24 

{London,] 20 June 1868 

Dear Frep, 

Immediately after my return to London—our trip was 
marvelous—I found whole bundles of dunning and threatening 
letters. The people had been turned away with the excuse that I 
was ‘travelling’. But one might think the electric telegraph had 
announced my return to these fellows. Si licet parva componere 
magnis,” op Niebuhr (the father of the uistorian) relates with what 
speed the racts of the Siresian war travelled from Europe to Asia 
IN NO TIME Simply through the telegraphy of people’s tongues. And 
among creditors this form of natural telegraphy appears to work 
even more efficiently. Among the bills there are various ones that 
can scarcely be delayed for one week; the worst, however, is the 

a 29 May - > If one may compare the small with the great 

enclosed scrawl payable on Tuesday,’ for, if the cas suppty is publicly 
cut off, things will get quite out of control. 

Last Tuesday” there was a meeting of the International. In the 
meantime, papers have come into my hands which have made 
unavoidable a rescinpinc of the RESOLUTIONS AS TO THE Concress.’° D’abord,< 
the declaration by Minister of Justice Bara that the Congress is not 
permitted to take place in Brussels.‘ Secondly, a printed manifesto of 
the committees of Brussels and Verviers in which they throw down the 
gauntlet to the Minister.“ Thirdly, letters from De Paepe and 
Vandenhouten that we would ruin the Association in Belgium by 
transferring the Congress. This would be interpreted as a concession 
to the government, etc. 

I do not even mention the lousy intrigues of Vésinier, who is 
now here, and also Pyat, etc. Naturally they have been spreading 
the rumour that we are working at the dictation of Bonaparte. 

They believed that a big scandal was to be expected at this last 
meeting and therefore sent guests to us. They were very 
désappointés when I withdrew my reso.utions after reading and 
referring to the documents, etc. I put the matter thus: The law 
against the Foreigners was in no way a Special threat against the 
International. It was general. The International would, however, 
have made a concession to the Belgian government if, under such 
legislation, it had selected Brussels as its MEETING place. Now the 
matter was the other way round. Now that the Belgian govern- 
ment had directly threatened and provoked us we would be 
making a concession to it if we moved the Congress away from 
Brussels, etc. At the same time, I made a few very contemptuous 
jokes about the heroic tone adopted by those who attacked my 
RESOLUTIONS (Odger, etc.) before they knew the CHANGED STATE OF 
CIRCUMSTANCES. THE ONLY DANGER THAT COULD HAVE BEEN INCURRED, WAS THAT OF 
CHEAP MARTYRDOM AND RIDICULE. Mrs Law shouted ‘Hear, HEAR’ for me 
several times, and showed her support by drumming on the table. 
Anyhow I managed things so that the laughter turned against 
Odger, etc., and that the rescinpinc of the resotutions did not 
appear as a victory on their part. 

The heat is very nasty for me. I shall have Gumpert’s medicine 
made up for me, since I have ‘puked’ (as Mrs Blind would say) for 

a 23 June - > 9 June - © First of all - 4 J. Bara’s speech in the Chamber of Deputies 
of 16 May 1868, reported in La Voix de l'avenir, No. 23,7 June 1868 and La Liberté, 
No. 47, 17 May 1868. - ¢ ‘A Monsieur Bara, ministre de la justice’, La Tribune du 
peuple, No. 5, 24 May 1868. 

4* 

several consecutive days, despite exemplary abstention from food 
and drink. 
Salut. 

Your 
K. M. 

Apropos. Tussychen generated something approaching bad 
blood here in the house with her dithyrambic praise of the 
Manchester nome and her openly declared wish to return there as 
soon as possible.