Manchester, 11 September 1867 

Dear Moor, 

The congress really does appear to have been swept away in the 
French tide this time, the number of Proudhonist resolutions is 
really far too large. It is good that it will be coming to Belgium 
next time, by then it will perhaps be possible to do something in 
North Germany as well, and then, with the help of the English, to 
dam up the flood. Meanwhile, whatever they resolve there is more 
or less just wasted breath as long as the Central Council. remains in 
London. Once again notre cher‘ Philipp Becker appears to have 
committed some of his unpremeditated blunders, for which one 
must forgive the old agitator when he has no one to guide him.*” 

That Eccarius wrote the reports in The Times must be kept 
secret.*”? In view of the manner in which the editors have trimmed 
his story, it could do him enormous harm. The next time that he 
reports to the paper, he will have to consider more carefully to 
what extent his humour can be exploited by the bourgeois editors 
to cast ridicule on the whole business and not just on the few 
crapauds. 

Since you are in contact with Vermorel, can you not moderate 
the fellow’s asininities with regard to Germany? It is really too 
much if the jackass is demanding that Bonaparte should become 

a Kathe Freiligrath - > Die Zukunft, No. 208 (supplement), 6 September 1867. - 
© our dear - 4 toads; philistines (here Engels refers to the French Proudhonists, 
delegates to the Lausanne Congress) 

liberal, bourgeois liberal, and then start a war to liberate Germany 
from the tyranny of Bismarck!? These crapauds, who will have to 
handle Germany with great delicacy even if they do make a 
revolution, believe that but a slight turn toward liberalism would 
enable them to revert to their old roles. I regard it as most 
important, particularly in the event of a revolution, that these 
gentlemen should become accustomed to treating us d’égal a égal> 
According to them, Bismarckism in Germany is an inherent 
characteristic of Germany, which they must destroy by intervening, 
but their own Bonapartism is a mere accident and could be 
terminated just by a change of ministers and transformed into its 
opposite. 

The great Schweitzer has been happily elected with the 
assistance of the pietists of Elberfeld and Barmen, and will now 
have the opportunity to bowdlerise various points from your 
book“ in the ‘Reichstag’. You may wager your life that he will do 
so. However, it can only do good and will afford us much 
entertainment; once the book is out, only good can come of such 
things. 

Apropos of Barmen, I am reminded of Siebel. The poor devil is 
dreadfully sick again and is once more having to leave Barmen, 
though I do not know whereto; it is possible he will not live out 
the winter. He must be very bad, so I cannot count on him raising 
any cry for your book in the newspapers. He has written me a 
very DESPONDING letter. 

The Trapves ourrace Commission’s **? conclusions here are entirely 
farcical and are no different from those reached 7 years ago. If 
they do not produce anything better, they might as well pack their 
bags. Just imagine seeing BRICKMAKING AND BRICKLAYING treated as the 
chief industries of Manchester! 

The defects which have become apparent in the tests carried out 
on the Chassepot rifle here are the very ones which had already 
been discovered in Berlin and which Bdlzig told me of in 
Hanover. At that time, I thought that they had deliberately allowed 
faulty specimens to fall into the hands of the Prussians, but now it 
rather looks as though there is something in it, in which case the 
rifle is not half as good as the Prussians’ needle-gun. 

Meissner’s people in Leipzig appear to be taking an inordinately 
long time to send the book out. Still no notices anywhere. Do you 
think I should attack the thing from the bourgeois point of view, 

2 

2 A. Vermorel, ‘La prochaine campagne de la Prusse’, Le Courrier francais, No. 84, 
9 September 1867. - > as equals - © the first volume of Capital 

to get things under way? Meissner or Siebel would surely get that 
accepted by a paper.*” As for it being prohibited,* I don’t believe 
it myself, but one can never swear that the zeal of some 
government official will not get the better of him, and once a case 
has been brought, you could rely on your friend Lippe. 

Kindest regards to your wife and the girls, who I presume are 
back now.? 

The Diplomatic Reviews received with thanks. 

Your 
F. E.