Manchester, 12 December 1855 

Dear Marx, 

Something can be arranged with the good Tribune people after 
all, you see, and the £200 are assured. So that a start can be made 
straight away, I shall do a military article this evening, then you 
must do a political one. Both of them can then go on Friday,” hoc 
facit” £4. 

I return Dana’s letter herewith.©” Au fond, it is all to the good 
that the noble Mirbach has settled down to a life of idleness in 
London, for after all nothing has been definitely settled with the 
New Yorkers about the Crimean articles.°. At all events, I am 
now relieved of any indirect obligation to the chap, and il ne me 
regarde plus“ I have said nothing at all here about the matter, 
otherwise it would give Lupus qualms of conscience in the end, 
and next time he would turn rebellious. 

4 14 December - > that makes - © At bottom -4 he’s no longer any concern of 
mine 

Jmeyer’ wrote to me recently, not so much to inform me that he 
was still awaiting a letter from you, as to let me know what to say 
at my brother-in-law’s” at Christmas. He has heard nothing at all 
from the little man.‘ 

We shall bear in mind Mr Karl Joest and his caricatures.* I 
believe I shall do an even better caricature of him when he is 
dangling from a lamp post. 

Whether I shall be able to do an article on Tuesday‘ depends, 
of course, on events, which are now very few and far between. 
Kars and Omer Pasha will have to be my victims today; if anything 
happens tomorrow [ shall add it on.” 

The strike is going ahead here. The masrers said that they were 
willing to pay,’ provided the Ashton rates were taken as a basis. 
The Hanns replied that if the masters chose Ashton, they would 
choose Oldham and be prepared to accept as a basis the average 
for the two places. Thereupon the Masters gave an evasive answer 
and proposed yet a third place in the district as a norm. This was 
refused and there the matter rests. The Hanps seem to me to be 
completely in the right; but they obviously still have in mind a few 
old trade union traditions whereby only this or that machine may 
be operated and only in the specific, time-honoured manner. But 
they'll soon drop this rubbish. The neighbourhood is beginning to 
support them. 

The editor of the Guardian, whom I’ve come to know, is a wise 
man. IN His own mind and a kind of oracle in the eyes of a number of 
philistines; apart from that a teller of dirty stories and a moderate 
carouser. He has obviously heard about me for, whenever I 
mention some shabby trick, he listens with attention and asks 
questions which show a desire to know. I shall gradually 
encourage the man’s advances and then draw him out about the 
people on the Examiner and Times, after which I shall approach 
the latter rag. Aprés, on avisera.” 

Warmest regards to your wife and children. 

Your 
F. E.