Letter to Karl Marx, April 26, 1853

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 26 April 1853


First published 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


ENGELS TO MARX[1]

IN LONDON

[Manchester,] 26 April 1853

Dear Marx,

Herewith the article[2] and pound sterling. Even though one of the two CLAIMANTS[3] may suffer, fob him off until next week.

The sooner you come yourself,,the better. The bedroom in my house is ready.

Trade appears to be falling off already in France. In particular, direct imports of cotton from America have decreased. The figures for American exports are as follows: from 1 September to 6 April of each year.

1853 1852 1851 1850

To England 1,100,000 930,000 757,000 592,000

" France 257,000 302,000 246,000 192,000

All other countries 204,000 189,000 163,000 105,000

In other words, France is the only country which, despite the enormous American crop, has taken less than last year and barely more than in 1851, the year of political gloom, où l''''ordre et la société allaient s''''engloutir dans le gouffre socialiste[4] ? Imports in 1852 show the momentarily magical effect of the coup d'état, 1853 shows the reverse. Something was still being shipped from Liverpool to Havre, but not as much as formerly. In other respects too, industry in France would not appear to be exactly flourishing. This time the thing seems to be really serious, and connected especially with the ousting of French articles from foreign markets by domestic manufactures. The colossal proscriptions of workers in 1851/52 are beginning to bear fruit; I am convinced that they have contributed quite specifically to the expansion and improvement of the English and American factories producing Paris articles, bronzes, etc. Today it is a thousand times more difficult than before to drive the proletariat across the border with impunity on the pretext of order. Even if there were complete peace, French industry would inevitably go to the dogs owing to this perpetual exploitation of conspiracy as a moyen de gouvernement[5] and the constantly renewed proscription of the proletariat; the English and the Yankees certainly know how to take advantage of the more useful amongst these.

When, then, will you be coming?

Your

F. E.

  1. ↑ An abridged translation of this letter was published for the first time as an editorial note to Engels' letter to Marx of 3 December 1851 in Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Correspondence. 1846-1895. A Selection with Commentary and Notes, Martin Lawrence Ltd., London, 1934
  2. ↑ Marx received Engels' article on Switzerland on 26 April 1853 and dispatched it with his own article to New York on 29 April 1853. The editors published the material on Switzerland as two articles. The first article, including Marx s material, was entitled 'The Rocket Affair.—The Swiss Insurrection' and was published on 14 May 1853; the second article appeared on 17 May 1853 undei the heading 'Political Position of the Swiss Republic'; the date of its dispatch from London—1 May 1853—was arbitrarily supplied by the editors (see present edition, Vol. 12). The newspaper published both articles over Marx's name, though the first was written by Marx and Engels, and the second bv Engels
  3. ↑ Dronke and Pieper, see this volume, p. 321.
  4. ↑ when order and society were about to be swallowed up in the socialist abyss
  5. ↑ means of government