Letter to Friedrich Engels, November 14, 1860

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 14 November 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,] City, 14 November 1860

Dear Engels,

Our letters crossed.[1] These few lines, acknowledging the £5 which arrived this morning, are being written at Borkheim's office.

There is a simple explanation for my having written so seldom of late, and then only a few lines at a time, namely overwork, indisposition and TROUBLE of all kinds. By the end of next week, when my hands will again be free, I shall be writing to you just as before.

I have today sent you by post the number of Stimmen der Zeit I mentioned yesterday,[2] but I must have it back by next Wednesday[3] at the latest, since it is borrowed.

I shall include the notice from the Guardian,— which I found helpful, thank you for it—among the 'Appendices' in the concluding chapter.[4]

Biscamp married the day before yesterday: an American whore. Good luck to him!

Imandt has written. Has a daughter. Has grown thin as a rake, has been ill all the summer and still is. Pauvre diable![5]

Borkheim sends his regards. B. has obtained permission from his firm to trade privately in wines and asks you to remember him, should you feel able to help him in this LINE (every conceivable type of wine).

No other news.

Salut.

Your

K. M.

  1. ↑ Marx means his letter of 13 November. Engels' letter in question, presumably of the same date, has not been found.
  2. ↑ See this volume, p. 212.
  3. ↑ Marx means his letter to Lassalle of 22 November 1859 (see present edition, Vol. 40) criticising the latter's tactics on the question of Germany's and Italy's unification as set forth in Lassalle's pamphlet Der italienische Krieg und die Aufgabe Preußens. Eine Stimme aus der Demokratie (see Note 52).
  4. ↑ This refers to the comment of the Manchester Guardian's Paris correspondent, in its issue of 12 November 1860, that 'Louis-Napoleon spends his gold in vain in supporting such newspapers as the National-Zeitung' (see present edition, Vol. 17, p. 326).
  5. ↑ Poor devil!