Letter to Franz Mehring, end April 1895

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written April 1895


First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXIX, Moscow, 1946
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 50


ENGELS TO FRANZ MEHRING

IN BERLIN

London, [End of April 1895]

41 Regent's Park Road, N.

Dear Mr Mehring,

May I say how very grateful I am for your offer, which is gladly accepted, to help me hunt out Marx's early writings for republication. The first difficulty to confront me was the Rheinische Zeitung of 1842, which I had imagined to be in the Berlin Library. Despite numerous inquiries, I was unable to ascertain whether it was actually there, but now that that point has been cleared up, we can make a start.

Marx was in Bonn up till October 1842. When I passed through at the end of September or the beginning of October on my return from Berlin, the editorial board consisted, so far as I recall, only of M. Hess and Dr Rave, a former editor of the Elberfelder Zeitung (which was, I believe, known by another name at the time). Rutenberg had, I believe, already been expelled, though I am not sure about that. When I dropped in again towards the end of November on my way to England, I ran into Marx there and that was the occasion of our first, distinctly chilly meeting. Marx had meanwhile taken a stand against the Bauers, i.e. he had said he was opposed not only to the Rheinische Zeitung becoming predominantly a vehicle for theological propaganda, atheism, etc., rather than for political discussion and action, but also to Edgar Bauer's hot air brand of communism, which was based on a sheer love of 'going to extremes' and was soon after replaced by Edgar with other kinds of extremist hot air. Since I corresponded with the Bauers, I was regarded as their ally, whereas they caused me to view Marx with suspicion.

To the best of my recollection Marx resigned—at any rate officially— from the post of editor en chef on I January 1843. That, however, did not prevent him from surreptitiously contributing to the paper up to and including February. I think I am equally right in saying that the ukase requiring the paper to close down on 31 March 1843 was served on it no later than 31 December. Negotiations then began, the result of which proved negative, hence the delay in publishing the ukase until 28 January and likewise in appointing the chief censor who had, in fact, already been functioning for some time. At one period there were no less than three censors: 1. the usual censor, 2. assessor von Saint-Paul who had been sent from Berlin, 3. the District President. Saint-Paul was still there at the time of the paper's funeral feast. The vacillations between 12 and 18 February would pretty well coincide with Marx's departure from Cologne.[1]

If, by comparing these data with the paper itself, you could discover more details or rectify inaccuracies, it would be of great benefit both to your work and to mine.

As regards the Mosel articles,[2] it will doubtless turn out to be as you say. Marx was tied to Cologne at the time and could not possibly have collected material of that kind in person.

The article I mentioned to Fischer is in fact the one about the censorship instruction which appeared in Ruge's Anekdota.[3]

One of the best pieces in the Rheinische Zeitung, again in the feuilleton, is a long critique of Leo's History of the French Revolution. It is by Marx's friend C. F. Köppen[4] (who also wrote about old Fritz[5] and Norse mythology[6] ) and (for the first time in any language) gives a correct explanation for the reign of terror.

Certain quotations and retrospective insights in your articles in the Neue Zeit have already shown me that you have made a thorough study of the period previous to 1848. I am glad that it has fallen to you to deal with this, as well as with the later period in respect of Germany.

There might possibly be one or two more things of Marx's in the supplement for the period prior to October 1842; it would hardly be worth your while to search out smaller items from Bonn in the main part of the paper.

My heartfelt condolences on the destruction of the Freie Volksbühne.[7] Subversion from above could not possibly have passed that institution by.

Once again my best thanks.

Yours faithfully

F. Engels

  1. ↑ See this volume, p. 502.
  2. ↑ See this volume, pp. 567-69.
  3. ↑ K. Marx, Comments on the Latest Prussian Censorship Instruction.
  4. ↑ C. F. Köppen, Leo's Geschichte der Revolution. In: Rheinische Zeitung, 19-21, 22 May 1842
  5. ↑ Frederick II
  6. ↑ C. F. Köppen, Friedrich der Grosse und seine Widersacher and Literarische Einleitung in die Nordische Mythologie.
  7. ↑ See this volume, pp. 567-69.