[London,] 20 January 1852 
28 Dean Street, Soho 

Dear Engels, 

Only since yesterday have I been up and about again and it was 
not until today that I again took up my pen. 

Since I was unable to go out and visit Chapman as I had 
planned, Pieper, with the enthusiasm he habitually displays in the 
first ten minutes, offered to discount the bill for me. The other 
evening he brought me the money, only to declare that he would 
send you the bill so that you could have it discounted in 
Manchester. I, as well as my wife, told him that we knew you 
couldn’t do so. But he had already written his letter and, since he 
made it pretty clear that I appeared, for reasons of my own, to be 
putting obstacles in his way, I gave him his head and be damned 
to it, feeling sure that you would return the stuff to him. Now, 
when he informs me of this fait,* it turns out that he was not in 
such a hurry after all, but was merely seeking to give himself airs. 
For me, it was a nasty business, since you might have thought I 
had been guilty of an indiscretion. 

In France les choses vont a merveille.” And I hope la belle France 
will not pass through this school too casually but will have to 
spend a longer time in class. War, whether it comes a few months 

4 fact - > things are going splendidly 

sooner or later, seems to me inevitable. Nous avons eu le Napoléon 
de la paix? Louis” can sy No Means emulate Louis Philippe. Et alors?* 

As you know, our people in Cologne have not been brought 
before the Assizes under the pretext that the case is so difficult 
that the investigation must be begun all over again. 

Madier has just been here. He proved to me de la maniére la plus 
crapaude* that the Frencumen are capable of taking London by 
breakfast time and assaulting all of England’s coasts within five 
hours. One has too much pitie* for the poor devils not to hold one’s 
tongue quand ils déraisonnent! 

Write soon. 

Your 
K. M. 

How is le commerce?