Marx-Engels Correspondence 1864
Source: MECW Volume 42, p. 21;
First published: in Der Briefwechsel zwischen F. Engels und K. Marx, Stuttgart, 1913.
Dear Moor,
In respect of the legacy, a further £200 enclosed in 1/2 £100 banknotes. All being well, there will be approx. £40 to come. I'll send the other two halves as soon as you telegraph receipt.
You will have received the Dagblätter with the celebrated article. Unfortunately, I could not find the 2nd section of the article, but there was not much in it.
The end appears to be approaching at Richmond? However, as long as Lee is not obliged to stay entirely on the defensive, which in particular means pulling all his troops back from the Shenandoah Valley as well, and as long as Richmond is not completely encircled, all the advances Grant makes against the defences at Richmond or Petersburg will be of little importance. It is just as it was at Sevastopol, which was not encircled either. I cannot imagine what Monsieur de Beauregard will do, probably no more than Hood before him, if as much. I have no confidence at all in this much-vaunted hero.
I am sending you yesterday’s Guardian; you must have a look at the Relief Committee’s report in it, and see what a difference there is between Mr Marie’s ateliers nationaux and those of your English gentlemen. In the case of the former, tasks of doubtful utility were performed, but most of the money that was spent passed into the hands of the workers, who had lost their jobs. Here, tasks of similarly doubtful importance (but ultimately of definite utility to the bourgeoisie) were also performed, but of the £230,000 a mere £12,100 is going to pass into the hands of the factory operatives, for whom the whole sum was intended (in other words, just that which is set down as being for unskilled labour). The Act for the Relief of the Distressed Factory Operatives is thus turned into one for the Relief of the Undistressed middle classes, who thereby save on rates.
All my regards.
Your
F. E.
i.e. Dagbladet — ‘Central Executive Relief Committee’, The Manchester Guardian, No. 5686, 8 November 1864
[Note by Marx]
Please return this letter, as I am going to file it on account of the remarks at the end.