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Letter to Friedrich Engels, March 16, 1848
First published: in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, 1913.
To Engels in Brussels
An extract from this letter was published in English for the first time in Labour Monthly, 1948, No. 3, III.
Paris, 16 March 1848[edit source]
Dear Engels,
I never have a minute these days to write at any length. I confine myself to essentials.
Flocon is very well disposed towards you.
The Straubingers[1] here are all more or less furious with you (set-to with Sch[erzer]., etc.).
As regards my things, take them with you as far as Valenciennes and have them sealed there. Everything will go through exempt. As regards the silver, it has already been hallmarked here in Paris.
In Valenciennes you must in any case go to the man whose address I enclose. On Vogler’s advice my wife sent him the keys to the trunks (which are in Brussels), but without a way-bill. You must fetch these keys from him, otherwise everything will be broken open by the customs here.
As regards the money, tell Cassel he must give you the bill if he won’t pay it. Then perhaps Baillut will pay it.
Get Gigot to settle accounts and at least give you the balance.
As regards Breyer, you must go to see him again and point out what a shabby trick it would be if he made use of my ill-fortune to avoid payment. He must hand over at least part to you. The revolution hasn’t cost him a sou.
The bourgeoisie here are again becoming atrociously uppish and reactionary, but they'll see.
Bornstedt and Herwegh are behaving like scoundrels. They have founded a black, red and gold association[2] in opposition to us. The former is to be expelled from the [Communist] League today.
Your
M.
At the moment I am unable to find the way-bill and this letter must go off.
Dismiss Gigot if he doesn’t begin to show signs of activity.
just now the fellow ought to be more energetic.
My warmest regards to Maynz; also to Jottrand. I have received the latest Débat social.
My regards to Vogler likewise.
I shall write at length to Maynz and Jottrand.[3]
Farewell.
- ↑ Straubingers — travelling journeymen in Germany. Marx and Engels used this term for German artisans, including some participants in the working-class movement of that time, who were still largely swayed by guild prejudices and cherished the petty-bourgeois illusion that it was possible to return from capitalist large-scale industry to petty handicraft production.
- ↑ The German Democratic Society was formed in Paris after the February 1848 revolution. The Society was headed by petty-bourgeois democrats, Herwegh, Bornstedt and others, who campaigned to raise a volunteer legion of German refugees, with the intention of marching into Germany. In this way they hoped to carry out a revolution in Germany and establish a republic there. Marx and his followers in the Communist League opposed to this adventurist plan the tactics of uniting the German emigrants and organising their return to Germany individually to take part in the revolutionary struggle that was developing there. Late in April 1848 the volunteer legion moved to Baden, where it was dispersed by government troops.
Black, red and gold were the colours symbolising German unity; the unity slogan was interpreted by the petty-bourgeois democrats as a call to establish in Germany a federation of autonomous provinces on the pattern of the Swiss Confederation. - ↑ There is no further information about the letters Marx intended to write to Maynz and Jottrand.