London, 6 May 1852 
28 Dean Street, Soho 

Dear Frederic, 

The parcel didn’t go off to you because Pickford’s demanded 
2/6d from my wife. And the whole lot put together isn’t worth 
that much. 

The strange note enclosed herewith is a hastily made copy of a 
circular sent out by Messrs Kinkel and Willich to their affiliates.” 
The funniest thing about it is that one of their heads of sections 
invariably carries these scraps to Hebeler, the Prussian Consul- 
General, who pays him for them. The Prussian government, of 
course, no less than Kinkel-Willich, possesses the key to these 

4 a tedious and rather muddle-headed creature - > the Communist League - © See 
this volume, p. 93. 

portentous mysteries. Indeed Willich, for all his principles and 
scruples, has after all accepted a position on the definitive 
committee. Where the money is, there you will find Willich. 

A coup quelconque* is intended, so much is certain. General 
Klapka has already left for Malta, in his pocket a commission 
signed by Kossuth and Mazzini appointing him general command- 
ing the Italo-Hungarian army. I believe a start is to be made in 
Sicily. Unless these gentlemen suffer defeat and receive a 
drubbing twice a year, they feel ill at ease. That world history 
continues to unfold without their help, without their intervention, 
and without, indeed, official intervention, is something they refuse 
to admit. If things go wrong, as they are sure to do, Mr Mazzini 
will have a renewed opportunity for self-assertion in outraged 
letters to a Graham quelconque.” ** Nor will his digestion suffer in 
consequence. 

I am now correcting Bangya’s translation of Szemere’s character- 
sketches© written in Hungarian. While the original must be 
splendid, it has to be laboriously reconstructed from the wretched 
and often almost incomprehensible translation which is constantly 
at loggerheads with the rules of grammar and the consecutio 
temporum.’ This much is clear: the deposition of the Austrian 
dynasty which, at the time of its proclamation, was unpolitical and 
pernicious, was engineered by Mr Lajos Kossuth so as to secure 
for himself the post of governor, for he feared that, if he 
hesitated, he would later see it devolve unopposed on_ the 
victorious Gérgey. Lajos was also responsible for the mistake of 
storming Ofen instead of marching on Vienna, since he was 
itching to celebrate with his family his triumphant entry into the 
capital.’ 

Apropos. I have just received a letter from Bangya. The 
publisher in Berlin has now made a definite offer: £25 for 5-6 
sheets of character-sketches, 24 free copies. I shall receive the 
money from Bangya as soon as I deliver the manuscript to him. 
But the man wants it quickly. 

My plan is as follows: for the time being I shall do a brouillon 
with Dronke, which will plus ou moins‘ obliterate my style. So it 
might be possible for you and me to get the thing reapy in a 
fortnight’s time. At all events you must let me have some more 

4 some coup or other - > some or other - © B. Szemere, Graf Ludwig Batthyény, 
Arthur Gorgei, Ludwig Kossuth. Politische Charakterskizzen aus dem Ungarischen 
Freiheitskriege. - 4 sequence of tenses - © rough draft - more or less - § K. Marx 
and F. Engels, The Great Men of the Exile. 

information about Willich (during the campaign* and in Switzer- 
land) in your CURRENT LETTERS. 

Enclosed letter from Cluss. 

Yesterday Freiligrath and I were with Tribner, the bookseller. 
He believes he can dispose of a number of copies of the 
Revolution” here in London and place a further quantity in 
Germany through Campe. So as soon as Weydemeyer’s copies 
arrive, forward them here. The Turn-Zeitung seems to have gone 
astray. 

Your 
K. Marx