London, 29 November 1871 

My dear Sidorov,* 

I have had your last two letters**° and if I have been unable to 
reply sooner, you must lay it at the door of that Moaogeyp of 

a Lavrov’s pseudonym used by Engels in their correspondence. 

BakyHuur’s,* whose intrigues have been causing us no end of 
labour. Things are approaching a crisis and open warfare will 
shortly break out in the press. A clean split is in the offing. In 
short the matter will be decided before long. I shall not attempt to 
give you the details—it would take too long and they are too 
boring. What with all this tomfoolery to contend with, it need 
hardly be said that neither Johnson” nor I have had any time for 
work. 

Thank you for your further disbursements on my behalf in the 
matter of the Gazette des Tribuneaux. 

As to Bpo6a.° we have been informed by Possagosckuii,” who 
left his first position, but found another one a few days later.“ We 
have done all we could but, considering the man’s obstinate 
character and ferocious pride, we have had to be very tactful. 
However we think we have succeeded to the point where at least 
he will not lack for necessities. You see, he refuses all medical help 
and it will be even more difficult to overcome this prejudice. 

Johnson is suffering from a slight attack of bronchitis and from 
one or two furunculi that are more troublesome than serious. 
Yesterday he attended the Council for the first time in a month. 
Apart from that he is tolerably well. The abominable weather we 
have been having here has given everyone colds. 

As to the intrigues over here, they dwindle in importance day by 
day. The few honest men, who allowed themselves to be carried 
away, have withdrawn and left the field open for the out and out 
riff-raff about whom there is no need to bother one’s head.' It is 
worse in Switzerland, since Maaont, etc., have fallen into the trap 
over there, some through spinelessness, others through vanity. So 
much the worse for them—the world can’t stop turning because 
of their blunders! 

Yours ever, 

F. E. 
Herbert Spencer Psychology" 16/- 
Do First Principles 16/- 
Bain Mental and Moral Science — 10/6 
Do Logic, 2 parts 10/6 
Do Senses and Intellect 15/- 

4 Bakunin’s fine fellow. Engels probably means Bastelica. - > Marx - © (Russ. abbr.) 
Wroblewski - 4 Rozwadowski (written in Cyrillic in the original) - © See this volume, 
pp. 175 and 200. - f Ibid., p. 223.- 8 Malon (written in Cyrillic in the origi- 
nal) -  H. Spencer, The Principles of Psychology.