London, 16 February 1872 

Au citoyen J. Ph. Becker 

My dear old Comrade-in-arms, 

It gave me great pleasure to receive a letter from you once 
again after so many years. 

The business about Lessner’s 10 frs has been settled.*? 

Can you make any suggestions about how we might assist Cuno 
in remaining where he is, i.e. in Milan? I cannot see any way from 
here and we would certainly be glad to do all we can to keep the 
brave fellow at such an important post. These damned Italians 
make more work for me than the entire rest of the International 
put together makes for the General Council. And it is all the more 
infuriating as in all probability little will come of it as long as the 
Italian workers are content to allow a few doctrinaire journalists 
and lawyers to call the tune on their behalf. 

Marx sent the 100 stamps a 1 silver groschen in a registered 
letter to the address indicated in Cologne, but we have not yet had 
a reply. 

Your young friend Wegmann is presumably the same person as 
the one about whom my cousin, Mrs Beust, wrote to me in 
Manchester a few years ago. I tried a great deal then to find him a 
position, even though convinced of the impossibility of doing so, 
and my efforts were indeed unsuccessful, a fact on which I 
reported to Anna Beust in detail.** I shall now write once more to 
Manchester on his behalf, but would be grateful if Wegmann 

a To Citizen 

could let me know in what field he is qualified to take up a 
position. Unfortunately, I cannot really hold out any prospects of 
success. The place is crawling with young German and Swiss 
engineers who snap up any position that arises in no time at all. I 
really tried everything I knew to find something for an Alsatian 
refugee, but without success, even though the man was on the spot 
and had very good references. He finally discovered something by 
pure chance after a long period of giving lessons. 

Things are going well in Spain. The forcible measures taken 
against the International by the government have really cured 
people of abstention from politics, and Marx’s son-in-law, La- 
fargue, who is in Madrid, is also doing his utmost to drive the 
Bakuninist quirks out of their heads. I have no worries about 
Spain. The people we are dealing with there are workers, and 
Bakunin’s few doctors and journalists in Barcelona have to mind 
their ps and qs. The Spanish Federal Council is completely on our 
side. People in various sections have expressed very sensible views, 
and the Federal Council has released a circular (or was about to 
do so a little while ago), containing its entire correspondence with 
the General Council “* and then putting the question whether the 
General Council had attempted to treat them, the Spaniards, in a 
dictatorial fashion. In the meantime, the situation has changed so 
much that it looks as if open conflict is imminent in Spain, and 
this has completely cut the ground from under the feet of the 
Jurassians and their adherents. They really do have other things 
on their hands now in Spain than to make such a to-do about 
trivialities. 

Outine’s letter and the Suzsse radicale have arrived. We shall 
publicise the case *** without delay.’ 

Your enquiry about the letters really did slip my mind. I shail 
write to Frankel at once to find out whether he received the two 
letters, and if not I shall keep on searching. If anything has gone 
astray I shall let you know immediately. 

Marx sends greetings to you all and I do likewise. 

Fraternally, your old 

F. Engels