Letter to Friedrich Engels, October 1, 1866

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 1 October 1866


First published in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 3, Stuttgart, 1913
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 42


MARX TO ENGELS

IN MANCHESTER

[London,] 1 October 1866

Dear Engels,

I do not know whether I told you last time I wrote that there is a bill of exchange (no longer in the LANDLORD'S hands) outstanding against me for the rent. Sawyer had written that the bill was due on the 2nd inst., i.e., tomorrow. I called on him yesterday, as by my reckoning the thing could not be due until 3 October, as I had drawn the bill on 1 July for 3 MONTHS, so that 3 days sight must be added. And it turned out I was right. The amount is £46 (3 QUARTERS), and I have been sans sou[1] for many weeks, since the SMALL SUMS, which were still obtainable via pawnbrokers, dried up.

As I am furthermore now HARD PRESSED from the daily 'supplies' which have once more accumulated in recent months and in present circumstances (Lafargue) must avoid any éclat[2] more than ever, I would leave for the Continent at once to see what I can arrange there 'personally'. However, I must defer that until my manuscript[3] is completed, so that I can take it with me and am not subjected to fresh interruption.

You must forgive me for constantly BorHERing and plaguing you with my private morass. I had put too much reliance on having the money from Holland.

Your

K. Marx

What do you think of Moilin?[4]

  1. ↑ penniless
  2. ↑ scandal
  3. ↑ of the first volume of Capital
  4. ↑ See this volume, p. 310.