Manchester, 14 April 1858

Dear Mrs Marx,

I trust that Moor is at last on the road to recovery and will soon
be able to return unhampered to his labours on_ political
economy.” I was also plagued with toothache last week. By
Sunday it had gone, only to return with added virulence this
evening just as I was settling down to sort out some preliminary
stuff on the conquest of Lucknow* for the Tribune. Whether I
shall succeed in these circumstances seems very doubtful. At any
rate I shall try and read up the subject this evening and if possible
concoct something, even if not much, tomorrow midday while I’m
at the office. But it would at any rate be a good idea if Moor were
to have a sujet in petto” so that, if the worst comes to the worst,
there’s something to send the fellows.

I still find working in the evenings very tiring and, if I go on for
too long or for two evenings running, I get over-excited and
suffer from insomnia, particularly when I’ve had a lot of writing
to do during the day. And I also feel very stupid and lethargic in
the evenings until I wake myself up by forcing myself to
concentrate on some subject. My memory is better on the whole,
although every day I still find that things I have done or heard
the day before vanish so completely from my mind that they
might never have happened, and it’s only when I’ve been
reminded of individual detatls that it all comes back to me.
Otherwise I am physically strong and healthy again, able to stand
up to strains and stresses and— sauf le‘ toothache—to any kind of
weather.

Lupus is stil] very lame and is having to spend more on cass in
one week than he usually does in a year. But he is improving
visibly and in a week’s time he'll probably again be able to stand a
certain amount of walking. He sends everyone his best wishes.

How do you like the Bernard trial**? The French mouchards‘
and their worthy confrére Mr Rogers are cutting a pretty figure.

a F, Engels, ‘The Fall of Lucknow’. - © subject up his sleeve - © save for the - 4 police
spies

Yesterday’s Morning Post drew a very nice picture of the trial’s
physiognomy. That Chevalier Estien was excellently portrayed.*

I have today received from pear Harney 3 more Independents”
from which it transpires that his arch-enemy, Seigneur Godfrey,
has begun a fresh libel suit against him.’ The man will soon be
thinking himself as ‘greet’ as the ‘greet’ Lassalle.

‘Our rarrHrut arty’? is now weighing on English commerce like
a nightmare. Nobody wants to speculate or buy more than
his immediate requirements because the whole of Philistia is
expecting war, revolution or even more outlandish things in
France.

Very best wishes to the girls and Moor,

Yours ever,

F. Engels