formally with "Lieber Tobias" ("Dear Tobias") reflects his inner agitation. Beethoven is evidently not in the mood for jokes.
