(Manchester,] 13 September 1870 

Dear Moor, 

The Prussians really are incorrigible jackasses! On the orders of 
Vogel von Falckenstein, they have arrested the whole unfortunate 
Social-Democratic Committee in Brunswick, including the printer? 
of the well-intentioned and undoubtedly tame proclamation, and 
have transported them as a body to Létzen” in East Prussia.'* 
You know that on the pretext of a French landing almost the 
whole of Northern Germany has been put under martial law, so 
that the military authorities can arrest people at will. Fortunately, 
the immediate deportation to East Prussia proves that they are 
just going to be held in custody until peace is concluded, and not 
brought before a court martial in which case the lieutenants who 
have received instructions to hand out punishments would have 
given them a good ten years hard labour or imprisonment in a 
fortress. It is clear, though, how panic-stricken the wretches are at 
the very mention of the word ‘Republic’, and how ill at ease the 
official world feels when it has no prisoners of state. 

a Sievers - > Polish name: Gizycko.