During the late 17th and early 18th centuries a number of German governments received regular updates on English politics from London‐based intelligencers. This article examines and compares two sets of these reports from the year 1694, composed by Guillaume Beyrie and Frédéric Bonnet for the Guelph courts in Celle and Hanover and the Prussian court in Berlin respectively. It describes the distinctive character of the reports and situates them within a typology of scribal news ranging from commercial newsletters to the classic diplomatic despatch. In addition, it analyses the detailed political coverage of the accounts which was centred mainly on the royal court and parliament and uncovers some of the sources from which the information originated.