Letter to Lion Philips, June 25, 1864

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Author(s) Karl Marx
Written 25 June 1864


First published, in the language of the original (German), in the International Review of Social History, Vol. I, Part 1, Assen, 1956
Published in English in full for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 41
Keywords : Letter, Lion Philips


MARX TO LION PHILIPS

IN ZALT-BOMMEL

London, 25 June 1864

1 Modena Villas, Maitland Park, Haverstock Hill

Dear Uncle,

Very many thanks for your detailed letter. I know how onerous writing is for you on account of your eyes and, indeed, the last thing I expect is that you should answer every one of my letters. I was glad to see from what you wrote that you are physically fit, and that your equanimity has not been shaken by the revelations of Prof. Dozy.[1] However, since Darwin demonstrated that we are all descended from the apes, there is scarcely ANY SHOCK WHATEVER that could shake 'our ancestral pride'. That the Pentateuch[2] was concocted only after the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity had already been pointed out by Spinoza in his Tractatus theologico-politicus.

In the enclosed note Eleanor herself thanks you for your photogram, which is as good as such shadow pictures can ever hope to be. The child had already placed 'her letter' on my desk some 3 or 4 days ago.

I have had a recurrence of FURUNCLES and only got rid of them a fortnight ago. Since my work was greatly impeded by this tiresome complaint—and, in addition, the doctor's orders precluded strenuous or prolonged mental work—I have, which will surprise you not a little, been speculating—partly in American FUNDS, but more especially in English stocks, which are springing up like mushrooms this year (in furtherance of every imaginable and unimaginable joint stock enterprise), are forced up to a quite unreasonable level and then, for the most part, collapse. In this way, I have made over £400 and, now that the complexity of the political situation affords greater scope, I shall begin all over again. It's a type of operation that makes small demands on one's time, and it's worth while running some risk in order to relieve the enemy of his money.

All is well, on the whole, with my family. The doctor wishes little Jenny to have a CHANGE OF AIR and, unless you or fate have any objection, I and my 3 daughters will descend upon you towards the end of the summer.

By now the fruitless outcome of the conference[3] will have been made known ALL OVER EUROPE by telegraph. The only people in this diplomatic tragi-comedy who are imperturbably pursuing their former aims and playing a masterly game are les russes? On the one hand, they are reviving the Holy Alliance,[4] chivvying the German oxen into war, and thus diverting the eyes of Europe from their own colossal successes in Poland and Circassia; on the other, they are inciting Denmark to resist and will, thanks to Mr Palmerston, eventually succeed in getting England to declare war in support of the Protocol of 1852 which, as documentary evidence has now shown, was dictated by Russia[5]! The English, who did not go to war for Poland although pledged to do so by the treaties of 1815 and who did not go to war for Circassia despite the fact that possession of the Caucasus assures Russian hegemony in Asia, are to go to war and — I THINK IT PROBABLE—will go to war, for a treaty dictated by Russia, while that same Russia officially sides with the opponents of that very treaty! C'est incroyable! There's not a vestige of sympathy for Denmark amongst the English people (although, needless to say, antipathy and to spare for Prussia and Austria); it proved impossible to hold ONE SINGLE PUBLIC MEETING in support of the Danes; the fund started by a few aristocrats for the Danish wounded PROVED A COMPLETE FAILURE; but the English people have no more say in their foreign policy than the man in the moon. The PUBLIC OPINION advanced in The Times, etc., is 'prescribed' by the wishes of OLD Pam himself.

Between 19 and 21 June Copenhagen was on the brink of revolution. The king[6] had received a Russian despatch advising him to declare himself in favour of a personal union of the Duchies with THE DANISH CROWN. The king, a creature of the Russians (who placed his son[7] in Athens, his daughter[8] in England, and himself on the Danish throne), came out in favour of the Russian proposal, which was opposed by his minister, Monrad. Only after a two-day debate, Monrad's resignation and demonstrations IN THE STREETS OF COPENHAGEN, did the brand-new KING draw in his horns, BUT IN THIS WAY RUSSIA HAS AGAIN SHOWN THE CLOVEN FOOT. Quite apart, by the by, from its being in Russia's specific interest that the war should continue and spread, it is in her general interest that the peoples of Europe, of whom she is the common foe, should bloody each other's heads. The AIRS Prussia gives herself—handsome William as WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR—are comical. This pomp and circumstance will come to a sudden and sticky end.

To give you an idea of what the GOOD Palmerston is like, I enclose with The Morning Post (Palmerston's private monitor) a cutting of a speech made by Ferrand during a parliamentary debate[9]. It is concerned solely with the appointment of a CHARITY INSPECTOR. From the passages I have marked, you will see the sort of things that are said to Pam's face in Parliament but without ever penetrating his hippopotamus's hide.

I deliberately avoided seeing Garibaldi DURING HIS STAY AT London[10]. I wouldn't mind visiting him at Caprera, but here in London HE SERVED ONLY AS A PEG FOR EVERY SELF-IMPORTANT FOOL TO HANG HIS carte de visite UPON.

Warmest regards to THE WHOLE FAMILY. My wife also sends her regards to you AND FAMILY.

YOURS TRULY,

Ch. Marx

  1. ↑ See this volume, p. 541.
  2. ↑ the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)
  3. ↑ At the end of February 1864, after the Prussian troops had entered Jutland (see Note 572), the British government, to prevent the spread of hostilities, proposed calling in London a conference of the powers signatory to the 1852 protocol on the integrity of the Danish monarchy (see Note 324) with a view to settling the Prusso-Austro-Danish conflict. However, the conference, initially due to open on 12 April 1864, was repeatedly postponed because Prussia and Austria, who were doing everything to delay its convocation, did not send their representatives. Though it did open eventually, the two-month deliberations (25 April to 25 June) produced no results because of sharp contradictions between the participants. No sooner did the conference close than Prussia and Austria resumed the fighting in Denmark.
  4. ↑ Engels speaks about the possible revival of the Holy Alliance, the association of European monarchs founded at the Congress of Vienna on 26 September 1815 on the initiative of Emperor Alexander I of Russia and the Chancellor of Austria, Metternich, for protecting the 'legitimate' regimes restored after the victory over Napoleon and for suppressing revolutionary and national liberation movements.
  5. ↑ Marx probably means the publication Le Traité de Londres, Copenhagen, 1863, and the tendentious commentaries to it in The Free Press (in particular, the leading article 'The Treaty of London' in No. 1, 6 January 1864).
  6. ↑ Christian IX
  7. ↑ William
  8. ↑ Alexandra
  9. ↑ W. Ferrand's speech in the House of Commons on 16 June 1864, The Morning Post, No. 28238, 17 June 1864.
  10. ↑ See this volume, pp. 516, 518.
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