ENGELS TO MARX*” 

Manchester, 24 November 1867 

Dear Moor, 

The letters returned enclosed. 

So, yesterday morning, and by Mr Colcraft’s hand, the Tories 
have really performed the ultimate act of separation between 
England and Ireland. The only thing the Fenians still lacked were 
martyrs. Derby and G. Hardy have now provided them with these. 
It was the execution of those 3? which will transform the liberation 
of Kelly and Deasy into an act of heroism, such as will now be 
sung at the cradle of every Irish child in Ireland, England and 
America. The Irish women will see to that as surely as did the 
Polish womenfolk. 

The only time that anyone has, to my knowledge, been executed 
for anything similar in a civilised state was the case of John Brown 
at Harpers ferry.**? The Fenians could not wish for a_ better 
precedent. And yet even the Sournerners had the decency to treat 
J. Brown as a rebel, whereas here no effort is spared to convert an 
act of political violence into a common crime. 

Everybody knows that while he was leading his band of ruffians 
at Boulogne, Louis Napoleon shot the duty-officer dead.°* He 

4 the Fenians Michael Larkin, Wiliam Allen and Michael O’Brien 

thus did what Allen is supposed to have done but did not do. For 
which the English government hangs Allen, while the English 
queen * kisses Louis Napoleon’s cheek and the English aristocracy 
and bourgeoisie his backside. 

The latter point should be made in the press. 

Your 
F. E.