Letter to Karl Marx, August 18, 1871

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 18 August 1871


First published in MEGA, Abt. III, Bd. 4, Berlin, 1931
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 44


ENGELS TO MARX

IN BRIGHTON

[London,] 18 August 1871

Dear Moor,

Enclosed The Public Opinion with a fuller version of the article from the National-Zeitung.[1] You will see that immediately following the passage incriminated in 'The International', there is a further passage, prudently omitted by the latter, which must be answered. The paper has just lost a court case against Goldschmidt and Jenny Lind and is acquiring a reputation for premeditated libel. I would accordingly insist not only on their inserting a reply, but on AN AMPLE AND COMPLETE APOLOGY, IN THE SAME PLACE OF THE PAPER.

It would also serve the National-Zeitung damn well right if we were to turn the tables on them and publish the article simultaneously in the Volksstaat. That louse Zabel feels far too much at his cannibalistic ease again under Bismarck.

Rozwadowski had a post as a schoolmaster in Somerset without salary, but free board and lodging, until 15 December.[2] He leaves for there tomorrow. He must learn English there. I have procured his release — agent's commission £1.1/-, clothes £3.7/-, debts £1.13/-, travel and incidental expenses £1.10/-, total £7.11/-. In addition I laid out £12.12/- yesterday for Dupont's children,[3] which has cleaned me out. Just after we left this morning to settle the matter, your wife arrived with a letter for me from Tibaldi, holding out other prospects for Rozwadowski from Davydov. But it was now too late and Rozwadowski had to leave for Somerset, at least for the moment. If we find out later that the arrangements can be changed to suit all sides, a Frenchman like Beaufort could take over his post and he could return and obtain the Russian money.

I hope the sea air does you good.

Your

F. E.

  1. ↑ On 19 August 1871 the newspaper Public Opinion (apparently Engels had a copy of this issue already on 18 August) published, under the title 'A German View of the International', an account of the leader 'Die Internationale' from the National-Zeitung, No. 351, 30 July 1871. On August 26 the Editor of Public Opinion published Marx's protest against the libels contained in the account (see present edition, Vol. 22, pp. 393-94) as well as an apology, as demanded by Marx.
  2. ↑ See this volume, p. 175.
  3. ↑ Ibid., p. 189.