[London,] 27 February 1852 
28 Dean Street, Soho 

Dear Engels, 

I see that last time I forgot Reinhardt’s letter.? The article has 
gone off to Dana who has not yet replied to my request that he 
advise me of a business house here in London. Despite her 

a event - 56 Things are moving. - © somehow - 4 See this volume, pp. 47-49. - 
© F. Engels, Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Germany, XI. 

promise, I have still heard nothing from my mater.* Nor has there 
as yet been any reply to my letters to acquaintances in Germany. A 
week ago I reached the pleasant point where I am unable to go 
out for want of the coats I have in pawn, and can no longer eat 
meat for want of credit. Piffling it all may be, but I’m afraid that 
one day it might blow up into a scandal. The only good news 
comes from my ministerial sister-in-law,” namely the news that my 
wife’s indestructible uncle“ is ill. If the cur dies now I shall be out 
of this pickle. 

I shall not be writing at length today, being busy with the 
dictation of an article for Weydemeyer and the dispatch and 
correction of the other contributions for him. 

I see from the Augsburg paper (through the humble offices of 
Seiler) that Mr Stirner has produced a ‘history of the counter- 
revolution’. He tries to prove that the revolution collapsed 
because it was ‘sacrosanct’ whereas the counter-revolution pre- 
vailed because of its ‘egoistical’ stance. 

On 25 February the French held a February banquet, or rather 
a dry MEETING accompanied by tea and sandwiches. I and wife were 
invited. The rest of the public had to pay 1 franc to go in. Since I 
neither could nor wished to attend, I sent my wife there with a 
Frencuman. Ledru, Pyat, Thoré, Martin Bernard, etc., in short the 
whole Rollinist clique by whom the affair had been mooted, failed 
to appear because they considered the entrée,’ for the benefit of 
the refugees, to be beneath their dignity. L. Blanc had also cried 
off. Only the lowest dregs of the emigration were there, most of 
whom style themselves Blanquists. But the little pseudo-Corsican * 
was waiting in some near-by parlour; after being assured by his 
spies of the absence of Ledru and Co., he appeared and, in view 
of the total lack of talent and authority, his natty, steel-blue 
tail-coat was received with rapturous applause. His speech, after 
which he immediately departed, sent his enemies into transports. 
Enchanted them. Vanquished them. And what did THAT LITTLE MAN 
say, that Johnny Russell of socialism? That here abroad, people 
were wondering at the strange events in France, that he believed 
more firmly than ever in the star de la patrie.” And why? Je veux, 
said he, vous expliquer le mouvement historique, etc. Namely, that in 

2 Henriette Marx - > Louise von Westphalen - © Heinrich Georg von Westphalen - 
4 K. Marx, The Eighieenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, V. - © An anonymous review 
of M. Sturner’s Geschichte der Reaction in Aligemeine Zeitung, No. 56, 25 February 
1852, supplement: ‘Buchmachevei’ -f entrance fee - 8 Louis Blanc -) of the 
fatherland -? I wish, said he, to explain historical tendencies to you. 

the lives of all great soldiers, e.g. of Frédéric le Grand, of Napoléon 
le grand, there are des grandes victoires et des grands revers. Eh bien! 
La France est une nation militaire? She has her élans and her 
catastrophes. Quod erat demonstrandum. What she wanted she has 
always achieved, feudalism banished in 1789, the monarchy in 
1830. Whom did she wish to overthrow in 1848? The bourgeoisie, 
do you suppose? Certainly not. La misére, la hideuse misére.” There 
follows a flood of socialist tears over la misére. La misére, ce nest pas 
quelque chose de fixe, quelque chose de saisissable,— nevertheless, the 
French nation will overcome la misére in the new revolution and 
then la mére ne détruira plus de ses propres mains le fruit de ses 
entrailles, la petite fille de sept ans ne se ‘groupera’ plus sous la machine" 

and more inanities of the same kind. Such was his prodigality that 
his speech contained three whole jokes. He called Bonaparte 1. un 
aventurier, 2. un batard and 3. le singe de son oncle. This last 
novelty threw those present into a veritable St. Vitus’ dance. Qu’en 
dis-tu?* It’s enough to make one despair of the crapauds. Seen as a 
whole, their story is epigrammatic, a genuine dramatic work of art, 
but the fellows themselves! Mon dieu! Mr Blanc’s sally reminds me 
of a joke I was told by Massol. By midnight Bonaparte is 
analy befuddled, in the company of the mdles and femelettes” 

he collects around him for his orgies. Then he begins to curse and 
swear. ‘Mais c’est un militaire!’ says one of his lady acquaintances 
in exoneration. 

Addio. 

Your 
K. Marx