(London,] 24 February 1851 
28 Dean Street, Soho 

Dear Engels, 

It is now one o’clock in the morning. About an hour ago Pieper 
came rushing in, hatless, dishevelled, his clothing in tatters. This is 
what had happened. 

Earlier this evening the meeting or banquet took place in the 
City. Willich presided. Jones, in accordance with his promise, didn’t 
go. Our pear* was wearing a red armlet. Some 700 men were 
present, 150 Frenchmen, about 250 Germans, 200 Chartists and 
the remainder Poles and Hungarians. Blanc read out the 
addresses received from his brethren in Paris, Willich one from La 
Chaux-de-Fonds. There was none from Germany. An address 
from Poles in Paris was also read. 

a Harney 

The speeches were, it seems, ludicrous and, despite all the 
fraternité, the sweat of tedium beaded men’s brows and lamed their 
tongues. 

Schramm * and Pieper had bought tickets in order to watch the 
fun. They were molested from the very start. Schramm went 
across to one of the stewards, the worthy, chivalrous Landolphe, 
and begged him to ensure that, in return for their money, they 
should at least be left in peace. The worthy fellow replied that this 
was not the place to embark on explanations. 

By anv sy the Great Windmill Streeters**! began to grow restive. 
They set up a shout of, ‘Spy, sey, Haynau, Haynau,’” whereupon 
Schramm and Pieper were man-handled out of the hall, their hats 
torn off; in the courtyard outside the hall they were kicked, 
stamped on, cuffed, nearly rent in pieces, handfuls of hair torn 
out, etc. Barthélemy came up and said of Schramm: ‘Cest un 
infame! Il faut UVécraser.” Schramm replied: ‘Vous étes un forcat 
libéré!”© 

Some 200 individuals took part in the scuffle, Germans, 
Frenchmen, and, no less ‘plucky’, the fraternal gentry," against two 
unarmed men. 

Post festum who should arrive but our pear; instead of interven- 
ing energetically however, as behoved him, he stammered 
something about knowing these people and would have launched 
into long explanations. A fine remedy, of course, at such a 
moment. 

The two defended themselves as bravely as lions. 

The Windmillers yelled: ‘It was him who stole 19 shillings from 
our cash box!’ 

So much for today. Qu’en dis-tu, mon cher?* If revolution breaks 
out in London tomorrow, Willich-Barthélemy will assuredly come 
to power. 

Your 
K. M.