Letter to Friedrich Engels, February 9, 1859

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To Engels in Manchester

[London,] 9 February 1859

Dear Engels,

At last a letter from Duncker today. He didn’t receive the manuscript [Contribution to Critique of Political Economy] until 1 February. Not printed this week, because just completing some work or other — I don’t know which — of Lassalle’s.

Enclosed a letter from Eccarius and Pfänder from which you will see that poor Eccarius is down with consumption. This is the most tragic thing I have yet experienced here in London.

Pieper, who had been discharged as cured, is back from Bognor again and in the German hospital. This time starvation treatment. Serves him right.

I meant to send you the enclosed letters from Weydemeyer and Komp long ago. I have at last replied to them.

Dronke has been to Bonn, where one of his brothers was dying. Having obtained Flottwell’s permission, he attended a ball given by his [students'] ‘corps’ in Bonn. The little man [Dronke] has written to Dingelstedt (of Fulda), through whom he hopes to arrange a performance of a play he himself has written. In addition, the little man writes ‘Glasgower Briefe’ for Prutz’s Museum. I had all this news from philistine Freiligrath.

From the latter, who came to see me yesterday (I myself being confined to the house with a bad throat), I also learned that Gottfried’s — or Hermann’s — behaviour towards ladies is invariably so ludicrous (the buffoon now supposes he need only throw down his handkerchief) that he has become an object of general dégoût. Moreover, Freiligrath has now also tumbled to the fact that Gottfried feels exceptionally ‘free and easy’ now that the Mockel woman is dead and — strangest of all — it now transpires that, even before the day of the funeral, philistine Freiligrath and wife had discovered brother Hermann’s ‘lack of concern’.

According to Gottfried, the Hermann, to which the Prussian government has, as the Berlin National-Zeitung announces, granted a licence for postal distribution, is to cover the ‘loss’ to his funds occasioned by his wife’s death.

In due course, no doubt, Mrs Daniels will become Mrs Bürgers. She has written to Lina saying that ‘Bürgers has grown still more energetic and self-confident’. In proof of that ‘self-confidence’ she writes, ‘we are delighted by Freiligrath’s poem about Mrs Kinkel, which was mutilated by the “perfidious” Kölnische Zeitung’.

Steffen has written to Freiligrath asking for your address and mine as he has lost them. Steffen’s address is: W. Steffen, Harrison Square near Boston, Mass. U. St.

Salut.

Your.
K. M.