| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 11 March 1872 |
ENGELS TO PAUL LAFARGUE
IN MADRID
London, 11 March 1872
My dear Lafargue,
If you wish to entrust me with your affairs, I shall be glad to look after them; all you have to do is write and ask your agent to send me your share certificates and bonds by registered letter addressed to me at 122 Regent's Park Road. These I would keep along with my own. As to the coupons, dividends and interest, I shan't be able to tell you anything until I have examined the documents, but that can be arranged without difficulty. In the case of ready cash I believe you would do better to have it remitted to Madrid by bill of exchange and deposit it with a banker down there; I feel sure there must be some to whom you can entrust it. If, however, you would rather have it sent to me, I would ask you to give formal instructions that this should be in the form of a bill of exchange (or mandate) on London made out to my order—again by registered letter. In either case the bill of exchange should be short-dated. Or again, you could split the amount and instruct your agent to send part to Madrid and the remainder to me. Whichever you wish. It is always much better to send a bill of exchange than banknotes. You will lose equally one way or the other, but probably less with a bill of exchange. Besides, in the event of theft a banknote is lost for good, whereas a bill of exchange[1] is difficult for a thief to cash and in such a case one can prevent payment.
There is always a certain risk, even with registered letters, when they pass from one country to the other, but I know of no other means of ensuring that your share certificates, etc., reach me. Besides, we have recently had a great deal of experience with registered letters, since those that are unregistered do not always arrive, while registered letters have hitherto arrived without exception.[2]
I have sent you a number of papers from here, for instance on February 14th four cuttings from The Eastern Post, the Volksstaat, the Tagwacht of Zurich, and the Socialiste of New York;
on February 21st The Eastern Post, Socialiste and the French edition of the Rules[3] (to the Emancipaciân).
Tomorrow I shall send you 2 Eastern Posts. Unfortunately the two addresses to old ladies are the only ones we have and it would be very important to have another for both letters and papers as they cannot but become very suspect.
I can understand very well that our friends there are in reality a good deal more practical than they appear in their papers, and I perfectly understand the reason why. I am quite certain for instance that when they demand, that on the morrow of important events the land and the instruments of labour should be at once handed over to those who ought to hold them, they know perfectly well this to be impracticable, but must make the demand for consistency's sake. We must make a full allowance for their position. The Bakunist rubbish cannot be cleared away in one day, it is quite enough that the process of clearing it out has at last begun in good earnest.
From the Jurassian last circular you will have seen what a complete fiasco that ludicrous campaign has ended in.[4] However, the circular of the General Council in reply[5] is being printed and you may as well prepare our friends there for the fact that these men will be very roughly handled by us, and that all the facts we know about them—they are scandalous enough—will be laid before the Association. We must now make an end of this sect. Mohr's and my time has been wasted entirely by them for months past and this cannot go on. Only yesterday I had to send to Naples a complete pamphlet of twelve closely written pages in refutation of their absurdities.[6] They are all Bakunists in Naples, and there is only one amongst them, Cafiero, who at least is de bonne volonté,[7] with him I correspond. About other matters I write to your wife.[8]
Mrs Engels[9] sends her compliments to both of you.
Yours truly,
The General[10]