Letter to Friedrich Engels, May 7, 1860

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 7 May 1860


First published abridged in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 2, Stuttgart, 1913 and in full in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXII, Moscow, 1929
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 41


MARX TO ENGELS

IN MANCHESTER

[London,] 7 May 1860

Dear Frederick,

Herewith:

1. Letter from Fischel. Gumpert's belief that he sent me a letter written to you from Berlin is a DELUSION. The letter to you which he sent contained Liebknecht's letter to me.[1]

2. Letter from Szemere. I haven't written to him for a long time because I disliked intensely the way he flattered Badinguet[2] and Pam in his pamphlet.[3] However, I shall now give him a piece of my mind.

3. Letter from Emmermann and Beust to Schily.[4] What do you think of these worthies? Beust, buckling on his sword and accusing me of prevarication just because he got scared and decamped from Cologne! You needn't return the letters to me, but had better file them.

As regards Fischel's suggestion, I must first know more about the kind of newspaper he envisages, the line it will take, etc.

I'm very glad that it was Schimmelpfennig who was Techow's addressee5h for that will enable me to present the one in terms of the other. It's also a good thing that Willich prevented a reply to Schapper. I shall treat him with mild irony.

Have met Freiligrath. The philistine clearly wishes to remain on good terms with us. Beyond this, doesn't want to be drawn into the 'scandal'. His views have become mediocre in the extreme.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Your

K. M.

  1. ↑ See this volume, p. 113.
  2. ↑ This refers to Napoleon III, who in 1846 escaped from prison wearing the clothes of a stonemason named Badinguet.
  3. ↑ B. Szemere, La Question hongroise (1848 1860), Paris, 1860.
  4. ↑ Marx means the letters of Emmermann to Schily of 29 April 1860 and of Beust to Schily of 1 May 1860, both of which contained libellous statements about Marx.