MARX TO ENGELS
IN MANCHESTER
[London,] 3 January 1868
DEAR FRED,
Happy New Year! I have only been 'sitting up' again for 3 days after lying all bent for so long. It was a nasty attack. You can judge this by the fact that for 3 weeks—no smoking! My head is still shaky. In a few days I hope to be back in action.
I am absolutely opposed to arsenic. Enclosed the Beobachter[1] (Lessner filched it for me from the Workers' Society[2] ).
I have had no more letters from Siebel except the enclosed one to me.
Meissner can always have a try with the Barmer[3] . It can do no harm. When you send the cuttings to Meissner, you must refer to them only as something which has come to hand, without explaining to him 'our' activity.[4] Also draw his attention to the latest things in the Zukunft.[5]
I would like to know from Schorlemmer what is the latest and best book (German) on agricultural chemistry. Furthermore, what is the present state of the argument between the mineral-fertiliser people and the nitrogen-fertiliser people? (Since I last looked into the subject, all sorts of new things have appeared in Germany.) Does he know anything about the most recent Germans who have written against Liebig's soil-exhaustion theory? Does he know about the alluvion theory of the Munich agronomist Fraas (Professor at Munich University)?[6] For the chapter on ground rent[7] I shall have to be aware of the latest state of the question, at least to some extent. Since Schorlemmer is an expert on this subject he must be able to give information.
Enclosed 2 Urquharts[8] and 1 Courrier (because of Cluseret's article).
The compliments of the season to Mrs Burns, Moore, and Schorlemmer.
Your
Moor
[From Eleanor Marx, in English]
You bad boy, why haven't you answered my letters?—I suppose you and the hedgehog have been on the spree again.
Alberich,[9]
the grim dwarf
Happy New Year.
- ↑ F. Engels, 'Review of Volume One of Capital for the Beobachter'.
- ↑ At the beginning of February 1865 Marx made a speech at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the German Workers' Educational Society in London (see present edition, Vol. 20, p. 360). He criticised the views of the Lassalleans, in particular their dogma about the assistance by the existing state to workers' co-operative societies. The report on the celebration meeting was drawn up by Eccarius and published in Der Social-Demokrat, No. 24, 19 February 1865. The content of Marx's speech was presented by Eccarius inaccurately. He ascribed to Marx the idea that joint action by the proletariat and the bourgeoisie against the feudal monarchy was impossible.
The German Workers' Educational Society in London was founded in February 1840 by Karl Schapper, Joseph Moll and other members of the League of the Just. After the foundation of the Communist League (see Note 17), the latter's local communities played the leading role in the Society. In 1847 and 1849-50, Marx and Engels took an active part in its work, but on 17 September 1850 Marx, Engels and a number of their followers withdrew because the Willich-Schapper sectarian-adventurist group had increased their influence in the Society. In the late 1850s, Marx and Engels resumed their work in the Educational Society. During the activity of the International Working Men's Association the Society (Lessner was one of its leaders) was its German Section in London. The Educational Society in London existed until 1918, when it was closed down by the British government.
- ↑ Barmer Zeitung
- ↑ A reference to Engels' reviews of Volume One of Capital. Engels intended to send them to Meissner so that he could compose and publish an advertisement of Marx's work.
- ↑ K. Marx, 'Plagiarism'.
- ↑ K. Fraas, Die Natur der Landwirthschaft.
- ↑ Ground rent is dealt with in Volume Three of Capital (present edition, Vol. 37).
- ↑ probably two numbers of The Diplomatic Review
- ↑ Eleanor's jocular nickname. The words "the grim dwarf" are in German.