{[London,] 10 September 1870 

Dear Frep, 

You and Dupont must forgive me for answering so late and 
then only in a few lines. I am overwhelmed with political Business. 

You can see from the enclosed pieces of imbecility from 
opposite places—one from Paris, the other from Brunswick— just 
how pleasant our task is made for us. 

You know that I sent instructions to Brunswick.* I assamed— 
mistakenly—that I was not dealing with uncouth sasies, but with 
educated people who must be aware that the brutal language of a 
letter is not designed ‘for printing’, and furthermore that 
instructions have to contain confidential hints that are not intended 
to be revealed in the blare of publicity. Wit! These jackasses not 
only print ‘word-for-word’ extracts from my letter. They point 
their pitchforks at me, identifying me as the author. And they 
print sentences, such as the one about ‘shifting the centre of 
gravity of the continental labour movement from France to 
Germany’, etc., which were intended to spur them on, but which 
were not to be published now under any circumstances.'” I 
suppose I must be grateful to them at least for not having 
published my criticism of the French workers. And to cap it all the 
fellows even sent their compromising mishmash Nn HoT HAsTE— to 
Paris! (To say nothing of Brussels and Geneva.) 

a K. Marx and F. Engels, ‘Letter to the Committee of the Social-Democratic 
Workers’ Party’ (see also this volume, p. 65). 

I shall really tell them a few home truths, but the damage is 
done! On the other hand, there are the fools in Paris! They have 
sent me piles of their absurd chauvinistic manifesto' which the 
English workers here greeted with derision and indignation that I 
had the greatest difficulty in preventing from being expressed 
publicly. I am supposed to send the thing to Germany en masse, 
probably to prove the Germans that they first have to ‘withdraw 
across the Rhine’ before they arrive home! And furthermore, 
instead of writing a rational answer to my letter,’” the fellows take 
the liberty of sending me instructions by telegraph (instructions 
from ex-student Longuet!) on how I must set about agitating in 
Germany! Quel malheur!* 

I have set everything in motion here for the workers to force 
their government to recognise the French Republic.'” (The series 
of meetings begins on Monday.”) Gladstone was willing Enough at first. 
But the Queen* was under Prussian instructions and there was also 
the oligarchic part of the Cabinet! 

I am sorry to see that that lousy, importunate, vain and 
over-ambitious babbler Cluseret has got his hooks into Grousset 
of the Marseillaise, a very able, staunch and courageous man. 

The new Address? (Thanks for your contribution to it) will be 
printed by Tuesday. It is long, but that was unavoidable. 

Your articles on the fortifications of Paris and the bombardment 
of Strasbourg are masterly.‘ , 

Tell Dupont that I am in complete agreement with his views, 
and that I expressly commissioned Serraillier to write to him saying 
that he should not leave Manchester pro nunc‘ 

Schorlemmer here the evening before last. 

Salut. 

Your 
K. M. 

Apropos! Prof. Schaffle of Tübingen has published a massive 
and idiotic book against me (it costs 12/6d!).