Manchester, 17 November 1859 

Dear Moor, 

As though it wasn’t enough to be saddled with a Russian, I have 
a Genevan arriving today, and Ermen shows an increasing 
tendency to foist onto me the onerous side of representing the: 
firm. Nevertheless I still had hopes this morning of finding time 
for an article, but it proved utterly impossible. Next Tuesday, 
however, you will get an article on Morocco,* you may be sure of that. 
This will be followed as soon as possible by more on the Rirte 
VowunTreR Movement,” Prussian army reform? and diverse other 
matters. 

The business of the assautt has been settled.“ Thirty pounds 
damages and twenty-five costs. It’s been paid+-partly by borrow- 
ing. The action was brought in London and, quite apart from the 
scandal up here, the publication in the German papers of The 
Times report of the affair would have been a nice juicy titbit for 
Kinkel & Co. 

Schiller festival. Programme enclosed, likewise the original 
poetical creations consisting, as you will observe, of 

Prologue by Meissner, 
Catalogue by Samelson, 
Epilogue by Siebel. 

Pro- and epi- only saved by the antithesis of the catalogue. 

The first part went orr in a resounding failure. Dr Marcus 
(bankrupt woollen merchant with an Erlangen? doctorate a 66 
talers, 20 silver groschen) read the committee’s report in a 
lachrymose voice, Siebel declaimed the prologue passably well, but 
indistinctly, Theodores spoke flowery nonsense very indistinctly 
indeed, all that one could hear being rrrrrr—the choir sang 
splendidly — Morell delivered himself of platitudes in English, but 
audibly and fluently——‘Die Kraniche des Ibykus’* sent the entire 

a At the beginning of December Engels wrote the article ‘Progress of the Moorish 
War’. - > F. Engels, ‘Military Reform in Germany’. - © See this volume, p. 490. - 
4 University town in Bavaria - € a poem by Schiller 

audience to sleep. Fortunately this made everything so late that a 
full performance of the programme would have lasted until 1 
o'clock in the morning. Samelson’s stanzas were therefore con- 
signed to the lumber room. The ‘Armada’* was excellently recited 
by one Link, then came the play.” A very nice stage, but bad 
acoustics, excellent grouping, much—almost too much—activity 
constantly going on up stage. All in all, the lads acted quite well 
but were difficult to understand on account of the unduly 
voluminous beards they wore in front of their mouths and also 
because they didn’t address the audience properly. The friar was 
good (Dolch, a former corps student, author of a Geschichte des 
Deutschen Studententhums, a fool and a donkey). Siebel’s epilogue, 
delivered by Link in a most melodious voice and with much 
decorum, was effective. In short, part 2 saved the day; in the 
second part and in the piece dropped from the first the lads 
predominated (also indirectly attributable to a good deal of 
‘UNDERHAND INFLUENCE’ On my part, for the introduction to Wallensteins 
Lager was composed from data supplied by me and was actually 
very good); the first was dominated by the wiseacres and 
self-assertive philistines and schoolmasters. 

Now they propose to found a Schiller Institute*? with the 
surplus, the surplus, however, being a deficit of £150! 

On Saturday a festive guzzle which I didn’t attend. Numerous 
toasts and readings of all the REJECTED ADDRESSES. 

On Friday night the singers and actors went on carousing until 
four o’clock in the morning—a very merry affair. 

Your 
F. E. 
What is all this about a brawl at the Crystal Palace °°’?