Letter to Friedrich Engels, February 7, 1860

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 7 February 1860


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 41


MARX TO ENGELS

IN MANCHESTER

[London,] 7 February 1860
9 Grafton Terrace, etc.

Dear Engels,

Of the COPIES despatched to you,[1] send 1 to Dronke, 1 to Dr Bronner in Bradford. I have sent one to Borchardt myself.

The D. T. (Daily Telegraph), Monday's issue, p. 5, contained a filthy article (IN FACT, from Berlin, but dated Frankfurt a. M.)[2] based on the two in the National-Zeitung. I instantly threatened the dogs with a LIBEL action,c and they will open their traps and apologise.

Letters from Fischel (there's another way of bringing a lawsuit, which actually involves no money), Lassalle (absurd in the extreme), Schily (interesting), etc. More details tomorrow.

I now have to pay the printing costs (will be ABOUT £\), £1 to be paid next Monday at the COUNTY-COURT, and shall need something, partly to get to Manchester with and partly so as to leave a modicum here. At the same time, before departing hence, I shall have to make, and get others to make, all manner of AFFIDAVITS.

Apropos. Wiehe is now going to state before the magistrate that he signed a false DECLARATION at the insistent request of Blind and Hollinger.[3]

Salut.

Your

K. M.

Statements sent off yesterday to Nat.-Zeit., Kölnische Zeitung, Volks-Zeitung, Publicist (Berlin), Reform, Augsburg Allgemeine Zeitung, Frankfurter Journal. The statement was a brief one. Firstly, that I shall take legal proceedings against the N.-Z.; secondly, a reference to the English anti-Blind 'LIBEL'[4] enclosed with the statement.

  1. ↑ K. Marx, 'Prosecution of the Augsburg Gazette'.
  2. ↑ [K. Abel,] 'The Journalistic Auxiliaries of Austria', The Daily Telegraph, No. 1439, 6 February 1860. See also this volume, pp. 74 76. K. Marx, 'To the Editor of The Daily Telegraph'.
  3. ↑ Marx was trying to make Karl Blind admit that he, Blind, was the author of the flysheet Zur Warnung (see notes 4 and 60). In November 1859, Johann Wiehe, compositor at Fidelio Hollinger's press, where it had been printed, was forced by Blind and Hollinger to write a statement denying Blind's authorship (for the text of the statement see present edition, Vol. 17, p. 126). Karl Vogt reproduced Wiehe's statement in his pamphlet Mein Prozess gegen die Allgemeine Zeitung. However, on 8 February 1860, Wiehe took out an affidavit in a London police court which virtually confirmed Blind's authorship (see this volume, pp. 31-32, 37-38).
  4. ↑ K. Marx, 'Prosecution of the Augsburg Gazette'.