Letter to Friedrich Engels, January 3, 1861

Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 3 January 1861


First published in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Bd. 3, Stuttgart, 1913
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 41


MARX TO ENGELS

IN MANCHESTER

[London,] 3 January 1861

Dear Frederick,

I have mislaid your letter received this morning[1] and hence cannot remember how much it would cost to send the Revelations[2] to Petsch. Those I still had in stock had already been sent to him last week.[3]

Have heard from Siebel. He had just returned to Elberfeld after spending his honeymoon in Paris. Has distributed the 6 copies and ordered 6 more.[4] It would be a good thing if you could give him some advice as to how it should be advertised.

Toby[5] has let out a prolonged cry of pain in the Freischütz.[6]

The most ghastly misprint (not listed) in Herr Vogt, repeated 3 or 4 times, was 'Nationalrat' [National Council] for 'Ständerat' [Council of States]. I have got Petsch to send out a correction explicitly to the Genfer Grenzpost.

The King of Prussia's[7] death is most opportune. Qu'en dites-vous?[8]

My wife is improving daily, although she's still very weak. On Saturday, I emptied the last medicine bottle.

Borchardt has yet to be hauled over the coals.[9]

Salut.

Your

K. M.

The whole FAMILY asks me to send you their warmest greetings and best wishes for the New Year. My letter's so short because my brother-in-law and sister[10] are here. They sail tomorrow for the Cape of Good Hope.

  1. ↑ This letter by Engels has not been found.
  2. ↑ K. Marx, Revelations Concerning the Communist Trial in Cologne.
  3. ↑ The German National Association (Deutscher National-Verein) was the party of the German liberal bourgeoisie favouring the unification of Germany (without Austria) under the aegis of the King of Prussia. The Association was set up in Frankfurt am Main in September 1859. Its supporters were nicknamed Little Germans.
  4. ↑ K. Marx, Herr Vogt.
  5. ↑ Marx refers to Eduard Meyen comparing him to Punch's dog. Punch is one of the main characters in the traditional English puppet show, Punch and Judy, from which the famous comic journal takes its name. On this, see also K. Marx, Herr Vogt, present edition, Vol. 17, p. 239.
  6. ↑ This refers to Eduard Meyen's libellous article 'Die neue Denunciation Karl Vogt's durch K. Marx' in the Freischütz, Nos. 155 and 156, 27 and 29 December 1860, and No. 1, 1 January 1861.
  7. ↑ Frederick William IV
  8. ↑ What do you think of it?
  9. ↑ See this volume, p. 240.
  10. ↑ Johann Carel (Jaan Carel) and Louise Juta