Letter to Wilhelm Liebknecht, September 21, 1865


ENGELS TO WILHELM LIEBKNECHT

IN LEIPZIG

Manchester, 21 September 1865

Dear Liebknecht,

It was bad luck that you chose to write to me just as I was leaving for 3 weeks on the Continent,[1] so that I only found your letter[2] waiting for me on my return. The £5 banknote B/V 68754, Manchester, 16 January 1865, encl. as requested.

I cannot write much today, as I want to get the banknote sent off as well; but I will just say that Marx has, of course, every reason to be angry with you. The manner in which you rebutted Becker's[3] absurd allegations against Marx in your Berlin defence-speech was exceedingly weak and incompetent, and in respect of both the Bangya-affairI69 and several others you twisted the facts as much as did Mr Becker, although you could easily have gained better knowledge by referring to Herr Vogt2i4 These are extremely disagreeable matters, which Madame Hatzfeldt will now purvey to the world in this distorted form, and with your seal of approvals and you demand that Moor should take all that so calmly?

Your

F. E.

  1. Engels made a trip to Germany, Switzerland and Italy at the end of August and mid-September 1865.
  2. Moses Hess
  3. Bernhard Becker