MARX TO LUDWIG KUGELMANN ”* 

London, 3 March 1869 
Dear Kugelmann, 

The damned photographer?’ has once again been leading me by 
the nose for weeks, and has still not supplied additional corres. But 
I shall not delay this reply longer because of this. 

With regard to Herr Vogt, I wished to make sure of those copies 
which could still be saved from Liebknecht’s hands (I had sent him 
300 from London to Berlin, i.e., all those still left) in case they 
were needed. I therefore took the liberty of ordering them to be 
stored at your place. But Orindur, solve for me this mystery of 
nature! ° 

Liebknecht sent you just 6 copies, but announced to me that he 
had sent 50 copies. Will you please ask him for the answer to this 
riddle! ‘ 

@ Fehrenbach - » paraphrase of the well-known words from Millner’s drama Die 
Schuld, Act II, Scene V - ¢ See this volume, pp. 106, 142, 189, 208. 

Quételet is now too old for one still to make any sort of 
experiment with him.”*° He rendered great services in the past by 
demonstrating that even the apparently casual incidents of social 
life possess an inner necessity through their periodic recurrence 
and their periodic average incidence. But he was never successful 
in interpreting this necessity.“” And he made no progress, but 
simply extended the material for his observations and calculations. 
He is today no further on than he was before 1830. 

It will probably take until the summer before I am finished with 
Vol. II. Then—with the manuscript—I shall come to Germany 
with my daughter* and see you then. Or, to be more precise, shall 
descend on you. 

In France—a very interesting movement in progress. 

The Parisians are once again really studying their recent 
revolutionary past, to prepare themselves for the pending new 
revolutionary business. First, the origin of the Empire—then the 
coup d’état of December. This had been entirely forgotten, just as the 
reaction in Germany has been able to wipe out memories of 
1848/49 completely. 

That is why Ténot’s books about the coup d’état in Paris and the 
provinces” aroused such enormous interest that they rapidly went 
through 10 editions. They were followed by dozens of other books 
on the same period. C’était la rage,“ and this soon became a 
speculative business for the publishers. 

These writings came from the opposition—Ténot is an homme du 
Siécle (I mean the liberal bourgeois paper, not our century). All 
the liberal and illiberal rogues belonging to the official opposition 
promoted this mouvement. Also the republican democrats, people 
like Delescluze, for example, who was formerly Ledru-Rollin’s 
adjutant and now, as republican patriarch, edits Réveil in Paris. 

Until now everybody has been indulging in these posthumous 
revelations, or rather reminiscences—everybody who was not 
Bonapartist. 

But then came le revers de la medaille.* 

First, the French Government itself got the renegade Hippolyte 
Castille to publish Les Massacres de Juin 1848. This was a blow in 
the face for Thiers, Falloux, Marie, Jules Favre, Jules Simon, 
Pelletan, etc., in short, the chiefs of what is called in France 
‘V’Union Libérale’,”*? who wish to perform a sleight of hand with the 
next elections, the infamous old rogues. 

2 Jenny Marx - > E. Ténot, Paris en décembre 1851... and La province en décembre 
1859...- © This was all the rage - 4 the other side of the medal 

Then came the Socialist Party, which ‘unmasked’ the opposition 
and the old-style republican democrats. 

Including Vermorel: Les Hommes de 1848 and L’Opposition. 

Vermorel is a Proudhonist. 

Last came the Blanquists, for example, G. Tridon: Gironde et 
Girondins. 

So the whole historic witches’ brew is simmering. 

When shall we have got this far? 

To show you how well the French police are served: 

I intended to go to Paris next week to see my daughter. 

Last Saturday* a police agent enquired of Lafargue whether 
Mons. Marx had arrived yet. He had a commission for him.> 
Forewarned! 

My heartiest greetings to your dear wife and Franzchen. 

How is Madame Tenge? 

Yours 

K. M.