Letter to Laura Lafargue, February 5, 1884

Add a subpage to this text

Read the help page for usage.

 

To Laura Lafargue in Paris

London, 5 February 1884

My dear Laura,

I knew he would turn up again. Received the Travailleur. Much amused that Paul and Guesde had ‘manqué train’. Hope soon to receive good news about the children, Tussy is rather anxious about them; and hope you got over your cold. Nim has caught one just as bad as yours can be, I wanted her last night to take a hot whisky night-cap, but she declined, so you may think. Pumps is below, she called yesterday with Elsa, who looks as plain as ever (and quite as angular at the same time), they met Tussy and Aveling here, who called on business; Bradlaugh and Mrs Besant are furious at the new Socialist ‘rage’ in London which threatens to cut short their vittles, and so have opened an attack or two on Tussy and Aveling. Bradlaugh throws about the most mysterious innuendos about Mohr’s having preached assassination and arson and having been in secret league with Continental governments,— but nothing tangible.

I want to get him to come out a bit more, before I unmask my batteries.

Nim and I are now busy among the books at Maitland Park.

There are a good many that would be uselessly heaped up in my place or at Tussy’s, indeed there will be no room here for more than half. Now there is a lot of good French books and valuable, which we thought might be more useful in your and Paul’s hands than anywhere else, for instance:

Mably, Oeuvres complètes.

Adam Smith in French (capital edition bound).

Malthus — ditto.

Guizot, Histoire de la civilisation en France.

All the books about the French Revolution (Loustalot, deux amis de la liberté, etc., etc.).

Now if you will have them we will send them to you free of charge. I cannot make out a complete list. Also if Paul wants any more American official publications, there are lots — I shall require but a few. There are some other books of yours here (Old England Dramatists etc.) which can be sent same time.

Please let me know soon, as time becomes pressing and we are in an awful embarras de richesses. The Russian books we have promised to Lavroff, he is I think positively entitled to them, being Danielson’s next friend outside Russia. Another lot of duplicates, etc., we intend sending to Zurich — part for the Partei-Archiv, part for a bibliothèque de rédaction. The Blue Books mostly to Sam Moore for use with the translation. And a few ‘popular' things to the Arbeiterverein here.

Now if you or Paul should wish for any particular books besides, please say so, and we will forward everything not absolutely required here.

Yesterday I received a letter from a certain Nonne, Kandidat der Philologie, was here some time ago, now in Paris, resides 56 Boulevard de Port-Royal. He is a leading man amongst the German workmen in Paris who you recollect had a few years ago been coaxed round by Malon’s soft sawder, and were further pushed in that direction by some stupid blunders of the Citoyen. They are now furious anti-Broussists since the ‘international Conference’ ; but still thick with Adhémar Leclère and his Cercle international. I have asked Paul several times to get into connection with the Paris Germans. They are not worth much, but they influence the German party as to Parisian affairs. Since the Socialist Law, these societies abroad have naturally recovered an influence much above their merits, as they are the only bodies remaining in possession of a public organisation. It will be difficult for the Sozialdemokrat to go direct against them in its judgment of Parisian internal quarrels. So they are worth coaxing a bit, which will not be difficult, and as the man is your neighbour, I thought best to send him my card ‘pour introduire M. Nonné auprès de M. et Mme Lafargue’. Whether anything will come of it I don’t know, anyhow I hope you will excuse the liberty I have taken.

Sorry I could not see much of citoyen Robelet — he came, was seen and vanished again.

Will Paul favour us with a few words about his mysterious adventures in la Province?

What has become of the citoyenne Paule Mink? The last reports were ‘qu’elle se multipliait dans le midi', and, what after this is not so much to be wondered at, ‘qu’elle développait son sujet’.

The outcome??

Yours affectionately,

F. Engels

Would you please forward as soon as ever possible another copy of Deville’s Capital? Kautsky is to translate it, but Meissner’s permission is necessary and I cannot expect to get it unless I send him the original.

How about the new edition of the Misère de la philosophie? People keep bothering me about it. Has anything been done?