Manchester, 24 November 1863 

Dear Moor, 

As I have heard nothing more from your wife, I can only hope 
your health has improved in the meantime, and that you are rid 
of your boils. The main thing is to stick to wine-drinking and 
meat-eating. During the past few days my evenings at the 
office—the only time I can contemplate writing private letters— 
have been much interrupted, otherwise you’d have heard from me 
before. 

Things are getting critical in Germany. In one way, the Danish 
business *”’ has come at the wrong time, while, in another, it can 
only precipitate the crisis. Funny, how the English press is 

20* 

suddenly finding the Schleswig-Holstein question so absolutely 
crystal-clear, when for years it has claimed it was so complicated 
that, as Dundreary* says, ‘No FELLOW CAN UNDERSTAND THAT’. For us, 
however, the admissions in the English press suffice. But what a 
masterly stroke the Protocol of 1852 was on the Russians’ part! So 
long as my only source of information was the stupid Free Press, I 
couldn’t make head or tail of it; really, the gift those jackasses 
have for confusing everything surpasses even Dundreary’s. That 
Prussia and Austria should have signed the Protocol was an 
unspeakable infamy, and those concerned must pay for it with 
their blood. 

Again, it’s really rather funny that the whole question of the 
succession should now turn on whether the Augustenburg fellow, 
as the child of a morganatic marriage, is qualified to succeed.”™ 

In Prussia, Bismarck’s insolence would seem to be wavering a bit 
after all. The disavowal of the Landrat election intrigues, and the 
repeal of the Press Decree are significant omens.” J’espére qu’ils ne 
reculent que pour mieux sauter.” Lassalle, too, is playing a part in the 
press controversy. Wagener was tactless enough (vis-a-vis his tacit 
ally, Lassalle) to cite his opinion of the liberal press‘ in 
justification of the Press Decree.* This evoked roars of laughter 
and bad jokes from Virchow and Gneist. Lassalle has made a 
thorough mess of his campaign, which won't, of course, prevent 
him from beginning all over again. Yet the jackass could have 
found out perfectly well from the Manifesto what attitude one 
ought to adopt towards the bourgeoisie at times such as these. 

Many regards to your wife and the girls. 

Your 
F. E.