Letter to Karl Marx, October 28, 1859

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 28 October 1859


First published abridged in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 2, Stuttgart, 1913 and in full in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXII, Moscow, 1929
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 40


ENGELS TO MARX[1]

IN LONDON

Manchester, 28 October 1859

[...] T h e Blind affair is very funny indeed; it's always a particularly agreeable spectacle when a would-be diplomatic wiseacre comes a cropper. T h e fellow could be terribly discredited as a result. Needless to say he gave his 'word of honour' simply IN THE DIPLOMATIC SENSE OF THE WORD, just as it is no insult to call someone a swine IN A PARLIAMENTARY sENSE.[2] This enrichment of the language by Blind is worthy of recognition. What would be nicest of all, by the way, would be to discover that Mr Blind's 'evidence' had n o basis other than hot air which, this sinister saviour of his country being what he is, I think highly probable.

Lupus is in despair over the deterioration of BITTER BEER, which is forcing him to drink PORTER and HALF AND HALF; this apart, he is keeping pretty well and is still living in Chatsworth.

Not long ago Siebel had a letter from a ludicrous German literatus[3] who, for lack of money, was seeking to sell himself to the revolution and wanted him to negotiate the deal, I being supposedly the purchaser. At the same time he threatened, should the revolution refuse to buy him, to throw himself into the arms of the Jesuits. They, however, wouldn't accept him gratis, for I need hardly tell you that the fellow is a colossal blockhead. Warm regards to your wife and children.

Your

F. E.

  1. ↑ The beginning of the letter missing; the date is at the end of the letter.
  2. ↑ See this volume, pp. 502-04.
  3. ↑ Hugo Oelbermann