{London,] 2 March 1858 

Dear Frederick, 

I sent you by return a note acknowledging receipt of the £5. The 
scrawl contained nothing else save a few political comments, 
ALTOGETHER NoT 20 Lines.””' But all the same, I find it exceedingly 
irritating that the post office here should be taking an immediate 
interest in my correspondence. Not long ago I wrote to Collet, that 
most respectable of men, and the letter vanished. Complaints availed 
me nothing. I shall NOW WATCH THE PROGRESS OF POST OFFICE INTERFERENCE, If 
there is a 3rd cast of this kind I shall proclaim the fact above my 
signature in the London press. The canaille are welcome to read 
what I write about politics. But my private Affairs are not such that I 
would care to have any old German post orrice spy go poking his 
nose into them; 50 swine of various nationalities are, it seems, 
regularly employed as interpreters by the London cabinet noir,”” at 
LEAST, THE URQUHARTITES SAY SO, 

The information I sent you recently about the stare of TRADE IN 
Iraty, and Milan in particular, was taken from the Turin papers, 
which are well supplied with correspondents in that region. While 
it is, of course, in the interests of Turin to paint the situation in 
Austrian Italy in the blackest possible colours, the reports from 
Milan went into details which had the real ring of truth.—As 
regards the stare of Frencu rrape, you should read the contribution 
from the Paris correspondent in today’s Times.” True, the chap now 
seems to be blaming the thing on Orsini and the Frencu colonels, mats 
c'est ridicule? 

I enclose a wretched scrawl by Pyat, Talandier and Co.,° which 
laddies couldn’t rest for the fame accorded to Ledru-Rollin and 
Mazzini and Bernard, whereas they themselves had apparently 
been quite passed over by the French government. They believe 
that a revolution is in the offing and after all their ‘activity’ in 
London—Talandier had shouted himself as hoarse as quondam 

a The contribution datelined ‘Paris, Saturday, Feb. 27, 6 p.m.’, The Times, No. 22930, 
2 March 1858. - > but it’s ridiculous - © F. Pyat, A. Besson, A. Talandier, Letter to the 
Parliament and the Press (Marx seems to have used the French version of the 
letter). 

Bornstedt—it was inveep galling for the great men to have the 
attention of revolutionary Europe diverted from them by other 
INCIDENTS. Therefore, JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME, THEY ISSUED the clap-trap 
enclosed herewith.” No style, no sense, not even French, 
altogether in the style of the Porte St. Martin streetwalker so 
typical of the former Charivari contributor and compositor of little 
toasts."* In order that this publication should not fail in its 
purpose, they sent the beastly little thing to all the papers. 
Persigny-Palmerston Jenkins or THe Morninc Post was instantly 
caught in the TRap. In a LEADER written by himself he denounced the 
chaps and their opusculum To THE HONOURABLE Mr WatpoLe and, as an 
additional precaution, HE DID THE WHOLE PAMPHLET INTO BAD English. More 
than that. In his maucurat speech Derby informed the House or Lorps 
that the Crown advocates had been instructed to look into the 
thing and see if legal proceedings could be taken against it.* In this 
way Citizens Talandier, Pyat and Besson have, with their insane 
concoction, succeeded in puffing themselves To a pecree they could 
hardly have dared hope for. ‘ 

As for Bernard, he will presumably have to spend a little longer 
in jug. 

The insolence and impupence with which Pam has placed himself 
at the head of the liberal opposition and nominated himself an 
HONOURABLE GENTLEMAN OPPOSITE,” IS TRULY WONDERFUL, but he can, of 
course, do exactly what he pleases with a House of Commons of 
his own creation. 

Apropos. Can you tell me how often machinery has to be 
replaced in, say, your factory? Babbage maintains that in 
Manchester THE BULK OF MACHINERY IS RENOVATED On average EVERY 5 YEARS.? 
This seems to me somewhat srarriinc and not QUITE TRUSTWORTHY. 
The average period for the replacement of machinery is one 
important factor in explaining the multi-year cycle which has been 
a feature of industrial development ever since the consolidation of 
big industry. 

What is Lupus up to? Give him my regards. 

Your 
K. M. 

a Derby’s speech in the House of Lords of 1 March 1858 published in The Times, 
No. 22930, 2 March 1858. -> Ch. Babbage, On the Economy of Machinery and 
Manufactures, p. 285. 

Another batch or Guardians arrived today. ‘Bidassoa’ also 
received last week.