Letter to Karl Marx, November 23, 1868

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 23 November 1868


First published abridged in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 4, Stuttgart, 1913 and in full in MEGA, Abt. III, Bd. 4, Berlin, 1931
Published in English in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 43


ENGELS TO MARX

IN LONDON

V/J 71 968—Manchester, 7 January 1868 £10. T/N 14 065—London, 26 February 1868 £10. Second halves. First sent with preceding post.

[Manchester,] 23 November 1868

Dear Moor,

I can send you the above only today, but give you the good news that, after a conversation today with Calico Gottfried[1] it will probably be possible to prolong the contract with him for a few years.[2] I intend, if all goes well, to take 3 years, the last of which would be without any obligation on my part to work. If all this is successful, which must be more or less decided by the end of February at the latest, we are over the hill, and I shall be able without difficulty to pay off the £100 debt you still have, and in general to establish the affair properly and on a solid basis, so that this load of debts will not return, at least for the period of the contract.

Lizzie suddenly became very unwell yesterday; I thought at first it was serious, but she has slept a lot, so is now much better. She had congestions to the head. Tussy's letter gave her much pleasure, and as soon as she is better again she will answer it.

The wonderful primeval mass of the respected Büchner is still a great mystery to me. Couldn't you send us the book[3] here some time?

That damned Schweitzer is still too my eyes.

How about Ténot, Paris, le 2 décembre? Best greetings.

Your

F. E.

  1. ↑ Ermen. See this volume, p. 170.
  2. ↑ In the summer of 1869, the Ermen-Engels partnership agreement signed on 30 June 1864 for the term of 5 years, which had made Engels a co-owner of the firm of Ermen and Engels in Manchester, was to expire. As Engels had expected, his talks with G. Ermen about his withdrawal from the firm became protracted. A draft agreement is extant, drawn up by Engels on 2 December 1868, which specified the terms of the withdrawal: '1) Mr. Engels retires from business on the 30th June 1869 and engages not to be interested, either directly or indirectly, as principal or assistant, in any similar or competing business either in England or on the Continent for the term of five years after that date. 2) Mr. Engels consents that Mr. G. Ermen, if he should think proper to do so, continues the firm of Ermen and Engels as long as he is a partner in the concern. 3) Mr. G. Ermen pays Mr. Engels on 30th June 1869 the sum of £1750, Seventeen Hundred and fifty Pounds St. 4) Mr. Engels to have the right of keeping £5000—in the concern at 5% Interest between 30th June 69 dto 30th June 1870. Manchester December 2 1868' (see also Note 369).
  3. ↑ L. Büchner, Sechs Vorlesungen über die Darwinsche Theorie von der Verwandlung der Arten...