Letter to Friedrich Engels, September 28, 1852

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 28 September 1852


First published slightly abridged in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 1, Stuttgart, 1913 and in full in MEGA, Abt. III, Bd. 1, Berlin, 1929
Published in English in full for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 39


MARX TO ENGELS[1]

IN MANCHESTER

London, 28 September 1852 28 Dean Street, Soho

Dear Engels,

You have not had a letter from me for some time. The main cause of this is Weerth who—not I might say, to my unalloyed delight—has plus ou moins[2] monopolised my evenings which are usually given over to writing. As you know, I'm very fond of Weerth, mais[3] it's embarrassing, when one's up to one's neck in trouble, to have to face so fine a gentleman, auquel il faut cacher les parties trop honteuses![4] Such a relationship creates twice as much gêne[5]

and I hope he will leave for Manchester tomorrow and will on his return find me in circumstances that will enable me to consort with him franchement.[6] However, I don't believe that, aside from my wife's ill-health, he had any inkling of my predicament.

I have given him a big parcel to take to you. It contains documents that belong in the archives[7] ; some, if not most of them are already familiar to you.

Enclosed the extract from a letter from Barthélémy to Willich. Barthélémy gave this letter to a Frenchman by the name of Durand to take to Willich. Durand, unable to read the signature, asked Dronke if he would see to it that Willich got the letter. Dronke of course agreed, came to my house, and Lupus, who is a great artist in this line, opened the letter most expertly. Dronke copied out all that was of note—the rest mere twaddle. Que penses-tu de ce brave Barthélémy, auquel il est impossible de se résigner à laisser Bonaparte jouir paisiblement de son triomphe?[8] Tremble, O Byzantium![9] As to the alleged letter from Blanqui, this strikes me as a piece of melodramatic falsehood on the sinister Barthélemy's part. For what news does he give of Blanqui? That the situation of the prisonniers de Belle-Ile est bien triste?[10] If that is all Blanqui had to divulge to him, he would have done better to keep his libri tristium[11] to himself. Incidentally, Barthélemy's whole letter shows that he is completely out of touch with the French emigration and the French societies in France.

In order that you, too, may 'adopt to some extent the standpoint of world history'[12] I enclose an article from the Augsburg Allgemeine on the spy A. Majer who, here in London, was actually 'chucked out of the house' by his bosom friends, Willich and Schapper.

I have, I presume, already told you that Herzen is here and is sending round memoirs against Herwegh,[13] who has not only cuckolded him but has extorted 80,000 fr. from him.

I have not yet been able to do any work on an article or even on the draft of the final instalment of the German article.[14] So engrossed have I been by the incessant correspondence arising out of my domestic troubles that it is 3 weeks since I went to the library—which I also forbore from doing in order to sustain my wife during what was for her a ghastly time.

Apropos! There is no doubt that the Orleanist conspiracy shows greater activity, scope and prospects every day. The gentlemen have coalesced with Cavaignac, Charras, Lamoricière, Bedeau. Of L. Bonaparte's aides-de-camp 3 have been bought, i.e. substantial sums have been deposited on their behalf in the Bank of England. The following contract has been entered into with the out-and-out republicans. Firstly: Formation of a provisional government consisting solely of generals. Secondly: By way of guarantee, Cavaignac is to receive Marseilles, Lamoricière Lyons, Charras Paris, Bedeau Strasbourg. Thirdly: At the preliminary elections the people will be called on by the provisional government to decide whether they want the constitution of 1830 and the Orleans dynasty, or the constitution of 1848 and a president. In the latter case, Joinville will come forward as a candidate.

The Jew, Fould, is in constant touch with the Orleans. The undertaking has been tentatively fixed for the month of March, when Bonaparte will, if necessary, be assassinated by his aides-de-camp. But they would prefer Bonaparte to have become emperor first and done further damage to himself.

I myself have talked to the Orleanist agent[15] who travels freely to and fro between Paris and London. The day before yesterday he and Bangya went to see the Due d'Aumale.

I see from a letter of Piali's that, at a private audience in London, Lord Palmerston told a fugitive Italian noblewoman[16] all manner of comforting things about Italy, and held out what was to him the no less 'comforting' prospect of becoming British prime minister within the space of a year. How addicted to lies and vanité is old age! Incidentally on one point at least Mr Palmerston did not mince his words. In case of insurrection Lombardy and Venice must, he said, at once unite with Piedmont. The pipe-dreams of an 'Italian republic' must be left to 'the future'.[17]

Dronke, inmate of the MODEL LODGING HOUSE, says he is sorry he has not written. 'He has his reasons.'

Your

K. M.

There is no doubt that an attempt, obviously clumsy and unsuccessful, was made to open my last envelope, which you returned to me.

  1. ↑ An abridged translation of this letter was first published in The Letters of Karl Marx, selected and translated with explanatory notes and an introduction by Saul K. Padover, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliff, New Jersey, 1979
  2. ↑ more or less
  3. ↑ but
  4. ↑ from whom the most shameful aspects must be concealed
  5. ↑ embarrassment
  6. ↑ frankly
  7. ↑ Manchester archives—documents of the Communist League, letters and other materials relating to the revolutionary activity of Marx and Engels kept at Engels house
  8. ↑ What do you think of the honest Barthélémy 'who finds it impossible to resign himself to allow Bonaparte to enjoy his triumph in peace'.
  9. ↑ Words from Donizetti's opera Belisario, libretto by S. Cammarano, Act II, Scene 3.
  10. ↑ the prisoners on Belle-Ile is very sad.
  11. ↑ tale of woe (an allusion to Ovid's Tristia)
  12. ↑ From Jordan's speech in the Frankfurt National Assembly (July 1848) (see 'The Frankfurt Assembly Debates the Polish Question', present edition, Vol. 7, pp. 360-64).
  13. ↑ On Herzen's relations with Herwegh see A. I. Herzen, My Past and Thoughts, Part V ['Story of the Family Drama']
  14. ↑ Marx did not carry out his intention to write a concluding article to Engels' Revolution and Counter-Revolution in Germany. The last, twentieth, article of the series did not appear in the New-York Daily Tribune. The 1896 English edition and a number of subsequent editions had as the concluding article Engels' 'The Late Trial at Cologne' (see present edition, Vol. 11) which did not belong to this series of articles
  15. ↑ Rémusat
  16. ↑ Marquise Visconti
  17. ↑ Marx made use of the facts he learned from Zerffi's letter of 5 September 1852 in writing the article 'Movements of Mazzini and Kossuth.— League with Louis Napoleon.— Palmerston' (see present edition, Vol. 11)