London, 16 April 1856 

Dear Frederic, 

A packet went off to you today through the usual Parcels 
company. It contains: 1. Kars papers.* 2. Igor.** 3. Destrilhes, 
_ Confidences sur la Turquie. 4. 2 issues of L’Homme; in one, the 
letter from Cayenne, in the other, Pyat’s litany to Marianne,*’ 
which he read aloud on 25 February of this year at a Chartist 
meeting in honour of the French Revolution. The good fellow 
was, of course, hoping to see a repetition of the row caused by his 
‘lettre 4 la reine’.'° Was disappointed, however. From this you will 
also gather how subordinate is the attitude adopted by the French 
would-be revolutionaries here vis-a-vis ‘Marianne’. 5. 2 cuttings 
from The People’s Paper, my first 2 articles on the Kars papers.’ Shall 
also send you third and final instalments. Since the original of 
Article I had gone astray, and time, not to mention Ernest Jones, 
was pressing, I had to do a hasty rehash of the Tribune article out 
of my head, so that sundry bits of nonsense have crept in which 
will certainly not elude your keen nose. But NEVER Mind THAT! I 
mention it simply to let you know why I didn’t send you the thing 
straight away. 

The day before yesterday a little banquet took place to celebrate 
the anniversary of The People’s Paper. On this occasion, the times 
seeming to require it, I accepted the invitation, the more so since 
(as ANNOUNCED IN THE Paper) I alone of the whole emigration was 
invited, and the first toast also fell to me, i.e. I was asked to 
propose one to the souveraineté du prolétariat dans tous les pays.’ So I 
made a short speech in English, which, however, I shall not allow to 
appear in print.“ The end I sought has been achieved. Mr 
Talandier—who had to pay 2/6d for his t1cKer—is now convinced, 
like the rest of the French and other émigré crews, that we are the 
Chartists’ only ‘intimate’ allies and that, though we may hold aloof 
from public demonstrations and leave it to the Frenchmen to flirt 
openly with Chartism, it is always in our power to resume the 
position already allotted to us by history. This had become all the 
more necessary because, at the above-mentioned meeting of 25 
February presided over by Pyat, the German lout Scherzer 
(op Boy) spoke and, in truly dreadful Straubingerian style,” 
denounced the German ‘scholars’, the ‘intellectual workers’, for 
having left them (the louts) in the lurch, thus forcing them 
to make fools of themselves in the eyes of the other nationalities. 
You will remember Scherzer from Paris days. I have met friend 
Schapper again several times and have found him very much the 
repentant sinner. The retirement in which he has been living for 
the past 2 years would seem RATHER to have sharpened his wits than 
otherwise. As you will realise, there are all sorts of contingencies in 
which it might be advantageous to have the man to hand np, still 
More, to have him out of the hands of Willich. Schapper is now 
furiously angry with the Windmill™ louts. 

I shall forward your letter to Steffen. You ought to have kept 
Levy’s letter* there. Do so in general with all letters I don’t ask 
you to return. The less they go through the post the better. I fully 
agree with you about the Rhine Province. As for us, the worst of it 
is that, LOOMING IN THE FUTURE, I see something that looks like ‘high 
treason’. Whether we are forced into the same kind of position as 
the Mainz Clubbists” in the old revolution will largely depend on 
the tournure” things take in Berlin. Ca sera dur“ We, who are so 
ENLIGHTENED about our good fréres from across the Rhine! Tue 
WHOLE THING IN Germany will depend on whether it is possible ro Back 
THE PROLETARIAN REVOLUTION BY SOME SECOND EDITION OF THE PEASANTS’ war. In 
which case the affair should go swimmingly. 

I have heard nothing whatever about Stieber II. Write and tell 
me what you know on this score. 

Now for the chronique scandaleuse.* 

The Pieper comedy came to an end as abrupt as it was bitter. 
On the one hand, he got a letter in which the old GREENGROCER 
turned him down out of hand and forbade him the house. On the 
other, the green-bespectacled screech-owl—an indescribably hide- 
ous piece of baggage—turned up at our house in search of ‘her’ 
Pieper. She proposed that they should elope together. With great 
tact he refused quite unequivocally. So the comedy is over. It is to 
be hoped that this bitter experience, the result of his irresistible- 
ness, will have some salutory effect upon Prince Charming. 

Enclosed a letter from Seiler. As soon as this Falstaff arrived in 
New York he caught Edgar‘ just as the latter was about to set out 
for Texas. Edgar has in the meantime come into some money 
from the inheritance. The nasty consequences of this meeting with 
Seiler will be apparent to you from the letter. 

A fine pair, Seiler and Conrad Schramm! 

t. 
oa Your 

K, M.