Letter to Friedrich Engels, September 27, 1859


MARX TO ENGELS[1]

IN MANCHESTER

[London, 27 September 1859]

Dear Engels,

Your letter with enclosure received. I knew as soon as the letter had gone off that some of my critical remarks were idiotic.[2]

I myself am involved in a COUNTY-COURT PROCESS on account of the Volk As regards the 'direct' subscribers in Manchester, these were only Lupus and a 'cobbler' who had already cancelled his order before the paper ceased to be.

Thimm has not yet paid and was, moreover, requested to pay only for the NUMBERS RECEIVED. HOW can we have done anything to the prejudice of the philistines in Manchester when they have not yet paid a single FARTHING?

Send the names of the fellows with claims. Tell Thimm (on Biskamp's behalf) that he must not send another FARTHING here until he hears from us again. You may instruct him to pay 'bona fide' claimants in Manchester.

Biskamp has now taken lodgings at my expense here in Hampstead. The POOR DEVIL has had an operation for PLEURISY at the German hospital, where he spent 1 V2 weeks—sans sou.[3] All in all a nice state of affairs.

Today is article day, so I shall close.

Salut.

Your

K. M.

  1. The letter has no date. The approximate date of its writing has been deduced from Marx's acknowledgment of the money Engels sent him in a letter written between 24 and 26 September (see Note 477), and from the fact that Marx wrote it on an 'article day', i. e., a day when he sent material to the New-York Daily Tribune. In this case it was, most likely, Tuesday, 27 September. It has also been taken into account that this letter preceded the one Marx wrote to Engels on 28 September 1859.—495
  2. See this volume, p. 491.
  3. without a penny