Letter to Jenny Marx, August 20, 1876

From Marxists-en
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 20 August 1876


First published in Friedrich Engels 1820-1970. Referate. Diskussionen. Dokumente, Hannover, 1971
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 45
Keywords : Letter, Jenny von Westphalen


ENGELS TO JENNY MARX

IN LONDON

Ramsgate, 20 August 1876
11 Camden Square

Dear Mrs Marx,

My best thanks for Tussy's letter which we have promptly forwarded to Jenny.[1]

Lenchen[2] has had a curious and distinctly unpleasant turn while down here. Last Tuesday she went bathing with my wife[3] and was assailed by a violent headache which persisted for three days. On Friday she had another try and was at once assailed by the same headache, this time more violently. On Friday evening it was again very bad and she simply could not sleep. It was not until Saturday afternoon that she managed to get a little sleep, but then came another violent attack which, however, died down in the late evening, whereupon she slept soundly and today is ALL RIGHT again. The result is that, this year at any rate, she would be well-advised not to repeat the bathing experiment.

Lenchen wanted to return to London no later than tomorrow, but we have persuaded her to give herself another day in which to recover completely from what have sometimes been extraordinari- ly violent attacks, so now she doesn't intend to return until Tuesday. We thought, if you were to come here on Wednesday and stay until Friday week, then we could all return to London together.[4]

Since STEAMERS take at least 30-31 days from the Cape, Carolinchen[5] could not, after all, arrive before 3-4 September, i.e. 3-4 days after your return.

We have had to put up with some pretty oppressive heat here—a few days ago there were thunderstorms and, since yesterday evening, there has been a lot of rain, but it's clearing up again now. My wife is in very good health, and bathing suits her particularly well. Both she and Lenchen send their warm regards.

Your devoted

F. Engels

  1. ↑ Jenny Longuet
  2. ↑ Helene Demuth
  3. ↑ Lizzie Burns
  4. ↑ Engels was on holiday in Ramsgate between 24 July and 1 September 1876. In early August, he and his wife took Mary Ellen Burns back to her boarding house as her holidays were over. On 5 August, he returned to Ramsgate.
  5. ↑ Karoline Juta
Retrieved from "https://wikirouge.net/texts/en/w/index.php?title=Letter_to_Jenny_Marx,_August_20,_1876&oldid=109298"