IN. MANCHESTER! 
[London, after 11 January. 1860] 
11 January 1860 

Dear Marx, 

Today I am sending you, under separate cover, a copy of the supplement to 
No. 349 of last year’s Kélnische Zeitung. 

The Wilhelm Joseph Reiff mentioned therein as having a warrant out against 
him for “immoral conduct” is, so I am told, none other than the Reiff who 
appeared at the trial of the Communists in Cologne and who is presently over here 
and living off the party. 

Now I have written to Reiff today (care of Liebknecht, not knowing how else to 
get in touch with him), informing him that I can no longer take any interest in 
him—that I forbid him to continue to use me as a reference—and that I will not 
tolerate his visits! 

Thus, for my part, I have acted as I thought fit. What attitude the party will 
wish to adopt towards this dirty business is its own affair. You are now in 
possession of the facts! 

Your 
F. Freiligrath 

I had never received the said ‘Reiff’ at my house because the 
fellow was suspect, and more than suspect, on account of his 
conduct at the communist trial,” whereas the ‘fat rhymester’* had 
taken him under his protection and saddled Liebknecht with him. 
Since then, the fellow has been living off Liebknecht, the 
Laplander,” Lessner, Schréder, etc., and other poor devils, besides 
having the hat passed round at the Workers’ Society,’ etc. 

The above letter from Freiligrath is all the news of the Teuton 
that I have had since the great retreat.* And what an absurd letter 
it is. How grotesque the grandeur behind which there lurks the 

a Freiligrath - > Anders 

Peay 

mentality of a cringing cur. F. seems to think that prose can be 
put to rights with the help of exclamation marks. “The party’ is to 
‘adopt an attitude’. Towards what? Towards Wilhelm Joseph 
Reiff’s ‘immoral conduct’—or ‘this dirty business’, as Beta’s friend 
describes it. What an imposition. By the way, I might mention en 
passant that the ‘Association of German Men’,’ founded by an 
equivocal compositor called Zinn, has nominated Prince Albert, 
Gottfried Kinkel, K. Blind and F. Freiligrath as its ‘honorary 
freemen’. The Cheruscan has, of course, accepted the charter. 

Next Monday I have to pay a £1 instalment at the Marylebone 
county-court.. At the same time, I have received from the 
Westminster county-court (ON BEHALF OF A BAKER) the enclosed scrap of 
paper, which you must return to me. What I foresaw is coming to 
pass. No sooner has one philistine found his way to the 
county-court than he is followed by another. If things go on like 
this, I really don’t know how I can keep my head above water. 
What is so disastrous about these constant interruptions is that I 
simply cannot get on with my work. 

The review in the Darmstadt Militär-Zeitung is most welcome. 
Your recent pamphlet* has assured you a position as a military 
critic in Germany. As soon as you get the opportunity, you must 
publish something under your own name, adding beneath it 
‘Author of Po and Rhine’. Our rascally enemies shall see sy and sy that 
we're able simply to impress the public without first seeking 
permission from it or its Betas. 

In my view, the most momentous thing happening in the world 
today is the slave movement—on the one hand, in America, 
started by the death of Brown,’ and in Russia, on the other. You 
will have read that the aristocracy in Russia literally threw 
themselves into constitutional agitation and that two or three 
members of leading families have already found their way to 
Siberia.'’ At the same time, Alexander has displeased the peasants, 
for the recent manifesto declares outright that, with emancipation, 
‘THE COMMUNISTIC PRINCIPLE? must be abandoned.’ Thus, a ‘social’ 
movement has been started both in the West and in the East. 
Together with the impending pownsreax in Central Europe, this 
promises great things. 

I have just seen in the Tribune that there’s been another slave 
revolt in Missouri, which was put down, needless to say.'? But the 

9 

a Po and Rhine - » This refers to the item ‘Progress and Final Issue of the Peasantry 
Question. A Memorial submitted to the consideration of the Chief Peasantry Question 
Committee by the President, Adjutant-General Rostoffzeff’ in The Daily Telegraph, 
No. 1417, 11 January 1860. 

signa] has now been given. Should the affair grow serious sy and 
sy, what will become of Manchester? 

Leonard Horner has resigned his post. His last brief report is 
replete with bitter irony.” Could you possibly find out whether the 
Manchester mu-owners had a hand in his resignation? 

It appears from the ‘Factory Inspectors’ Revorrs’ (of ‘1855’-1859 
first six months’) that, since 1850, industry in England has made 
miraculous progress. The state of health of the workers (apvtrs) 
has improved since your Condition of the Working-Class (which I 
have reread at the Museum”), whereas that of the children 
(mortality) has deteriorated. 

Salut. 

Your 
K. M.