Letter to Friedrich Engels, November 7, 1867

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To Engels in Manchester

[London,] 7 November 1867

Dear Fred,

My remerciments for the Elberfelder [review of Capital by Engels].

Liebknecht’s old address: ‘11, Braustrasse, Leipzig.’ By the way, perhaps safer to forward it through Kugelmann, who is in contact with a friend of Liebknecht’s in Leipzig.

I forgot to tell you in my letter of Saturday 1 sheet maximum for the Fortnightly. If longer than half a sheet, it should be set out as First Notice, Second Notice.

As regards Meissner, it appears to me to be undiplomatic to let him see into our cards too much. What he can do from his own resources, he does anyway. It would be important — and for the present more important than the English article — to send a more detailed report (perhaps broken down into several articles) to the Austrian Internationale Revue (Arnold Hilberg’s publishing house, 4, Kolowrat-Ring, Vienna). As Arnold Hilberg lists you and me as his contributors (and through me has asked us both for contributions), there are no obstacles here. It is in fact the sole German ‘Review’ which is open to us.

The only weekly paper here in London which has a certain impartiality and is much concerned with things German, such as German philology, natural science, Hegel, etc., is a — Catholic paper, The Chronicle. It is obviously their tendency to show that they are more learned than their Protestant rivals. I sent them one copy at the end of last week with a short letter to the purpose, saying that my book does not share their opinions, but that the ‘scholarly’ nature of their paper suggests that some notice will be taken of this first attempt at applying the dialectic method to political economy. Nous verrons! There is a great desire prevailing at present in the more refined circles (I am referring, of course, to the intellectual portion of the latter) to become acquainted with the dialectical method. And perhaps that is after all the easiest way to get at the English.

The most interesting thing in the enclosed Diplomatic Review is the excerpts from the new book by Prokesch.

Detailed description of Abercorn’s evictions appeared about a fortnight ago in the (Dublin) Irishman. I may manage to get again the copy which was only lent me for 24 hours.

At the meeting presided over by Colonel Dickson and at which Bradlaugh delivered a lecture on Ireland, our old Weston, seconded by Fox and Cremer, put forward a resolution in support of the Fenians, which was passed unanimously. Last Tuesday ditto, during Acland’s lecture on the Reform Bill, Cleveland Hall (right above us, we were meeting downstairs in the coffee room, which is in the basement), tempestuous demonstration in favour of the Fenians. The business is boiling up in the intelligent section of the working class here.

How very characteristic of the diplomatic farce being enacted in Europe at present, that at the same time as Bonaparte is intervening in Italy, France, Italy and Prussia are jointly, and most obediently at Russia’s behest, delivering a threatening note to the Porte.

Salut.

Your
K. M.

Old Urquhart with his Catholicism, etc., grows more and more disgusting.

The following confession from a nun is to be found in an inquisition record in Italy, who innocently prayed to the Madonna: ‘I beg of you, Holy Virgin, send me someone with whom I may sin.’ However, the Russians are plus forts in this, too. A case is reported of a fellow in the best of health who emerged dead after only 24 hours in a Russian nunnery. The nuns had ridden him to death. Of course, in their case le directeur des consciences n'entre pas tous les jours! [the Father Confessor does not come in every day]