Letter to Jenny Marx Longuet, March 17, 1870

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 17 March 1870


First published in Friedrich Engels. 1820-1970. Referate, Diskussionen, Dokumente, Hanover 1971
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 43


ENGELS TO JENNY MARX (DAUGHTER)

IN LONDON

Manchester, 17 March 1870

Dear Jenny,

I congratulate you on your well-earned success.[1] That Mr Bruce had to stammer his apologies in yesterday's Daily News is priceless.[2] It will now be necessary to show up the hollowness of these apologies, and that is not difficult. Here is some material, as I do not know whether you still have a copy of the Pollock and Knox Report[3] about THINGS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN.

Bruce says:

'WITH REFERENCE TO THE COMPLAINT THAT HE WAS COMPELLED TO BATHE IN UNCLEAR BATHS, THE COMMISSIONERS, AFTER FULL INQUIRY INTO THE PRACTICE OF THE PRISON, SAY "IT WOULD BE IDLE TO DWELL UPON SUCH ABSURDITIES."'

What do the Commissioners say? PAGE 23:

'AT BATHING HOURS, HE STOOD NO. 1 OF A PARTY OF 30, HE WAS NOT CALLED FIRST TO THE BATH. IT TURNED OUT THAT THE WARDER IN CHARGE ON ONE OCCASION BEGAN WITH NO. 1, NEXT WEEK WITH No. 30; THE 3RD WEEK HE TOOK No. 16 AND 17 FIRST

AND WORKED ROUND TO THE FLANKS SO AS TO GIVE EACH HIS PRIORITY, WITHOUT WHICH THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN UNIVERSAL DISCONTENT. IT WOULD BE IDLE TO DWELL ON SUCH ABSURDITIES'[4]

THUS, THE ABSURDITY does not consist in fact that it is stated that Rossa[5] had to bathe in the dirty water of criminals. No, but in the fact that he complains about it. Bruce changes the fact (admitted by the COMMISSIONERS) in such a way as if they had treated it 'as an absurdity'. That's the way Bruce treats the truth.

On the fact itself, the CONVICT of Clonmel explains (THINGS NOT

GENERALLY KNOWN, p. 9).

'IT IS NOT GENERALLY KNOWN THAT WE HAD TO BATHE IN THE SAME WATER IN WHICH SEVERAL OF THESE CRIMINALS BATHED OR WERE BATHING AT THE TIME.'

I might further remark that PENAL SERVITUDE is similar to the French travaux forcés or the so-called galères, and a CONVICT PRISON of this sort = the French bagne, and CONVICT = galérien. The enclosed clipping is a LEADER from the local John Blight's paper.[6] The Manchester Guardian also has a leader on the subject, aping that of yesterday's Times, but also with the comment that political prisoners have a claim to some CONSIDERATION.

Nota Bene: if you do not have the above report or the THINGS etc., I can send them to you immediately.

You should see the pleasure which this whole thing gave my wife. She is infinitely grateful to you for bringing all these infamies to light, and sends you the enclosed twig of SHAMROCK, for today is St Patrick's day and we don't know if you have any there.[7] There is also a SHAMROCK for Tussy.

Give my affectionate greetings to Moor, your Mama, Tussy and Ellen.

Your

F. Engels

  1. ↑ A reference to the series of articles on the Irish question written by Jenny Marx (see Note 562). In this letter, Engels refers to the publication of the second article in La Marseillaise on 9 March 1870, which reproduced O'Donovan Rossa's letter about the harsh treatment of political prisoners in English prisons (O'Donovan Rossa was arrested in 1865). On 10 March, this letter was reprinted by The Times (on the publication of O'Donovan Rossa's letter, see also this volume, pp. 454-55).
  2. ↑ The Daily News of 16 March 1870 carried an anonymous article officially initiated by the Home Office headed by Bruce. It made an attempt to deny the facts cited in O'Donovan Rossa's letter, but recognised that Rossa 'has been put in irons'.
  3. ↑ This refers to [A. A. Knox and G. D. Pollock,] Report of the Commissioners on the Treatment of the Treason-Felony Convicts in the English Convict Prisons.
  4. ↑ italics by Engels
  5. ↑ O'Donovan Rossa
  6. ↑ Manchester Daily Examiner and Times, leader, 17 March 1870
  7. ↑ The Schiller Institute, founded in Manchester in November 1859 in connection with the centenary of Friedrich Schiller's birth, was conceived as a cultural and social centre of the city's German colony. At first Engels was critical of a society notorious for its tendency towards formalism and pedantry, and he kept aloof from it. But after certain amendments had been made to its Rules, he became a member of its Directorate in 1864, and later its President, devoting much time to it and exercising a considerable influence on its activities. In 1867-68, Engels was particularly occupied with its affairs since a new building was under construction. While Engels was away from Manchester in 1868, the Directorate invited Karl Vogt, who was connected with Bonapartist circles and had been casting aspersions on the proletarian revolutionaries, to give a lecture at the society. In view of this Engels decided that his political reputation would be compromised if he remained President (see this volume, p. 100 and present edition, Vol. 21, p. 18). On 2 October the secretary Davisson approached Engels on behalf of the Directorate asking him to reconsider his decision, but Engels refused. In April 1870 he was again elected member of the Directorate, but did not take an active part in its work.