Margate, 24 March 1866 
5 Lansell’s Place 

Dear Frep, 

The belated arrival of this letter will tell you how ‘professionally’ 
I am applying my time here. I am reading nothing, am writing 
nothing. The mere fact of having to take the arsenic three times a 
day obliges one to arrange one’s time for meals and for strolling 
by the sea and over the adjacent hills in such a way that one finds 
‘no time’ for anything else. And in the evening one is too tired to 
do anything other than sleep. The weather is, by and large, rather 
raw, and in particular there is often an east wind blowing here, 
which is somewhat CHILLING, but one soon becomes accustomed to 
that, too. You can tell how much I am restored from the fact that 
last Sunday I marched per pedes* to Canterbury (17 miles from 
here) in less than 4 hours. As regards company here, it does not 
exist, of course. I can sing with the miller of the Dee: ‘T care ror 
NOBODY AND NOBODY CARES FOR ME.’ 

The day before yesterday‘ I had to go to London in the evening 
to attend a ‘soirée’ of my daughters. My uncle“ had sent them £ 5 
at Christmas, which was, however, ‘borrowed’ from them for 
GENERAL purposes and which they only got back when your money 
arrived. They arranged their annual ‘parry’ with it and so 
bombarded me with letters that I ‘made’ for London, as Mr 
Nothjung used to say. But I returned to my hermitage here the 
very next morning (i. e., yesterday). 

Before setting off for Margate (which I did on Wednesday, 14 
March‘), I had to attend the consecutive evening meetings, on 12 
and 13 March, firstly of the shareholders of The Commonwealth?™ 
and secondly, on the 13th, of the Cenrrat Counci, although still in 
a thoroughly wretched condition at the time. 

On the former occasion Mr Cremer had set everything up for 
Eccarius to be given his marching orders, which would probably 

a on foot - > from the English folk-song ‘The Miller of the Dee’ - © 22 March - 
4 Lion Philips - © Presumably this is not correct, for Marx arrived at Margate on 
Thursday, 15 March (see this volume, p. 239). 

have happened if I had not appeared. So, the meeting only 
achieved the ‘voluntary’ resignation of Mr Cremer from the 
editorial board. How the matter turned out later, I do not know, 
since the whole thing was only serriep ‘provisionally’ for one week, 
and the general shareholders-MEETING was deferred to 19 March. But 
it will probably mean beati possidentes* here too, and as a result of 
that meeting Eccarius was, to begin with, the possidens> 

The intrigue on the Cenrrat Counc. was closely bound up with 
the rivarries and jealousies concerning the journal (Mr Howell 
wished to be editor-in-cuer and Mr Cremer ditto). Mr Le Lubez 
had used this to agitate against German influence, and at the 
meeting of 6 March a beautifully and quietly prepared scene took 
place. To wit, Major Wolff suddenly appeared and made a solemn 
speech in his own name and in Mazzini’s and in that of the Italian 
society"? against the reply to Vésinier’s attacks, which Jung had 
sent to the Echo de Verviers in the name of the Centra Councn.?” 
He made a very violent attack on Jung and (impliciter‘) myself. 
Odger, Howell, Cremer, and others gave vent to their longstand- 
ing Mazzinism. Le Lubez fed the flames and, at au events, a 
resolution was passed which included what amounted to an amende 
honorable’ for Mazzini, Wolff, etc. It was a serious matter, as you 
can see. (Of the foreigners, there were only a few present, and none 
of them voted.) It would really be a neat trick of Mazzini’s to let 
me bring the Association so far and then to appropriate it for 
himself. He demanded that the English should recognise him as 
leader of the continental democrats, as though it was for the 
English gentlemen to appoint leaders for us! 

On Saturday (10 March) the roreicn secrerarirs of the Association 
gathered at my house to hold a council of war (Dupont, Jung, 
Longuet, Lafargue, Bobczyriski). It was resolved that, whatever 
happened, I was to attend the Councu on Tuesday (13th) and 
protest against the procrepincs in the name of all the roreicn 
secretaries. The proceepincs were irregular, you see, as Wolff is no 
longer a MEMBER OF THE Council, therefore no resolution on a matter 
in which he was personally implicated ought to be passed in his 
presence. Furthermore, I was to explain Mazzini’s position vis-a-vis 
both our Association and the continental WORKINGMEN’S PARTIES, €tc. 
Finally, the French were to bring Cesare Orsini (who is sy THE By a 
personal friend of Mazzini) along to give evidence on Mazzini, 
Wolff and the strate or ‘socialism in Italy. 

a blessed are they who have possession (Horace, Odes, IV, IX, 45) - > the man in 
possession - © by implication-4 apology 

The affair went off better than I had ever expected*"; though 
the English element was unfortunately not well represented (on 
account of the bloody Reform League'*). I gave that Lubez a 
thorough dressing down. In any case, it has been made clear to 
the English (in fact only a minority is meant here, too) that the 
whole continentat ELEMENT Stands behind me as one man and that 
here it is by no means, as Mr Lubez had insinuated, a case of 
German influence. Lubez had sought to put it to them that as LEADER 
of the Eneuisn element on the Counci, I was holding pown the other 
CONTINENTAL ELEMENTS; the English gentlemen are, on the contrary, 
now persuaded that by means of the continental ELEMENT I have got 
them entirely under my thumb, should they kick over the traces. 
More about that next time. 

Before coming here, I did, of course, pay off the most pressing 
pests at home, as otherwise I should not have had a moment’s 
peace of mind. If you can send me a little bit more at the end of 
this month, I would appreciate it. Meanwhile, the power of 
attorney from the Cape? will be here at last, and thus something 
will at least be flowing into the coffers, even if it is not very much. 

My compliments to Mrs Lizzy.” 

Your 
K. M.