Letter to John B. Shipley, October 3, 1893

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 3 October 1893


First published in Russian in: K. Marx and F. Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXIX, Moscow, 1946
Reproduced from the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 50

ENGELS TO JOHN B. SHIPLEY

IN LONDON

[Draft]

[London], 3 October 1893


Dear Sir,

On my return from abroad[1] I find your letter of Aug. 10th. I am afraid I cannot be of any use to you in your dispute with your family. Even were your legal right to the money a good deal clearer to me than it is, I could only say that you, as a poor man, would hardly have the ghost of a chance, in English law courts, against wealthy people who moreover could fight you with your own money. But supposing you had the money to fight, my advice would still be: keep it rather than waste it on law.

As to a lawyer such as you describe and who would be willing to undertake your lawsuit, you will not be astonished if I tell you I do not know such a one.

Regretting I cannot give you a more comforting reply

I remain etc.

  1. ↑ From 1 August to 29 September 1893 Engels made a tour of Germany, Switzerland and Austria-Hungary; he visited Cologne and then, together with A. Bebel, went to Zurich via Mainz and Strassburg; thence he went to the Canton of Graubünden for several days to meet his brother Hermann. Upon his return to Zurich on 12 August, Engels attended the final session of the International Socialist Working-Men's Congress in Zurich (see Note 229), where he made a short speech in English, French and German (see present edi-tion,Vol. 27, pp. 404-05) and, on behalf of the Bureau, closed the session. After a fortnight's sojourn in Switzerland, Engels left for Vienna through Munich and Salzburg; in Vienna, on 14 September, he addressed a meeting of Social-Democrats (see present edition, Vol. 27, pp.406-07). Then, via Prague and Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary), he went to Berlin and stayed there from 16 September to 28 September; on 22 September he spoke at a Social-Democratic meeting (see present edition, Vol. 27, pp. 409-10). Thereupon Engels returned to London by way of Rotterdam.