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Letters of Marx and Engels 1848
Engels To Emil Blank
In LondonSource: MECW Volume 38, p. 165;
Written: 26 March 1848;
First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, 1934.
Paris, 26 March 1848
Dear Emil,
After the glorious February revolution and Belgium’s stillborn March revolution, I came back here last week. I wrote to Mother asking for money so that within a few days I could return to Germany[208] where we are starting up the [Neue] Rheinische Zeitung again. Mother is now very anxious to see me back in Germany, partly because she believes that there might again be some shooting here in the course of which I could get hurt, partly because she wants me to return anyway. However she also says in her letter:
‘How I can he expected to send you the money, I really don’t know, since a few days ago Fould notified Father that he was doing no more business, and since several good bills sent him by Father came back and were protested. Write and tell me, then, how I can be expected to let you have the money.'
The simplest thing would be for you to send me 20 pounds in banknotes, these being highly regarded here, and at once arrange with my old man to reimburse you. In this way I shall get my money quickly and be able to leave, whereas I would otherwise be stuck here for another week before getting money from Barmen, let alone Engelskirchen. I am therefore writing to Barmen this very day for them to repay you the £20, and I would ask you to arrange matters in the way I have just said, since bills are no longer any good.
You can send half of the bisected banknotes to me today, addressed to 19ter rue de la Victoire, Paris, and the remainder next day to Mlle Félicité André, same street and No. This will foil letter thieves.
Here things are going very well,[209] i.e. the bourgeoisie, who were beaten on 24 February and 17 March, are once more raising their heads and railing horribly against the Republic. But the only result of this will be that a thunderstorm quite unlike anything they have known before will very soon break over them. If the fellows persist in their insolence, some of them will very soon be strung up by the .People. In the provisional government they have a certain party, namely Lamartine, the soft-soaper, whose life will also soon be forfeit. The workers here, 200,000-300,000 strong, will hear of no one but Ledru-Rollin, and they are right. He is the most resolute and radical of all. Flocon, too, is very good; I've been to see him once or twice and am about to do so again; he’s a thoroughly honest fellow.
We have nothing to do with the great crusade which is departing from here to set up the German republic by force of arms. [210]
My kindest regards to Marie [Blank] and the little ones and reply by return.
In haste,
Your
Frederick