In great haste.

[London] 1 August 1870

Dear Fred,

Your last two articles¹ are splendid. I galloped straight to the *Pall Mall*. But as Greenwood was not there, nothing could be decided. He is coming before 12 o’clock, though.

I am writing to him today to say that you will send the articles (I shall now name you?) directly.²

As for the “Russians”, they will find that I set a *Corsaire Corsaire et demi*.³

The local oligarchy wants an English war for Prussia. After crawling for eighteen years before Bonaparte and duly using him as the saviour of rents and profits,⁴ they now think to find in solid, God-fearing monarchist Prussia a more respectable and safer policeman of the Continent?⁵ Yet these fellows should be careful. Among the people here the watchword is already general: “That damned German dynasty of ours wants for its family purposes to involve us in the continental war!”⁶

“Figaro” here—of which I gave Dupont a characteristic number—is an English paper, founded by the French legation.

Bismarck for his part has duly bought up the London press, a. “Lloyd’s” and “Reynolds’s”! The latter, in yesterday’s number, demands dismemberment of France.⁷ This swine *ne ménage pas les transitions.*⁸ The fellow, who has always reviled the Germans and fawned on the French, suddenly transformed into a sort of Blind.

As for this fellow, he hopes, by patriotic clamour and the noisy “suspension” of his republicanism on the altar of the fatherland, to be chosen as deputy for the next Reichstag.

Oswald gave me no peace until yesterday I went to the third meeting that had been arranged.⁹ I was so cautious as to go a quarter before 11 (the appointed hour). I explained to him that I could not sign, 1. *d’abord*,¹⁰ because I had already signed the Address of the International,¹¹ 2. because I could not sign a private address (i.e., not an international one) without you, and the transaction with you alone would let the opportunity¹² be lost through the consumption of time. In future, when the opportunity offers, we shall invite him and friends to join the International for common action.

Then I told him there was also a second personal point. Where Louis Blanc is, his footman¹³ Karl Blind is sure to be.

He interrupted me: “Blind flew into a completely chauvinistic fit of rage at the last meeting here. We need you against him.”

“I cannot come together with this creature in one room and I tell you that if he comes, I shall immediately leave your house.”

I was downstairs in Oswald’s study overlooking the street. Sure enough! My eyeglass¹⁴ from afar spies the important ex-student, though he has dyed his head all over¹⁵ black, accompanied by two fellow loafers. Oswald says he will send them upstairs in the meantime to the drawing room—the conference room.

He then suggests to me: He would explain upstairs that I was here and had declared that I could not meet with Blind. In other words, he wanted to turn him out.¹⁶

I told him that would not do. He had invited Blind, useless scandal etc.

I took my hat and parted most amicably from Oswald, who is a quite decent fellow, though he has not discovered gunpowder.

Serraillier, at my instigation, wrote severely to Dupont about Mothet, so severely that Dupont was offended and for a fortnight did not write to Serraillier. |

It will be a good thing if you send me the money for the seaside.¹⁷ I should like to go to Brighton this very week. Under the given circumstances I cannot venture further from London.

Salut.  
Yours  
K. M.

You will now send your letters directly to: Frederic Greenwood, Esq., Editor of the “Pall Mall Gazette”, 2 Northumberland Street, Strand, London.¹⁸

¹ “On the War—II” and “On the War—III” — ² I shall now name you — ³ set one and a half knaves to catch a knave — ⁴ saviour of rents and profits — ⁵ a more respectable and safer policeman of the Continent — ⁶ That damned German dynasty of ours wants to involve us in the continental war for its family interests! — ⁷ dismemberment of France — ⁸ shrinks from no change of flag — ⁹ see present volume, p. 13 — ¹⁰ first of all — ¹¹ Karl Marx, “First Address of the General Council on the Franco-Prussian War” — ¹² opportunity — ¹³ lackey — ¹⁴ eyeglass — ¹⁵ completely — ¹⁶ In other words, he wanted to throw him out. — ¹⁷ the stay at the seaside — ¹⁸ see present volume, p. 10