| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 13 October 1877 |
ENGELS TO HERMANN ENGELS
IN ENGELSKIRCHEN
London, 13 October 1877
Dear Hermann,
It will be quite all right if the sum is made payable to me here in the manner described, but on the 30th.[1] It must go through my bank, you see, and won't be credited there until the relevant cheque has actually been received by the CLEARING HOUSE in the afternoon; but by then the bank will be closed and I shan't be able to make use of it until the following day. Would you also be good enough to advise me which banker in Barmen is placing the money at my disposal, so that I can establish my identity; otherwise, if one no longer represents a firm, one frequently runs into difficulties in a case like this.
The collapse of the Russian army's organisations, command, staff, ammunition supply, rations, clothing, camp administration, etc., becomes daily ever more complete, a mighty debacle entailing the sacrifice of some 100,000 men. During the last fortnight in September and the first week in October the Russians are said to have lost 15,000 dead (i.e. those who died of wounds and sickness) and, since the beginning of the war, 47,000 dead alone. If they stay before Plevna and on the Lom for another three weeks, it could be that the entire army will disintegrate.
Best wishes.
Your
Friedrich
There has in fact been a bit of frost here too, but the geraniums are still flowering a little outside. In Scotland, however, the entire harvest is done for; on 20 September, near Edinburgh, I noticed that the corn was still quite green.[2]