Letter to Friedrich Engels, March 31, 1857

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To Engels in Manchester

London, 31 March 1857 9 Grafton Terrace, Maitland Park, Haverstock Hill

Dear Engels,

Received the £5.

I should like you to send me some Manchester Examiner if convenient. The Bright Party’s explanations are of interest to me just now. It is only through their defeat that the election has acquired any historical point. Palmerston’s position will become dangerous only now, when he has a commanding majority inside Parliament, whereas outside Parliament there is a recrudescence — for the first time since the Anti-Corn Law League — of serious anti-ministerial agitation. England is entering upon a sérieuse crisis — as The Times already intimates, with its reference to the cloud which it sees gathering — and if the move is resumed on the Continent, John Bull will not maintain the stance of supercilious detachment he adopted in 1848. Pam’s victory marks the culmination of events which began in June 1848. Amongst the more intelligent members of the London public the news from Manchester, accompanied as it was by a commentary in the shape of Pam’s brazen address and speech, was greeted with a kind of stupefaction. Seen from here — and all are unanimous on this point — Manchester has brought disgrace, serious disgrace, upon itself. Had Punch not been bought by Pam — Taylor, a chief editor thereof, has been given a post at the General Board of Health at a salary of £1,000 — Potter, Turner, and Garnett, at any rate, would have figured in it next Wednesday. Send me some particulars about these laddies and their whereabouts.

Mr Dronke has written to Freiligrath telling him that he ‘will break with his Jew and set up as an independent agent’.

I have provided Urquhart with some notes on Bangya — in view of the latter’s connections with Constantinople and Circassia.

Enclosed a cutting from Reynolds about the editor of The Morning Advertiser — Mr Grant. Every word of it true.

Also Dana’s letter. Let me have it back. In his enumeration of the articles published he mentions only the last ones, and even some of these he didn’t publish until 5 or 6 weeks after their arrival in New York when he saw that things were taking a new turn. His proposal re money is the best possible indication that I was not mistaken about the gentleman’s intentions. His remark about the length of the articles suits me well. I shall have all the less to send. What strikes me, though, is that for months past he has been able to find 2 or 3 columns for the most insipid London gossip.

In Prussia too there is a minor parliamentary crisis. Once again the dictum ‘Geniality leaves off where money matters begin’ would seem to be proving true there.

It seems highly probable that the Swiss will agree to expel all the refugees.

Salut.

Your
K. M.

Did you take note of the bubbles that burst last week — the Australian Agricultural Company, the London and Eastern Bank, and the North of Europe Steam Company, one of the directors being Mr Peto?